Chapter 35 Ashton’s memories.

Chapter 35: Chapter 35 Ashton’s memories.

The first wave of monsters emerged as crawling scorpions with oversized pincers and bloated, armored bodies. They scuttled forward aggressively, shooting streams of corrosive venom from their gaping mouths that hissed and smoked upon hitting the ground.

"Avoid the venom at all costs! We need to close that gate to stop more from pouring out!" Rose shouted. The group sprang into action without hesitation.

Killian stayed behind to guard Noah while the others charged forward to seal the gate and keep the creatures from reaching the school. "I got this. Go, guys!" he called out firmly. Rose and Lamia exchanged worried glances about leaving Noah, but they had no choice but to trust Killian and push ahead.

"Be careful, you two," Lamia urged as they ran. Noah shouted after them, his voice nearly lost in the chaos.

"Be careful too!" But the words barely carried as the team leaped across the massive chasm. Rose summoned a thick vine bridge that allowed them to cross safely. Once on the other side, she severed the vines behind them to prevent the creatures from following, effectively isolating Killian and Noah on their side for the moment.

"This isn’t right. We can’t just stand here and watch things get worse. Let’s go, please," Noah pleaded. Fear gripped him tightly. A deep instinct warned that he might lose one of his friends tonight, and the thought left him restless and uneasy.

Killian placed a steady hand on his shoulder. "I’m happy being here with you, Ashton. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be if you’re close." His voice was soft, sincere, even as disaster unfolded across the divide.

Noah glanced between Killian and the frantic battle on the other side. "Do you know what you’re saying? Would you really let them die just for me? You can’t, Killian. You don’t know me that well, and I don’t know you either." The confession caught him off guard, but it drew a faint, almost sad smile from Killian.

"Funny enough, I’ve always had this crush on you, Ashton. You never noticed. You loathed me, obsessed over everyone else, but whenever it came to me, you’d run away or say things I couldn’t understand. I thought I’d done something wrong, but you never explained. I felt completely rejected."

Noah stood there, stunned. He couldn’t believe it. This gorgeous, strong alpha had feelings for Ashton, yet the original Ashton had treated him so poorly. What had been going through that boy’s head?

A deafening scream tore through the night—"Archhhhhhhhhhh!"—pulling both of them toward the edge of the chasm. Rose was now positioned at the gate, straining to hold it shut alone. Lamia, her usual partner, had rushed off to help Sylvia.

Though Noah wasn’t particularly fond of Sylvia, he couldn’t ignore the danger. If she fell here, the consequences could be catastrophic for everyone.

"Archhhhhhhhh!" Sylvia screamed again as a grotesque, twisted creature—half massive rat, half lizard—sank its jaws into her arm, tearing away a chunk of flesh. She retaliated with a burst of brilliant light that disintegrated the beast, but another immediately took its place. Just as it lunged for her bleeding wound, Lamia snapped his fingers. The creature’s body tore apart from the inside out.

More monsters swarmed her, as if determined to erase her from existence. Damian intervened with devastating effect, using his blood affinity to make their internal fluids erupt violently. The creatures exploded in sprays of dark ichor.

The fight intensified rapidly. For every monster they destroyed, others seemed to multiply. Soon nearly fifty twisted horrors surrounded the group, with several attempting to cross the chasm toward the school.

"We have to cross over. Staying here is pointless," Noah insisted, frustration building. "Look at Rose—she’s giving everything, but that’s too much dark magic. We’re just teenagers. Why are we the ones handling this mess?"

Killian looked torn, caught between duty and his desire to protect Noah. "You know, we could just run away together. Never return. Live happily ever after," he said with a wink.

Noah nearly lost his temper. "This isn’t the time for jokes!"

A sharp cracking sound split the air. They turned to see Eugene dismantling creatures like brittle twigs. His time-freezing affinity locked them in place before he smashed them into harmless dust. For a brief moment, the odds seemed to shift in their favor, thanks to the alphas’ raw power.

