Chapter 35

Dylan

W hen they emerged from the sanctum and entered the library, Lupe stood at the door with the two guards at her sides. The look on her face was pure rage, but there was no telling why. It could be that the three of them were coming from the sanctum, which was supposed to be closed off for members only, or it could mean Cole and his friends were now dead instead of Dylan. She wouldn't know for sure until they talked through why Lupe was angry. It was going to be an interesting rest of the night.

"Miss Pierce, why were you in the Moon Society's sanctum?" The words were laced with concern and fear.

Dylan stared at Lupe, trying to read into her soul even though she knew it wasn't possible. "Cole invited me. I didn't know what to expect, so I brought my mates with me."

The possibility of the guards being on Lupe's side made Dylan feel she needed to hold things closer to her chest. They may have survived the sanctum, but the guards had ways to make the students fall if they chose to fight. If they were on the wrong side of this conversation, it could lead to a decision from the council to throw them in prison for killing or attacking everyone in that room.

Her eyebrow lifted. "You were invited to attend their Friday meetings. Today is not Friday."

Does she know what was happening in that room tonight?

Dylan shrugged. "I guess I got the days mixed up."

"I smell blood and death on you."

Jackson and Hunter growled and stepped closer to Dylan. They were still touchy after the fight. Even mentioning how she was in danger triggered their wolves to be more protective of her.

"We were attacked while down there. As much as I would like to go into detail, it does not feel right to do so out in the open. Can we go somewhere more private to continue this conversation?"

That is very diplomatic of you, Hunter told her as he grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Absolutely. We shall go to my office. Let's go now and clear this up before you return to your dorm room."

Dylan would have preferred to get the scents of Cole and his friends off her, but that was not in the cards for her right now. They followed Lupe to her office, and the guards followed behind them. Dylan hoped the other teachers would be around so someone else saw them walk through the school, but the school still felt empty.

Where are the Vampires? I thought they were in this school during the night.

Jackson kissed her temple. It was awkward since they were walking, but she had a feeling it was to put his scent on her to get rid of the rest of the scents on her. Maybe Lupe told them all to stay in the classrooms or something.

Sneaky wolf if she did. It would be the perfect way to get rid of us. Only Lupe and the guards know we are here outside of Serafine.

Hunter squeezed her hand again. If Serafine needs to go to town and report us missing, they will believe her. That's the benefit of our heightened senses. We can tell when someone is lying.

Unless they are good at it.

Some people knew how to stay calm and collected while telling a lie. The way they could control their heartbeat, not to increase or even keep their composure so they don't sweat, was a threat but also a sight to see. Many people were unable to do this because their conscience wouldn't let them. Dylan was one of those people. Even having to kill Brandy and Cole just now sat on her mind. Since walking through the doors of RISE Academy, she had killed three people. In her twenty years of life, not once did she have to take someone's life. Sure, it was something she would need to deal with if she became the leader of her pack, but most likely, it would be on Jackson or Hunter's shoulders more than her own. Females did not have to go through those kinds of orders.

You did what you had to do. That is something a good Luna does for her pack. She is the backbone and the person who keeps the rest of the pack balanced. Even though it is not their usual role, a Luna may need to execute someone if her males are not there to complete the order. Jackson explained.

Doesn't mean we are thrilled to do it.

No, it doesn't. However, a good Luna understands that it is still her duty to keep her people safe. The students here are not your pack, but you took care of the threat to all of them. If that isn't a good Luna, I don't know what is.

Jackson's words helped ease her mind about what had transpired in the sanctum. They arrived at Lupe's office when she allowed her guilt to dissolve. When she stepped through the doorway, she turned to face them.

"I wish only to speak to Miss Pierce at this time."

Jackson and Hunter snarled and pushed her behind them.

"We just had to keep our mate alive while eight wolves tried to get to her. Dylan is lucky to know how to combat multiple people, or she would have fallen while we dealt with the rest. Do you think we will allow her to be out of our sight right now? What kind of Werewolf are you?" Hunter kept himself in front of Dylan and wouldn't allow Lupe to even look at her.

"I assume it was Dylan who Cole wanted."

"You assume nothing. You fucking told him to go after her. We heard you tell him so while he was here."

Lupe frowned. "You do not know what that conversation was about. He had insight on how to make a Shadowborns magic work for the whole pack instead of just mates. He needed a powerful Shadowborn to accomplish his goal."

Jackson growled. "Still does not mean we will allow you to be around her without us."

