Shadow Pride

Chapter 4 - Margo

I prowl the edges of the academy's courtyard, senses on high alert. Sunlight glints off the iron-wrought gates, casting long shadows that slither across the cobblestones like silent serpents. The murmurs of students blend into a low hum—a hive of secrets and teenage subterfuge.

"Did you hear about the new girl, Lacy?" A voice cuts through the buzz, sharp as a claw swipe. I pivot toward it, ears perked for more.

"I heard she escaped from her pride." Another responds, hushed and heavy with intrigue.

“I heard her alpha…” The original voice whispers, the end cutting off as her voice lowers to a level even my supernatural hearing can pick up.

I move closer, a whisper among whispers. My eyes, golden and keen, scan the crowd. They stop on her. A waif of a girl, shoulders hunched, eyes darting like a cornered prey. She has to be the one they’re talking about. Lacy. The name is a hiss in my mind.

"Hey," I call out, soft yet commanding. She flinches. I curse inwardly at the action, I was not my intention to scare her. I approach slowly, each step deliberate, each movement intentional, trying to put her at ease. The fact that she flinched just from me saying ‘hey’ tells me there is so much more to her story. More that I need to know. My mountain lion prowls closer to the surface as we catch a glimpse of her scent and a low growl emanates from my chest at the fear permeating the air. There is something about this girl that is driving both my mountain lion and me to want to help her. No need to help her.

"Can we talk?" I ask, tilting my head toward the seclusion of an archway draped in ivy. Her gaze lingers on mine—a silent plea—and she nods.

"Okay." Her voice is a wisp of sound, almost lost to the wind that rustles the leaves above us.

We slip away from prying eyes, into the quiet shadow of the arch. Away from the world, it's just us. From this close, I notice the slight trembling of the girl's hands as they hang loosely by her sides. Her knuckles are pale and her fingers seem to shake uncontrollably.

Her hands are small and delicate, the skin pale and almost translucent. From this close, I can see the faint blue veins spreading across her trembling fingers. Her nails are ragged and bitten, evidence of her anxiety.

I guide her into the shadow of the arch, my heart thudding against my ribs. The ivy leaves shiver as if they too sense the gravity of secrets about to spill.

"I’m Margo.” I introduce myself softly.

“L…Lacy.” She studders, the scent of fear stronger than even before.

“It’s very nice to meet you Lacy.” I desperately want to jump in and ask her everything, but I know that’s definitely not the right way to go about getting the information I need. It’s clear just by looking at her that she’s suffered trauma. I make a mental note to ensure she’s been set up an appointment with Charleigh. I look her over again, seeing how her dress hangs off her body. And Felicia. This girl definitely needs to be seen for a doctor for malnutrition if nothing else.

Lacy’s eyes are wide, filled with a mix of wariness and curiosity. She gazes up at me, her vulnerability almost palpable in the charged air between us. I can feel the weight of her unspoken words pressing against my skin like a silent plea for understanding her nervousness.

“What brings you to the academy, Lacy?” I ask gently, my voice a soothing balm in the tense atmosphere.

“I-I needed to escape,” she admits, her voice barely above a whisper, as if afraid the very walls might betray her secrets.

“Escape from what?” I inquire, my instincts on high alert. There’s a story here, a tale of shadows and hidden pain that I can sense lurking beneath the surface.

Lacy hesitates for a moment, her gaze flickering away before returning to meet mine. “My pride… they were… they were cruel,” she finally reveals, the words heavy with the weight of her past.

The revelation sends a shiver down my spine, “What do you mean?”

"He... Alpha Aiden is cruel." Each word punctuated by a hitch in her breath. "He rules with iron claws and terror."

Her eyes, wide and brimming with remembered fear, meet mine. They are pools of moonlight touched by shadows, haunted.

"Go on," I urge, my own anger simmering, a threat beneath my calm exterior. I swallow the growl that is threatening to escape, not wanting to scare the girl any more than she already is. If she’s used to an alpha that rules through fear, that’s the last thing she needs from me to feel safe.

She swallows hard, the bob of her throat a testament to her struggle.

"He’s always been cruel. Using his fists to intimidate and control.”