Feral Bonds: Claimed By Rogue Alpha Brothers-Chapter 544: The Witch’s Warning

Evaline:

The silence that followed Kieran’s words was suffocating.

It pressed against my ears, my chest, my thoughts... heavy and unyielding.

"Kieran," I said finally, my voice cutting through the stillness, "what are you talking about?"

He didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he leaned back against the couch, one hand rubbing his jaw as if he were trying to physically ground himself. His gaze drifted to the window, unfocused, distant. I could see it clearly now... the hesitation. The internal debate. Whether the thought that had just surfaced was worth voicing... or whether it was nothing more than coincidence dressed up as paranoia.

He opened his mouth.

Then closed it again.

River shifted beside him. "Kieran," he called quietly, but firmly. "What is it?"

That did it.

Kieran lifted his head, his gaze moving between his brothers before finally settling on me. There was something almost apologetic in his eyes, as if he hated being the one to drag us deeper into uncertainty.

"Do you remember the witch who helped us set up the ward around the Academy?" he asked.

All three of us nodded at once.

I remembered her well... though I had never met her personally. Kieran had told me about her before.

"What about her?" Oscar asked, confused.

Kieran let out a sigh as he confesses, "I just recalled that she said something to me the day they set up the ward."

My pulse picked up.

Kieran’s fingers curled slightly against his knee. "At the time, I didn’t think much of it. Witches have a way of speaking in riddles. Half-prophecies. Warnings that sound dramatic but never quite make sense until it’s too late."

He paused, then spoke again... his voice lower now, more deliberate.

"If I’m recalling it correctly, she said something along the lines, ’This land remembers what was buried beneath it. A power older than bone and blood sleeps here, bound by time and silence. Pray that it never wakes... for if it does, no ward will be strong enough to cage it again.’"

The words sent a cold shiver down my spine.

Wind blew outside the open window, the sound suddenly too loud in the quiet that followed.

Oscar was the first to speak. "You think she was talking about the... Great Evil?"

Kieran exhaled. "I don’t know. But recalling it right now... it’s the only thing that makes sense."

I swallowed. "Back then... did you notice anything strange? Anything that could have pointed issues with the West Tower?"

He shook his head slowly. "No. Not at all. When the Academy was being built, the West Tower was originally meant to house the astronomy wing."

That caught my attention. "Originally?"

"Yes," he said. "The plans changed midway through construction. The astronomy classes were moved to the East Wing instead." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

River frowned. "I remember that. The official reason was accessibility issues, wasn’t it?"

Kieran nodded. "That’s right. The West Tower was too remote. Too far from the main buildings. It would have made night classes difficult for students."

He let out another sigh. "The tower was almost abandoned after that. Used for storage at first. Then eventually... nothing."

"I didn’t connect the dots back then," he continued quietly. "Why would I? The ward was holding. The Academy thrived. And witches... they say things like that all the time."

"But now," I murmured, "with Marcus, Carson, the hidden passage, and whatever lies beneath the basement..."

He nodded grimly. "Now it feels less like just a random ramble and more like a... warning from her."

Oscar broke the tension by straightening. "Then maybe we should talk to her."

All eyes turned to him.

"The witch," he clarified. "If she knew something back then, she might know more now. Or at least confirm whether this Great Evil is what she was warning about."

River exchanged a look with Kieran before speaking. "I can try to reach out to her."

Try.

That word carried a lot of weight.

"There’s no guarantee she’ll respond," River continued. "Or that she’ll even agree to see us. Whatever debt she owed, she settled it when she placed the ward. Witches don’t like getting involved in the affairs of packs, councils, or academies."

"And they have been distancing themselves from the outside world for decades," Kieran added. "Some of them completely vanished."

"But you’ll try," I said.

River nodded. "I will."

Silence settled again, though this time it was different. Heavier with possibility. With looming answers.

I exhaled slowly and leaned forward. "When are we going down into the West Tower?"

The question seemed to echo.

The men exchanged looks, a silent conversation passing between them. Finally, Kieran spoke.

"Not immediately."

I frowned slightly but didn’t interrupt.

"I need time," he said. "Time to plan this properly. There are too many variables. We don’t know what we’ll find - if we find anything at all. And if we do... it could be dangerous. Dangerous enough that we cannot risk the safety of the Academy."

Understanding dawned on me immediately.

"There are hundreds of students here," he continued. "Faculty. Staff. If something goes wrong... if whatever is down there reacts to our presence... we need to make sure no one else is caught in the fallout."

"So what’s the plan?" I asked quietly.

"I need to figure out a way to clear the Academy," he said. "At least temporarily. A reason believable enough that it doesn’t cause panic. A window where the grounds are empty... or as close to empty as possible."

Oscar let out a low whistle. "That won’t be easy."

"No," Kieran agreed. "But it’s necessary."

River nodded. "Let me know if you need help."

"I will," Kieran said.

I leaned back against the couch, my thoughts racing.

A witch’s warning. An abandoned tower. A hidden passage. An ancient evil sleeping beneath our feet.

And us... four people standing at the edge of something far bigger than we’d anticipated.

I didn’t like how neatly it all fit together.

But more than that...

I didn’t like the feeling settling in my gut.

The feeling that whatever lay beneath the West Tower had been waiting.

And that our search might be exactly what exactly it wanted