Chapter 6 She is gone

Marcus noticed the way Ralph's jaw clenched hard. Ralph's grip tightened on his bag strap the moment Elias continued to speak to him through the mind link, his knuckles going white without him realizing it.

“You okay?" Marcus asked again, glancing at him from the driver's seat. They had now parked without Ralph even realizing it.

Ralph loosened his grip. “Yeah."

He opened the door and stepped out.

Marcus did not look convinced but he did not push either. Oz was already climbing out of the back seat, failing into step beside them as they walked toward the entrance.

Ralph looked toward where Elias was standing. “What do I do?" He asked through the link. He was not sure how true Elias's words were, but given his lineage, it was not something he could overlook.

“First, we have to take the girl somewhere safe, somewhere she can't hurt anyone. Not only her – both of you. Because in two days it will be your first moon, and hers in three hundred years. It is going to be messy if we don't handle it well.”

"What? Three hundred years?” Ralph voiced out before he realized it. And that made Oz and Mason realize he is not following them.

“Listen, Ralph," Elias said through the link. And secondly, since your friends know, you have to stop Oz from telling his father about the Alphas for now, so we'll have time to move the girl. We can deal with the rest after the full moon."

"Ralph,” Oz called him since Ralph had fallen behind. He walked back to him. "What's wrong? Are you okay?”

"Yes,” Ralph said as he swallowed hard and started walking.

Marcus glanced around, finally realising Ralph was not alone in his thoughts. He looked around suspiciously. Seeing this, Elias immediately moved toward the school passage. When Marcus saw nothing he joined Oz and Ralph.

Ralph noticed he could no longer feel the link connection and glanced back at where Elias had been standing. He was gone. Ralph's breath became heavy. His dream of transferring to Ridgehaven Academy had been shattered – now he has to hide his identity from the world. He had felt worthless with his identity as a human. Now he felt pathetic about his life because of what he was becoming – instead of becoming something he had always wished for, he was becoming the opposite, something his world feared – An Alpha.

As they got to the school gate, Marcus waved them goodbye and stepped into Ridgehaven Academy, while Oz and Ralph stepped into Ridgehaven High.

Since they left the car park Ralph was not okay. He was far from it. Elias's words had not stopped echoing in his mind. ‘You are becoming an alpha. You will be hunted.’ In the entire city of Gloomridge, Alphas are banned – especially in Ridgehaven town. And if the Vanguard knew there were alphas in the town, the hunting would start. Even the supernaturals would join them, especially the werewolves.

Ralph kept his head down as they walked to their classroom. The hallway was filled with its usual morning chaos – locker slamming, conversations overlapping, the smell of breakfast someone had carried in from outside. Except now every sound pressed painfully into his ears like someone had turned the volume up without asking him. He could hear conversations three classrooms away. Someone whispered at the far end of the corridor. The heartbeat of the person walking directly behind him.

He clenched his jaw and kept walking. No matter how much he wanted to deny Elias's words, it was getting real.

“You're doing that again," Oz said beside him.

“What thing?"

“The thing where you look like you are about to pass out but you keep nodding like everything is fine."

Ralph faked a smile. "Everything is fine.”

Oz looked at him. "Everything is not fine. What is it? The full moon? You don't have to worry about that. We'll take care of it.”

"Oz,” Ralph said. "Can you hold off telling your father about the Alphas for now?”

Oz frowned. “Why?"

Ralph twisted his face, thinking of an excuse. “You know, the Alphas may have already left the town. Making the vanguard look for them might be a waste of time.”

Oz tilted his head. "But we still have to look for them. Especially after what she did to you.”

"What if they have already left? It would be like lying to your father,” Ralph said.

“Still,” Oz insisted.

“Oz," Ralph said seriously.

“Okay. I won't. For now." Oz said. “But if they infect anyone else or if they are heard of again – trust me, I'll chop one of their heads off myself,” Oz said and walked into their classroom. Ralph followed.

