Lorraine’s POV
I could barely hear anything past Felix’s sobbing, but the sound of Kieran’s voice, shouting Thorin’s na, cut through the haze like lightning splitting the sky.
"Thorin!" he barked from the hallway, the command in his voice raw, cracked, and thunderous.
I froze.
Kieran never shouted. He was always composed, always calculating, always in control of every breath, every movent. But the way his voice ripped through the air.... sothing was wrong. Deeply wrong.
I pushed myself up from the floor, one hand still aching from the cold tiles, and ran out into the hallway. Varya was already a few steps ahead of , her eyes wide with alarm. Kieran stood near the wall, fists clenched, his eyes blazing an unsettling shade of crimson. His chest rose and fell like he was fighting to stay in his body, barely tethered to it.
"Kieran!" I called, but he didn’t answer. His jaw was set tight, his gaze darting across the hallway like he was seeing ghosts.
"What’s going on?" I demanded, stepping closer. "Why are you shouting? What happened?"
Still, nothing. He didn’t even look at . He just growled low in his throat and inhaled deeply, his head tilting slightly as if trying to catch sothing in the air. Varya stepped beside him, frowning. "Thorin’s scent is faint," she muttered, "I can barely pick it up."
But Kieran didn’t respond to her either.
He was too focused. Too... off.
There was a wildness in his expression, sothing I’d never seen in him before. He wasn’t just trying to find Thorin. He was trying to hunt him. Like his life depended on it.
And I could feel it in my bones now. Whatever had happened in the minutes before, it wasn’t minor, especially if it has the ability to make Kieran this shaken, then it is really bad.
"Kieran," I said again, more gently this ti. I reached out and touched his arm, fingers wrapping around the tense muscle of his forearm. "Talk to . Please."
He didn’t et my eyes. Just said, hoarsely, "I need to find Thorin."
"That’s not an answer," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady despite the panic growing in my chest. "What the hell is going on? What did Thorin do?"
He turned his head slightly toward , the crimson glow in his eyes dimming just a little. "I said I need to find him."
"No," I said, firr this ti. "Not like this."
"What do you an?" he snapped, finally locking eyes with .
"I an," I stepped in front of him fully, "you are clearly losing it right now. You’re not telling what’s going on, and I won’t let you just go running off after soone when I don’t even know what we’re walking into."
"Lorraine...."
"No." I cut him off. "Whatever this is, I’m not letting you do it alone. I don’t care if it’s Thorin or a damned army you’re chasing, I’m going with you."
His jaw twitched.
"I already released the Ghosthound, Kieran," I whispered. "Elise is dead. Adrian is gone. We are losing people, our people. If you think I’m going to stand back and watch you disappear next without a word, you don’t know at all."
Varya’s voice snapped through the hallway like a whip.
"You’re overstepping your boundaries, feral," she hissed. "How dare you tell the prince where he can or cannot go? Have you forgotten your place?"
I turned slowly, locking eyes with her, but before I could say a single word, Kieran lifted one hand, barely a flick of his wrist, but it was enough.
Varya froze. Her mouth stayed parted, but no more words ca out. Her jaw clenched as she slowly lowered her eyes to the floor.
I stared at him. Not because of what he did, but because he didn’t even have to say anything. Just a gesture, and suddenly the entire academy might as well have bowed. Power like that wasn’t normal. It was bred. Conditioned. Feared.
For a second, I thought he’d argue with again. That he’d flash those red eyes and try to force to stay behind. But instead..... he breathed.
Slow. Deep. Pained.
Then he nodded.
"One condition," he said, voice low and tired, "you stay close. No heroics. No running ahead. If anything happens....."
"Yeah, yeah." I waved a hand. "We stick together"
"Stay with Felix," Kieran said to Varya, his tone flat and final
Varya’s lips pressed into a thin, bitter line. But she bowed her head slightly and stepped back, just enough to give her compliance without completely swallowing her pride.
And then Kieran walked forward.
And I followed.
No more hesitation. No more questioning.
He didn’t look back, and I didn’t wait for an invitation.
