Shadow Alpha

Chapter 9 🌙

Night

The world was fucking unravelling before me, in sync with my weakening mind. Too much was happening. Earlier in the day, the black cursed veins disappeared too easily, after I hunted down a rabbit and left it at the Ylva Tower – just before returning to college.

It was only Day 2 of Ferir, and soon, in a minute, at midnight, it would be Day 3.

A couple of things to note.

College life was an illusion of safety.

Ferir had been placing carefully planned steps into my way, then out of my way.

His retreating tactics and small, miniature displays of offerings, playful threats and a sprinkling of knowledge – was another illusion.

He set me up.

I underestimated Ferir in every way. A wraith. An Alpha god. I had forgotten too easily his power.

Where am I right now?

Well.

I'm on top of the world, while it burns below me.

I'm standing on a rooftop on one of the science blocks, it's a minute before midnight, and I'm looking down at the open campus and the complete carnage that has unravelled in the last hour.

Ferir held sway over Lupine behaviour. A sombre party where everyone got drunk after Jacklyn's death, had turned... how do I put it?

Awry.

The security over the campus could do nothing because they were already dead.

There was no bodies anywhere, to be exact.

Only Lupines, terrorising the campus while shifted into their animal spirits. Wolves run wild, mortals hide – and a medieval game plays out.

I saw the innocent act of a curse beginning hours earlier, as it happened before my very eyes. Ferir had cupped the back of Jeremy's head, whispered something black and rotten into his ear, and then Jeremy, who led us all, declared the start to a 'game'.

Let's free Jacklyn!

Let's bring her back by performing the 'Rites'.

Yeah. No.

No one knew what the hell that meant. Everyone just thought Jeremy was drunk. That was until he stripped in front of the friend group, morphed into his wolf – and howled with a full brunt of madness. And a howl was infectious – and so it began.

It was so loud, it was so painful to hear, an ache of need.

It forced every single Lupine on campus to cry and morph, as more joined the eerie howl – and the strange infection started to spread.

An instinct was ignited that was as old as time.

The only reason I was not affected by it is because I was no longer mortal after the sacrifice, I simply backed out of the party and ran to the highest rooftop, to overlook the campus as it dissolved before my very eyes into chaos.

Ferir followed me quietly, and now casually stands with me, his arms crossed over his calmly rising chest, as he and I watch over the campus like a King and a Queen.

Instead of feeling powerful, I am only distraught, and he is silent in his nature.

Many of the mortals had already evacuated the campus after seeing the madness interfere with the Lupine students. First it was gathering the pack, and the howling had scared most of everyone off.