Chapter 56: Code red
ERIC
Headmaster Alaric went on like I hadn’t spoken.
"Some of you already know the reason we are gathered here, whereas some of you are still clueless."
"Eric Callahan," Kol said without missing a beat.
Bastard. He just had to call my name.
I glared at him. "You are begging for a taste of my fist, retard."
"No," he grunted. "You are begging for a taste of mine."
"Enough," Headmaster Alaric cut in before I could respond.
Kol stuck out his tongue at me like a little child.
"Idiot," I muttered under my breath.
"I don’t want to be interrupted again, or the next person who does so will be sitting in detention," Headmaster Alaric warned, his eyes fixed specifically on me.
I scoffed but said nothing. Detention was the last thing I wanted — especially because of my father. Our last discussion was clear enough. No distraction.
"Let’s continue." Headmaster Alaric picked up his glasses and slipped them back on. He flipped through a few documents on his desk before returning his focus to us.
"The Inter-House competition this year will be far different from previous years." He paused, looking at each of us to make sure we were listening.
"This isn’t about just gaining points and privileges, or making your houses and parents proud..." he trailed off.
The silence in the room had grown thicker. No one spoke. We were all focused entirely on his words now. Even though I didn’t care much about the competition and would rather be somewhere else, I was curious where he was going with this.
"It’s for your benefit," he said.
"Are we taking the points we get out of the academy?" Dash asked.
I snickered. He turned to scowl at me. I shrugged. It was a stupid question.
"Good question," Headmaster Alaric said, holding his gaze.
From the corner of his eye, Dash shot me a goading look. I flipped him off.
"No, you won’t be taking the points outside. But yes, it will still be beneficial to you — because this year it will be all about finding your true self. And to be honest, I doubt some of you already know who you are and what you want to become."
I resisted the urge to snort.
It was pretty obvious what each of us would become after graduation. Kol was the only son of his Alpha father. He would naturally become an Alpha.
Dash, Lance, Elliott, and Azrael too. Unlike me, who already had a brother taking that position. The others futures were very much certain, and their parents were preparing them for it.
For me? Becoming a Beta would even be a luxury. I doubted my father even saw me as more than an omega. To be honest, he treated them better than he had ever treated me. So my future felt bleak. Maybe this message was truly meant for me.
"How does that work?" I asked. "I mean... the finding of oneself?"
Everyone turned to me. I expected them to scoff, roll their eyes, or for Kol to throw a smart-ass response.
Instead, I saw astonishment on their faces, like it was the first time I had ever said something reasonable in my life.
"Someone had to ask," I said. "I’m pretty sure some of you are as clueless as I am."
They nodded in agreement and turned back to Headmaster Alaric.
"Good question, Eric," he replied, clasping his hands in front of him on the desk. "That decision is up to you."
I frowned. "Are you saying we have to find ourselves?"
Headmaster Alaric bobbed his head. "That’s right. Not everyone after graduation can be an Alpha. Am I right, Eric?"
My jaw clenched as our eyes locked.
Of course he had to single me out. Because I was the one with no future among all of us.
"Right," I said.
I said nothing else. I didn’t even listen to the rest of the discussion, which moved from the competition to general academy matters.
All I wanted was for this meeting to be over so I could leave.
"Lastly," Headmaster Alaric’s voice broke through my thoughts, "you are the Alphas of your houses. Your job isn’t just to take part in competitions. Among other things, you must keep up your grades and stay aware of everything happening in your houses, just as you would in your various pack houses as the Alpha leader."
"I want a report in the next two weeks from every one of you," Headmaster Alaric added. "You are dismissed."
I was the first to move toward the door, but I didn’t get to open it.
The door suddenly imploded inward with a violent explosion of wood and force. A powerful gust of wind slammed into the room, flinging me backward.
I crashed hard into the wall. My skull cracked against it, and I felt several ribs snap. White-hot pain exploded through my chest.
I groaned in agony, clutching my side as I stared at the damage. The door had been completely ripped off its hinges and now lay flat on the floor.
There was no one standing outside.
"What the fuck?!" Lance hissed.
"Are you alright, Eric?" Kol walked over and stretched out his hand. I took it, pulling myself upright.
A sharp pain pierced through my ribs. I wheezed, still gripping my side.
Kol looked at me with real worry in his eyes — a rare sight. We had been friends and rivals for years. If he had been the one to hurt me, he wouldn’t have given a shit. But this... I couldn’t even tell what had caused it.
"I think I broke my ribs," I murmured as another wave of pain shot through me.
"Damn it," Kol said.
"I’ll survive," I teased weakly. "It’s funny seeing you worry over me."
"Maybe that should have flattened you instead," he glowered. "Then I’d be happier."
I chuckled at the sarcasm in his voice. Yeah, that was the Kol Archer I knew.
Azrael started toward the ruined doorway.
"Stop," Headmaster Alaric commanded sharply. He hadn’t moved from his seat.
His hands rested under his chin as he calmly observed the destruction.
For a few seconds, he said nothing. His calculating gaze lingered on the empty hallway.
"Are we under attack?" Elliott asked.
Headmaster Alaric rose to his feet. He moved around his desk and stepped closer to the destroyed doorway, resting his palms on either side of the wooden frame.
"Sir?" Elliott called when he didn’t answer immediately.
"Yes, we are," he replied, turning to face us. His eyes flashed bright gold.
I flinched at the intensity of his Alpha aura that suddenly enveloped the room.
"Code Red," he growled.
"Code Red?!" we exclaimed in unison.
That was the highest alert level for the most extreme danger. The only time we’d ever had a Code Red was during first year.
A monster had gone straight for Valerius House and started its rampage there. All the houses were heavily guarded and first attacks were usually inside the academy grounds, so it made no sense that something had breached security so easily.
Even though Headmaster Alaric had called the last incident a "coincidence," I never believed it. The matter had been swept under the carpet with almost no explanation — especially about why a supposedly extinct Hollow Hound was hunting in broad daylight.
"Code Red," Headmaster Alaric affirmed.
In an instant, he opened a mindlink, connecting every student in the academy.
"Code Red. Code Red. Code Red!" he grunted. "I want everyone to take cover wherever you are. I repeat, Code Red. This is an emergency!"
Panicked voices immediately flooded the link. Students started speaking over each other.
Some were crying. Some were already praying to the Goddess. Others — like Verah — asked more reasonable questions.
"If it’s a monster like the Hollow..." Verah coughed, catching herself before saying the full name. "If it’s coming to our dorm like before, isn’t it smart for us to prepare the strongest and engage—"
"No!" Elliott and Headmaster Alaric shouted at the same time.
Elliott flushed and muttered, "Sorry."
"Do not engage," Headmaster Alaric ordered firmly. "I repeat, do not engage."
"What if we are attacked and—"
"Your House Alphas will be with you shortly and will tell you what to do!" he cut her off. "In the meantime, find the safest place possible."
He ended the mindlink and turned to us. "I am going to have a discussion with the council. Return to your houses immediately."
I winced, gritting my teeth as I fought to stand upright. Fuck. Today of all days.
"I do not know the monster currently roaming around the academy," Headmaster Alaric continued, "but I know it is powerful. If it’s too strong for you to take on—"
"As if we’ll back down," Azrael snapped, cracking his knuckles. His eyes flashed. "Who’s ready to whoop some monster’s ass? Because I am!"
"Count me in!" the other boys said eagerly.
Hell yes, I was in too.
But my real worry wasn’t about beating up some ancient monster. It was about its first stop.
Hopefully not House Valerius.
