Chapter 34 Opening of the gate.

Chapter 34: Chapter 34 Opening of the gate.

Food was distributed to them first, giving everyone a much-needed boost of strength and stamina before the long night ahead. A staff member soon pushed a trolley up to the building steps where the group waited, serving the dishes one by one with quiet efficiency.

"This is wild, Damian. What if she reported you? What would you do?" Marcus asked while forking a generous portion of noodles from his plate.

Damian, focused on his rice, offered no reply. He simply continued eating, his expression unreadable.

"Damian, talk. You’re putting me in suspense here," Marcus sighed. When it became clear the other boy wasn’t going to respond, he shook his head and wandered over toward Noah.

Noah stood at the far end of the stairs with Rose and Lamia. The three of them were deep in discussion, mapping out a strategy for surviving the night ahead.

"I still think you shouldn’t come," Rose said carefully. "Your magic isn’t even consistent. I saw that when you tried to defend yourself from those bullies. So how do you expect to get away from a monster that’s targeting all of us? We have to stop it from escaping the school grounds." Her words sounded like concern on the surface, but Noah caught the deeper meaning behind them. He would be a distraction, someone who might divide the group’s focus and attention at the worst possible moment.

"So this is what you really think of me," Noah replied, his voice tight. "That I’m just going to slow everyone down." He turned and started walking away. On pure logic alone—plus the stranger’s earlier warning about the monsters—it was clear he didn’t belong with them. Yet his conscience refused to let him step aside. What if he could actually help end the danger instead of sitting back helplessly? That kind of regret might haunt him forever.

"Don’t misunderstand her. This isn’t about you, Ashton—please don’t leave," Lamia pleaded, reaching out.

Noah fought back the tears stinging his eyes. These feelings weren’t entirely his own. The flood of emotions pouring through him felt overwhelming, almost foreign.

"Everyone around me just sees a weak thing they have to protect. Isn’t that hurtful? You are powerful—no one has told you that—but for someone like me, it’s different." The words spilled out before he could stop them. He felt on the verge of breaking down completely. Ashton’s buried emotions were tearing him apart from the inside.

The commotion drew Marcus and Killian, who rushed down the steps to investigate.

"Ash, are you crying?" Marcus asked, concern etched across his face.

Killian hovered nearby as Marcus pulled Noah into a tight hug. "Oh dear, talk to me. What’s wrong?"

Noah hugged him back almost instinctively, as if starved for the comfort. From the way Marcus held him, he knew the embrace was meant for Ashton. He still didn’t understand how Ashton could keep taking control of his body like this. Wasn’t he supposed to be gone? How was any of this even possible?

"Little kitten, come here," Killian said gently, extending a hand.

But Noah stayed rooted in place, avoiding him. A strange, instinctive warning pulsed through him—Killian felt dangerous, while Marcus’s arms offered safety. None of it made sense.

"What the fuck is happening? Why can’t I control my body anymore?" Noah thought desperately. When Killian tried to touch him, he flinched away in clear disgust.

"Don’t touch me, you murderer." The words escaped before Noah could stop them. He screamed the accusation internally, shocked at himself. Murderer? Where had that come from? It made no sense.

From a quiet corner, Damian watched the entire scene unfold alongside Eugene. Both continued eating, choosing not to interfere.

"Murderer? What are you talking about?" Marcus asked, his hold tightening protectively as Noah pressed closer into his embrace.

Rose and Lamia stared in open confusion. This wasn’t like the newer version of Ashton they had grown used to. He seemed suddenly like his old, fragile self again. Before anyone could press him with questions, Noah coughed sharply. In the span of a single blink, the intense emotional storm vanished as if it had never been there.

"Leave me..." he muttered, pulling free from Marcus’s arms as though they burned him. He bolted away quickly, like Marcus carried some terrible plague that had hunted him for years.

"I thought you were... Damn it, Ashton, why are you like this?" Marcus called after him, voice laced with hurt. "Didn’t you say I was confusing you? Is this some kind of revenge because you ran to my arms?"

