Chapter 4
1240 Words
The beast’s snout was a fraction of an inch from her throat, its breath a wet, searing furnace against her skin.
The smell of copper and ozone was suffocating, and the sheer, unhinged madness in those golden eyes told Willow that logic held no weight there.
Her heart was a trapped bird slamming against her ribs, and the blood from her hand, now slicking the floor, felt like the only thing keeping the creature’s predatory hunger from erupting into a killing blow. But she was wrong because the next second, the beast bore his fangs out.
Just as the beast’s muscles coiled, ready to tear through the fragile barrier of her skin, a melodic, lazy whistle cut through the tension.
"Oh, come on, Kai. Really?"
The wolf’s head snapped toward the door.
Standing there, leaning casually against the doorframe, was Levi. He looked entirely unimpressed, his hands tucked deep into his pockets as if he were watching a subpar stage play.
"Retreat, brother. The snack isn't worth the headache," Levi added, his voice dropping an octave, layered with the inescapable, crushing weight of an Alpha’s Command.
The reaction was instantaneous. Kai stiffened, a involuntary tremor wracking its charcoal-furred frame.
The primal, murderous instinct was forced to buckle under the sheer authority of the command.
The wolf let out a jagged, frustrated snarl, but it backpedaled, its claws scraping harshly against the floorboards.
It reluctantly pulled away, his body shaking with the exertion of resisting the order, before finally shifting its weight back toward the darkness.
Kai let out a low, guttural growl. He snapped his massive jaws toward Levi, his eyes flashing with a violent, resentful intelligence, clearly furious at being reined in like a common pup.
Levi didn't even flinch. He rolled his eyes, a sarcastic smirk pulling at his lips. "Don't give me that look. You were drooling, Kai. It’s unseemly."
Still furious, Kai sprinted out the room.
Levi turned his gaze back to Willow, who was still trembling on her knees, her breath coming in shallow, jagged gasps. He sauntered closer, stepping over the puddle of blood with the grace of a predator who had no fear of the mess. He looked down at her, taking in her disheveled state, the way she was clutching her bleeding hand, and the sheer, defiant terror still etched into her features.
"And you," Levi sighed, shaking his head. "I thought you were special. Truly. I mean You had the audacity to slap Chloe. indirectly looking down on a high-ranking Alpha. And yet, look at you now."
He crouched down, his face inches from hers, his eyes dancing with that familiar, twisted amusement. "you look remarkably small. Not very strong, are you? A little scrap on the hand and you’re practically folding like a deck of cards."
Willow bit her lip, her annoyance warring with the terrifying reality of what she had just survived. But she wasn't stupid and knew danger was lurking behind the eyes of this creature. she didn't forget the way her wolf was doing internal flips.
She pulled her hand against her chest, the sting of the wound throbbing in time with her frantic pulse.
"You saved me. Thank you?" Levi didn't respond he just had an amused smile on his lips. She turned to look towards the door. She stared up at him, refusing to let him see the full extent of her fear. "why is he like that? What’s wrong with him?"
Levi's smile grew wider, he had a thin, sharp expression that didn't reach his eyes.
He didn't answer. Instead, he reached out and flicked a stray lock of hair from her forehead with a flick of his finger.
"The real question, little bird, is what drives you," he whispered, his tone becoming dangerously inquisitive.
"What is it? A death wish? A craving for relevance in a hierarchy that would happily grind your bones to dust? It’s clearly not your strength. I can smell your fear, and it’s potent enough to choke a room. So, what is it? What makes you think you can walk through the fire without getting burned?"
Willow glared at him, her pulse drumming in her ears. "I don't need to explain myself to you, Alpha Levi."
He let out a short, sharp laugh, standing up and dusting off his jacket as if he’d just finished a conversation about the weather.
"Maybe not today. But curiosity is a dangerous thing, especially for the weak."
"I'm not weak." She spat feeling enraged again
"Of course you aren't sweetheart" He said sarcastically
Before he could continue the taunt, the heavy door groaned again. Derek strode in, his face an unreadable mask of cold, tactical focus. His eyes landed on Willow, raking over her torn hand, her dusty clothes, and the blood on the floor with a distinct, sharp-edged frown.
"Levi. We're on a schedule," Derek said, his voice clipped and impatient. He didn't offer to help her up, nor did he acknowledge the danger she had just been in.
To him, she was just a variable that had caused an unnecessary delay.
"Coming, coming," Levi drawled, shooting Willow one last, mocking wink. "Do try to stay in one piece, won't you? It would be such a shame if you broke before the main event."
Without another word, the two Alphas turned and walked out, their footsteps echoing in perfect, synchronized rhythm against the stone.
They left her there, in the dark, silent archive, with the heavy scent of ozone and copper lingering in the air.
Willow stayed on the floor for a long time, the silence of the room returning with a weight that felt heavier than before.
She looked toward the dark corner where Kai had retreated.
Slowly, she stood up, her legs feeling like lead, and hurried toward the exit. She didn't look back, but the fear made her feel like she could hear him behind her. a low, rhythmic panting, a sound that she knew would haunt her dreams for a long time to come.
As she stumbled out into the cool, dark hallway, Everyone was moving like normal. some cast a glance towards her, scrutiny in their gazes.
Mocking laughter was ears everywhere. She couldn't bother with them.
A sinking realization dawned on her heart that the danger wasn't just in the politics of the school, or the war closing in.
There was something broken at the core of these men, something feral and ancient that was leaking out, and she had just been dragged into the center of the spill.
She wiped the blood from her hand, but the metallic scent stayed on her skin, a permanent reminder of the monster in the dark and the twisted curiosity of the man who had let her live. for now.
She reached the dorm and slumped on the bed. Nothing seemed to have changed but the Academy felt different now.
Less like a school, and more like a slaughterhouse waiting for the signal to begin. She wondered if she was being followed.
Everything she thought she knew about power, about rules, and about survival could be wrong.
The distant howl of a wolf echoed through the campus, she knew she had nowhere left to hide.
Meanwhile, Tristan stood face to face with Levi and Derek. Kai sat at the corner looking drained and out of breath.
"You're telling me, that this same girl now knows about our little Situation?"
- Writer
