Rise of the Banished She-Wolf Chapter 21

Evelyn

I spent most of the night staring at my ceiling, unable to sleep as my mind wrestled with one unsettling question: what exactly was my connection to Devon? The pieces didn't quite fit. His father had ordered my wolf nature suppressed three years ago—a punishment that left me barely more than human. Yet somehow, since meeting Devon, I'd felt stirrings of my wolf again. The timing couldn't be a coincidence.

Was Devon somehow the key to reclaiming my wolf?

I shook my head, forcing myself to focus on the more immediate problems facing me, the plagiarism accusation.

On my way to school, while I was thinking about how to deal with the situation with the professor, I spotted Bryan waiting at the gate, a bouquet of roses clutched in his hand.

"Fuck," I muttered, considering turning around. But it was too late—he'd seen me.

"Evelyn!" Bryan called, smoothing his designer jacket with his free hand. "I've been waiting for you."

I kept walking, hoping he'd take the hint, but he stepped directly into my path, thrusting the flowers toward me.

"These are for you," he said with that insufferable confidence. "I want you to be my girlfriend."

I stared at him, genuinely dumbfounded by his audacity. "Are you serious right now?"

"Dead serious." His smile never wavered. "I've thought about it, and you're definitely girlfriend material."

"This is a school environment," I said coldly. "And I can still smell Jessica's scent on you."

His expression faltered slightly. "Jessica and I broke up. She was too clingy, too jealous. You're different."

I laughed, the sound harsh in the morning quiet. "Let me get this straight. You want me to date you after your girlfriend physically assaulted me? You really are a piece of shit, Bryan."

His face darkened, and he grabbed my shoulder. "Listen, you don't get to talk to me like—"

Pure instinct took over. I twisted, using his own momentum against him, and suddenly Bryan was face-down on the concrete, my knee pressing lightly into his back.

"Next time," I whispered, "I won't go easy on you. Stay away from me."

I released him and walked away, leaving him sputtering threats and curses behind me. The adrenaline from the confrontation was still pumping through my veins as I headed to my first class, pushing thoughts of both Bryan and the plagiarism accusation to the back of my mind.

---

I was crossing the quad when a voice called out behind me.

"Ms. Gray!"

I turned to see Professor Parker striding toward me, a folder clutched tightly in his hand. His expression was more serious than I'd ever seen it.

"Evelyn, I need you to come to my office immediately," he said, his voice low but firm. "We need to discuss your code submission."

My stomach dropped. Students passing by slowed down, clearly hoping to catch some drama.

"Of course, Professor," I replied, keeping my voice steady despite the anxiety churning inside me.

Once inside his office, Professor Parker closed the door and gestured for me to sit. He placed a folder on the desk between us, opening it to reveal printouts of my code alongside another sample.

"After our previous discussion, I consulted with colleagues and did further research," he said gravely. "The similarities between your work and Aurora's encryption algorithm are beyond coincidental."

He spread out several papers showing highlighted sections of both codes. The evidence was damning—I'd gotten careless, using too much of my original Aurora code without adequate modifications.

"Academic integrity is the foundation of this institution," he continued. "If you admit to plagiarism now, we can handle this internally. Otherwise, this will go to the academic board for a formal hearing."

Through the glass panel of the office door, I could see Kate lingering in the hallway, barely concealing her smirk.

My heart pounded. Admitting plagiarism would destroy my academic reputation, but I couldn't exactly confess that I was Aurora.

"Professor, I understand how this looks," I said carefully. "But I didn't plagiarize anyone's work. I wrote this code myself."

He leaned back, disappointment evident. "Ms. Gray, these algorithms are industry-level work. No undergraduate student could—"

"Give me a challenge," I interrupted. "Right now. Any algorithm problem you want. Let me prove my abilities."

Professor Parker studied me for a long moment, then nodded. "Very well. If you can solve this in 30 minutes, I'll reconsider my position."

He wrote a complex algorithm challenge on a whiteboard mounted on his office wall—one that would stump most professional programmers. I sat at his spare computer, aware of Kate watching through the door, her arms crossed in anticipation of my failure.

Twenty minutes later, I pushed back from the keyboard. "Done. With two different solutions."

The professor examined my work, his expression shifting from skepticism to shock. "This... this is extraordinary problem-solving."

He turned to me, genuinely perplexed. "Ms. Gray, if you have this level of talent, why would your homework submission be so similar to Aurora's?"

"I study a lot of advanced coding," I replied, which wasn't a lie. "I suppose I internalized some approaches that influenced my style."

He seemed unconvinced but nodded slowly. "I won't pursue plagiarism charges, but I'd advise you to be more careful about creating truly original work in the future."

Through the door, I could see Kate's face contort with rage as she stormed away.

The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur as I processed how close I'd come to exposing my secret identity. By the time my last class ended, I was mentally exhausted but still looking forward to my meeting with Lily.

---

As evening approached, I arrived at the square a few minutes early, having asked Lily to meet me sooner. The confrontation with the professor had drained me, and I needed time to calm my nerves.

By 6:45 PM, I knew something was wrong. Lily was never late—especially not when she was excited about something. I'd been waiting at our meeting spot for fifteen minutes, and the campus quad remained eerily empty.

I dialed her number again. Straight to voicemail.

"Lily, it's me again. Call me back as soon as you get this."

A chill ran down my spine that had nothing to do with the evening air. I scanned the area, my senses on high alert. Something felt wrong—predatory.

I called Devon. "Mr. Hall, has Lily contacted you today?"

"No," his deep voice replied, immediately serious. "Why? What's happening?"

"We were supposed to meet at 6:30, but she hasn't shown up. She's not answering her phone."

"That's not like her." His tone sharpened. "I'll have someone check the campus security cameras. Where are you now?"

Before I could answer, my phone beeped with another incoming call—unknown number.

"Hold on," I told Devon, switching over. "Hello?"

A female voice, deliberately disguised, came through the line: "If you want to see your little friend again, come to the abandoned amusement park. Alone."

The call ended before I could respond.

My heart hammered against my ribs as I raced to my motorcycle. Twenty minutes later, I stood before the rusty gates of the abandoned park, a "No Trespassing" sign swinging in the breeze.

I vaulted over the fence with ease, landing silently on the other side. The scent of decay and rust filled the air, but beneath it, I caught Lily's familiar scent—faint but unmistakable.

My phone buzzed with a text: [Come to the carousel. If you call anyone, she dies.]

I clenched my fist around my phone, steeling myself as I walked deeper into the park, toward the carousel looming in the distance.