"Mr. Fastolf, I am the Council Member for Werewolves. I am inside my office, to which the only exit is this door. What can I possibly do to your mate while she is here?"

"For all we know, you were the one to show Cole how to do that freaky ass magic. We will not sit here on the other side of the door and wait to find out that is the truth."

There was no malice in Lupe's words, and her wolf was not on the surface. If Lupe wanted, she probably could make the two of them bow to her with the power she had and make this all moot. Was there a risk of going into her den without the backup of her mates? Probably. However, Dylan did not think that Lupe would be able to convince the rest of the Council and teachers that she had a reason to attack Dylan. If anything, that would raise suspicion on her. Suspicion in this situation was not a good thing.

"Hunter, Jackson, I will be fine. I will keep the bond open so you can hear and feel everything. If you feel my life is in danger, kill anyone who dares stand in your way to protect your mate." Dylan's words registered within her mates, and she knew their eyes were glowing.

Hunter stepped aside and had Dylan step forward. Both men put their arms around her in a protective stance.

"You heard our mate. She is the only person we need permission from, so I wouldn't dare try to harm her." Jackson had a smirk on his face, and his eyes still glowed with his wolf.

"And I have a lot of practice busting down doors, even with magic to keep them strong enough so they can't be broken." Hunter flashed her a toothy grin.

Dylan shook her head but then looked at Lupe in her eyes. "Do you still wish to speak to me privately?"

Lupe looked composed. "I do."

Dylan nodded, and her mates let her go. When she was inside the room, she sat down in the seat across from Lupe. After being threatened by two people, Lupe still seemed completely composed. Dylan wasn't sure if it was arrogance or if she did not believe Jackson and Hunter would actually try to kill her.

Hopefully, it will not be that way. As much as I would love to see my mates avenge me by breaking down that door and making Lupe regret everything that led to this, it is not what I want to take place.

"What happened down in the sanctum?"

Dylan gave the entire play-by-play of what happened from the moment they stepped into the library. It was unnecessary for Lupe to know they planned to break into the library to find Cole and stop whatever he had been planning. She kept up her lie that she believed their meeting was tonight. She claimed she even thought she found the pull difficult and thought it was her way of being initiated into the society. When she explained that the three of them woke up being tied to the chair, she realized it was no longer about joining the society. Cole wanted to use her magic to break down the walls of every werewolf he came in contact with. He believed that she was the key because of how powerful her wolf was, and he wanted to hold that power in so he could use it for his plan. She also made sure to tell her Cole had completed the mate bond with Brandy. Lupe's eyebrows lifted at the mention of the mate bond, so Dylan wondered if Lupe had been in the loop about everything Cole planned.

The hard part came from explaining that she had to kill Brandy and Cole. Guilt filled her soul once again because she felt like they could have at least knocked him out and then put him into prison instead of having to kill him. She was quickly reminded by her wolf that the wall between the man and the wolf had been gone, and it was the wolf that wasn't charged. If Cole had been thrown into prison instead, he may have been given each hand to break out or be released. If either of those options happened, then he would be loose among them and most likely would try to complete his plan again.

When Dylan was done recounting her story, she found herself slouching down inside the chair. It was relieving to get it all out there in the open, the truth being told about what she had done. After reliving it, Dylan found some acceptance of having to kill Brandy and Cole. They would have killed her if she had given them the chance. As that realization flowed through her mind, her guilt over Camilla had disappeared as well. She did it all out of self-defense and for the better of her species. People who had lost themselves to their wolves were too dangerous, and she did the best thing by taking them away from the rest of her people.

"It sounds as though you had a very eventful evening. I assume the others are still down in that room?"

"Yes, unless they woke up and left."

"Doubtful since they only have their wolf's souls inside of them."

Dylan was more confused to hear Lupe talk, as though she didn't know anything of what Cole had planned. It felt like Lupe was already on her side with what happened today. But she knew better than to fall for someone's words. Just because someone says they are not evil does not mean they aren't. Actions hold more truth than words.

"Did you know he planned to infect the rest of the wolves with his plan? He would have continued his plan if he had gotten away with it tonight. Whether or not people died during this transition, he wanted the wolves to be free of their human half."

Lupe sighed. "I stand by my statement. He came to me saying he had a plan to help the magic inside wolves grow and become stronger. It would need Shadowborns to complete it, but I was not aware of what it meant. I suggested it to you because you are the strongest Shadowborn here."

"So, Cole was a Shadowborn who rivaled my own abilities?"

