The Lunar Crest Academy: Marked by The Lycans-Chapter 232: Ending It All

Lorraine's POV

I woke up with my cheek pressed against cold earth.

For a long second, I didn't know where I was, or who I was. My body felt like it had been dragged through fire and shattered glass, every nerve screaming at once. There was a low, shrill sound at the back of my head, sharp and unrelenting, like metal scraping against bone. It pulsed in time with my heartbeat.

Then the smell hit me.

Damp soil. Old stone. Death.

Felix.

I pushed myself up slowly, my hands sinking into the loose dirt as memory slammed back into me so hard it stole the air from my lungs. I was kneeling in front of his grave. No, on it. I must have collapsed sometime during the night, cried until my body gave out and shut down without asking my permission.

I couldn't even remember falling asleep.

My throat burned. My eyes felt swollen and raw, like I had rubbed sand into them. When I swallowed, it hurt. When I breathed, it hurt. Everything hurt.

The sound in my head was still there.

It hadn't gone away.

I pressed a trembling hand to the back of my skull, wincing as another wave of pain rolled through me. My senses felt… wrong. Too sharp. Too loud. I could hear leaves shifting far beyond the clearing, feel the vibration of insects moving through the soil beneath my knees. My heart was beating too fast, my blood too hot, like it was trying to burn its way out of me.

I clenched my fists and slowly stood, swaying as dizziness hit me. For a moment, the world tilted, and I had to dig my nails into my palms just to stay upright. I stared down at the grave in front of me, the rough stone marker catching the pale morning light.

"I won't let this go Felix, I will get back at them for doing this to you" I whispered hoarsely. "I won't let your death be for nothing."

My voice shook, but my resolve didn't.

This had gone on too long. Too many bodies. Too much blood. Too many people I cared about reduced to names carved into stone.

I turned away.

As I walked, my legs felt weak, like they might give out at any moment, but I kept moving. I followed the faint sounds of breathing and movement until I reached the tree line where the others had camped.

Astrid stood first, upright, composed, every line of her body controlled and sharp, like grief had no permission to touch her. Alistair sat on a fallen log nearby, shoulders hunched, hands clasped together tightly. Varya was on the ground, knees pulled to her chest, eyes red and swollen. She had cried. Hard. Kaelani leaned against the tree, arms crossed, her expression unreadable, jaw tight.

The moment Alistair saw me, he shot to his feet.

"Lorraine," he said quickly, crossing the distance between us in a few long strides. "I.... I was going to come look for you."

His eyes searched my face anxiously, like he was bracing for something, anger, blame, hatred.

"I was worried," he continued, voice low. "After last night… I thought maybe you..." He swallowed. "I thought maybe you blamed me."

I stopped in front of him.

"I don't," I said immediately.

He froze. "You…. you don't?"

"No." My voice came out steadier than I felt. "I was angry. I was hurting. I lashed out." I took a breath that burned all the way down. "I'm sorry about that."

Alistair stared at me like he didn't quite believe what he was hearing.

"Felix's death isn't on you," I said quietly. "You fought him but you didn't choose to do that, you were forced to. Adrian did this. Felix's death is on Adrian, not you Alistair."

His shoulders sagged slightly, guilt still etched into every line of his face. "I keep seeing it," he admitted. "The way Felix looked. The way he couldn't fight back. I didn't mean to...."

"I know," I said firmly. "And we can grieve later. But right now? This ends."

Something hardened in my chest as I spoke the words.

"This has dragged on for too long," I continued. "Too many people are dead. I'm tired, Alistair. I'm tired of running. I'm tired of reacting. We end this."

Astrid stepped forward then, her boots crunching softly against the forest floor.

"It's good to have you back," she said coolly. Not unkind, but not warm either. "Now, we need to find Kieran."

The name hit me harder than I expected.

"He really left just like that, after everything happened," I said slowly. "Didn't say where he was going."

"Which is a problem," Astrid replied. "Because if I know Kieran Valerius Hunter at all, he didn't leave to clear his head."

I nodded. "He probably blamed himself. For Felix. For everything."

Varya lifted her head sharply. "He had the map."

Everyone looked at her.

"The one that shows Conan's location," she continued. "Liandrin gave it to her before everything went to hell."

Alistair exhaled sharply. "Then that settles it. He's going after Conan."

Astrid straightened fully now, every trace of stillness sharpening into command. "That's a very dangerous mission. Which means we either stop him before he gets there...."

"...or we're there when he does," Kaelani finished quietly.

Astrid's gaze flicked to her. "So we can even out the odds" she agreed.

"But how do we find Conan or Kieran? We have no idea where they are" Varya said

Kaelani sighed, rubbing a hand over her face. "From the very beginning, I wanted no part in this. I didn't ask for any of this." Her voice hardened. "But after everything, I've realized something. If we don't kill this Crimson Hunt rot now, it'll come for everyone. Including me. Including my family."

She pushed off the tree. "So the only sensible thing left is to help you."

Astrid tilted her head. "And how exactly do you plan to do that?"

Kaelani met her gaze evenly. "I can track Kieran."

"What do you mean by that?" Astrid asked.

Kaelani reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "You know the kind of map Kieran has? The one that shows Conan's location?"

"Yes," Astrid said cautiously.

"I have one too," Kaelani replied. "Except mine shows Kieran."

Varya frowned. "How?"

Kaelani hesitated for half a second, then shrugged. "After I found out Kieran ditched our wedding because he didn't want to marry me, I went to a witch."

Alistair blinked. "You… what?"

"She made it for me," Kaelani continued flatly. "Used one of Kieran's old belongings that he left behind in the royal castle. Hair. Scent. The usual."

I stared at her. "That's how you found him in the first place."

"Yes," she said. "And I still have it."

She untucked the paper fully and handed it to Astrid.

Astrid took it, her expression shifting the moment her eyes scanned the markings. Symbols glowed faintly across the parchment, lines converging into a single point.

"That's his exact location," Astrid said.

"Then let's move," I said.

We didn't waste another second.

As we walked, my body protested with every step. The pain didn't fade, it pulsed, sharp and constant. My skin prickled like it was being stabbed with a thousand tiny needles, heat pooling under my flesh. I kept my face neutral, my pace steady.

Astrid fell into step beside me.

"How are you feeling?" she asked quietly.

"Fine," I replied without thinking.

She didn't look convinced. "You're not."

I clenched my jaw. "I said I'm fine."

"You've been using your powers against my advice," Astrid said calmly. "And you're slowly killing yourself. You know that, Lorraine. I warned you not to use them, but you never listen, do you?"

Something snapped.

"What the fuck do you want me to do?" I shot back, my voice rising. "My friends were dying!"

Astrid stopped walking. I stopped too.

"I'm not selfish enough to stand there and do nothing when I know I can save them," I continued, chest heaving. "I won't apologize for that."

Her eyes hardened. "All of this could have been avoided if you had listened to me."

"If you hadn't left the academy in the first place," she added sharply.

She stepped closer, her voice dropping. "Do not use your powers again. Not for any reason. Not unless you want to slump dead where you stand."

My stomach twisted.

"Your body isn't strong enough," she continued. "Your powers are consuming it. That's why you're in constant pain. Stop pretending you're invincible when you know the truth."

I stared at her.

"Unless you want history to repeat itself," Astrid finished, "unless you want to end up like Maeryn, do not use your power."

My heart stuttered.

I looked at her

"How did you know about Maeryn?" I whispered. "Have you always known about my connection with Maeryn all this while?"