Chapter 97 The breaking point

Chapter 97: Chapter 97 The breaking point

Still at the girls’ dormitory, Killian and Eugene continued their desperate search for Noah, each following different objectives. Eugene was tracking what he suspected to be Noah’s footsteps—the shoe sole matched exactly, so he was trying to determine the location it was heading toward. Killian, meanwhile, was following the scent, with Damian struggling to keep up. Damian wasn’t focused; a great change was happening within his body, consuming his attention. But Killian remained determined, and the labor was divided between them.

For some reason, Killian didn’t associate with Eugene, and the feeling was mutual. Yet they both arrived at the same location—the rooftop of the dormitory—where the scent was most concentrated.

Marcus’s eyes widened. "Oh my, I think he was exactly here. I can feel his presence all around."

Damian began to sigh, his voice tightening as he also felt Noah’s presence affecting him badly. "He was here, but the scent is faint. I think he’s long gone."

The words struck Eugene like a whip, fear gripping his heart. Just as he was about to speak to the alphas around him, he caught sight of something familiar—a piece of cloth, and a trail of blood. His blood ran cold.

"Fucking hell, is that what I think it is?" Eugene asked, his voice trembling.

They all rushed toward it with maddening speed. Damian, despite being sick, ran with such agility that he reached it first, squatting down to see what it actually was. His face turned pale, his eyes wide with horror.

Laying there was Noah’s nightwear—the fabric torn and damped heavily with blood, surrounded by the same familiar red qualities on the floor. The place smelled heavily of iron, and without being told, Damian knew something terrible had happened to Noah right there.

Eugene saw it too and immediately picked it up, smelling the cloth. The fresh scent of chamomile and blood clung to his nostrils like a suffocating cover. "Shit! See what your carelessness has done!" he snarled at Killian. "He might be in serious harm’s way!"

Eugene ruffled his hair in frustration before passing the fabric to Killian, who looked utterly taken aback. His pupils were dilated, his throat feeling dry and placid. It couldn’t be his Noah Evernight. It just couldn’t. The cloth must belong to another person—that was the only thing he wanted to believe, the only option that stuck in his head without being much of an issue.

"I didn’t know he was going to be in danger," Killian said, his voice cracking. "How was I supposed to predict this? It was just his friends—just the dormitory not far off. I didn’t think we would be searching for him like this."

His hands went around his throat, trying to calm his breathing and find a way through the panic.

Marcus looked at the scene in disbelief, then brought out his wristwatch, sighing with deep frustration. "Look, I think we shouldn’t blame each other. He’s alive and okay. My Ashton is okay. We’re going to find a moonlight affinity user. I would have recommended Lamia and Rose, but they’re not available."

He was interrupted by Damian, whose condition was now worsening, though he fought hard to hide it. "Rose is around," Damian chimed in, his voice strained. "She should be at the assembly by now. Maybe she can help."

Marcus nodded. "The witches—moonlight affinity users—can do a location spell. They can find Ashton no matter what, unless we’re dealing with something dangerous that predicted our actions and cloaked him. That would be the problem."

A medium of silence stretched between the alphas as they considered the reasoning. It made absolute sense.

Killian, who had been pacing, began to feel a sliver of hope. He didn’t want to think of the worst that could have happened, so he took a shallow breath and looked ahead. They would drag Rose to help them.

"Aren’t you people thinking of the emperor?" Damian asked, his broken voice cutting through. "He should be in school now. Can we even handle this?"

Eugene scoffed. "We can, of course. It’s just the emperor—he won’t stop me from finding Ashton. Mating ceremony or not, I don’t give two shits about it. If Ashton isn’t where I want him to be, why would I show my face when my baby is in danger? I really won’t go there. They can eat their shit—my mind isn’t going to change anytime soon."

He aggressively walked away, his face contorted with fury, his eyes fixed on Killian with malicious blame. From where they stood, they could hear the blaring trumpets, the welcoming parade, the marches and music that seemed to swallow the school whole. Cars honked as they drove into the compound—fine models, one after another. Jlks, Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Mercedes Benzes, and several others they lost count of. The threat was already in the school, and they were still searching for Ashton.

"I’m going now to find that witch Rose," Eugene declared. "We must find Ashton, no matter what."

He rushed out from the top floor, Killian following behind. But Marcus stayed behind, looking at Damian. "Dude, this is going worse. Your skin is turning grey. Fuck, you can’t be seen like this. I don’t even know what we can do."

As Marcus was thinking, Damian whispered to him, "I marked Ashton."

Marcus felt his lungs heat up. "You’re not serious, right? How—fuck, that is not good."

Damian struggled through his labored breathing to finish his words. "I felt it through him. He’s in distress—a big one. But I don’t think he’s in danger. Another danger we should be concerned about is that a surprise blood moon is coming tonight. And those three gates Killian mentioned—well, that shit is going to get opened today. And I’m also thinking about the monsters in the forest. And don’t get me started with my curse also."

The revelation was harrowing, registering as a deadly crisis they must stop. The blood moon destruction from last time had left them all shaken—they couldn’t go through that again. If this happened, there would be no saving the students or the academy. Three gates opening was like total hell unleashing, followed by the emperor’s arrival. Though he would be glad to see the bastard killed, it wouldn’t happen—this would bring massive bloodshed.

"I won’t make it," Damian admitted, his voice fading. "But I think someone can end the coming crisis. It should be Ashton. I heard he’s a pureblood. Based on their history—especially one I’ve read—he can chase away evils. And what greater evil do we have here than this one?"

The words had barely left his mouth when Damian began to jerk, falling completely as his bones started to tear apart, breaking to pieces. His back bones made a sickening formation, every ounce of shattering occurring within his system. Marcus felt a wave of emotion wash over him. For real, Damian needed a cure—this was total evil. No one should endure this.

Damian yelled out, a tear dropping from his eyes. "Please help me, Marcus! I’m going to be doing this till the blood moon rises. There’s still time. Please, I can’t take this anymore. I can’t!"

"Archhhhhhhhh!" A deafening scream broke from his lips as his back cracked into a harrowing angle, his body contorting grotesquely. Marcus stood frozen, watching his friend suffer, knowing that time was running out for all of them.