Page 27

CRESSIDA RETURNED LATER,

just as the dorm lights began to dim. The door opened with a faint creak, and all three girls in the room—Y/N, Julia, and Aisha—looked up simultaneously. Her heels clicked softly against the polished floors as she stepped inside.

The room fell quiet at the sight of her.

Her silhouette lingered in the doorway of the common room before she stepped fully inside, her expression unreadable.

She paused in the doorway, eyes flicking toward them—then away.

The usual sharpness in her stride was dulled, her shoulders heavy, and for a rare moment, her gaze didn't carry its usual smug glint.

Y/N was now sat on her own bed, her fingers curled tightly around a now-cold mug of tea. Julia and Aisha stiffened as Cressida slowly sat down without saying a word. She didn't offer an explanation, nor did anyone ask.

"Hey" she said simply, setting her clutch down on her vanity.

"Hey" Aisha replied flatly. Julia didn't say anything, but her eyes lingered.

Y/N watched in silence, the room suddenly cold despite the heater humming faintly in the corner. There was something about the way Cressida avoided all of their gazes, how she walked stiffly, like her body remembered something her mind hadn't decided to share.

The tension between them wasn't loud, but it sat thick and uncomfortable in the air like smoke refusing to clear.

No one spoke.

Not about where she'd gone. Not about Eliza. And certainly not about the whispering storm that loomed heavier with each hour that passed.

★

Meanwhile, in the boys' dormitory—located deeper in the east wing of Auragon Academy—the silence was of a different kind. The type that crackled in the air just before a storm broke loose.

The room was dimly lit, with cold moonlight spilling in through the tall arched windows, casting pale silver across the rich black of the stone walls.

Adrian stood near the window, his posture rigid, arms crossed.

Azul leaned against the bedpost opposite, arms folded, lips pressed into a grim line.

Calixto sat perched on the edge of his desk, fingers absentmindedly spinning a silver ring around his thumb.

Silas, as always, lingered closest to the door—his expression a blank slate, but his eyes sharper than ever.

They weren't alone.

Poised as always, but something in her eyes had sharpened—like a dagger unsheathed.

Headmistress Valerie stood at the centre of the room, dressed in a practical black trench coat, the high collar framing her pale face like armour; beside her stood Headmaster Lockwood, the flickering sconce-light glinting in his silver famed glasses and the stern shadow beneath his eyes.

The room was silent until Valerie finally spoke.

"We've reviewed the scene," she said, her voice low but clear. "And there is something that doesn't align."

The boys shifted, each in their own positions.

She continued, eyes weaving between them. "A vampire's bite.. no matter how many—cannot cause that kind of damage. The wound on the girl was too large. Too jagged. The kind of tear that requires jaws that rip, not pierce."

Adrian's expression didn't flicker at first. But the tension in his jaw betrayed him.

"Adrian." she began, her voice clipped but careful, as if weighing each word before letting it fall. "We need to speak plainly. About what happened tonight."

Adrian didn't move. "It wasn't me."

Valerie's tone remained calm, but her eyes narrowed. "And we want to believe that. But this isn't a normal kill. The wound on that girl—" she paused, exhaling through her nose, "—was massive. Torn, not pierced. That was no vampire bite. Not even if the fangs were driven in again and again."

Lockwood's gaze shifted toward Adrian, not accusing, but troubled. "It was too large," he added. "More like a maul wound. A tearing bite. Not clean... not consistent."

Adrian finally turned from the window, eyes sharp as glass. "Then why are you asking me?" he snapped, voice low but full of quiet fury. "If you know it wasn't a vampire, why am I the one being questioned?"

Valerie and Lockwood exchanged a glance, and it was then Adrian's eyes cut sharply toward the headmaster. He scoffed. "Unless, of course.. it wasyou."

Adrian finally looked up, eyes burning with restrained fury. "If we're going to be simply accusing werewolves, then Mrs Viktor maybe you should ask him." He jerked his chin toward the headmaster.

★

The room shifted like a snapped string.

Matthew Lockwood blinked. "Excuse me?" The older male froze, the accusation hitting him like a slap. His eyes widened—offended, but also startled. "That's enough." he said tightly yet with an almost shaken tone "Don't be absurd.."

"You heard me." Adrian's voice was cold, but there was something beneath it. Something bitter. "If it wasn't a vampire, and it wasn't me, then who else has the teeth for it?"

Matthew, to his credit, didn't flinch. "Y—You think I did it?" His voice was measured, but his fingers twitched at his sides. "Do you honestly think I'd risk everything to attack a student?"

But Adrian didn't back down. "You know what I am. You know what you are. There's no reason we're not both guilty."

Lockwood's face paled, a flicker of something too quick to name in his eyes. Denial rose up his throat, but he turned instinctively to Valerie—as if seeking support.

Valerie reached out and touched his arm gently. "Matt.."

"No." Silas suddenly snapped. "Don't protect him?"

"I'm not." she replied coolly, but something flickered in her eyes. Valerie placed a steadying hand on Lockwood's forearm, a calming touch that was gentle—but intimate.

That single, intimate gesture was all it took.

Silas, who had been leaning against the doorframe until then, suddenly moved. His eyes snapped to her hand, then to her face, and something in him broke. "Oh, for fuck sake." he muttered, straightening. "Maybe you two should sort that out before trying to solve a murder."

Silas rose to his feet.

His movement was sharp—unnatural even. A twitch of muscle, a quiet flare of emotion too long buried. His eyes locked onto the way her hand lingered on Lockwood's arm. The softness in her voice. The familiarity.

His mother. Comforting another man.

Valerie turned toward her son, but he was already at the door.

"Sort it out yourselves.." he muttered, eyes flashing with something angry and raw. "I'm done playing audience to whatever this is."

"Silas—" Valerie started, but he didn't stop.

"I said sort it out.You're not helping anyone standing here pretending this place isn't a mess." he snapped over his shoulder, and then he was gone, the door slamming behind him with a final, echoing crack.

★

A pause followed, dense and loaded.

Valerie composed herself quickly. "Back to the matter at hand," she said, voice firm now. "Adrian. Even if you were guilty, you won't be punished. We aren't here to accuse—we're here to understand."

Calixto's voice finally broke in. "Unless someone wants him to be guilty."

The room stilled.

"Which means.." Azul said slowly, tilting his head, "either someone's setting him up. Or something else is hunting on campus."

Valerie's expression remained unreadable, but her eyes flicked between the two men, lips pressed together tightly.

Calixto, who had remained mostly quiet, finally spoke—his voice low, thoughtful. "We've always known what you are, Adrian. You sensed Lockwood the moment we arrived here—even before Mrs. Viktor told us."

Adrian didn't answer fo a moment; he just looked at him, jaw clenched. "Wolves know their own."

Valerie's voice turned grim. "If there's an unknown wolf on school grounds, that changes everything."

Lockwood finally spoke again, tone clipped. "We'll increase surveillance. Lock the perimeter. No more night excursions. If another attack happens—"

"No." Adrian cut in, eyes sharp again."What we'll be doing.." he nodded, the 'we' carrying the unspoken weight of the gathered boys behind him, their eyes like hungry predators fixed on the older male. "Is watching you, Mr Lockwood."

Adrian lowered his gaze, his fists tightening at his sides. He wasn't just angry—he was afraid. Not of being caught, but of what might still be hiding out there.