The Lunar Crest Academy: Marked by The Lycans

Lorraine’s POV

I didn’t even realize I was following Kieran until I was already out the door.

He walked with a storm in his steps, his jaw locked tight, eyes cold with purpose. My feet moved faster to catch up with him, and I reached out, grabbing his arm just as he descended the steps from the hospital building.

"Wait, Kieran, wait," I called breathlessly. "What did you mean back there? How do you plan to wake Elise up? How do you even know what her condition is?"

He stopped, back still to me. His shoulders rose as he took a long breath, and then slowly, he turned to face me.

"I’ve seen it before," he said quietly. His voice was heavy, weighted like stone dragging in water. "The convulsions. The pale skin. The bluish tint. The wolfsbane poisoning so deep in the bloodstream it corrupts the very essence of a wolf."

I frowned, the hairs on the back of my neck rising. "Where? On who?"

He looked at me, and for the first time in a long while, there was a kind of grief in his eyes I hadn’t seen before.

"My mother," he said simply. "The Alpha Queen."

I froze. "What?"

"She’s still alive," he continued, nodding slowly. "Barely. But yes. She’s.... still breathing."

Everything inside me stilled.