✨ Chapter 30 – False Threads
Ariana and Kai burst into Headmaster Solarin's office just as the evening sky deepened into purple twilight.
Solarin looked up sharply.
"You felt it too?"
Ariana nodded breathlessly.
"Aster sensed a hole in the western wards. Zane found cloth from a Prefect's cloak in the greenhouse."
Kai stepped forward, jaw tight.
"Embroidered initials: L.V."
Solarin's expression darkened.
"Loren Vale."
Ariana swallowed.
Seraphina's brother.
Solarin pressed his palms against the desk.
"Bring him here. Now."
---
## **The Accusation**
The Pillars spread out across the academy searching for Loren.
Zane found him first — leaning casually against a column in the central atrium, talking with another group of Prefects.
"Loren!" Zane called out sharply.
The boy turned, eyebrow raised.
"Ah. The troublemakers."
"What were you doing near the eastern greenhouse during the breach?" Zane demanded.
Loren blinked.
"I wasn't near the greenhouse."
Rylan snorted. "Funny, because we found a piece of your cloak *inside* it."
Loren straightened, annoyance flickering in his eyes.
"My cloak? That's ridiculous."
Calen held up the fabric scrap.
With a perfect silver-threaded "L.V" on it.
Loren's face paled.
"Where did you get that?"
Ariana stepped forward.
"We found it caught on corrupted roots in the greenhouse. During the rescue."
Loren stared at the cloth as if seeing a ghost.
"That's not mine."
Kai growled.
"Your initials—"
"Do you think I'm stupid enough to sign my crimes?" Loren snapped.
The corridor went silent.
Loren pointed a shaking finger at the cloth.
"Look closely. The thread is wrong. Mine is sterling silver. This is pewter. Cheaper. Only used by second-year Prefects."
Ariana stepped forward, examining it.
He was right.
Zane cursed softly.
"Somebody forged this."
Loren looked at Ariana — really looked — and his expression shifted from arrogance to something far more serious.
"I didn't help those monsters," he said quietly. "I'm not the traitor."
Ariana met his eyes.
Her wolf hummed silently.
**"He does not carry the scent of rot. He carries fear and pride, not decay."**
She nodded slowly.
"I believe him," Ariana said.
Kai blinked at her. "Ariana—"
"Someone is framing him," she insisted. "And we need to know why."
Loren exhaled with relief — then stiffened again.
"Fine. I'll help you," he said harshly. "But not for you—" he pointed at Kai's group "—for *her.*" He pointed at Ariana.
Ariana blinked. "Me?"
Loren nodded tightly.
"My sister thinks you hung the moon. If you're in danger, Seraphina will spiral. And I'm not cleaning up that mess."
Kai scowled.
Calen whispered to Rylan,
"So he's not a villain, just an exhausted big brother."
Rylan snorted.
"Honestly? Relatable."
---
## **Leading to the Real Traitor**
"Let's start at the greenhouse," Loren said. "If someone wanted to frame me, they left more than fabric."
Ariana nodded.
Kai eyed Loren suspiciously.
"You lead. But if you pull anything—"
Loren rolled his eyes.
"Relax, wolf boy. If I wanted to hurt Ariana, I'd challenge her in a duel, not summon corruption monsters."
Ariana choked on a laugh.
Kai did not laugh.
They moved across the silent courtyard toward the greenhouse. Night air pressed thick and warm around them. Lanterns flickered nervously, as if sensing incoming danger.
Aster's voice whispered in Ariana's mind.
*Moon-sister, be careful… the quiet person is watching…*
Ariana shuddered.
*The quiet one.*
*Not Seraphina.*
Someone subtle, unnoticed.
Someone dangerous.
---
## **The Greenhouse Again**
The moment they stepped inside, Ariana felt nauseous.
Leftover corruption clung to the air like poison fog.
Shadows pulsed along the walls.
Plants trembled as if afraid.
Loren stepped forward first, surprisingly steady.
