Thornhill Academy. Chapter 96

I’m halfway down the trail before I even realise I’m moving. My shoes hit the dirt hard, every step pounding out the rage sitting heavy in my chest. Hill’s cabin disappears behind me, but his voice—his fucking indifference—rings in my head.

“She’s fine.”

“She doesn’t need rescuing.”

“If she wanted to be found—”

I grit my teeth so hard my jaw aches. He should’ve been happy. He should’ve been fucking with her. Not sitting there sipping tea and pretending nothing was wrong. After everything she's risked being here, that smug bastard couldn’t even lift a finger. She’s missing, and he just… doesn’t care. A growl rips out of me before I can stop it, my dragon’s fury flaring in my chest. The trees tremble as I shove past them, needing to move, needing to do something.

“Evander!”

Kael’s voice cuts through the night, heavy boots crunching on the dirt behind me. He catches up fast, of course, he does, damn hellhound.

“Where the hell are you going?”

“Cage,” I bite out, not slowing down.

Kael grabs my arm, forcing me to stop. “What? Why the fuck would she go to him?”

“She shouldn’t.” I yank my arm free, eyes burning. “But if the bond’s messing with her, if it’s twisted something between them, I need to check.”

Kael stares at me for a second, his expression caught somewhere between disbelief and reluctant understanding. Then he swears under his breath. “You really think she’d go to that bastard?”

“I don’t know what to think anymore,” I snap, running a hand through my hair. “But I’m not sitting around while everyone acts like she’s some lost cause. Hill can rot in his fucking cabin for all I care. I’m finding her.”

Kael exhales slowly, his eyes dark in the dim light. “Then I’m coming with you.”

I give a curt nod, already moving again.

The campus lights are distant now, swallowed by trees and fog, and the night air feels heavy—charged. Like the whole world’s holding its breath. If she’s with Cage… If he’s done anything...

The thought cuts off before it finishes forming, replaced by something fierce and cold in my chest.

“She shouldn’t be with him,” I mutter, more to myself than Kael. “But on the off chance that she is—”

Kael glances at me sidelong, his voice low. “Then we'll make sure she's okay.”

I nod once, my wings itching beneath my skin. “Damn right we do.”

And then we’re running again, toward the dorms, toward Cage. Toward whatever the hell this bond is doing to all of us.

By the time we reach Cage’s dorm, my chest is heaving and my temper’s barely hanging on by a thread. Kael kicks the door once. No answer. He doesn’t bother knocking again, just shoves it open. Cage looks up from his chair like we’ve interrupted a nap. He’s sprawled out, boots on the table, a half-empty bottle beside him, smirking like the world owes him something. His eyes flick between us, slow and lazy.

“Well, look who’s come knocking,” he drawls. “Didn’t expect the rescue squad.”

The smell of whiskey hits me before his words do. My fists clench. “Where is she?”

He raises a brow. “Who?”

Kael snarls. “Don’t play stupid. Allison.”

“Oh,” Cage says, like the name barely registers. “Haven’t seen her. Don’t plan to.” He leans back in his chair, stretching like a fucking cat. “What, she ran off again? Sounds like a her problem.”

My vision blurs for a second, rage pounding through my skull so fast it’s almost dizzying. “You don’t care.” It’s not a question. It’s an accusation.

Cage gives a small, mocking shrug. “Why should I? She’s not my responsibility. Hell, she’s not yours either. The girl’s chaos wrapped in skin. You two should be thanking me for keeping my distance.”

Kael steps forward, but I’m faster. My hand slams into the table, sending his bottle crashing to the floor. The sound echoes sharp and violent in the small room.

“She’s our mate,” I growl. “And if you can sit here while she’s out there alone—”

Cage doesn’t even flinch. “Yeah, well, the bond didn’t exactly come with a rulebook, did it? I didn’t ask for it. Didn’t want it. And I sure as hell don’t need it to tell me she’s not my problem.”

Kael’s eyes flash, his claws halfway out. “Say that again.”

Cage smirks. “You heard me.”

For a heartbeat, the room feels like it might explode—heat rolling off me, hellfire flickering under Kael’s skin. Cage just sits there, unbothered, watching us like this is entertainment.

I take a step back before I do something I’ll regret. “You’re a fucking coward,” I tell him. “She could be hurt, and you’re sitting here drinking.”

His smile falters, just barely, before it’s back again. “You don’t get it, do you? If she’s gone, it’s because she wants to be. Maybe she finally realised what a mistake all this was.”

Kael moves then, so fast Cage doesn’t see it coming. His fist connects with the wall just beside Cage’s head, cracking the plaster. Cage doesn’t blink, but the smirk’s gone now.

“You ever talk about her like that again,” Kael says quietly, “and I’ll show you what a hellhound bite feels like.”

We leave before it gets worse. I slam the door behind us, hard enough to rattle the frame. Outside, the night air hits cold against my burning skin.

Kael exhales, still vibrating with fury. “He doesn’t give a damn.”

“No,” I say, staring back at the dorm, jaw tight. “He doesn’t.”

The words taste bitter in my mouth. Cage’s apathy, Hill’s indifference, it all feels wrong. Like they’re seeing something we’re not, or worse, pretending not to see at all. But I’m done talking. Done waiting.

“Next stop?” Kael asks.

I look out toward the dark stretch of woods beyond the campus. The bond thrums faintly in my chest, restless and alive, pulling me somewhere I can’t see yet.

"The demon King."