Kieran’s strides were rcilessly long. I had to half-jog just to keep up with him as he stord down the corridor and out of the hospital
The second we stepped through the gates of the academy hospital, he halted.
I stopped beside him, panting lightly.
Then his voice cut through the silence, low and hard. "You still have a bandage wrapped around your head. You really shouldn’t be following anywhere."
I reached up and pulled it off in one motion. The cloth peeled away, bloodstained and stiff, but beneath it my scalp was already smooth, skin newly knit. "My wolf’s getting better at fixing up fast," I said quietly. "You’re not getting rid of ."
He finally looked at .
There was sothing unreadable in his eyes, skthing between pain and calculation, but he said nothing. Instead, he turned his face slightly to the wind and took a long breath through his nose, still as a statue, like he was listening with more than just his ears.
"The trail is faint," he murmured. "But I’ve got it."
"Then tell what’s going on," I said. "Tell why you’re this tense. What happened?"
Kieran’s jaw flexed.
"I’ll tell you..." he said slowly, "....after we find Thorin."
Before I could argue, he stepped toward . One hand gripped my wrist, the other slid around my waist in one swift motion, pulling flush against him. My breath hitched from the sudden closeness
Then....
The world blurred.
The wind roared around us, and the trees beca streaks of color. My feet left the ground, my hair whipping around my face. Kieran’s arms were iron around , unyielding, his body moving like a bullet across the terrain.
We finally stopped in front of the old, abandoned classroom building.
It lood over us like a forgotten relic, windows boarded up, vines curling around its cracked walls, the whole place soaked in the stench of damp wood and dust.
Kieran didn’t say a word at first. He stood still, inhaling, then his shoulders tensed.
"Sothing’s wrong," he said, voice low, grave.
I didn’t need to be told. The mont I stepped closer to the entrance, my skin prickled all over, like my body was screaming to run. My instincts were howling. Sothing in this place was wrong.
Kieran’s arm shot out protectively in front of .
"Stay behind ," he muttered, and then pushed open the door.
It creaked.
Dust swirled in the air as we stepped into the echo of silence. The building was dark and cold and abandoned, or at least it was supposed to be.
And then we saw him.
Thorin.
He was crouched at the far end of the room, his back to us. Talking quietly. Whispering to soone seated on the floor in front of him.
The sound of our footsteps must have startled him, because he flinched and turned.
His eyes widened.
And so did mine.
Sitting on the floor in front of him, her knees pulled to her chest, her face still mostly hidden behind tangled, ssy blonde hair, was the girl. The girl I’d seen in Astrid’s file. The one from my vision.
The Ghosthound.
The one who had literally cracked my skull open without even lifting a finger
Kieran’s entire body went rigid.
"You betrayed Thorin," he growled. "You betrayed ."
And before I could even blink, he was gone from my side.
He flashed.
One second later, he was in front of Thorin, lifting him by the throat, slamming him against the wall so hard the building shook. Thorin gasped, his legs dangling off the ground, his hands clawing at Kieran’s arm as he struggled to breathe.
"You dare betray your prince?! You swore to serve and now you are working with the ghosthound?!!" Kieran’s voice was guttural, his eyes glowing crimson, his fangs partially out.
But the girl on the floor?
She didn’t move.
She didn’t flinch.
She didn’t care.
She just sat there. Watching. Blank and unbothered.
"Kieran!" I shouted, running up behind him. "Wait. just wait...."
But then....
There was a sudden rush of footsteps.
I spun around.
And my heart leapt into my throat.
Adrian.
He was breathless, his hair a ss, blood dried on the side of his face
"Adrian!" I gasped, joy flooding so fast I barely noticed the rest of the chaos. Relief slamd into my chest. I was already stepping forward, arms half-raised to hug him....
And then I froze.
Because the ghosthound moved.
She stood with terrifying speed, her hair parting just enough to reveal her face.
Pale. Striking. Empty.
Her eyes locked on Adrian.
And she scread....
"Brother!"
Then she ran, no, lunged, at him.
Straight into his arms.... Straight into Adrian’s arm...
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