Rejected by the Beta, Claimed by the Alpha

Chapter 154: The School Monsters

Clark POV:

That sentence did more than shake me.

It broke the spell that had frozen me in place.

I turned.

And ran.

But I didn’t get far.

From the shadows of the room — those corners I hadn’t dared look at before — something moved. No, leaped. A blur of snarling, growling muscle, all fur and fangs and pure nightmare.

A shadow dog. No, not a dog — not really. Something worse. Bigger. Thicker. Made of fur and long fierce jaws filled with sharp teeth and something even deeper, like it didn’t exist entirely in this world. The thing slammed into the wall just inches from my head, claws gouging through the concrete like cardboard.

I screamed. My legs almost gave out.

Another one followed it. Then a third. They were crawling out of the darkness like it was a door.

Three in total. Each had the outline of a hound but the wrong anatomy. Their joints bent the wrong way. Their eyes didn’t reflect light — they drank it. Their fur shifted unnaturally, like smoke clinging to a shape that didn’t want to be seen clearly.

One opened its jaws and let out a low, unnatural growl. The sound made my teeth hurt.

Nope. Nope nope nope.

I turned back and bolted into the hallway. My shoes slapped hard against the tile. My breath came in harsh gasps. I didn’t look back. I couldn’t.

They were behind me.

I could hear them — the scraping of claws, the deep, almost wet-sounding snorts as they sniffed the air behind me. One howled. It didn’t sound like a wolf. It sounded like a dying child wrapped in a bear’s growl.

I shot through the narrow hallway, barely dodging fallen scaffolding and busted tiles. My shoulder clipped a doorway, and pain flared, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t.

I didn’t know where I was going.

I just knew I had to get out.

Had to survive.

Had to tell someone—anyone—what the hell I’d just seen.

Except... who would believe me?

"I walked in on werewolves doing God-knows-what to a girl in a sealed building" wasn’t exactly going to get me anything other than a padded room.

And what if that girl had wanted it? No... no, Clark, stop thinking like that. You saw her eyes. You saw her face.

It wasn’t lust.

It was terror.

I rounded a corner and nearly crashed into an overturned desk. My shin hit the edge and I went sprawling.

"FUCK!" I shouted, barely catching myself.

There was a locker door ahead. I didn’t think. I dove toward it, yanked it open, crawled inside — knees tight to chest — and pulled it shut.

Darkness. My heartbeat slammed in my ears so loud it drowned out everything else.

Then... footsteps.

Not the padded ones of the creatures. These were... barefoot.

Deliberate. Slow. Echoing.

A shadow passed the narrow slits of the locker vent. It was tall. Too tall. The hallway light flickered, and for one brief second, I saw a silhouette — hunched over, arms too long, neck too thin. Not human.

the lockers. Not

I

the lecture room? Had they sent this

with both hands, praying to a God

The scratching stopped.

a whisper — right at the locker

"You smell like fear."

turned to ice. I squeezed my eyes shut and

slow footsteps again, fading. A beat passed. Then another. Then

Was it gone?

Was it—

SLAM!

door burst open and I screamed, falling

"kid?"

My eyes snapped open.

Reed.

annoyed look, arms folded, his yellowish-ringed eyes glowing faintly

grabbing me by the arm and

form words, but they wouldn’t come out. My mouth opened

old wing?"

"There were these—these things—wolf-faced guys.

me a sharp look. "You saw

I was looking for Sara and—and she disappeared

Reed said. "You’re panicking. Stop breathing like that. They

blinked at him.

think this place is just some ordinary university? kid, there are corridors on this campus that you shouldn’t exist. Rooms that were never built for

turned his head, listening. The hall

Too quiet.

you," he said. "But lucky you, I’m sentimental when

they were in

for the answer to that. But I’ll give you one hint, Clark—this university isn’t a place for people like you. You were supposed to

in ever so slightly — not enough to break skin, but enough

doing this. They’ve seen your face. They’ve smelled

I muttered. "I don’t believe in vampires

down close again, his lips barely

hope they don’t believe

by the

you through a panic attack. Like someone annoyed they were once again stuck babysitting a suicidal cat who kept wandering

keep up, heart pounding so loud it echoed in my ears.

It didn’t.

Not even close.

now. More abandoned than before. All the excited chatter had faded, replaced with cold silence and

But then—

I heard it.

A sound.

Whimpering.

soft. Coming from just around the corner behind

caught in my throat. It didn’t sound human. Or maybe it did, and that made it worse. That breathy, wet sound of someone—or something—crying, or

enough to

was swallowed in shadow. Too dark. Too

didn’t stop. But

narrowed as he stared down

could kill, that darkness would’ve exploded into ash. He stared at

in the opposite direction. I almost

was that?" I whispered, not sure

He didn’t respond.

Didn’t have to.

whole posture

kind that wasn’t for human

a predator himself—shoulders tense, eyes scanning every shadow like he

felt even more dangerous. The