Chapter 45

Chapter 45
LAUREN

The morning air was filled with a quiet tension as I sat near the back of the school courtyard, hidden away from prying eyes. I glanced around to ensure no one was listening, my eyes sharp and focused. The two omega wolves I’d summoned, both tall and wiry with watchful eyes, approached cautiously, glancing around before settling down across from me.

One of them, the older wolf with a thin scar across his jaw, leaned forward, his voice low and eager. “You have news for us, Lauren?”

I nodded, lowering my voice. “Yes. Shane has finally found a mate… but it’s not what anyone expected.”

The younger wolf raised an eyebrow, a slow grin spreading across his face. “Oh, old story. And what poor soul has he bonded with?”

“A human,” I replied, my tone laced with disbelief. “A weak human girl. She has no powers, no strength, nothing to offer him. It’s pathetic, really. Shane, the supposed alpha, mated to someone who can barely defend herself, let alone an entire pack.”

They exchanged amused glances, and the older wolf let out a low chuckle. “Roy will be pleased to hear this. Shane is weaker than we thought if he had to settle for a human mate. It practically guarantees he won’t regain his strength.”

I leaned in, a smirk forming on my lips. “Exactly. This girl—her name’s Harley—she’s no threat. She’s nothing but a liability. I thought you’d want to know. She could be… useful in keeping Shane weak, vulnerable.”

The younger wolf’s eyes gleamed with interest. “And what would you suggest we do about her? Surely you don’t expect us to just sit back and watch?”

I shook my head, my gaze steely. “That’s up to Roy. I’m simply giving you the information. But if it were me… well, I wouldn’t allow a weak human to be the mate of my enemy. There’s only one way to sever the bond, and it isn’t pleasant.”

The older wolf’s grin grew darker, his voice a low whisper. “We’ll make sure Roy gets this message. I imagine he’ll be very interested to hear about Shane’s ‘powerless’ mate. Perhaps he’ll decide it’s time to pay her a visit.”

I nodded, a small thrill running through me at the thought. Shane had always been a nuisance, but now, with Harley in the picture, he was vulnerable in a way he’d never been before. If Roy chose to target her, it could be the end of Shane’s dreams of reclaiming his throne.

Just then, a shadow fell over our conversation, and I looked up to see Harley standing there, her expression curious but cautious. The two wolves immediately stiffened, exchanging a quick glance before standing up.

“Ah, well, we’d better get going,” the younger wolf said smoothly, giving Lauren a quick nod. “See you around, Lauren.”

“Yeah,” the older one added, his tone casual but his gaze sharp as he glanced at Harley. “Take care.”

With that, they quickly slipped away, disappearing down the hall with a final nod toward me. I watched them go, forcing a calm smile as Harley approached, but my heart pounded with annoyance. She’d interrupted at a crucial moment. Still, I kept my expression neutral, not wanting to betray anything.

“Who were they?” she asked, glancing down the hallway where they’d just disappeared.

“No one,” I replied quickly, shrugging as if it was nothing. “Just a couple of classmates. What are you doing here, anyway?”

Harley hesitated, looking almost nervous as she glanced around, making sure we were alone. “I wanted to talk to you, actually. There’s… something strange going on, and I thought maybe you’d understand.”

I raised an eyebrow, feigning casual interest, though inside I was already tense. “Oh? What’s so strange?”

She bit her lip, looking away for a moment as if gathering her thoughts. “I keep having these… dreams. They’re intense, and they feel so real. In them, I’m standing under the moon, in the middle of a forest, and I… I start screaming.”

A chill ran through me, but I forced myself to keep listening, my expression neutral.

“And then,” she continued, her voice dropping to a whisper, “there’s this… energy. Like fire running through my veins. I raise my hands, and suddenly… the trees around me start to burn. It’s like I’m casting magic, but I don’t understand how.”

I felt my heart skip a beat, shock flickering in my mind as I processed her words. Magic. The sheer power she was describing was something I’d only ever heard of in legends—ancient magic that could destroy entire forests, capable of overwhelming even the strongest of wolves. I stared at her, trying to hide the realization dawning on me. If she possessed that kind of power, then she wasn’t just a human. She was something else, something dangerous.

A mystic witch. The rarest kind, with powers that could rival even the oldest wolves. If Roy knew this… if he found out Shane had mated with someone who could potentially wield that level of magic, he’d be furious. This changed everything.

“What’s wrong?” Harley asked, her eyes filled with confusion. “Do you… do you know what’s happening to me?”

I swallowed, forcing myself to remain calm, but my mind raced with the implications. “Oh, it’s nothing,” I replied, giving her a reassuring smile. “Sometimes people have strange dreams. Maybe it’s just your imagination, Harley.”

“But they feel so real,” she insisted, her voice laced with worry. “And the way I feel in the dream… it’s like this power is building up inside me, like I’m about to burst. I don’t understand it.”

I kept my smile steady, trying to brush off her concerns. “Don’t think too much about it. It’s probably just stress or… something you ate. Nothing to worry about.”

Harley frowned, clearly still uncertain, but she nodded slowly, as if she was trying to convince herself that I was right. “Maybe… maybe you’re right.”

Before I could say more, the classroom door swung open, and our teacher walked in, the familiar clamor of students filling the room. Harley looked up, her gaze lingering on me for a moment before she turned to head to her seat. I watched her go, my mind still spinning with the knowledge I’d just uncovered.

If Harley was truly a mystic witch, she could pose a threat unlike anything we’d anticipated. A power like hers was rare and dangerous, something that could tip the balance in Shane’s favor if he ever learned to harness it. But it was also unstable, unpredictable—something that could destroy both him and herself if it wasn’t controlled.

I slipped into my seat, still trying to process the implications. This wasn’t the weakness I’d hoped for. Harley’s power wasn’t just dangerous—it was explosive, capable of reducing entire packs to ash if unleashed without restraint. And now, with the bond between her and Shane, there was no telling what she might be capable of, or if she even understood the depth of her own potential.

As the lesson began, I forced myself to focus, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of unease gnawing at me. If Roy knew what I’d just learned, he’d be relentless. Harley wasn’t just a weak human; she was something entirely different, something that could change everything.

The question was… did she even know?