Fated and Claimed by Four Alphas-Chapter 52: Another One

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Chapter 52

~Rael’s POV~

After the council meeting the other day, I watched Spring as she left the school premises. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Even while she was with her friends, my eyes were always on her. Something about her made me feel... nostalgic, just like this body, like a scent I couldn’t wash off.

I inhaled deeply and glanced down at my hands, curling them into fists. My veins bulged beneath my skin, and I could feel the dormant rage pulsing just beneath the surface.

This body—it made me feel both angry and grateful. Grateful for the second chance I’d somehow been given.

Turning slightly, my eyes caught the mirror hanging on the far wall across the room. I stepped closer, unable to resist staring into the reflection.

Blue eyes, sharp and calculating. Raven-black hair falling in loose waves down to my shoulders.

The body was younger than I remembered... lean but strong. Well-packed with muscle, though not yet moulded by years of combat and discipline like my former vessel.

I slid a hand through my hair, my mind drifting back to that fateful day, just two or three weeks ago, when everything changed.

**Flashback**

~Author’s POV~

Rael was driving to school that morning, his mind occupied with the council meeting concerning the opening of the session.

Something about the energy around him felt off—off enough that he didn’t even flinch when the speeding car veered into his lane.

His eyes snapped to the mirror, and he reacted instantly.

In a blur of motion, he slammed the brakes and twisted the wheel, launching himself out of the driver’s side just before impact.

The screech of tires and metal crunching against metal exploded behind him as another car struck from the other side, crushing the vehicle in a brutal pincer.

Quickly, Rael unhooked his seatbelt and jumped out.

He landed in a crouch a few feet away, completely still. His clothes were ruffled, a faint tear streaking down his sleeve—but nothing more. His eyes narrowed at the smouldering wreckage.

That wasn’t an accident.

However, he didn’t stick around. Someone wanted him distracted—or dead.

Either way, lingering would make him a target. Without waiting, he flagged down a passing car, compelling the driver with a glance and a calm voice. "Take me to Crescent Academy. Now."

Moments later, Rael arrived at the school. He stepped out, brushing invisible dust from his shoulder, and walked through the main doors as if nothing had happened.

But just as he crossed the threshold into the main building, that’s when he felt it—a shadow breezed past him.

It wasn’t just any shadow—it moved with an intent that made the hairs on his neck stand. In a blur, Rael trailed it, winding down into the older, unused corridors of the school like smoke—fast, calculated and all too wrong.

His instincts screamed at him to chase and find the culprit.

He followed it, keeping his footsteps silent, his form blurring as he moved through the older, unused corridors. The trail led him to a door left slightly ajar.

One of the abandoned classrooms stood with its door half ajar.

Rael didn’t hesitate.

The moment Rael stepped inside, he knew it was a trap and the attack came.

A figure lunged at him, cloaked in long blond hair and moving with deadly precision. Rael blocked the first strike easily, spinning the attacker aside and shoving him into a row of broken desks.

The figure leapt at him with feral speed, long hair whipping through the air like a banner of death. At first, Rael thought it was a woman—until the attacker grunted.

They clashed, the fight erupting with the screech of broken desks and the thunder of bodies slamming into walls.

Rael fought like the vampire he was, fast, ruthless, but his opponent was prepared—gloved hands wielding a silver dagger, the blade catching glints of light that burned his vision.

He managed to land a few hits, knocking the attacker back into the wall, but the assassin was fast. Too fast.

When Rael slipped on broken glass, his back hit the wall hard. He tried to push up—but his limbs didn’t respond. A terrifying numbness began spreading through his veins.

That was when realisation struck him.

Poison. One of the cuts the attacker landed had been laced with paralysis poison.

Before he could react, the attacker moved swiftly and struck. The dagger plunged into his chest and straight through his heart.

His eyes widened in shock as pain ripped through him. Then darkness.

The assassin yanked the blade free. Blood sprayed the wall behind Rael’s limp form as the stranger took one final glance around, then fled into the shadows.

Silence reigned.

For a long moment, everything was still as his body remained lifeless.

He died.

Then, a sharp gasp tore through Rael’s lips. His body convulsed, and his eyes snapped open. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed. Seconds? Minutes?

He looked around, disoriented. His hands looked... different. Younger. Cleaner.

He touched his face. Smooth skin. No beard. No stubble. He sat up, his eyes falling on the torn white shirt clinging to his chest, smeared with blood—but the wound underneath had already healed.

Staggering to his feet, he stumbled to a nearby window. When he saw his reflection, he jolted back, falling onto the dusty floor.

His mind began to split with pain as strange new memories surged forward. Images. Faces. Names he didn’t recognise. Teachers. Classmates. Lockers. A whole life constructed in fragments.

"Okay... I’m a... what they call a student now...?" The words and voice sounded strange. He shook his head. "And I need to change my clothes. I can’t have anyone suspecting anything."

He hurried out into the hallway, moving as casually as he could. The halls buzzed with students—familiar yet foreign. Some gave him strange looks. One even recoiled slightly as he passed.

He found the body’s locker and muscle memory took over. The combination came easily. Immediately he opened it, he found a jacket inside—the school’s football team emblem stitched across the chest.

Slipping it on over his bloodstained shirt, he shut the locker and scanned the area.

"I need to get to the school secretary... get a new uniform. Get rid of these clothes," he thought to himself.

But just as he turned, he bumped into someone. Papers scattered across the floor, and he murmured an apology before rushing off, wanting to escape the crowd.

Then he heard it loud and sharp.

"Rael!"