Lorraine’s POV

I turned to Astrid Voss, fury boiling beneath my skin. "We just watched someone abduct my friend. Someone fast and strong enough to mess with your tech, definitely powerful enough to kill. And you want to talk about training?" I snapped 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Astrid barely blinked, completely unfazed by my outburst. "You’re emotional," she said coolly, brushing invisible lint from her coat. "Understandable, but ultimately, unproductive."

"Unproductive?" My voice broke with disbelief. "A killer is running loose in your academy and my friend is missing, your student is missing, how are you not doing anything about this?"

She glanced at her watch, completely detached. "The Alpha King is leaving tomorrow morning. Before he departs, he’s holding a formal conference in the North Wing. He has personally ordered for your attendance."

I stared at her like she’d lost her mind. "What does that have to do with Elise?"

"Nothing," she said simply. "I am just reminding you of the meeting, you better be there, on time, well-dressed, and on your best behavior. 7 AM. North Wing Conference Hall."

She took two steps toward the door, then paused and looked over her shoulder. "Your training with me begins immediately after the conference. Non-negotiable."

Then she was gone. Just like that.

No apology. No plan. No urgency.

I felt the floor shift beneath me, not physically, but in the way the world tilts when you’re hanging by a thread and someone tells you to smile.

Elise was missing. And all I had was a blurred figure caught by the camera and a woman who didn’t give a damn.

I’d find Elise myself. Even if I had to burn this entire academy down.

Felix stepped closer to me, his face etched with anger and shadowed under the hospital’s dim lights. "This academy is cursed, Lorraine," he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. "They’re all bloody heartless here."

I didn’t respond, not because I disagreed, but because I couldn’t find the words to agree hard enough. My throat was tight, my chest burning. Every second that passed without Elise was like something hollowing me out from the inside.

Behind us, the staff in the CCTV room began shuffling uncomfortably, already irritated that we were still lingering.

"You’ve seen what you came for," one of them said curtly. "Time to leave. We don’t need you lot standing around and causing a scene."

I saw Felix’s jaw tighten.

"Out," another added, waving a hand dismissively, like we were stray dogs.

Before I could speak, Adrian stepped forward. His voice was calm, but there was something deadly coiled beneath it. "No one touches them," he said, gaze sharp as steel. "Try it, and I’ll make sure your hands don’t work again."

The room fell quiet. No one dared move after that and we walked out on our own

Dejected, the three of us made our way back to Elise’s hospital room. It felt wrong entering it without her. The bed she was taken from was still slightly rumpled

No one spoke

Just then, a nurse walked in, expression as stiff as her starch-white uniform. "You have until morning," she said coldly. "Your payment expires at dawn. After that, this room will no longer be available to you."

"Payment?" I echoed, staring at her.

"Yes." She clipped her words like knives. "This hospital isn’t a shelter. If you want space, you pay. If not, leave. There are others who need the bed more than ghosts."

Without remorse or even a flicker of concern, she turned and walked out.

I sank onto the edge of Elise’s bed, the weight of everything crashing over me. She was missing. We had no clues. And now we were being pushed out like trash.

This place had no mercy. And I was running out of time.

Felix shot up from tge edge of the hospital bed. "This is bullshit!" he snapped, his voice raw with rage. The fury in his eyes mirrored everything I was feeling, helpless, lost, shattered. Without another word, he stormed out of the room, the slam of the door vibrating through the walls.

Adrian shifted, about to follow, but I reached out and gently caught his sleeve. "Let him be," I said quietly. "He just needs a moment. He’s hurting."

Adrian paused, his jaw tight, then gave a small nod and sat beside me. The silence between us wrapped around my chest like a heavy blanket.

"How are you doing?" he asked after a long beat, his voice softer now, gentler, like he actually wanted to know.

I blinked at him, startled. Then I laughed, s short, dry, bitter sound. "I can’t remember the last time anyone actually asked me that," I said. My voice cracked around the edges, worn thin from everything

I leaned forward, resting my arms on my knees. "I’ve only spent one month in this academy, Adrian. One. And it already feels like a year. Everything from before -the ShadowFang Pack, my old life, my home— it’s all starting to feel.... unreal. Like a story I once heard, not something I actually lived."

Adrian didn’t interrupt. He just listened

I continued, my voice low. "It’s only been one month, and we’ve lost so many. There are only three ferals left. Just three. And I can’t, I won’t lose anyone else, Adrian. I can’t afford to."

He turned slightly to face me more fully. "You shouldn’t have to carry all of this burden, Lorraine."

"You’re not just surviving here," he said. "You’re fighting. Every second. And you still somehow manage to care for others too. That’s rare. That’s.... powerful."

I swallowed hard, suddenly unsure what to do with the way he was looking at me. "I’m not trying to be powerful," I said. "I’m just trying not to die."

"No," Adrian murmured. "You’re trying to make sure none of us die. That’s more than survival. That’s leadership."

I let out a shaky breath. "Tomorrow morning, I have a very rare chance. I’m meeting the Alpha King. He’s holding a conference before he leaves. Astrid told me to be there. I don’t know what I’m going to say, or what I can even do, but I intend to make damn sure it counts."

"You’re going to confront the most powerful werewolf in the world?" Adrian asked, a half-smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Of course you are."

I gave him a look. "You think I’m crazy?"

"Definitely" he said, his voice dropping slightly. "But I also think you’re extraordinary"

He reached out then, slow and hesitant, brushing a strand of hair from my face. His fingers were warm.

"Just promise me," he said, his voice barely above a whisper, "that whatever happens tomorrow, you won’t face it alone. Let someone be there for you.... let me be there gor you"

I nodded, heart thudding unevenly in my chest.

"Okay," I said softly.

Confronting the Alpha King..... I might not come out of it alive but if I do nothing then its just a matter of time before I die all the same.