Chapter 51 Another attack

Chapter 51 Another attack
Chapter 051

DARIUS

I approached Marcus and Tyler, who were still discussing the competition in low voices.

"Where will this competition be held?" I interrupted them. "I would like to watch it."

They looked at each other, surprised that I was asking.

"The underground tunnels," Marcus finally answered. "It starts in about an hour."

"Underground tunnels. Where exactly?"

"You know the maintenance door near the west wing? Down there. But you need to know someone to get in. It is not exactly advertised."

"I will find it."

I turned to leave, but Dorian caught up with me as I exited the locker room.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?" he questioned, falling into step beside me.

"The underground tunnels. There is a bike race. I want to watch it."

Dorian stopped walking. "You? Want to watch a bike race? Since when are you interested in that?"

"Since now."

"Darius, what is really going on?"

I paused, debating how much to tell him. "I think Ravenna and Samantha were responsible for what happened at the gala."

"We have been over this. You have no proof."

"I know. But Raven did not show up at the ice today. She has been there every day since her injury, just watching. And today, of all days, she is absent? That is suspicious."

"Or maybe she is resting. Like any normal injured person would do."

"Or maybe she is at that bike competition." I looked at Dorian directly. "I need to see for myself. And I would appreciate it if you came with me."

Dorian sighed heavily. "You are taking this too far. You know that, right?"

"Maybe but I need to know."

"Fine. I will come with you. But just to enjoy the race. Not to support whatever investigation you think you are conducting."

"Fair enough."

We made our way to the underground tunnels, following the directions Marcus had given me.

The entrance was concealed, just as he had said. But there were enough students heading in the same direction that we simply followed the crowd.

The space opened up into something that looked like a proper stadium. I had not expected this level of organisation— seats were arranged in rows, lighting illuminated the entire area and a proper racing track had been set up with markers and barriers.

And it was packed with students who had come to watch.

The announcer's voice boomed through speakers. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to tonight's underground race! We have ten competitors ready to battle it out for the grand prize of five thousand pounds!"

The crowd erupted in cheers.

Dorian and I found seats in the front row. Not the best view, but close enough to see everything.

"Ten competitors will be racing tonight," the announcer continued. "The rules are simple. First one to cross the finish line wins. Everything else is fair game!"

The bikes lined up at the starting position. Ten of them. Ten riders in various colours of gear.

And then I saw Ravenna. She was dressed in black gear with a red helmet sitting on a red bike that looked well-used but maintained.

My wolf perked up immediately alert and focused entirely on her.

"Three!" the announcer called out.

The engines revved.

"Two!"

The sound filled the entire space.

"One! Go!"

The bikes exploded off the line. All of them jockeying for position and fighting for the lead.

Ravenna was slow off the start. She fell behind immediately, trailing at the back of the pack.

I leaned forward, watching intently. The race was brutal. Bikes crashed into each other. Riders cut each other off. It was chaos.

Ravenna was still lagging behind, but she was riding carefully. Strategically. Not taking the risks the others were taking.

I was about to ask Dorian what he thought when I realized he was no longer sitting beside me. I looked around and spotted him at the very front row with Samantha.

Of course.

I managed to convince a student to exchange seats with me so I could move closer to them.

Samantha was on her feet, her hands clenched in front of her chest, watching the race with intense focus.

"Come on, Raven," she muttered under her breath. "You can do this."

On the track, four bikes crashed simultaneously. A massive pile-up that sent riders tumbling across the ground.

Samantha gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "Where is she? I do not see her bike!"

But then Ravenna revved out from behind the disaster, having somehow avoided the entire mess. She accelerated hard, moving up from ninth position to sixth.

"Yes!" Samantha cheered. "That is it! Keep going!"

Two more bikes crashed, their riders unable to handle a sharp turn. That left only four competitors including Ravenna.

She had moved up to second position now right behind the leader. A guy on a black bike who was riding aggressively, taking every risk.

The first-place rider tried several tactics to make Ravenna fail, cutting her off, forcing her towards the barrier and trying to slow her down.

But she dodged everything, stayed on his tail and waited for her moment.

And then, on the final straightaway, she made her move. She accelerated past him, her bike screaming with speed, and crossed the finish line first.

The crowd erupted.

Samantha jumped up, cheering so loudly I thought she might lose her voice. "She won! She actually won!"

Dorian was smiling too, clapping along with everyone else.

I just looked away, refusing to show any reaction.

Ravenna collected her prize money from the announcer, who held up her hand in victory.

Then Samantha rushed down to the track and jumped around her happily, hugging her and celebrating.

Ravenna removed her helmet, her red hair spilling out. She was grinning with genuine joy.

Then her eyes found me in the crowd.

Her grin turned into a smirk. She walked towards me, still holding her helmet and the envelope of money.

"Did you come to watch me ride, Darius?" she asked sweetly. "Did you enjoy the game? Did you have fun?"

I stood up, my expression cold. "I came for something important. About what happened at the gala. I know you were involved in it."

"Were you now?" Her smirk widened. "And what evidence do you have?"

"I do not need evidence. I know it was you."

"Knowing and proving are two very different things."

Before I could respond, before I could say anything else, there was a sound that made everyone freeze.

Gunshots. It came out so sharp, loud, echoing through the underground space.

Chaos erupted immediately. People screamed as they started running, pushing and shoving to get to the exits.

And then came more gunshots.

I grabbed Ravenna without thinking, pulling her down behind the barrier as bullets ricocheted off the walls around us.