They got to class just as Mrs. Jack, their English teacher, was settling in. Ralph took his seat in front of Oz, dropping his bag beside him, and stared at the board without seeing a single word on it. Around him, the lesson began. He heard none of it. His thoughts kept pulling him in two directions – Elias's warning on one side, and the girl in the storage room on the other side. He had to get her out.

She was breathing well when he left her. That was all he knew. He doubted whether he should check on her or wait until school was over. ‘But what if she wakes up and starts biting students,’ he thought.

He was still arguing with himself when he heard voices. From somewhere down the corridor, two students were talking – low and urgent, not meant for him – except it went straight to him like they were standing next to his ear.

“... blood was everywhere in the old storage room in the east corridor…” one student said.

“...nobody knows how it got there…" said the other.

"... They are saying it might be connected to the missing kids at Ridgehaven Academy…”

“... I don't think so," another said. “It's just drops of blood…”

His stomach dropped.

Ralph stared at the board and his body went still. He did not blink. He just sat there with his heart beating violently inside his chest while the lesson continued around him as if nothing had happened.

The storage room. That was the only place his mind was. He raised his hand. “Can I use the bathroom?”

Mrs. Jack nodded without stopping the lesson.

Oz, who had been watching Ralph's distraction, also raised his hand. “Me too, Mrs Jack."

"No, Oz. One at a time.” Mrs. Jack said and continued with her lesson.

Ralph was out of the door and straight down to the east corridor. It was quiet compared to the main hallway. He walked quickly, keeping his steps even. When he rounded the corner he could already see that the storage room door was open. A cleaner's trolley was parked outside. One teacher lingered nearby, his phone to his ear. Mr. Damian – his history teacher and also one of the Vanguard.

He kept walking. Past the door. Just a glance inside as he passed. There was a cleaner inside, along with another teacher taking pictures – Mr. Lucien, his PE teacher. And the girl was gone.

He stopped further down the corridor, back against the wall, and exhaled slowly. The girl was gone. The curtain he had folded into the pillow was still on the floor. Dried blood on the floor. He pressed the back of his head against the wall and closed his eyes, not knowing if he should be relieved or scared. Then the teacher's conversation reached him uninvited.

“Yes, principal. I think it was one of your students. I will make sure whoever it was gets punished. Even now, we still haven't found the wounded student.” Mr. Damian said.

“Ralph."

He heard his name again and felt the mind link connection. He opened his eyes.

“East exit. Now."

Elias's voice, clean and direct through the link. Ralph pushed off the wall and moved toward the east exit. The door opened into a narrow path between the two school buildings, sheltered just before the woods. Elias was already there, watching the door before Ralph even pushed it open.

“She is gone," Ralph said before he could speak.

“I know. I heard one of your teachers on the phone with our principal." Elias said. “We have to find her before they do."

Ralph looked panicked. “They said she bit someone else. The Vanguard…”

“We have to find her before they do, Ralph," Elias said.

Ralph took a step toward him. “Who are you? How do you know about her? How do you know about me? How do you know about any of this?" You told me I am becoming an alpha. You told me I will be hunted. You told me you are my guardian. I don't even know you – except that you stare at me every time you see me – and I'm supposed to just accept everything you have told me is true?”

Elias held his gaze. Calm and steady. Like he had been expecting every word. “I know you're confused, Ralph. But let me help you," he said. “Both of you. Let's find her first before the wrong people do.”

Ralph looked at him for a long moment, his jaw tightening. “And why should I look for her? She bit me. I still helped her. And now she is my responsibility? If the Vanguard wanted to find her and deal with her, let them. If not for that bite, I wouldn't have the problem of becoming an alpha – a bloody Alpha.” he laughed bitterly, pacing. "Now my life is so fucked up."

“Because it is your destiny, Ralph," Elias said. "Your destinies are tied together.”

Ralph laughed like Elias's words were jokes. “What destiny? What do you mean, our destiny? Who is she for her destiny to be tied to mine?”

"She is the last Greymoor. The last one who survived the fire. And you are the last living descendant of Kael of the Greymoor pack.”