Page 51 of Rising Luna
My fault. And I needed to make it right.
Sera let me go, and I looked up at my mates, hatred for Lupe burning inside me."We need to find him. Find him and kill Lupe, along with every follower she has gained."
Chapter Seventeen: Dylan
A sense of certainty settled over me. I had a strong feeling about where Lupe would take Silas. The school didn’t offer many hiding spots, not from what I’d seen. I wasn’t the type towander its halls aimlessly, but from my observations, it was a predictable layout—classrooms and offices, each door leading to a space accounted for. There weren’t many options, which meant I knew exactly where to look.
Outside of one.
"No. We aren't going back down there. You are crazy to think we should," Jackson snapped at me as I told him my plan.
"It's the only place she could have taken him! Why shouldn't we go down there?"
He growled, a sharp scoff cutting through the tension between us. My, normally, easygoing mate had become my fiercest protector so quickly it could have given someone whiplash. Every time I tried to convince him to step into the academy and track down Lupe or Silas, his answer was always the same—no. The mere thought of plunging back into danger sent him spiraling. If not for Hunter’s steady presence, he might’ve lost himself to the storm brewing inside him.
And Hunter was another story altogether.
On the outside, Hunter was every bit the lethal force he always appeared to be; calm, cool, and collected. The patient predator, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. But through the bond, I felt the truth simmering beneath the surface. Hunter was ready to tear something apart. His anger confused me. He’d never cared for Silas, never hid his urge to deck him for rejecting me, for walking in and out of my life like it was his to control. And now? Now it felt like Hunter was furious that Silas had gotten himself kidnapped, as if it were some personal offense. Silas’s disappearance endangered me, whether or not someone overpowered him. Hunter knew I wouldn’t rest until he was back.
Because of that last fact, Hunter didn't refrain from reining Jackson back in.
"Silas is Dylan's mate, Jackson. Do you really think she would let him be taken without trying to find him?"
Jackson growled at Hunter, his brows drawn tight, canines bared in a display of pure aggression. The intensity suited him—it was undeniably captivating to see him this firedup over me. He had already beaten sense into Silas, ensuring there was no room for doubt. This was how mates acted—fierce, unwavering. They weren’t supposed to be thrown away only to return, drowning in regret, pleading for forgiveness.
"It was his dumbass mistake for getting taken. The dude is supposed to be an alpha, but he doesn't do a damn thing to protect his pack, his mate, or himself." He snarled.
Hunter shook his head, and I let out an exasperated sigh. Jackson’s hatred for Silas hadn’t dulled the way I’d thought after their fight in Combat class—it lingered, stubborn as ever. He was still fixated on the fact that Silas was next in line to lead his pack, as if that alone justified his resentment. I sensed that, once Silas returned, we would have to do significant pack bonding to reconcile.
"Well, we have two choices: we go down into the library’s secret tunnel where we found Cole and his posse, the only logical place she would have taken Silas, or we find her and confront her to her face. Take your pick," I offered.
Jackson’s gaze burned with fury, flames of anger alive in his eyes—until they met mine. Then, for a brief moment, they softened. But I knew better. That fire hadn’t gone out. Silas getting captured had stretched the tension between me and my mates too far. Both of them wanted nothing more than to protect me, and I could feel Hunter calculating his next move in silence. No available plan could truly protect me because, like them, I was an alpha. The instinct to protect what was mine ran just as deep in me as it did in them.
It was the one thing my mates wished they didn’t love about me—but they did. It drove them insane, knowing they had no genuine power to stop me from doing exactly what I wanted.
"Going after Lupe without solid proof of her corruption is a death sentence," Hunter warned. "She already sees you as a threat. If you make a scene demanding Silas’s return, you’ll only make yourself an even bigger target—one we can’t afford right now."
He wasn’t wrong, but it didn’t change my decision. This forced Jackson’s hand; we were going down the secret passage. It was the one place in the school that Lupe had unrestricted access to, the only spot that made sense for holding Silas.
Entering the secret room appears unavoidable. Might as well get it over with.
I pushed to my feet and strode toward the door. No one was going to stop me—I wanted my mate back, and nothing would stand in my way. Hunter and Jackson fell in line without another word, and Sera quickly moved to my side. Their presence steadied me. Having them here, ready to follow me without hesitation, felt like a rare kind of solidarity.
Few in the pack stood behind me, despite my bloodline. To them, my father reigned supreme. It didn’t seem to make a difference that I was his heir—that one day, whether or not they liked it, I would be the one leading them. And now, with my mates at my side, that day was coming faster than they realized.
I went directly to my target upon entering the library. Again, darkness and silence surrounded us. With the curfew in effect, every step had to be measured, every movement careful.
Hunter had devised the plan—jump out one of the lower-floor windows, cut through the woods, and reach the academy undetected. Timing proved the real challenge. The guards were relentless, their patrols tight. It took over thirty minutes beforethey finally did a perimeter check, leaving the front doors unguarded just long enough for us to make our move.
Once inside the academy, moving through the halls was effortless. The late hour meant few, if any, people to dodge, leaving the space eerily still. We kept vigilant, scanning every corner as we made our way toward the library. Strangely, there were fewer guards inside than outside, a security oversight I couldn't ignore. Even the teachers seemed absent, their presence nowhere to be felt.
The library mirrored the same emptiness—no librarian, no watchful eyes tracking our movement. I didn’t hesitate. I knew exactly where to go, my feet carrying me straight to the hidden corner where the room waited.
Every book sat neatly in its rightful place, leaving me unsure which one concealed the passageway. I turned to Hunter, searching his expression for answers. If he didn’t know, I hoped he had some idea of how to crack this mystery. I had solved the harder puzzle, but this? This was trickier than I’d expected. The books on the shelf were nearly identical—same coloring, same font stamped along their spines. As I studied them, I tried to summon the memory of the right one, but the details blurred. It had been weeks.
Unturned books indicated an absence below. Perhaps Lupe wasn’t with Silas; however, she might have sealed the passage differently. I had to hope she wasn’t waiting below. Now wasn’t the time to strike. If I rushed in recklessly, she could twist the narrative, make it seem like I’d attacked unprovoked.
Hunter stepped forward, nose to the books, sniffing for any trace of a disturbance. I growled, realizing what he was doing—how had I not thought of that? I could’ve kicked myself for missing something so obvious. Clearly, his high rank within Enforcement was well earned. His mind worked differently,trained to catch details others overlooked. Once this was all over, I needed to have him teach me a thing or two.
