The Lunar Crest Academy: Marked by The Lycans

******

The scent of blood hung thick in the underground interrogation chamber. Silver dust lingered in the air like poison, and Alistair Ashthorne slumped against the pole he was chained to, his breathing shallow, his skin blistered and raw from repeated sprays of wolfsbane. The pain etched into his face seemed endless, but beneath it, his eyes held a quiet, unreadable calm.

Astrid Voss stood silently, her arms crossed as she studied the wreck of the boy before her.

Magnus Thorn leaned on the table nearby, flicking dried blood from his gloves as he grunted, "So... what do you think we should do now?"

Astrid’s gaze didn’t waver. "Something’s off."

Magnus raised a brow, glancing between her and the chained Alistair. "Off how? He admitted he’s Crimson Hunt. That makes things simple. We dispose of him. Case closed."

"No," Astrid said slowly, almost absently. "It’s too simple. He claims to be part of the Crimson Hunt.... but he knows nothing about them. Every time we press for names or operations, he gives us silence or shallow answers. He’s either hiding something very well...."

"....Or he’s not hiding anything at all because he doesn’t know," Magnus finished, scowling. "You think he’s bluffing?"

"I think he’s being used," Astrid said, eyes narrowing. "Someone else is pulling the strings, and he volunteered, or was forced, to play the fall guy."

Magnus’s jaw ticked. "But why the hell would Alistair Ashthorne, of all people, agree to be a decoy for the Crimson Hunt?"

Before Astrid could answer, a sharp wail pierced the walls, a blaring, shrieking siren that shook the air around them.

Both Astrid and Magnus snapped their heads upward, their expressions hardening.