Chapter 89

[ Morning ] 

River walked through the hallways. Everything was spotless. The floors, the walls, and the laughter of students echoed around him as if last night's horrors had been nothing but a bad dream. 

River's gaze roamed on the happy faces of the students, and a chill crawled up his spine. If only they knew. If only they could see the blood that had soaked these floors or hear the agonized cries that had filled these halls last night. 

But the facility had done its job. The truth had been buried, and the students who had died were now "home with their families," according to the lies they were told in the morning. 

Suddenly, someone bumped into him, pulling him from his dark thoughts. 

"I'm so sorry," the person stammered, hurriedly picking up his fallen books. 

"It's okay," River simply said, already starting to walk away. 

"Wait," the voice called out hesitantly "Have you seen Jaxton? I've been looking for him everywhere but I can't find him." 

River turned to see a scared Ira. He looked on the verge of crying. Even River felt bad for this always chaotic person. 

"No, I haven't," River replied. The words felt bitter on his tongue. He had no idea if Jaxton was even alive, and he hated the way Ira's face fell further. 

"Thanks," Ira mumbled, shoulders slumping as he wandered off. "I'll just find that stupid, stupid bastard myself. Once I catch him, I'm gonna beat his ass for trying to hide from me. I've been searching for him the whole morning. That–" 

River shook his head and continued on to the principal's office leaving Ira to search his best friend. 

As Ira turned a corner, a group of older boys blocked his path, their sneers making his skin crawl. 

"Hey, isn't it out little Ira?" one of them drawled, leaning closer to Ira like a creep and licked his lips. "You look a little lost, kitten. How about we…help you out?" 

Ira took a step back, his heart pounding, but he mustered his courage. "Leave me alone, fucker! I'm not in the mood. I have to find someone and then kill him." 

The leader chuckled darkly. "Aw, come on, don't be like that. We just want to have some fun." 

Before Ira could react, he was shoved against the wall, their laughter ringing in his ears. 

"Get off me!" he yelled, but his words fell on deaf ears. 

The boys' grips tightened but then a shadow loomed over them. 

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" 

The boys froze, and Ira's wide eyes darted to the figure behind them. The boy's black eyes burned with fury, like he was ready to attack. 

"Get lost before I cut your legs," Jaxton growled in a threatening tone. 

The boys hesitated but eventually backed away, muttering curses under their breath as they retreated. 

As soon as they were gone, Ira launched himself at Jaxton, wrapping his arms around his neck and legs against his waist, clinging onto Jaxton like a monkey. 

"You idiot!" Ira cried out, his voice muffled against Jaxton's chest. "Where the hell were you? I was so scared when I couldn't find you!" 

Jaxton rolled his eyes but couldn't hide the fond smile tugging at his lips. He rested his hand under Ira's bum to support and with another hand he ruffled his hair. 

"I was in the cafeteria, dumbass. Maybe you should try opening your eyes next time." 

Ira pulled back to look at him with a pout. "Don't disappear on me like that again! If you do, I swear I'll kill you!" 

Jaxton laughed, the sound deep and warm. "Sure, grumpy kitty." 

Jaxton has always played along with Ira's antics, rolling his eyes at the dramatics and grinning at his silly jokes. He always let Ira tease him, call him names, and even demand ridiculous things, all while pretending to be the easygoing friend. But what Ira didn't know was how Jaxton's sharp black eyes followed anyone who got too close to him. Behind that laid-back smirk was a protective bully, someone who had no qualms about intimidating anyone who dared to mess with Ira. 

If someone pushed too far, Jaxton could change in an instant, his casual demeanor replaced with a cold presence that made people back down without a word. He kept this side of himself hidden, knowing Ira would only see the playful friend, never the guy who quietly scared away any threats to keep his "silly friend" safe.

However, he feels like he doesn't want to just stay friends anymore. He wants to protect this silly kitty of his forever. 

So, without warning, he leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to Ira's lips. 

Ira froze, his cheeks burning red as he stared up at Jaxton in shock. 

"You…you kissed me!" he stammered, his voice an octave higher than usual. 

Jaxton smirked, his eyes twinkling. "Yeah. So what? Haven't I kissed you so many times before?" 

Ira blushed hard and cutely hid his face again in Jaxton's neck. "Y-Yeah, you're right haha." 

"Hey, Ira?" 

"Hmm?" 

"I love you." 

Ira instantly tried to look up, hitting Jaxton's chin in the process with his head. "Ow! What are you doing, you idiot!" 

Ira ignored his pain and focused on the main thing. He cupped Jaxton's face and stared into his soul. "Jaxsy, what did you just say? Say it again!" 

Jaxton winced in pain and rolled his eyes. "I love you, you idiot. Thought you should know." 

Ira's face turned impossibly red, and he buried it in his hands, grumbling something unintelligible which made Jaxton laugh. 

"Don't worry. You're stuck with me. I can't let my stupid, reckless best friend roam around without me. You'd probably walk into traffic." 

Ira peeked up from behind his hands, his face still flushed. "So…does this mean we're...like...boyfriends now?" 

