Chapter 39

Beta Beckett and his wife were still in their frozen spot when I turned at them. "Listen, both of you. Inform the whole pack that, from now on, I will be the head of this pack. You will address me as Luna Suzette. If someone fails to do so, they will taste the same fate as my father did. Understood?"

They were still trembling as they nodded. "Y-yes, Luna Suzette."

I walked out of the room, chin up, proud of what I had done. Do I feel guilty about eliminating them? Hell no! Whoever treats me or blocks my way to my goals would surely suffer for fighting me, making them pay for their actions against me.

When I reached the balcony, I paused when suddenly, a powerful burst of energy filled the heavy air. Not before long, an ethereal aura surrounding her body stood before me.

"W-who are you?" I wondered.

The mass of aura became clear until it formed an innocent-looking woman with long white hair that brushed the ground. Her clothing was like a fine blanket that only wrapped around her body.

She smiled. "I’m the one guarding the stone that could give you the power you sought."

My mouth parted, but it took me a while to finally speak. "The stone’s guardian?" I couldn’t believe it. Honestly, I was hesitant since I knew nothing about this creature. But after recalling what I read in the witches’ book about the stone guardians, I began to understand who she truly was and why she wanted to help me.

"I had been waiting for centuries to find someone worthy enough to break my seal and release me," the Stone Guardian explained. "So I will serve you loyally and grant your every wish if only you would keep me safe and help me regain my full strength."

Happiness glowed inside of me at her words. Finally, I found a strong ally that would help me with my pursuits. I bit my lips, excited at the thoughts of success in the future. "So tell me, how can you become fully strong so no one will be able to defeat me?"

"The souls of the witches!" Her eyes widened as she exclaimed. "They can provide solid energy that can be converted into the powers you need."

"And where can I find these souls?" I demanded. "My aunt’s coven is the only insistent coven I know. But the witches in it left one by one after they figured I killed their queen. So I put a spell on them—when they sleep, they will never wake up."

"Oh, you don’t need traitor’s souls, dear. You need some fresh ones," she beamed, stepping closer to me. I realized she was inches taller than me because I had to lift my chin to meet her tantalizing brown eyes.

"So where can I find those souls?"

The stone guardian stretched out her arms. I quickly closed my eyes as a bright light that appeared to be a hundred stars suddenly shone. The next thing I knew, we had been teleported to the campus building's rooftop.

"This is Central Groove University," I said, frowning as I turned to the stone guardian. "Are we not mistaken? Is this the place where I can absorb souls? But those pups are weak."

"Innocent souls," the stone protector said, smiling from ear to ear. "They are the stone’s favorite ingredient. So waste no more time and start the ritual. Just remember to take good care of the stone. It is physically unbreakable but can be destroyed by a creature with royal blood."

I rolled my eyes. "As if a prince or princes are studying in this school."

The stone protector nodded, and her face seemed content as she transformed into a white mass of dark mist, and vanished like bubbles.

Before I performed the ritual, I stood near the railing, admiring the sprawling campus of my university spread out before me. I could make out students strolling along pathways and professors in their classrooms. It looked so peaceful from up here, almost like a scene from a postcard.

My gaze drifted to the stone that hung around my neck. Its pitch-black hue seemed to glimmer with some kind of mysterious power as though alive itself. As if prompted by an unseen force, I reached up and touched it lightly.

"Now is the time, precious one," I whispered to the stone. "Gather souls for me."

After my soft command, I sang a prayer in an ancient witch's language. Immediately, dark mists began entering through every window and door down below, and after what felt like only moments later they vanished just as quickly as they'd arrived, leaving behind an eerie silence that filled me with strange blissfulness.

A moment passed, then suddenly screams ripped through the air startlingly loud even over this distance, causing delicious goosebumps to rise all across my body. The mists were now flying back towards where I was standing, each carrying those same forms resembling clouds, but there was something different about them. Upon closer inspection, students’ unconscious forms littered the ground.

I could feel the power coursing through my veins as I drained the life force from each of the students. With every soul I consumed, I grew stronger than ever before.

I was almost finished when suddenly I felt someone else's presence in the room. I turned to see who it was and saw a white wolf standing there.

I narrowed my eyes. Anger had automatically accumulated in my system. I wanted to attack whoever it was, but I couldn’t move since the stone was still in the process of absorbing souls.

"You! Get the hell out of here. I’ll slaughter you if my ritual has been ruined!" I threatened. Though I wondered why this stupid pup wasn’t affected by the spell. Not unless she wasn’t an ordinary pup.

‘It's Luna!’ the stone guardian blurted in my ear. I could feel her becoming less comfortable when this white wolf showed up from nowhere.

I tilted my head, confusion fogging my mind. "From what pack is this Luna?"

I blinked. The next thing I knew, the white wolf was now a human girl. Her body had mud and blood stains, and her clothes were worn out. She was fresh from a previous serious fight.

"You need to stop this nonsense, Suzette. You have no right to harm any of the students in my school!"

Wait, she looked very familiar. I remembered seeing her in the packhouse, the one who Calle accommodated with finesse.

"Daphne Forster?"