Chapter 29

Dylan

T he halls of the school were eerily quiet. The academy was like a ghost town; the halls once were alive, and the raucous chattering of students had succumbed to silence. It was a Friday evening, but some students still lingered around to complete their lessons before giving in to the temptation of parties, cheap liquor, and sex. Dylan had her mates behind her, watching every open space like a hawk, ready to pounce on anyone who dared try to harm them. They all agreed that Lupe was the person to go to for their problem. If Lupe knew about the society, Dylan needed to know the fate of the students who've gained their attention. The society has claimed the lives of two students, and Dylan still had no leads as to why their deaths were necessary or for what end. That was two too many.

While walking there, Dylan thought about the recent events, and rage began to bubble inside her. The catalyst for everything going wrong started with the full moon run. Outside of the people she was close to and Lupe, not a single person wanted to know her side of the story. Instead, they wanted to accuse her of more crimes because they feared her and her power.

They are so terrified of me, yet they don't understand that I could never do such a thing.

Just knowing that this was how people perceived her was heartbreaking but, at the same time, rage-inducing. Werewolves didn't have much of a justice system like humans did. If a law was broken, the werewolf was eliminated quickly and without ceremony. Their kind had no room for error because it was imperative to keep humans from knowing about their world and becoming terrified of their existence. If a wolf failed to keep their wolf in check, only time would tell when they would lose enough control to kill a human. Then, things would get very messy very quickly. It was the inevitable path for all who had lost the struggle with their wolves.

As they continued to walk through the halls, she tried to push those thoughts to the back of her mind, to where they belonged. This was not the time for her to lose her temper. They needed to be vigilant and pay attention to detail. Dylan thought the school would be more guarded or even more of a lockdown than it was. Walking to Lupe's office and knocking on the door was just as easy as normal. There was always a guard on each floor that Dylan noticed while walking around for her classes. Instead, they were all gone. She wondered if they were searching different areas for the three students that Dylan told Lupe about. Maybe they were running around in the woods to find them, if that was the case. After they took off the other day, she wouldn't be surprised if they lived in the woods.

The door of Lupe's office was cracked, and a golden light and the scent of a vanilla candle were burning. The small amount of light provided by the dancing flicker of the candle illuminated a small spot in the hall. Lupe must have been the only teacher inside the school if that had been the case.

Dylan heard some hushed and whispering voices, and she took another step toward the door. After remembering how it went the last time she looked through a crack in the door, Dylan decided she didn't need to look through it. Her hearing would be enough to know everything that was going on in the room, so she didn't need to look inside.

The whispers inside belonged to Lupe and Cole. The shadows through the frosted window told Dylan three people were in there. Whoever the third person was, she hoped that it was Teowulf who would keep Lupe safe from any harm if Cole went on a rampage.

"The Adams girl had no more magic than the average werewolf." Cole snarled.

"Well, no shit, Cole! All werewolves have the same amount of magic. The only ones with more are Shadowborns!"

"The Adams girl lied! She told me she was a descendant of a Shadowborn. From researching her family tree, she knew she was three generations away from being a half-blood. We need more magic to complete the mission!"

"Your mission will not be completed until you have a full Shadowborn join your cause. Otherwise, you will be right back at square one."

Cole growled. "I asked you to lend us your magic. You refused."

Lupe was asked to lend him magic? What does that mean?!

Lupe not only knew what Cole was doing, but he had once asked her to help him complete it. This revelation crushingly hit Dylan, sending a paralyzing chill to her spine. Lupe seemed like the one person inside the werewolf program who would stand up for the students and ensure their safety, especially Shadowborns. If Cole was on the search for someone with more Shadowborn blood, then that was why he wanted her to be a part of his group. This was not good. What could he possibly need with Shadowborns?

"I cannot give you anything! My blood cannot go to waste; I need the magic that courses through my veins to keep every wolf here subservient and docile. It is not just the students that I need to control. Some teachers here have gone without a mate for hundreds of years, and even the guards are close to losing it! Not to mention that one particular guard who seems too enamored with a fallen angel. I have enough on my plate without having to worry about what you are cooking up with your…" she paused as her mind scrolled through every insult she could muster, but then she settled on "friends."