"If someone framed me, they came through the west side," he said. "Prefects don't patrol that area—too abandoned."
Zane pointed.
"There are faint tracks in the dirt."
Calen crouched next to them.
"These are fresh. From boots smaller than Loren's."
Rylan grinned.
"Aha! Traitor has tiny feet."
Ariana shook her head.
"No… these aren't student prints."
Everyone froze.
"What?" Kai asked.
Ariana closed her eyes.
"My wolf recognizes something."
She inhaled deeply.
"The magic is faint. Someone wiped traces. But…"
The wolf nudged her senses.
**"Soil touched by teacher's shoe."**
Ariana opened her eyes.
"These prints belong to a *teacher.*"
Loren swore.
"A teacher framed me?!"
Zane's expression hardened.
"That means the traitor has authority. Access. Knowledge of the barrier."
Kai growled.
"We thought too small…"
"Over here," Ariana whispered suddenly.
She approached a broken planter, its cracked edge splintered oddly.
A scrap of black fabric lay caught on it — not uniform, not Prefect issue.
A cloak.
A hooded one.
Loren gasped.
"I know that material…"
Ariana turned to him.
"It's from the staff wing," Loren said quietly. "Teachers use these cloaks for late patrols."
Zane lifted it.
"A teacher," he repeated.
"No student, no Prefect… a *teacher* is working with Rebirth."
Ariana's stomach dropped.
Kai looked at her with fierce determination.
"We'll find them."
But Ariana's wolf whispered a chilling truth:
**"The traitor watches from shadows. They walk the halls but speak little. A quiet one."**
Loren stiffened.
"I know who barely speaks among the staff," he said slowly.
"The assistant in charge of the archives. Quiet. Always alone. Keeps strange hours."
Ariana whispered, "Professor Myrra."
Kai frowned.
"The archivist? She barely acknowledges anyone."
Calen muttered, "Which makes her perfect for hiding corruption."
Zane nodded grimly.
"But we need proof before we confront her."
Loren smirked.
"That's where I come in."
Ariana blinked. "You?"
Loren shrugged.
"Teachers trust me. I can get us into the staff archives wing. But only at night."
Ariana felt her heart race.
This was real.
This was dangerous.
And this was their first solid lead.
"Tonight," Kai said firmly.
"We check the archives."
"Ariana stays behind," Loren added sharply.
Kai immediately agreed.
"Absolutely. She's the target."
Ariana glared.
"No way. I'm coming."
"Ariana—" Kai began.
"My wolf senses things you can't," she argued. "If Professor Myrra is corrupted, I'll know."
Kai hesitated.
Loren sighed dramatically.
"I was afraid you'd say that."
He looked between Kai and Ariana.
"Fine. But if she gets even a scratch, I'm telling Seraphina you made Ariana cry."
Kai froze.
"Low blow."
Loren smirked.
"I know."
Ariana couldn't help laughing.
Even in all this chaos, her life suddenly felt painfully, ridiculously high school.
---
## **Later That Evening**
Aster finally woke up again, sleepy but coherent. Ariana hugged her tightly.
Kai knelt beside them.
"Aster… are you sure you're okay?"
Aster nodded.
"I'm strong. I'm moon-linked."
Ariana stroked her curls.
"I have to go to the archives tonight," she whispered. "With the boys."
Aster hugged her fiercely.
"Be careful," she whispered.
"The quiet one is lonely. Lonely people make dangerous choices."
Ariana swallowed hard.
Aster pressed a kiss to Ariana's cheek.
"Come back. Bring light back."
Ariana nodded.
"I will."
Kai touched Ariana's shoulder, leading her away.
Loren walked beside them now — not an enemy, not a friend, but a necessary ally.
"Tonight," he said quietly, "we find the real traitor."
"And end this," Ariana whispered.
Her bracelet pulsed faintly against her wrist.
Her wolf breathed deep inside her.
**"The moon walks with you."*
A/n: who Is behind all these