Damian’s blood affinity proved terrifyingly effective. He caused enemies to combust from within, their bodies shriveling as bones stiffened and organs failed. Eugene followed up by reducing the remains to fine dust. The pair moved with practiced coordination, looking trained and formidable. Noah felt a surge of hope—this might actually work.

Then everything began to unravel.

"My body feels hot... I don’t know what’s happening," Noah muttered. An intense itch spread across his skin, followed by splitting headaches that nearly drove him to his knees.

"No—my stomach is so heavy. Fuck, I can’t even feel my legs," Killian groaned, dropping down. He reached to carry Noah. "Should I take you back to your room? Maybe we should leave."

Noah shook his head stubbornly. He refused to abandon the fight. His gaze met Rose’s across the gap. She was bleeding from her nose, eyes, and ears—the gate’s dark magic was overwhelming her. Lamia noticed and raced back to support her, but before he could reach her side, a powerful wave of pheromones exploded outward from Noah’s chest, flooding the air.

Killian’s eyes widened in shock. "Fuck, my..." He couldn’t finish the sentence, clutching himself as waves of unbearable heat and need crashed over him. The same affliction struck Eugene, Damian, and Marcus. They collapsed to the ground, eyes glazed with raw lust.

"No, not now. Please God, what did I do?" Noah whispered in horror. His pheromones had unleashed at the absolute worst moment. All the males fell under its influence, except for Lamia and Rose.

"The gate, Ashton—we can’t hold it alone!" Lamia cried out while trying to help Rose. Creatures that the alphas had been managing now turned on him. Worse, most of the monsters abandoned the fight and mindlessly surged toward the chasm, desperate to reach Noah. His potent scent drove them into a frenzy, salivating and clawing over one another in their rush. Many tumbled into the endless pit below in their blind pursuit.

Noah staggered to his feet. Killian’s hands grabbed at his legs and thighs, trying desperately to hold him in place. "Don’t go. I won’t let you anywhere near there. Please listen to me."

But Noah’s body moved on its own. Before he could advance further, a violent wind blast hurled Rose and Lamia away from the gate. The iron structure groaned and tore free. Everything the gate had been containing rushed out in a mad torrent of fangs, claws, and wings.

Seeing the horror unfold, Noah screamed. A heavy current laced his voice—something ancient and sinister—ripping through the air. The sound struck the gate like a physical force. It began to disintegrate before their eyes. The monsters pouring forth, the flying abominations, everything caught in the blast was consumed by sudden white flames that reduced them to floating ashes.

The gate itself shuddered as if alive. It trembled violently, then shifted backward inch by inch until it sank back into the chasm, sealing shut and erasing itself from existence.

Rose, utterly drained, looked up in disbelief, horror and fear.

"That wasn’t just Grave affinity, though it had elements of it. This is something else entirely. Fuck... we’re dealing with far more than we realized." She gasped for breath.

Lamia stared at Noah in awe. "He saved us. I’ve never heard of anything like what he just did, but it forced the gate away."

As the immediate threat faded, Lamia turned and saw the alphas approaching Noah like mindless zombies. The pheromones had taken deep root in their minds. They needed him desperately to satisfy the overwhelming urge. The power continued surging through Noah until his head felt ready to explode. Images forced their way into his consciousness.

A vivid memory surfaced: Ashton standing on a rooftop, talking with Killian, trying to explain something important. Then, in a surge of anger, Killian had shoved him hard. "You’re not him and will never be him." Ashton was pushed over the edge, falling to his death.

The full realization hit Noah like a thunderbolt. The person responsible for killing Ashton had been right beside him this entire time. He screamed louder, the pheromones cutting off instantly like a flipped switch. The alphas blinked, confusion replacing the haze as the influence shattered.

Noah collapsed to his knees, breathing ragged, the weight of the revelation crushing him.