"We need more people to join our society. More Shadowborns. How is it that they are not rejected and sent here?"

Dylan thought of what Cole asked. He didn't know that Shadowborns aren't normally rejected because Shadowborns are normally thrilled they have found their mate. Most of the time, it is other Shadowborns as well. There had been a dry spell of people finding their mates, which was why her father signed her and others up to meet with other packs. Those who were aware of their existence didn't mind them as possible mates. She was still wondering how Silas and his pack found out about their gathering and came. He wasn't happy about being mated to a Shadowborn but was supposed to be okay with their pack. Still didn't make sense to her. But that was why she was rejected. Her mates were not of her kind. Two accepted her just for who she was. The first, though not so much.

"There are only two packs of Shadowborns left. Dylan Pierce is the Alpha's daughter of the larger pack. From what I know, even in my experience, it is because Shadowborns aren't normally rejected. Some are sent here, but it is less and less every year. They are seen as prizes to be adored, not refuse to be discarded."

"They are the key to helping us understand how to break down the walls. We need more of them to learn how to do this!"

There was a loud bang. Judging by the sound, Lupe was slamming her hand on her desk. "I am not in charge of who is rejected and who isn't. I am in charge of the students who were rejected and sent to this school. I cannot help who walks through these walls and who isn't! So don't snivel at me about your own limitations!"

"Who is a Shadowborn, and who isn't then?"

Dylan felt her heart in her throat at that moment. The thumping of it had her gasping for breath. She clasped her hand over her mouth so she wouldn't be overheard with her heavy breathing. This was not the time to get caught. But she already knew Lupe's answer to that question. She was the only Shadowborn student right now.

Not only that, but she was also a powerful Shadowborn. She was an Alpha in her own right and then mated to two dominant and powerful wolves. Her magic was more potent now that she was bonded. This was why she wanted control over her wolf in battle. She could return to her pack and become the Alpha in a heartbeat. It was her dream to run the pack now and bring them closer to being united with the other packs. She needed to show those who hated her kind that they were not a threat and could be the answer to finding more mates. What if those who were unmated in her pack were mated to others who weren't their kind?

If Lupe only mentions Dylan, she would be the next person taken. Was that a good idea?

If it is only you and we don't leave your side, then they wouldn't be able to grab you so easily. Hunter told her.

That was true, but what if they managed to get her alone? Next Friday, she was supposed to have class with only Lupe. Cole could use that to his advantage.

You aren't always with me. We do have classes.

Jackson grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. My one-on-ones are canceled now that I am mated. I only have the other classes to go through. Hunter as well. We can be in that class.

I just see Lupe finding a way.

Then we don't give her one. Jackson and Hunter said together.

"Dylan Pierce is an Alpha Shadowborn. That is the only student of her kind right now."

Dylan now knew where Lupe stood. If she had been willing to tell this person which student he should take next, Lupe would not have been an ally to the students of this school. She could have easily said she was the only Shadowborn, leaving Dylan out of this.

She is harvesting us.

Cole laughed maniacally, and it felt like a boiling pitch burning against her skin. Dylan shuddered at the sound and tried to listen to what he said next.

"I have felt her power. She is absolutely dripping with raw energy." Cole smacked his lips as the statement caused him to salivate. "I was in her presence only for a short time, and I could feel why she would be a threat even to you. I have had my sights on her since the full moon. She will not be easily taken. I was hoping there would be another I could look into. Someone easier to snatch."

Cole was planning on kidnapping her and putting her through what he did to Hazel and Gianna? That shouldn't have surprised her as much as it did. Cole and his friends gave her the creeps. She still didn't even know what he was doing or why. Drilling the back of her neck and chanting some spells were her only clues. There was nothing she knew that was done in such a way to give her an idea of what he was doing. Until she knew, there was no way to understand how to stop them.

Well, I could always burn the library down... starting in that room of theirs.

I don't think we will get close enough to that room to do that, love. Jackson said to her.

"Her new mate was an Enforcer. If you even want to be relatively close to her, you need her mates out of the picture. That could be something like her being called out of class, and the mates are to remain. Or, anyway, we could isolate her."