Lupe nodded. "His friends were not. He managed to make them all similar to him. I didn't notice a difference in any of them. They all still showed up to class and did everything they were supposed to. None of their mates seemed to come back to claim them. I have reached out to them many times to check in so they can see the progress they have all made. None chose to respond. I even told them they could return home, and they all chose to stay. I guess I can see why now. They thought everyone here was easy prey to turn into people like them."

"He killed Hazel and Gianna! There is another student he killed, too, but I didn't get a look at his face. You were allowing these students to be subjected to him and his plan!"

Lupe looked away for a moment and sighed. "It wasn't supposed to be this way. I even asked him to ask Professor Wilcox to help him understand what he was trying to accomplish. It was to learn more about our species and our magic. I don't know why he turned this plan into something more than that. Not once did I believe he was killing other students."

Dylan growled as she stood on her feet. "You heard him say those students didn't have enough magic in their blood. Hazel and Gianna had Shadowborn in their DNA, and he wanted people who had even an ounce of Shadowborn in their blood. He said you wouldn't give him your magic, so he had to find it elsewhere. The common denominator here seems to be you, Professor Lupe. So, tell me more lies, and we will see how far you will take this before you tell the truth."

Lupe slowly turned her head to look at Dylan. As their eyes connected, a cold shiver went down her spine. Lupe did not expect Dylan to know more about the conversation with Cole than what Dylan had led her to believe. They were both playing a mental game here, seeing how much the other had known. The problem was that Dylan knew much more than Lupe thought.

"I would choose your words wisely, Miss Pierce. I hate to inform your egotistical mind where I stand with the authority in this school as opposed to you. Here, I hold more cards because of my position at this school. You are just a student. A Shadowborn who was rejected for being part of a subspecies no one trusts. The teachers here trust me, as do the rest of the council. You may think you heard that conversation and could spout your story to everyone here. No one would believe you over me."

Dylan finally cracked the professor's composure. Calling her out was the best route to go because now Lupe understood what Dylan knew about her. Sure, she was a professor here and even on the council. However, Dylan knew she could eventually expose this bitch for who she truly was. She just needed the right plan.

We can help with the plan. I have experience with this as an Enforcer, Dylan. We can make this happen.

She thinks she is bulletproof, but there are ways to expose her.

The smile she wanted to show was hard to keep from forming on her face. Her mates would be able to help with this, and they could wait until the right moment.

"I believe we are done here. I have told you my side, and I know what I did was the best for our people. Cole's plan to make the human side disappear and wolves run freely is now gone. I have told the truth about him attacking us tonight and why we had to kill them. It was not our intention to kill anyone tonight, but we did it out of self-defense. I won't be running off to tell people you are involved, but I would keep it in mind we know the truth now. You knew about this happening and chose not to do anything. I hope that sits well on your conscience. Mine is clear. I did something about it, and now no other student will die because one person thought they could make the decisions for all instead of just themselves."

Dylan didn't give Lupe a chance to respond. She turned on her heel and walked out the door. Jackson and Hunter flanked her as they walked back to their dorm. By the time they reached their room, exhaustion took over. They all chose to shower and put on new clothes before they got into their beds. Hunter and Jackson helped wash her hair and body and then put her into her clothes. When they finally crashed into their bed, Dylan rolled on her back while snuggled between them.

"She's right. No one will believe us."

Hunter sighed and put his face into the crook of her neck. "That is something to worry about tomorrow. We defeated the enemy. We deserve some rest."

"We just need to finish out the rest of the semester without tripping over her toes. Then we can go home and forget about this place," Jackson suggested.

"But we need to bring her to justice."

Both of her men kissed the sides of her face and then into her neck. Jackson licked her mark and then nipped at it. "No, my love. We need to worry about ourselves right now. We have two months to go for this semester. We need to finish everything and get home. We are not crime fighters. If Lupe creates an army of students, then it will be the school's problem, not ours."

Dylan frowned. It wasn't their problem, really. Cole was threatening Dylan himself and made him the problem she had to deal with. They wanted to capture her for their evil plot, and she came out on top. However, her wolf wanted to protect those who would be left behind to deal with the mess Lupe could cause. But also knew her mates were right. They dealt with the problem because it came knocking at their door. If Dylan had started to believe this school was her territory, then her wolf would never have wanted to leave and protect everyone in its halls. This was not her territory. Her home was and her people needed her more.

"Well, then I guess we better do whatever we can to get back home."