Jaxton raised an eyebrow, a sly smirk tugging at his lips. "You tell me. I just kissed you and confessed my undying love." 

Ira smacked his arm, grumbling, "Be serious, idiot!" 

Jaxton chuckled and leaned in close, his voice dropping to a teasing whisper. "Yes, we're boyfriends. Now stop overthinking and just admit you're happy about it." 

Ira wanted to roll on the floor due to his happiness but he managed a small smile. "Fine…I guess I am." 

"Ohhh, playing tough, huh?" Jaxton teased with a grin, pulling Ira into another hug who giggled nonstop. 

Ira huffed but leaned into the embrace. Neither of them said it out loud, but they both silently hoped this moment would last forever. 

Even as the uncertain future loomed ahead.

▪️▪️▪️

River stepped inside the meeting room with a pale face, the dark circles under his eyes were more pronounced than ever. He couldn't sleep the entire night and just watched Sage crying on the floor. 

The chief stood at the head of the table. Scout, Lia and Alpha sat quietly while avoiding each other's gaze. The chief cleared his throat as he started. 

"So after a long debate with the government we have come to a conclusion regarding the students," He paused looking around the room. "The students will be given new identities and new memories. Before that happens, though, they will undergo counseling, heavy medical treatment to help them adjust. We'll give them a fresh start."

Lia's eyes widened as his breath caught in his throat. His pulse hammered against his chest, loud and fast. His gaze instantly turned to Alpha, searching his face for any sign of resistance or any hint of opposition. But Alpha remained silent with an emotionless face increasing Lia's fear. 

"How is this different from what Wagnar did?" Lia blurted out, catching everyone's attention. "You're just erasing their memories again...How is that any different?" 

"Because we're thinking of their well-being. Unlike Wagnar, we aren't using them. This is a chance for them to move on, to have a life without the past haunting them. It's for their own good."

Lia felt like he was punched in the guts and his breath knocked out of him. He swallowed the thick lump in his throat before speaking. 

"But Alpha won't have his memories erased, right?" He looked straight at the chief. "He's...he's not one of those students, right?"

The chief's expression hardened. "He…is. He would be the first one to go through the memory removal procedure. He's the most dangerous among all of them. Even after his memories are erased, he won't be allowed out. He'll be kept under supervision because we can't risk the lives of innocent civilians."

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Lia's breath hitched, his heart feeling like it was about to explode in his chest. "We already talked about this. Alpha will be with me after the mission. He'll come with me. You promised!" 

Scout, who was sitting quietly beside the chief, looked at Lia with guilt and regret in his eyes.

"We can't fight the government, Lia." 

"I don't care about the government. I'll fight them if I have to. I'm not letting them take him from me!" 

Everyone in the room fell silent. Alpha's eyes softened and he watched Lia with anguish eyes. He had already predicted this moment. That's why he had pretended not to remember Lia, thinking it would hurt less this way. But now, seeing Lia's determination, his willingness to fight for him…it made him feel weaker than ever. 

But Alpha couldn't afford weakness at any cost. He stood up and announced loudly. "I'm ready," his eyes not meeting Lia's. "I don't want to go out and face the world anyways. So, I'll stay wherever the government wants me to."

Lia looked at him with betrayed eyes and his anger tenfold. "Don't be stupid! You don't know what you're talking about. You can't just give up like this."

But Alpha's expression turned even colder. "It's my life so the decision will be mine. You have nothing to do with it."

The words hit Lia like a slap. He stumbled back slightly in utter shock as he tried to fight back his tears. "No. You don't get to decide this for both of us. We—"

Alpha didn't give him a chance to finish. He turned away and walked toward the door. As he opened it, he glanced back just for a moment. There was sadness in his eyes, but it was quickly masked by the door shutting behind him.

Lia stood frozen as he watched him leaving. His heart felt like it had shattered into a thousand pieces.

River, who had been silently watching, felt lost as well. He had been forced to make hard decisions before, but this? As a doctor, he had a duty to follow the orders. But Sage…who had been blaming him for everything, he didn't want to hurt Sage anymore. 

Sighing heavily, River stood up. "I'm ready too. I'll prepare Sage."

Lia looked at River in shock. "What? You too-" 

River held up a hand, silencing him. "I've already done enough damage. Sage deserves to be happy. He deserves a fresh start without me in his life. I've hurt him too much already. Sometimes…love means letting go." 

"Love doesn't mean letting go," Lia snarled, his words filled with a painful obsession. "Letting go means you never cared in the first place. If I loved Alpha, I would hold on no matter what. I'll never surrender. So, don't ask me to let him go because I'll burn the world before I do that." 

River felt ashamed even hearing those words. How could Lia be so strong for his love while he's so weak. 

"I–urghhhhhh!!!!" 

Before River could respond, a violent tremor shook the room, sending everyone stumbling to the floor. A deafening explosion followed, and the walls cracked and collapsed. 

"Emergency! The building is under attack!" 

Lia coughed repeatedly, his lungs burning as he pushed himself up. He could barely breathe but all he could think about was one person's safety. 

"WILL?!" Without a second thought, he bolted out of the room, ignoring the shouts behind him. 

The war has begun.