"No one will keep her mates from her. That is against the school's rules. Isolation would be almost impossible."

Cole sounded defeated when he said that. Maybe there was still hope that they couldn't pull this off. No teacher would make her mates sit back while she had to go somewhere. Especially now that there were two deaths on campus.

"We must find a way to get her to me. She may be the key to unlocking everything."

How was she a key to his plan? The magic of her kind was powerful, but she would need to be part of his pack to accomplish anything he might be planning. Wilcox explained it best. The magic could manipulate pack bonds to make the whole pack more powerful instead of just mate bonds. He wouldn't be able to do much unless Cole had the power to break pack bonds. Dylan would never denounce her position in her pack and join another unless it was to follow her mates to one of their packs. Since neither of them wanted to do that, that wouldn't happen.

So, how am I the key?

"How will you get her to cooperate? She outranks you. You cannot force her into anything, Cole. You must rub your two brain cells together once and think these things through! And for the love of the moon, stop involving me. I cannot claim plausible deniability if you tell me everything!"

Dylan suppressed the snarl rising in her throat and forced it down. The words from her teacher churned her stomach. How could anyone within these walls pose a threat to the students? How had Lupe slipped past the scrutiny of the council members without raising a single red flag? And Teowulf, the combat instructor—why had he allowed this? He, a true alpha, should have been leading his own pack, not teaching students how to control their wolves and fight like warriors. The answers eluded her, but her determination to uncover the truth burned brighter than ever.

"If she chooses to ignore me, I will threaten her family. I assume she is close to them. Should I burn the house down? Should I drown her cat? She has a cat, right?"

"Irrelevant!" Lupe hissed

Cole continued in a contemplative murmur. "Threatening the daughter of an Alpha can go one of two ways. Either she will kill me or think of those who are less than her that could be saved. No dominant wolf will take that chance. They will choose to save everyone over herself. Pack mentality and all that."

Dylan growled as Hunter and Jackson pulled Dylan away from the door. Through the bond, they felt the air change in the room, like the conversation between Lupe and Cole was over. If they remained there, they would be caught. Lupe was still dominant enough to hold her two mates in place for Cole to run off with her if he wanted. They couldn't let it be that easy for her to be captured. Dylan barely cared. She wanted Cole's head on a damn platter for threatening her family.

If they would threaten her family, Dylan would choose to save them over herself. It was no contest. She hoped that she could bring Cole and his friends down before it would get that far just so that wouldn't happen, but there were no guarantees. There was too much at risk already. She could tell Hunter and Jackson to go to her pack and warn them while she held them off. They already had the possibility of Silas's pack choosing to start a war.

We are not going anywhere. Hunter snarled as they stepped out into the open air.

It was dark out, and the moon had lost its fullness from the previous day. Dylan felt the moon's call inside of her. Its magic coursing through her, calling to her wolf to shift and run out her nervous energy. As much as she wanted to throw caution to the wind, she needed to get to the suite and remain there until they could figure out a plan. They needed to put a stop to whatever Cole was planning with his friends.

The run to the dorm felt longer. It was like they were running but not making any headway. It's almost like a dog running on hardwood floors and not gaining any traction. When they finally did reach the dorm, they could hear every student living their lives up. It was Friday, after all. The time to party and mingle. There was a fire out back with music playing loudly. Then, in individual rooms, there was all sorts of laughing and carrying on. Dylan wanted to tell them all that they needed to stay in their rooms and be aware of anyone acting creepy.

But who was she to cause such a panic? Dylan was looked at as a murderer after the death of Camilla. No one wanted to listen to her, and it was because Camilla had lost herself to her wolf. They only saw someone who killed another because she was in love. They all wanted Dylan's head on a platter. If she had run into their party to tell them all who the killer really was, they wouldn't believe her. It would be like a farmer screaming wolf.

Before they got to their room, Dylan knocked on Serafine's door. When the door swung open, Dylan held her finger to her lips and then leaned her head to the side to go to her room. Serafine nodded and locked her door behind her. They quickly made their way to her room. They would need to talk to figure out the best course of action.

Because I am apparently a key to an awful plan.