CHAPTER 71: WOLVES ABSENCE.

"Now what the heck is going on, Mother?"

Mirabel’s voice rang sharply through the room, her anger echoing off the high ceilings as she stormed in with anger etched in her tone. "What’s actually wrong with my brothers? That bitch, Victoria, tells them to serve her....and they do it. Willingly!"

Mrs. Ashford released a long, drawn-out sigh, reclining on her cushioned lounge as though her daughter’s outrage were no more than background noise. She opened her mouth expectantly, allowing one of the uniformed servants to gently place a plump grape between her lips. The other servant fanned her with a large feathered fan, undisturbed by the rising tension in the room.

"What are you angry for, Mirabel?" she finally asked, her tone smooth and unimpressed. Her serene, almost bored expression only stoked Miravel’s fury further. "Your brothers chose to treat their sister with kindness. They want to give her everything, to satisfy her every whim. So tell me....why does that enrage you?"

"Why shouldn’t it, Mother?" Mirabel shot back, with anger laced in every word all while pacing the room. "Do you know how exhausting it is having to constantly pretend that I care about her? I’ve had to smile, laugh, and play the doting sister, all while restraining myself. I really can’t stand her."

She stopped pacing and leaned forward, her voice dropping. "I almost had Darius’s sister poisoned as there was an opportunity. But I had to abandon it because I couldn’t risk implicating the family." She threw her hands in the air, her frustration peaking.

"But even then, I knew we could talk our way out of it. If things went south, we’d ensure only Victoria took the fall. Still..." She hesitated, her lips tightening. "Her blood... If the three Alphas were to discover the truth about it....we’d all be finished. We can’t let that happen."

Mrs. Ashford nodded slowly, still chewing, her eyes half-lidded but thoughtful.

"Since you understand the stakes, then your anger is pointless," she said, licking grape juice from her fingertips. "Victoria is going to die eventually. That’s inevitable. So instead of getting jealous or acting out, let your brothers pamper her while she’s still breathing. It’s the only decent thing you can do for her in this second life. Consider it charity before the slaughter."

She sat upright now, her poise as graceful as ever despite the venom in her words. "Do you really think your brothers are acting this way for no reason? I can’t say for sure whether they’ve regained their memories from the first life, but I suspect they have or at least pieces of them. You and I did, after all. If we did, there’s no reason to think they didn’t."

"I don’t even care about that anymore mother. The second Full Moon Ceremony at the academy is approaching. That’s the day I’ll ruin Victoria...publicly and permanently. Once the freshers are done with their welcome party, the main event will follow. But if the fresher party gets canceled entirely? Even better. I want chaos that night, and I plan to make it happen. I can’t keep pretending to be the nice sister."

Mrs. Ashford arched a brow, finally showing a sliver of curiosity.

"And what exactly is this plan of yours?" she asked coolly.

Mirabel smiled, but it wasn’t a pleasant one. It was sharp, cruel, calculated.

"Don’t worry about that yet, Mother. You’ll see it unfold soon enough. Just sit back and enjoy the show." She turned toward the door, her heels clicking as she moved. "Whether my brothers are protecting Victoria out of guilt or whether they’ve excluded us from their plans to harvest her blood....I don’t care."

She paused at the door, casting one final look over her shoulder.

"But I’ll make sure Victoria faces the same fate as her first life. I’ll even make it worst."

With that, Mirabel stormed out of the room leaving her mother behind.

****

Meanwhile, back at the personal mansion of the three Alphas...

Zephyr and Auren sat gracefully on the plush leather sofas, each of them with a sleek laptop balanced on their laps. Their gazes were fixed on the screens, fingers occasionally tapping against the keys, immersed in their respective tasks.

Across the room, Darius stood near the far end of the spacious living area, a bow gripped in one hand, his other drawing arrows from a quiver. He kept loosing arrows at a virtual target....one that he frustratingly missed again and again. The dull thud of arrows striking the wooden floor echoed through the silence.

"What’s wrong with you, dude? You’ve been missing the target since you started," came Zephyr’s voice, calm but edged with curiosity. He didn’t even glance up from his screen as he spoke. "Are you worried about Anna or what? She’s fine afterall."