The question came straight from Marcus’s heart. Noah wanted to explain that it hadn’t been him speaking—it was the original Ashton pushing through. He would never call Killian a murderer. That label had emerged from nowhere, yet it lingered in his mind like another cryptic clue he couldn’t quite grasp.

"Okay, time for business," someone announced, breaking the tension. "I think Danielle said the signal for action is the rise of the moon. And here we go." The entire group turned their gazes upward at once. As the moonlight strengthened, Rose’s eyes snapped sharply to her left.

"Guys, I can feel the energy. Follow me." She set off immediately, with Lamia close behind, though Lamia still pondered Ashton’s strange earlier outburst.

Noah fell into step beside Killian. The alpha locked eyes with him, searching for answers in his expression. "Are you okay, Noah? My offer still stands. Any problem at all, I’m here. You can tell me anything."

He nodded. Despite his lingering anger toward the alphas, he realized Killian was someone he could relate to deeply. It was almost as if Ashton gravitated toward Marcus while he himself found unexpected comfort with Killian.

"I’m fine. It’s just my head—I think something made me almost... Forget it. Killian, we have monsters to kill." Noah took the lead, with Killian walking right beside him, keeping a protective watch on his back.

The night had fully settled in, and the moonlight glowed bright and clear. After the Dean’s stern announcement, a heavy curfew blanketed the school. No one dared venture outside. The campus felt eerily silent, every shadow stretched long under the silver light.

Following Rose’s guidance, they arrived at an abandoned stretch of land overgrown with weeds and tall grass that whispered in the breeze.

"Does no one come to this side? It looks creepy," Lamia observed. The others nodded in agreement. As they discussed the unsettling atmosphere, someone came running to join them. It was Sylvia, but the group barely acknowledged her presence before turning back to their search for the unknown location that would summon the monsters they were meant to confront.

"Does anyone actually know how we’re supposed to find this thing?" Noah asked. "Or are we just following some vague clue that isn’t even here?" They were operating on the Dean’s limited instructions, with Rose leading them toward what she sensed as heavy, unnatural energy.

"That’s the best lead we have," Damian spoke up. "But this place feels off. I don’t think we should linger out here. Let’s move inside."

All eyes turned to him. "You want us to enter that dark place? Can’t you see how dangerous it feels?" Rose countered sharply.

"Unless we’re calling this off entirely, this is where we need to go," Eugene added, his voice rising. "Rose confirmed the heavy energy is coming from inside. What else are we waiting for?" He scanned the group, but no one offered further objections.

"I’ll take the first step since the rest of you are scared shitless," Damian declared. He moved forward boldly. Noah instinctively raised a hand to stop him, but it fell short.

"Be careful," Noah called out.

Damian glanced back, offering a small smile that failed to reach his eyes. "Damn, guys—this is a cemetery. There are countless tombstones everywhere."

Sylvia shook her head vigorously. "Nope. I’m not doing this. Tombstones, weird energies... what does that tell you? We’re not supposed to disturb the dead. This is a terrible idea."

Noah fixed her with a hard stare. "And what happens if we walk away and the gates open anyway? Aren’t we all going to die while the world falls apart? Will that make you happy?"

His blunt words left her silent.

Then the ground began to rumble.

"Something’s happening already! Damian, get the fuck out of there!" Marcus yelled.

Damian started retreating, but a dark vortex of smoke erupted violently from the earth. A massive earthquake shook the area, splitting the ground and creating a wide chasm that separated Damian from the rest of the group.

"Oh my gosh, Damian! What are you going to do?" Noah screamed. Sylvia echoed his cry in panic.

"I’m fine—don’t worry, I won’t..." His voice cut off abruptly.

Silence fell over the group as they stared at the widening fissure. From its depths, a huge ancient gate burst open, spewing thick smoke in every direction. Dozens of monstrous creatures poured out at once, their forms twisting and screeching as they emerged into the night air, hungry for chaos. The battle they had prepared for had begun far sooner and far more intensely than any of them had anticipated.