Chapter 234 The Blame

Chapter 234 The Blame
Chapter 234

RAVENNA

The supernatural community had erupted into chaos since the last time we'd left it.

The moment we arrived back at pack territory, I could feel the tension in the air. It's thick and suffocating, like a storm about to break.

My father was waiting for us at the packhouse entrance, his face a mixture of relief and worry.

When he saw me step down from the coach, his expression softened slightly.

"You look different," he said, pulling me into a brief hug. "More rested and beautiful."

I managed a small smile. "The break helped."

But his face quickly grew grave again, the lines around his eyes deepening. "But there's seriously bad news. Things have erupted since you left."

My stomach dropped, the brief peace I'd felt during our holiday evaporating instantly.

"What happened?" I asked, my voice tight. "Does it still have to do with the kidnappings?"

My father glanced at Darius, then back at me. "Come inside. I need to fill you both in properly."

Darius shifted beside me, his hand finding mine and squeezing gently. "I need to check on my parents and the pack first. Make sure everything's stable there."

I turned to him, worry flooding through me. "Be careful. Please."

He kissed my forehead. "Always."

Then he was gone, climbing back onto the horse and riding toward Mooncrest territory.

I watched him leave, anxiety twisting in my chest, before following my father inside.

We sat in his office, the door closed behind us.

My father moved to his desk and sank into his chair heavily, as if the weight of everything was physically pressing down on him.

I sat across from him, my hands gripping the armrests.

"Tell me," I said quietly.

My father took a deep breath. "There have been five more kidnappings since you left."

The words hit me like a physical blow.

My chest tightened, making it hard to breathe. "Five? In just a few days?"

"Five students from the academy," my father confirmed, his voice heavy. "All wolf students and taken without a trace."

He paused, his jaw clenching. "And as if that wasn't enough, parents are flooding the phone lines at the school doing nothing but demanding answers and threatening legal action."

His voice grew quieter. "Worse, they're pulling their children out immediately. The academy is hemorrhaging students."

I felt sick.

My father reached across the desk and shoved a newspaper toward me.

I picked it up with trembling hands and glanced through it.

The headlines screamed at me:

"TERROR AT SUPERNATURAL ACADEMY"

"SEVEN STUDENTS MISSING, PRESUMED DEAD"

"MOONWOLF CURSE STRIKES AGAIN"

"PARENTS DEMAND ANSWERS AS KIDNAPPINGS CONTINUE"

My vision blurred as I read snippet after snippet—articles speculating about who was behind the kidnappings, opinion pieces calling for the academy to be shut down, interviews with terrified parents.

Every single article mentioned me.

The MoonWolf. The curse. The danger I posed.

I set the paper down, my hands shaking. "This is... this is..."

"That's just the tip of the iceberg," my father said grimly.

He leaned forward, his elbows on the desk. "Since yesterday, media reporters have been swarming the gates of the academy. They want to speak to students, to school authorities, to anyone who'll talk."

He rubbed his face tiredly. "It's caused the academy to triple security. They've enforced strict curfews. No one's allowed in or out without authorization."

"This is really fucked up," I whispered, horror washing over me.

My father shook his head slowly. "Fear has taken root. I can see it in my pack's members eyes. Everyone is scared this could happen them. Imagine your child getting abducted by unknown people and then a package arriving next day with chunks of your child body part."

The words cut deep, but I forced myself not to show it.

I reached across the desk and took my father's hand. "We'll find whoever is doing this. And we'll stop them."

My father squeezed my hand, but his expression remained troubled. "I hope so."

He paused, then added, "You should go see Torren. He's been wanting to speak to you since you left."

I nodded, standing on shaky legs. "I'll go see him now."



When I arrived at Torren's workspace, a small building at the edge of pack territory, he was there mixing some awful-looking substance in a large bowl.

The smell hit me immediately, making my stomach turn.

I covered my nose with my hand. "What disgusting thing are you making now?"

Torren looked up and smirked. "I'm glad you think it's disgusting. Because it's for you."

I took a step back. "I'm not taking that."

He shrugged, unbothered. "Your choice."

I sighed heavily. "Whatever."

I turned to leave, needing to get away from that smell before I vomited.

"Meet me at our practice spot this evening!" Torren called after me. "We have work to do!"

I waved a hand in acknowledgment without turning around.



Two days passed in a blur of training sessions with Torren and pack duties.

I tried to keep busy, to not think about the kidnappings or the articles or the way people looked at me now.

But it was impossible.

The fear and suspicion followed me everywhere.

Then I received a summons to the academy.

My heart leapt when I saw the message. I thought maybe they were inviting me back, lifting my suspension.

Maybe this nightmare was finally ending.

I dressed carefully and made the journey to the academy, hope flickering in my chest despite everything.



The principal's office was exactly as I remembered it.

The principal sat behind that desk, her expression grave.

She didn't stand when I entered or even offer me a seat.

Just looked at me with something like pity in her eyes.

"Thank you for coming, Miss Ravenna," she said formally.

I shifted uncomfortably. "You said you needed to see me urgently."

"Yes," the principal replied. "Another student vanished yesterday morning."

My brief hope died instantly.

"Her name was Sarah," the principal continued. "Sarah. Her parents are influential pack leaders from Mooncrest."

My chest tightened. Mooncrest. That's $arius's pack.

"And this morning," the principal said, her voice carefully neutral, "we received a package."

She pushed a small box across the desk toward me.

I stared at it, dread pooling in my stomach. "What does this have to do with me? What does Sarah's disappearance have to do with me?"

"Open it," the principal said. "And you'll understand."

My hands trembled as I reached for the box.

It was light—too light to contain anything substantial..I lifted the lid slowly.

Inside was an ear. It'd so small, pale and severed cleanly.

I felt bile rise in my throat.

"This is sarah's ear," the principal said quietly, watching my reaction. "Go on. There's more."

I didn't want to look. Didn't want to touch anything else in that box.

But I forced myself to reach inside and pull out a folded piece of paper.

My fingers left smudges on the white surface as I unfolded it.

The message was written in blood—dark red, slightly smeared:

"This is your fault. They die because you breathe. How many more before you do the right thing and disappear?"

The paper slipped from my fingers and fluttered to the desk.

"This is some kind of frame," I said, my voice shaking. "I'm not responsible for this. I didn't do any of this."

The principal's expression didn't change. "For every child who has gone missing, a package has arrived. And every single note has said the same thing."

She paused, her eyes boring into mine. "That you are the cause."

I shook my head violently. "That's not true. I would never—"

"Tommy," the principal interrupted, her voice hard. "Ella, pete, Owlie, Jane, Helen, Michael, Sam Patel and now Sarah."

She leaned forward. "Nine children, Miss Casmir. Nine students who are missing, presumed dead or being tortured. And every single disappearance has been blamed on you or the MoonWolf which you're the carrier."

She clapsed and stared at me, "What do you've to say to this?"