The Lunar Crest Academy: Marked by The Lycans-Chapter 220: Long Overdue

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Mia remained seated on the edge of Adrian’s bed long after he had left.

The room was silent now. The kind of silence that pressed against the ears until it became unbearable. The only sound was the slow, sticky drip of blood hitting the polished floor.

Her gaze was fixed on the body sprawled near the door.

The Commander lay on his back, eyes wide and glassy, mouth still frozen in the shape of a scream he never truly got to finish. His sword was still embedded in his chest, angled awkwardly, his fingers curled tightly around the hilt as if even in death he hadn’t fully accepted what he had done.

He had killed himself.

Because Adrian told him to.

Mia swallowed.

She had seen death before, plenty of it. She had caused much of it herself. But this was different. This wasn’t a battle. This wasn’t desperation.

This was obedience.

Adrian hadn’t raised his voice. He hadn’t threatened or bargained. He had simply spoken, his eyes glowing that eerie blue, his voice slipping into that ethereal cadence that sank into the bones and rewrote will itself.

Kill yourself.

And the man had obeyed.

Just like she had obeyed him once. When he ordered her to subdue The Leader.

Her fingers curled slowly against the bedsheet, nails digging into the fabric as the memory surfaced.

The day she arrived at this hideout.

The Crimson Hunt’s former Leader, on his knees, restrained, furious, humiliated.

Adrian standing before him, calm and immaculate, issuing commands like a god deciding the fate of mortals.

Subdue him.

That was all he had said.

And Mia had done it.

Back then, admiration had struck her like lightning.

It wasn’t just his power, it was the effortlessness of it. The way he didn’t need to shout or posture. The way others bent instinctively to his will, as though the world itself recognized his authority.

And goddess, he had been beautiful.

Blonde hair falling just carelessly enough to suggest he didn’t need to try to be handsome. Sharp features. Cold eyes. A presence that swallowed the room whole.

She had crushed on him instantly.

Maybe even loved him, in her own twisted way.

After helping him take down the Leader, she had known, known that she wanted to stand beside Adrian. Not beneath him. Not behind him.

With him.

A team.

For the first time in her life, she had thought she found someone like her.

Because Mia had never truly belonged anywhere.

Born a werewolf with the ability to cast spells, she had been wrong from the start.

An abomination.

That was the word they used.

Her Elite family had tried to hide her at first. Tutors came. Scholars whispered. Priests argued. Then fear replaced shame.

When she was ten, they cast her out.

No ceremony. No farewell.

Just a door slammed shut and guards posted to ensure she never came back.

She learned quickly that the world was cruel to the unwanted.

And so she became crueler.

Her life became the only thing she valued, the only thing worth protecting. She stole. Manipulated. Burned bridges, and people, without hesitation.

Years later, when she tracked down her family, she didn’t scream or cry.

She killed them.

All of them.

Cleanly. Efficiently.

No remorse.

And yet, despite loving solitude, despite surviving alone for so long, Adrian had changed something in her.

For the first time, she didn’t want to stand alone.

But now....

Now she stared at the Commander’s corpse and understood the truth too late.

Adrian hadn’t abandoned her because he didn’t care.

He abandoned her because she never mattered to him at all.

Her jaw tightened.

She rose from the bed slowly, grabbed her robe, and pulled it over her body with mechanical precision. The fabric brushed against her skin, grounding her just enough to move.

She stepped onto the bloodstained floor without hesitation.

Blood didn’t bother her.

What bothered her was the familiarity of abandonment.

She left the chamber, walking through the dim hallways, choosing paths shrouded in shadow out of habit. Torches flickered weakly along the walls, casting distorted silhouettes that stretched and twisted as she passed.

Her destination was clear.

The room where The Leader was held.

She stopped just outside the door, then pushed it open.

The Leader remained on his knees, exactly where she had left him. Invisible chains of magic pinned him in place, forcing his spine straight, his head bowed only slightly, enough to humiliate, not enough to break him.

His eye lifted when he sensed her.

Hatred twisted his features.

"The moment I finally escape this place," he snarled, "I will crush you into dust."

Mia tilted her head, unimpressed.

"For a one armed man stuck on his knees," she said lightly, "you really do make a lot of empty threats."

His lip curled. "Release me first. Then we’ll see how empty my threats are."

She considered him for a moment, studying the rage, the hunger, the sharp intelligence behind his fury.

"I might actually release you today," she said slowly. "I’m considering switching teams."

His expression flickered, just for a second, but she saw it.

Interest.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Mia folded her arms. "I thought Adrian and I could work together. But he’s weak minded. Distracted. Obsessed with his friends from the Academy."

She scoffed. "He doesn’t understand what it means to be the Leader. The power at his disposal. You could claim territories with a single command. Rewrite the Kingdom."

She stepped closer. "I want real power. And it’s clear now, I will never get it with him."

The Leader watched her carefully.

"So you think I can give you that power?" he asked.

She nodded. "You’re ruthless. Unemotional. Focused. You’re what I need."

A slow, thin smile curved his mouth.

"Well," he said calmly, "since I’m currently on my knees and powerless, I suppose I can’t afford to refuse your offer."

He lifted his chin slightly. "Work with me, Mia, and I will make you the most powerful woman this Kingdom has known since the first Luna Queen."

"And I do need a powerful witch by my side after all."

The words slid into her mind like honeyed poison.

This is what she wants.

She stepped forward and unlocked the door.

Then she raised her hands and began dismantling the spell, carefully, methodically, unraveling the invisible chains that bound him.

The magic snapped away.

"Now that...." she began.

She never finished the sentence.

In the blink of an eye, The Leader was on his feet.

He moved faster than thought, faster than instinct.

Before she could cast a spell, before she could scream, his hand plunged into her chest.

Pain exploded, white, blinding, absolute.

Her heart was torn free from her chest brutally, still beating, still warm, as he stepped back.

Mia stared at him, eyes wide, disbelief frozen across her face.

Her body collapsed to the floor with a dull thud.

The Leader let her heart drop.

It hit the stone floor and burst, blood splattering outward.

He looked down at her lifeless form without a shred of regret.

"That lasted a little too long," he muttered.

He turned and walked away.

"I suppose it’s time to go get my dear brother."