Chapter 15 Aura for Aura
Chapter 015
DARIUS
"We need to be inside the school premises and in our rooms," Dorian called out urgently, glancing back towards the trees. "If the school authorities find out we were out of the academy grounds when the rogues attacked, we will be punished severely. And fined."
He was right. We could not afford to be caught out here. Not after what had just happened.
I glanced at Raven one last time. She was standing there, still shaken trying to hide it behind that facade of strength.
My wolf wanted to stay and to make sure she got back safely.
No. I could not afford that right now. I couldn't make her get any it's of ideas that I cared about her whatsoever.
Without thinking, I called on my wolf and the massive form surged forward, and I shifted completely, my human form replaced by fur and muscle and pure instinct.
Beside me, Dorian was already shifting, his own wolf emerging with a low rumble.
"Get on your bike," Dorian barked at Raven, his voice strange and distorted as his human vocal cords transformed. "We will follow you through the woods and accompany you back to the academy and scent out any rogues if there's any around."
Raven nodded, grabbing her bag quickly. She ran to her bike, threw her leg over it, and revved the engine.
The sound cut through the forest like a gunshot, and then she was off, tearing through the trees.
We bounded after her, our massive wolf forms moving silently through the undergrowth.
The forest was dark, but our eyes adjusted easily, following the path she had cut through the trees ahead of us. Her engine noise was a beacon, guiding us through the woods.
We could hear the school security in the distance. There were shouts, radio chatter and the sounds of a search party being mobilized.
But we avoided them, taking a route that skirted around their positions, staying in the shadows and the thick trees.
By the time we reached the edge of the academy grounds, we could see the main buildings in the distance. Security guards were scattered across the lawn, looking confused and alert.
Raven's bike was already hidden somewhere, and I knew she would be making her way to the dorms.
We sprinted across the open ground, low and fast, staying out of sight.
A guard turned just as we passed, but he was looking the wrong direction.
We slipped through a side entrance and raced through the corridors.
Our room was only a few floors up. We made it there without being seen, and the moment the door closed behind us, Dorian shifted back to his human form, gasping for breath.
"Fuck," he panted heavily. "That was insane. That was absolutely insane."
"Keep quiet," I ordered, shifting back as well.
I grabbed a shirt from my closet and pulled it on, wincing as it stretched across the wounds on my chest and shoulders.
Dorian collapsed onto his bed, still breathing hard. "What just happened out there, Darius? What the hell was that?"
"First of all, get something on. I don't want to be seeing your junks. Eww!" I made a disgusting sound and facial expression backing it up.
Dorian burst out laughing ignoring my statement as he was used it to already and grabbed a pair of pants for the both of us.
I accepted t it even though the shirt I'd grabbed was low enough covering my junks.
I cleared my throat and began pacing a the room thoughtfully. "Listen to me," I said, my mind already working through the pieces of a puzzle I was not sure I wanted to solve. "The rogues have not been close to this academy in years right? Decades, maybe. And they show up two weeks after Raven arrives. That is not a coincidence."
"What are you saying?"
"I am saying that the rogue scent I picked up in the woods was around Raven days ago. And this evening, I smelt that same rogue scent around her. And the rogue attacked her directly. It went straight for her, not for any of us."
Dorian sat up straight, his eyes widening as he understood. "The rogues were here for Raven."
"Yes, I think so."
"So either she is the child of a rogue alpha and they sent wolves to retrieve her, or..." Dorian trailed off, his expression thoughtful.
"Or she is rogue herself," I completed, finishing his thought. "And she has cloaked her scent somehow. Either way, the rogues breached this academy because of Raven."
I started pacing the room, my mind spinning. None of this made sense. Or rather, it made too much sense, and I did not like where it was leading me.
I thought about the photo. The one that had been slipped under my car wiper at my father's house. Raven laughing with bikers. The message written in red: She'll ruin you.
"Darius?" Dorian's voice pulled me back to the present. "What are you thinking?"
"I am thinking that if she is here on a secret mission, if she is a spy for one of our rival packs or working with the rogues, I will crush her publicly. I do not care what it takes."
"Get some sleep," Dorian shook his head, though his voice was uncertain. "The trials start tomorrow, and you will need all your strength. You need to be at your best."
He was right. I nodded and he left, heading to his own room. I stood under a hot shower for a long time, letting the water wash away the blood and the dirt and the confusion.
But I could not wash away the image of Raven's face as the rogue lunged at her.
The way she had stood there, refusing to scream, refusing to break.
The way my wolf had moved to protect her without hesitation or question.
The announcement came early the next morning. A blaring voice through the speaker system demanding that all students prepare themselves. The Full Moon Trials were about to begin.
The arena was packed when we arrived. Thousands of students packed into the stands, their voices creating a constant buzz of excitement and anticipation.
Spotlights blazed down from the ceiling, illuminating the massive obstacle course that had been constructed overnight. Banners hung from every available surface, each one bearing the symbol of a different pack or family.
And from somewhere in the distance, I could hear wolves howling. Actual wolves, I realized, brought in for the spectacle.
The announcer's voice boomed through the stadium. "Students of Midnight Academy, welcome to the one hundred and thirty-seventh annual Full Moon Trials!"
The crowd erupted.
"Our first competitor this year is Darius Pike, last year's champion and the reigning champion for the past fifteen consecutive years!"
I stood up, and the crowd's roar intensified. This was what I lived for. This recognition. This power. Students on their feet, cheering my name, acknowledging my superiority.
But then the announcer continued.
"This year, we have something special. A first-time competitor who has already made waves on our ice rinks and in our classrooms. She is the first biker-legacy student ever to compete in the trials. Please welcome Raven Casmir!"
Gasps rippled through the crowd like a wave. I felt my wolf bristle with fury. "How was she even eligible? She was human. She could not possibly—"
And then she walked out into the arena.
She was dressed in black, her leather jacket slung over one shoulder. She looked around at the crowd, at the massive obstacle course, at the thousands of eyes watching her.
And then she looked directly at me, grinned, and bowed dramatically like she was performing in some kind of theatre.
The crowd did not know whether to cheer or boo. They settled on confused murmuring.
"We also have Dorian, Marcus Chen, Tyler Rodriguez, Sarah Collins, Michael Hartley, Elena Volkov, James Patterson, and finally, Lucia Montoya," the announcer continued, listing off the other eight contestants.
Ten of us total and I was going to make sure that Raven understood exactly where she stood in the hierarchy.
"The first round of the trials," the announcer said, "will be a brutal obstacle course. You will run it under shifting moonlight, which means your bodies will want to shift. You will fight against that instinct or give in to it. The choice is yours. But you must reach the finish line. First five to cross advance to the next round."
The crowd went silent, waiting.
I looked directly at Raven. Our eyes met, and I saw the challenge there. The determination. The smirk that had become so familiar to me.
"I am going to crush you," I said, my voice low enough that only she could hear. "By the time I'm done with you, you are going to regret ever stepping foot in this arena."
She leaned towards me, that infuriating grin still on her face. "I am going to humiliate you," she replied, her voice equally quiet. "I am going to make sure everyone in this academy knows that the mighty Darius Pike is nothing but a paper tiger. I vow it."
The announcer signalled for us to take our positions at the starting line. We moved forward, and I could feel the electricity in the air.
This was not just a competition anymore. This was a war. A war between Darius Pike and Ravenna casmir.
"And I intended to win by every means possible."