Greymoor Academy: I Accidentally Bonded With Four Lycan Royals!

Chapter 150: 150. The Hunt IV

Maisie

I pressed both hands uselessly against the gaping wound in her stomach, trying to hold her together, trying to stop the impossible. "There has to be something. There has to be—" My voice cracked. "There has to be."

She watched me with strangely peaceful eyes, like she had accepted her fate.

No, I thought vehemently. I didn’t accept it.

I hooked an arm beneath her shoulders. "I know a healer. I’ve never met anyone as irritating as her. I’ll get you to her. She’ll know what to do—"

An enraged roar rocked the forest behind me.

Sharp teeth clamped around my ankle and yanked. I screamed as I was ripped away from her and hurled through the air. My shoulder slammed into a tree with a sickening crack, dislocating on impact. Pain exploded through me, but I barely had time to gasp before a massive shadow loomed over me and lunged again.

I rolled out of the way and massive paws slashed the air I’d been half a second ago, taking half of the tree with it. I panted, eyes wide as I caught a glimpse of what the hell that was.

It was a Lycan with fur that distinctively reminded me of Lana’s silky hair, so tall and balky, it dwarfed me in size. But what had my knees shaking under me were the eyes staring back at me.

They were wholly red. And its scent screamed Exiled.

Fangs bared at me, saliva frothing from its mouth as it came running for me. And I barely got out of the way before those claws swiped again. This time, I felt the slicing pain run down my back, and the force of it threw me on the ground.

Fear paralyzed me as it closed in.

But before it could pounce on me and tear me to ribbons, another Lycan appeared in front of me, blocking me with a roar.

I recognized the blue-black fur and those sharp grey eyes.

The huge Lycan was significantly larger than him, but he didn’t back down. By some insane silent communication of growls and snarls, the huge Lycan backed down, though the blue-black Lycan maintained a deferred position, almost like he was bowing.

The former’s red eyes narrowed, before it walked to where the bleeding girl lay.

"Careful, she’s hurt—"

The Lycan snarled at me and I kept my mouth shut.

It pushed the girl with its muzzle, turning her on her side, and in a smooth move, it threw her over its back.

A pained moan slipped out of the girl.

The huge Lycan’s prowl back was almost majestic, and I remained frozen on the floor as it halted a few feet away, regarded me with hard, emotionless eyes, tilted its head in observation for what felt like an eternity. And when it took one more step closer and leaned in, my eyes shut, waiting for it to....

Sniff me.

My hair. My face. My neck. It growled irritably at the mark on my neck, and took a step back.

A single word popped into my head, one I’d heard before, but it came in a different voice that seemed familiar, even if I knew I’d never met this Lycan before. It was a deep, female voice that evoked a strange memory of baby charms floating above my head, and the nostalgic scent of... incense.

"You are a disappointment."

Then she turned and vanished into the trees, the injured girl still draped across her back.

I was shaking.

Bastian lingered a moment longer. He padded over, licked the side of my face once, almost apologetically, and disappeared after her.

My biological mother.

The realization hit like a blow, but I didn’t have time to process it.

The universe decided that it was definitely time to make my day much, much worse.

A long, victorious howl rose somewhere above me on the ridge.

My head snapped up.

Four fully shifted Lycans stood at the top of the slope, noses to the ground, sniffing the blood on the ground.

The Exile’s blood.

And when their gazes found me below and another howl echoed in the forest like an animal’s beacon or way of saying, "Hey. I found supper,"and only then did I realize I was covered in dirt and blood. And I smelled like an Exiled.

And with the raging bloodlust in the air, the venomous hatred, no one really cared about who it was. Just that they smelled like the enemy.

It’s a surprise.

How stupid was I?

Of course, I was the prey to be hunted. This was the Queen’s way to saying, "Fuck you."

I gasped, shuffling back. "Oh no—no no!" I shook my hands and made a cross sign above my head, gesticulating wildly, as if it would make any sense to the animals above. "I’m not one of them—"

My head swung back as several howls split the night air in response to the call, and I’d heard that call once before to understand that I was, once again, screwed.

It meant reinforcements.

At the first leap of movement, I bolted.

**

I was going to die.

Considering the amount of times I’d made that particular statement in the past, I feel the need to mention that it was happening, for real this time.

Death itself was on my heels.

Paws thundered behind me, an entire horde of them. My lungs burned, muscles screaming as I tore through the underbrush.

Claws raked across my side, slicing deep. I screamed but didn’t stop. Hot blood poured down my hips and legs. Another set of claws caught my shoulder, spinning me. I hit the ground hard, rolled, and scrambled back up, barely dodging snapping jaws that closed on empty air where my throat had been a heartbeat earlier.

Faster.

After healing rapidly from that fall, it appeared my Lycan needed a moment to recover because I couldn’t shift fully. Just halfway through. Which put me at a disadvantage. I tripped on a root, my face slamming against stone and I tasted dirt and blood. I clawed my way forward on all fours, chest heaving, and I barely caught a breath before I felt claws gouge into my calf.

Crying out, I pushed myself into a harder run.

They ran along side me, herding me in whatever direction they wanted, releasing animal snickers every time I found myself cornered and fought my way out of it.

I was covered in blood. I was cold. Exhausted. I wanted this nightmare to end. I wish I’d listened. I wish I wasn’t such an idiot—

A massive ginger Lycan slammed into my side, sending me flying into a tree. Pain exploded in my ribs. I whimpered, trying to rise, but another caught my leg and dragged me backward through the dirt.