Chapter 91 Puppets and Scapegoats
Wynter‘s POV
Teachers were physically herding students away from the conflict zone, their own wolves rising to create an intimidating wall of Alpha and Beta authority that even panicking teenagers instinctively obeyed. I let Chase pull me backward this time, though I kept my eyes on the scene, trying to memorize every detail even as my mind reeled from the horror of it.
As we retreated with the crowd, I caught sight of Jax. He'd frozen in place about twenty feet away, his whole body rigid with shock, his face drained of all color. His suppression collar pulsed with agitation, but it wasn't trying to contain his wolf—it was reacting to his emotional state, to whatever realization had just hit him with the force of a physical blow.
"Jax?" I called out, trying to reach him through the crush of fleeing students, but he didn't seem to hear me.
His eyes were locked on the smallest of the attacking children—a little boy with bright red hair who was currently being restrained by two security guards working together, the child still thrashing and snarling with mindless violence even as they forced him to the ground.
"That's—" Jax's voice came out broken, disbelieving. "That's Cassius. Cassius Thorne. He went missing three weeks ago from the Rogue settlement ."
The words hit me like a physical blow, stealing the breath from my lungs. One of the missing Rogue children. One of the kids we'd been desperately trying to find, to save, to protect from whatever fate had befallen them.
And here he was, his mind stolen, his small body turned into a weapon, used to create chaos and terror at an Academy festival.
Through the Bond, I felt Chase's fury spike so sharply it made me gasp.
"We need to get you somewhere safe," he said, his voice tight with barely controlled emotion. "Now, Wynter."
But I pulled against his hold, turning back toward where Jax still stood frozen, staring at the restrained child with an expression of such devastation it made my chest ache. "Wait—Jax, we need to—"
The security team had finally managed to subdue all three children, binding them with specialized restraints designed to hold even a feral wolf. The moment the restraints clicked into place, the kids went completely limp, their eyes rolling back in their heads as their bodies collapsed like someone had literally cut the strings controlling them.
The sudden shift from violent struggle to absolute stillness was somehow even more disturbing than the attack itself, confirming what I'd suspected—these children weren't acting on their own will. They were puppets, and whoever had been controlling them had withdrawn the moment they were captured, abandoning them without a second thought.
The festival grounds looked like a battlefield now—colorful decorations trampled and torn, food stalls overturned, injured students being tended to by the medical team that had rushed to the scene with impressive speed. The joyful celebration of an hour ago had transformed into something nightmarish, and I felt tears burning behind my eyes at the sheer cruelty of it.
They're just kids, I thought, watching security carefully lift the unconscious children onto stretchers. Someone did this to children. Stole their minds, turned them into weapons, and didn't care what happened to them afterward.
Headmaster Grey stood on the platform again, his expression grave in a way I'd never seen before. "The festival is concluded," he announced, his voice carrying the weight of absolute authority that made even the most panicked students fall silent. "All students are to return to your dormitories immediately and remain there until further notice. Teachers, please escort your assigned groups. Security, I want a full sweep of the campus perimeter—find out how these intruders gained access and seal any breaches immediately."
As students began moving in organized groups toward their dorms under teacher supervision, I watched the medical team carefully carrying the three unconscious children toward the medical wing. Their small bodies looked so fragile now, so heartbreakingly young, and I had to bite my lip hard to keep from crying at the injustice of it all.
Through the Bond, I felt Chase's matching grief mixing with his fury, his wolf howling for justice even as his human mind calculated the political implications of this attack.
We'd barely made it ten steps toward the dormitories, still processing what we'd witnessed, when Professor Stone's voice cut through the organized chaos with the force of an Alpha command.
"Jax Thorne. Stop right there."
The words carried enough authority that Jax froze mid-step, his whole body going rigid. Around us, other students slowed despite the teachers trying to keep them moving, sensing drama about to unfold and unable to resist the pull of potential conflict.
Professor Stone approached with two security guards flanking him, his expression hard and suspicious in a way that made my stomach drop with dread. "You're coming with us. Right now."
"What?" Jax's voice came out confused, wary, his eyes darting between Stone and the guards. "Why? What's going on?"
"You know exactly what's going on," Stone said coldly, his gaze boring into Jax with open accusation. "Three Rogue children attack this campus during our largest event of the semester. And you—the only Rogue student currently enrolled at this Academy—just happen to be present when it occurs. That's quite a coincidence, don't you think?"
The accusation hung in the air like poison, and I felt fury building in my chest so hot and bright it threatened to choke me.
"You think I—" Jax's voice rose with genuine shock and hurt. "You think I brought them here? Are you completely insane?"
"Watch your tone," Stone snapped, his Alpha presence flaring in warning. "We have multiple witness reports of suspicious activity near the east woods early this morning. A figure matching your description was seen near the perimeter fence around dawn."
"That's impossible," Jax said, his hands clenching into fists at his sides, his collar pulsing brighter with his agitation. "I was in the cafeteria all morning helping with festival preparations. Ask anyone—ask the kitchen staff, ask the other students who were setting up. I was there from six AM until the hunt started."
"How convenient," Stone said, his voice dripping with skepticism. "Or perhaps you had accomplices. Perhaps this entire thing was planned well in advance, with you serving as the inside contact while others handled the actual infiltration."
"That's ridiculous," I said, stepping forward before I could stop myself, my voice coming out sharper and louder than I'd intended. "Jax has been with us all morning. He's been participating in the festival just like everyone else."
Stone's cold gaze shifted to me, and I saw calculation in his eyes—weighing my testimony, finding it wanting. "And you would say that, wouldn't you, Miss Vaughn? Given your... close association with him."
The implication was crystal clear—he thought I was lying to protect Jax, that my testimony was worthless because of our friendship.
"I'm not lying," I said, forcing my voice to stay steady despite the fury and fear churning in my gut. "Jax has been with our team since the Mystery Hunt began. We've been together the entire time, working through clues, moving from location to location. Before that, he was in the cafeteria helping set up the food stations—you can check the security footage if you don't believe me. He couldn't have been in two places at once."
"Security footage can be doctored," Stone said dismissively, as if the possibility of evidence supporting Jax's innocence was irrelevant. "And your testimony is fundamentally compromised by your personal relationship with the accused."
"Then ask the other students," I insisted, desperation creeping into my voice now. "Ask Rosalie. Ask Chase. Ask any of the dozens of people who saw us together throughout the morning. We weren't hiding—we were participating openly in a school event."
But Stone wasn't listening anymore, his mind clearly already made up. He gestured sharply to the security guards. "Take him to the Headmaster's office for questioning. We'll sort this out there."
"This is complete bullshit," Jax snarled, his collar flaring so bright it hurt to look at directly as his wolf pushed hard against the magical suppression. "I didn't do anything wrong. I would never—those are Rogue children. My people's children. Why the hell would I put them in danger like this?"
"Perhaps to create chaos," Stone suggested with cruel casualness. "To destabilize the Academy's security. To prove that Rogues can't be trusted and shouldn't be allowed in civilized Pack society. There are plenty of radical elements among your kind who would celebrate such a demonstration."