Chapter 131 The Aftermath
Chapter 131
RAVENNA
The rays of sunlight hitting my face woke me up the following morning. I tried to sit up but found myself held down by a heap of weight.
I looked down. Samantha was sleeping on top of me; her arms wrapped around me so tightly I could barely breathe.
I gently shifted her off and laid her on the floor. Then I stumbled to the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face. The makeup from last night was smeared all over my face. I looked like a nightmare. But I did not care.
When I came back out, Sam was already awake.
"I need to check if the area is clear," I told her. "So, we can get back to the academy."
Sam stood up immediately. "I am coming with you."
"No. Stay here. It is safer."
"I am coming with you or we are staying here for the rest of the day," Sam crossed her arms. "Your choice."
I sighed. "Fine but you stay behind me at all times. Understood?"
"Understood."
We moved the chairs and tables away from the door. I picked up the gun from where I had left it on the floor. Then slowly, carefully, I opened the door.
The hallway was silent.
We walked down to where the two girls had been lying. They were still there but their bodies were cold now and dead. I held the gun out in front of me and turned the corner, Sam right behind me.
We stepped into the main club area. My breath stopped completely.
There were bodies everywhere, some in wolf form while some in human form. Blood covered every surface like someone had painted the walls with it. The gun fell from my hand and clattered to the floor. My mouth opened but no sound came out. I started shaking uncontrollably.
Beside me, Sam convulsed and threw up violently.
"I am so sorry," I whispered, putting my hand on her back.
Sam wiped her mouth with her sleeve. "We should check if anyone is still alive."
"Are you sure you can handle that?"
"No. But we have to do it anyway."
We moved through the bodies carefully, checking for pulses, for anyone breathing. There was nothing. Everyone was dead. My body shook harder with each body we checked. Sam grabbed my hand and held on tight.
"They all died because of that video," I choked out. "Because of what I did."
"Do not blame yourself," Sam squeezed my hand. "You did what was right."
"Do not say that!" I pulled away from her. "How can you say that when we are standing in a room full of dead people?"
"Raven—"
"They are all dead, Sam. All of them and it is my fault."
I started crying. Something I had not allowed myself to do since this whole thing started. Sam pulled me into a hug and let me cry into her shoulder.
After a few minutes, we pulled ourselves together and headed for the exit door. More bodies were piled there. They looked like they had been trying to escape when they got torn apart by wolves.
"How are we going to get through all those bodies?" Sam whimpered.
"Sit down somewhere," I ordered. "I will pull them away."
"Raven—"
"Just sit down. Please."
It took me an hour to drag enough bodies away to clear a path. I cringed at every touch. At every sight of blood. At every lifeless face staring up at me.
Finally, we got outside into fresh air. I rode us back to the academy in silence. Neither of us spoke.
We rushed straight to our room and locked the door behind us. Sam went into the bathroom and stayed there for over an hour.
"Sam!" I finally yelled. "Get out! I need to use the bathroom too!"
She came out looking pale and sick.
I took my turn in the bathroom, scrubbing every inch of my body until my skin was red. I was trying to wash away the blood, death and guilt.
When I came out, Sam was sitting on her bed looking absolutely miserable.
"Is it alright if we skip classes today?" she asked quietly.
I shook my head. "I cannot. I have skipped math three times already last week. Professor warned me not to miss another class or he will deduct marks from my assessment. And you know what that means. I will have a carryover."
"Right."
"You can stay here though," I added. "It is just the one math class. I will come back as soon as it is done."
Sam nodded and lay back on her bed, curling into a ball.
I dressed quickly and grabbed my bag. "I will be back soon. Lock the door behind me."
When I opened the door, Theodore was leaning against the railing facing our room. He straightened up the moment he saw me. I fell into step beside him as we headed towards the academic building.
He kept looking around nervously checking over his shoulder and scanning the corridors.
"What is wrong with you?" I asked. "You are acting strange."
Without warning, he grabbed my arm and pushed me into an empty classroom. He closed the door behind us and immediately went to the window to check if anyone had seen us.
"Explain what the meaning of that was," I demanded.
Theodore turned to face me. "I am sorry. I think someone is watching me. I needed to talk to you but I had to be careful."
"Watching you? Who?"
"I do not know. But our father is back. He has gathered some information for us. But I need to ask you a question first."
"What question?"
"Are you the person behind the Revenge account and the Darius Fan account?"
I hesitated for just a second. Then nodded. "Yes."
Theodore ran his hand through his hair. "Father thinks there is going to be a war breakout between both packs because of those videos you leaked."
"That is a lie," I shot back. "A video like that could not cause a war."
Theodore actually laughed. "Did you not know the gravity of what you were doing before you jumped into it?"
I stepped back. "There was a fight at the club last night. Only Sam and I survived. Everyone else died."
Theodore's expression changed. "What?"
"Everyone died. Dozens of people. All because the two packs started fighting each other."
"You need to be very careful," Theodore grabbed my shoulders. "If any fight starts near you, leave immediately. Do not try to be brave. Just run."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because Father is planning something big. I do not know what exactly. But he told me to find you and make sure you understand to stay away from any wolf fights."
"Planning what? Theodore, what is Father doing?"
"I have no idea," he released my shoulders. "He would not tell me. Just said to warn you."
He grabbed my face and kissed my forehead. "Can we hang out later this evening? Maybe I can come to your room? I am feeling lonely."
I glared at him. "You want to come to my room?"
"I will bring snacks," he grinned.
"Fine. But you better bring good snacks."
When I got to math class, everyone was talking about the club incident. The police had already been there. The news had spread everywhere. I slid into my usual seat and tried to focus on my textbook.
"The Silverthorn pack are always the troublesome ones," a Mooncrest student was saying loudly. "They start fights everywhere they go."
"This academy has been peaceful for generations," another added. "But just weeks after Caleb arrived, everything crumbled."
A Silverthorn wolf stood up angrily. "Everything was peaceful until your Alpha's dirty secrets got exposed! This all started because of Mooncrest pack!"
"Our Alpha's video was released first!" someone shouted back. "By your pack!"
"That is a lie!"
I sank lower in my seat, trying to become invisible. I could see Dorian sitting a few rows ahead. Caleb was there too but Darius was nowhere in sight.
A sharp slap echoed through the classroom. Everyone went silent.
A girl from Silverthorn had just slapped a Mooncrest girl across the face.
The Mooncrest girl touched her cheek, her eyes widening in shock. Then rage took over. "You want to fight? Fine! Let us fight and prove which pack is truly innocent!"
Dorian jumped up from his seat. "Stop this nonsense right now! Do not fight!"
But someone pushed him backwards and he stumbled into a desk.
The Silverthorn girl who had started it all raised her voice. "Everyone from Silverthorn! Stand with me!"
Students began moving. Silverthorn pack members gathered behind her on one side of the classroom. The Mooncrest students immediately gathered on the opposite side.
They started yelling at each other hurling insults back and forth.
"Traitors!"
"Liars!"
"Murderers!"
"Cowards!"
Then suddenly, Caleb stood up. "I will make this easy for everyone," he announced calmly.
Before anyone could react, he grabbed one of the Mooncrest wolves, a girl who had been standing closest to him and twisted her neck sharply to the side.
The crack echoed through the classroom. The girl dropped to the floor dead. My eyes widened in absolute horror.cFor a moment, everything was silent.
Then the Mooncrest wolves roared in rage and lunged forward. They met the Silverthorn pack head-on in the middle of the classroom.
And the fight began.