Chapter 5 WANTED: STORM HAYES.

Chapter 5 WANTED: STORM HAYES.
STORM HAYES

I was frozen in the corner, shivering in fear. This was the end. Lucian Vale would make me pay for accusing him falsely, and he would avenge himself with my blood.

I wanted to apologize, but my tongue felt frozen.

“You won’t last long here, you know?” he said, breaking the silence.

Confused, I turned toward him. “Hun?”

“I said you won’t last long. They’ll soon find out you aren’t one of us, and when they do, you’ll wish you were dead.”

His words were true, but I refused to let him see my fear.

“How did you find out I wasn’t a guy?” I tried to shift his attention.

He rolled his eyes. “You’re my mate. I know I’m not gay for sure. At first, I thought you were, and I kept quiet. I even questioned myself until we were in the room together. That confirmed it.”

I frowned, anger bubbling at how easily he threw my secret out when he knew discovery meant death.

“I don’t like you. I’ll tell everyone who you are. You’re running from something. I can see it. You're a criminal. You have blood on your hands. I won’t let you get away.”

I scoffed before I could stop myself. “Funny, hearing lessons about morals from you…a murderer who slaughtered his own family in cold blood. Don’t project your guilt on me. Not everyone’s a beast like you—”

He was at my throat before I finished, choking me in a death grip. His eyes glowed red with rage, his expression promising the most merciless end.

“Please… don’t—” I choked, tears spilling as my lungs burned.

Something inside him shifted. He smiled, as if savoring my pain. “Why wait for your secret to be exposed? I could end you right here. And the best part? I’d get away with it.”

Darkness clouded my vision as I clawed at his arm, desperate for air. Just as my heartbeat faltered, a sharp, unbearable noise filled the room. He dropped me instantly, clutching his head in agony.

The sound drilled through my head like blades, making every nerve scream. This was Room 100, where werewolves were broken until they begged for death.

I pressed my palms to my ears, but it was useless. My senses blurred, my body convulsed. Just as I was about to collapse, strong hands covered my ears and pressed over my eyes.

Lucian held me firmly, shielding me, even though his body trembled with the same torment. He sacrificed his own sanity to lessen my pain.

All night, the sound didn’t stop. I tried to push his hands away to help him, but he refused. He endured, protecting me until morning.

When the guards finally released us, his eyes were hollow, bloodshot, and void of life. He walked out stiffly, like a puppet. He didn’t respond when I whispered a shaky thank you.

We were led into the cafeteria, where the students were crowded around the television. I was about to approach Lucian when a familiar voice made my blood run cold.

Daisy.

Fake tears rolled down her cheeks as she spoke to the camera.

“She told me she’d kill as many as she could before leaving. I begged her to stop, but she swore she wouldn’t. I don’t know why she did it. This pack was so kind to her.”

My face filled the screen, bold and damning. The headline screamed louder than the crowd ever could:

“STORM HAYES, 18. MURDERER OF DYLAN BLACK, SON OF THE ALPHA OF THE CRESCENT PACK, AND ALPHA DARIUS.”

The reporter’s voice carved into me like a blade, painting me a monster. They accused me of killing Dylan and Alpha Darius, of running after the slaughter. They twisted lies into proof until even I would have hated myself.

“Storm is currently on the run. If spotted, report immediately. A reward of three million dollars will be given to anyone who captures her alive.”

The cafeteria erupted, murmurs, whispers, and spat curses. Every eye turned on me, their words suffocating, though none of them knew the truth.

But the worst part wasn’t them.

The worst part was realizing that if Alpha Darius truly was dead, then someone else, someone far more dangerous, had been the one sending me those messages.

I stumbled out, dizzy with panic. In my rush, I forgot one crucial detail. Lucian knew who I was, and he’d promised he wouldn’t keep my secret.

I gasped when I saw him outside with the principal. He turned slowly, and his eyes locked on mine.

Then he lifted his hand and pointed straight at me.