"I hate you so damn much, but don't get yourself killed!" I blurted out before I could stop myself.

RAVENNA

Students were screaming everywhere. The underground space had erupted into absolute chaos. People were running, pushing, shoving, all trying to reach the exit at once.

Darius was still wrapped around me, his body covering mine as we ducked under a table.

A bottle smashed just above our heads, glass raining down on us.

"We need to get to the exit," Darius urged, his voice tight with urgency. "We need to leave this area now."

"I need to get to Samantha first," I yelled back, trying to push him off me. "I am not leaving until I know my friend is alright."

"She is with Dorian already. They will be fine. We should not waste time looking for them."

"I am going to search for my friend," I insisted stubbornly, my voice rising. "There is nothing you can do about it."

Darius grabbed my hand, trying to pull me back towards the exit. "Raven, do not be stupid. We need to leave now."

Something inside me snapped. I yanked my hand free and hit him across the face. Hard. "Go if you want to go! But I am going to look for my friend!"

He looked at me, his expression torn between fury and worry. I could see him fighting with himself. Fighting the urge to drag me out of here by force. His jaw clenched and his hands opened and closed at his sides.

Then he turned and rounded the table we were hiding behind.

"This is useless," he growled, looking back at me. "Dorian has Samantha. They are together. They will get out. But we need to leave now before—"

"I do not believe you," I cut him off. "I need to see for myself."

I turned away from him and started moving through the chaos, calling out for Samantha. My voice was lost in the screaming and the continued sound of gunshots echoing through the space.

"Samantha! Samantha, where are you?"

People rushed past me, their faces twisted with panic. I tried to look at each one, tried to find my friend's face among them.

But there were too many. Too much movement and much chaos.

I pushed through the crowd, ignoring the way people shoved me aside.

My injured ankle protested with every step, sending sharp pains up my leg. But I did not care.

I needed to find Samantha.

"Samantha!"

Nothing. No response. No sign of her.

A horrible realisation began to settle over me. Maybe Darius had been right. Maybe Dorian had gotten her out already. Maybe I should have listened to him instead of being so stubborn.

I turned, deciding to make my way to the exit. To get out and find Samantha outside where it was safe.

But then a figure appeared directly in front of me.

A massive rogue wearing a mask that covered most of his face. His eyes glowed in the dim light, predatory and focused entirely on me.

I did not have time to run. He lunged at me, and I dodged to the side, grabbing a broken bottle from the ground.

The glass was sharp in my hand, cutting into my palm, but I did not care.

He came at me again, and I swung the bottle, aiming for his head.

But another rogue appeared from my blind side. His foot connected with my legs, sweeping them out from under me.

I fell hard. The impact knocked the air from my lungs. The bottle flew from my hand, clattering across the floor.

"Bloody hell," I cursed, trying to get back up.

I kicked out at the first rogue, catching him in the knee. He stumbled back with a grunt of pain.

But the second one grabbed me. His hands locked around my arms, holding me in place no matter how much I struggled.

"Let go of me!" I screamed, thrashing against his grip.

Then I felt a sharp pain in my neck. Something piercing my skin. Something cold spreading through my veins.

My body went weak immediately. My limbs stopped responding to my commands. I tried to move my arms, my legs, anything, but nothing worked.

The rogue holding me tightened his grip. "We better move out of here before her friends come for her."

"Agreed. The wolf boy was already looking for her."

They were talking about me like I was not there and could not hear them. But I could hear everything. I could see everything. I was awake. Just completely paralysed.

They lifted me easily, carrying me between them like I weighed nothing.

My head lolled to the side, and I could see the underground space receding as they moved towards a different exit.

Not the main one where everyone else was fleeing. A smaller one. Hidden.

We came out on the other side of the building. The night air hit my face, cold and sharp.

I tried to take a deep breath, tried to call out for help, but my vocal cords would not cooperate.

They moved quickly towards a van parked in the shadows. The back doors were already open. They lifted me inside, laying me down on the metal floor.

I could not feel anything. I could not move. But I was awake.

One of the rogues climbed in beside me. Another got into the driver's seat. The engine started, and we began moving.

They were driving through the woods. I could see trees passing through the windows. Could feel the bumps in the road as we drove over uneven ground.

I tried fighting against whatever drug they had injected into me. Tried willing my body to move. To respond. To do something.

My finger twitched just slightly enough to give me hope that the paralysis was not permanent.

I focused all my energy on my mouth, onn trying to form words.

"Where..." The word came out as barely a whisper. Barely audible. "Where are you taking me?"

The rogue beside me looked down at me. His mask concealed most of his features, but I could see his eyes was cold.

"Do not worry, little wolf," he responded, his voice distorted by the mask. "You will know soon enough."

Little wolf. The same words the masked attacker had used at the library. The same words from the threatening messages.

These were not random rogues. They had been planning this, watching me and waiting for the right moment.

And I had walked right into their trap.

The van continued driving deeper into the woods, and with each passing moment, the academy grew further and further away.

I tried to focus on staying conscious. On remembering details, the route we were taking, the turns, on anything that might help me escape later.

But my vision was starting to blur. The drug was spreading through my system, pulling me deeper into unconsciousness despite my efforts to resist.

The last thing I saw before everything went dark was the rogue's masked face staring down at me.

And the last thing I heard was his voice, low and menacing.

"Welcome to your new reality, Raven. Let us see how long you survive it."