All Chapters of VIREMONT ACADEMY:THE SEALED HUMAN CLAIMED BY THE FOUR SCIONS: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

"I know you can handle it, but you don't have to prove how incredibly tough you are to me," he said, and he gently bumped his bare shoulder against mine."My tiger likes you, and I like you, so just let me do the heavy lifting while you steer the cart," Jarek added, and his blunt confession made my heart race so fast I thought it might actually beat right out of my chest.I didn't try to argue with him again, and I grabbed the rusted steering bar of the wagon while he loaded the final pieces of raw meat into the pile.We pushed the heavy cart out of the warm feed room and headed deeper into the pitch-black tunnels of the subterranean caverns.The squeaking of the rusty wheels echoed loudly against the damp walls, and the sharp scent of ammonia and wet fur grew much stronger the further we walked.Deep, guttural growls rumbled from the dark enclosures lining the corridor, and massive shapes shifted in the shadows as the starving beasts smelled the fresh blood on our cart.The sheer sca

It lunges straight at me, and the sheer force of its takeoff cracks the solid stone floor beneath its heavy paws.I brace my boots against the damp rock and thrust the heavy security stun-pike forward like a spear.I expect the metal pole to snap in half under the weight of a creature the size of a city bus.I expect to die down here in the dark, buried under a pile of raw meat and rubble while the elite academy sleeps peacefully above me.My human mind accepts the terrifying reality of my impending death, but my survival instinct absolutely refuses to let me close my eyes and just give up.The blinding terror pushes my consciousness past a heavy, invisible barrier buried deep inside my chest.Something inside me violently snaps open with the force of a breaking dam.It doesn't feel like a beautiful, warm awakening of dormant magic, and it doesn't feel like the controlled spells the elite heirs cast in the cafeteria.It feels terrifying and overwhelmingly heavy.A burning, molten heat

The water swirling around the drain ran dark red and brown, carrying the remnants of the monster's blood away into the pipes.I leaned my forehead against the cold tile wall and closed my eyes, letting the freezing water cascade over my tangled hair.I slowly lifted my hands and stared at my palms under the harsh fluorescent lights of the bathroom.The skin was bright red and covered in angry, sensitive blisters where the superheated metal of the stun-pike had practically melted into my grip.My fingers still twitched with a phantom, vibrating energy that made my stomach churn with pure terror.I had spent my entire life thinking I was just a powerless, unranked human trying to survive in a world built for monsters and magic.But the heavy, suffocating force that broke open inside my chest down in those pens didn't feel like a simple magic spell.It felt like a dam shattering, releasing a flood of molten, ancient destruction that didn't care who or what stood in its way.I dropped my

I quickly shoved the heavy wrench into my jacket pocket and crossed my arms over my chest, desperately trying to hide the evidence of my power."Are you still pretending to be a fragile human stray?" Lucius asked, and a faint, knowing smirk touched the corner of his pale mouth.He reached inside his dark blazer and pulled out a sleek, black digital tablet, tapping the smooth glass screen with his long index finger.A glowing, three-dimensional holographic chart projected upward into the tight space of the alcove, casting an eerie, shifting blue light across our faces.I stared at the floating data streams, realizing the hologram was a perfect topographical map of the subterranean beast pens."What the hell is that supposed to be?" I asked, leaning away from the bright light because it made my eyes ache."This is the live magical feedback loop from the pens, monitored directly by the Archon's security grid," Lucius explained, pointing to a massive, jagged peak in the center of the char

"It's Lachlan."I didn't wait for Liora to answer because my hands were shaking too badly to hold onto the small plastic device anymore.I dropped the burner comm-link right into the wet grass, and the freezing rain washed over my face as I turned my attention back to the nightmare unfolding in front of me.The academy quad was supposed to be empty at this hour, but fifty members of my pack were standing in a wide circle on the muddy lawn.The rain poured from the black sky in sheets, soaking through our clothes and turning the manicured grass into a slippery, treacherous swamp.Lachlan stood ten feet away from me, and he had already thrown his ruined shirt onto the wet ground.His broad chest heaved with angry breaths, and the amber glow of his inner wolf bled into his dark eyes as he paced back and forth."You are weak, Darian," Lachlan yelled, making sure his voice carried over the sound of the pouring rain so the entire pack could hear him."You are supposed to be our Alpha, but y