"How do you even know that? That I kept missing the targets when you’re supposed to be focused on your work?" Darius asked, irritation threading his tone. With a huff, he finally let the bow drop, the arrow clattering to the ground. He stalked over to the sofas and dropped down beside his friends, clearly agitated.

"I could hear it, obviously," Zephyr replied, now lifting his head and locking eyes with Darius. "The way the arrows kept hitting the floor....it was obvious something’s off. What’s going on? You seem... restless. And angry and now that I think about it.... it’s not about Anna."

"Who else could piss him off that badly if not Victoria?" Auren chimed in, his tone low and laced with anger. He slammed his laptop shut and leaned back, folding his arms across his chest. "Ican’t help but think about her and feel nothing but fury. I swear, I should just give the school the go-ahead to deal with her. Let them take care of it once and for all."

"You shouldn’t do that," Darius cut in sharply, his tone suddenly serious....so serious it made both his friends glance at him.

"Oh please, Darius," Auren scoffed, narrowing his eyes. "You’re the only reason I haven’t acted already. Why do you keep saying we shouldn’t hurt her? You act like she’s some priceless gem or something."

"Just leave her to me. How about that?" Darius raised an eyebrow, his tone firm but composed.

Zephyr blinked in confusion, then let out a disbelieving laugh. "Huh? Leave her to you? Since when do you take an interest in girls? And what does that even mean? When you say we should leave her to you... are you planning to lay with her?"

"I’m not like you, Zephyr," Darius replied flatly, his tone unwavering. "The girl is my student now. As her teacher, I have full authority to deal with her in my own way. There’s no need to allow the school or the other students to handle it when I can do it myself."

"And how exactly do you intend to do that?" Auren asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. "Didn’t you already say something similar before....about ’dealing’ with her? Zephyr may have joked about sleeping with her, and you denied it, but let’s not forget you’re the one who said her kiss brought back pieces of the dreams we’ve all been having. Did you assign her to your class just to get close to her, to kiss her and then boom...a romance?"

Darius’s expression darkened as he leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees.

"The issue is more complicated now guys. I don’t know what’s happening to me. I haven’t heard my wolf’s voice since Victoria arrived. It’s like he’s... gone," he confessed. "I can’t sense him at all. It’s confusing as hell because I’ve always been able to shift. Always. I’m still able to but my wolf doesn’t communicate with me."

A cold silence settled over the room. Zephyr and Auren immediately sat up straighter, expressions shifting from annoyance to shock.

"Wait. Are you serious?" Zephyr asked, eyes wide. "I haven’t felt my wolf either. Not since the day she stepped into this school. I didn’t want to admit it, but now that you’ve said it..." He trailed off, visibly shaken.

Auren let out an incredulous scoff, his brows furrowed in disbelief. "Same here. I have a wolf, but I can’t hear him. I haven’t heard a single growl, whisper, or feeling from him since the day I laid eyes on Victoria. It’s insane. It’s like he’s just... vanished."

The three Alphas exchanged looks, tension thickening in the air. The realization that none of them could connect with their wolves was both horrifying and mystifying.

"So it’s not just me," Darius muttered, nodding slowly. "Still, I wouldn’t jump to the conclusion that this is all her doing. There could be a hundred reasons why this is happening. That said, I need you both to do me a favor....leave Victoria alone. Don’t hurt her. I’ll handle this situation myself."

"Why should we let this go just because you said so?" Auren asked, though his voice had lost most of its earlier heat.

"Because something insane is happening and I want to deal with it in my own way," Darius replied. "And we need answers. The second Full Moon Ceremony is coming soon. That’s when most wolves experience peak connection with their beasts. I want to see if mine reawakens during the full moon."

He stood slowly, his tone growing even more commanding.

"Cancel the fresher party. It’s pointless anyway. Let’s focus on the ceremony. Maybe we’ll understand what’s going on that night. And I believe the two of you want your wolves back just as much as I do."

Zephyr and Auren exchanged another look before nodding in unison, though their eyes still held the weight of disbelief.

"Alright," Zephyr finally said, his voice low. "We’ll wait. For now."

"But if nothing happens on full moon night," Auren added, "I’m not making any more promises. If it’s to capture her and torture her... I’ll gladly do that now that mysterious things started happening since the day she got here."

Darius nodded once in acknowledgment.

"Fair enough. But trust me....there’s more to that girl than any of us understand."