Surrender To Us, Our Luna (One Luna, Four Alphas)-Chapter 540-We Reunite In North

Haiden:

"Are you sure?" the headmaster asked after five minutes of silence.

We exchanged looks. The plan was solid.

There was nothing for us to do here anyway. I did not want to challenge my uncle. Fighting him would be easy, but then what? Be crowned alpha and do what exactly?

My friends would be in the North. The North would still exist, and the academy would reopen soon.

Of course, they would force the headmaster to send crusaders to the North. That would give him the chance to clear the monsters and possibly help his son.

Everything was tangled. We needed to be in the North and make sure it truly changed.

"Yes," Leysa replied confidently.

"Okay then," the headmaster responded, stepping back and studying the four of us.

"Crusaders, your new task is," he paused, and a smirk formed on his face, "to end this mess."

Troy and I shared a glance. Then we straightened the way we used to when we were crusaders at the academy.

I noticed Fauna looked slightly satisfied at being called a crusader.

The North was dangerous. Being a crusader was something else entirely.

The headmaster motioned for the warriors to approach him. When they reached him, he informed them that he wished to revise his decision.

They escorted him away for another discussion. It lasted about ten minutes.

I suppose it was easy for him to persuade them.

"Do you think they are going to agree?" Troy asked and I nodded.

"Of course they will. They would rather keep the headmaster here so the academy can continue running," I muttered.

Then I cleared my throat. "And in case you think this will be easy, I believe they are sending us because they expect it to fail."

Worry crept across Fauna’s face.

I slipped an arm around her and pulled her closer.

"Do not worry. You have me," I murmured.

She shoved me away.

"Step away, weirdo," she snapped.

Troy and Leysa exchanged a look. They bit the inside of their cheeks to hide their smiles.

I rubbed the back of my neck and groaned.

I deserved that. I had hurt her.

The headmaster returned and informed us they were ready to take us there. However, we would not be allowed to take anything with us.

At least we would be reunited with our friends.

"You remember they stacked supplies in a few places?" I whispered to Troy, recalling that day at the mall when we found usable items among old stock.

Troy nodded and raised a finger to his lips, warning me to stay quiet. The warriors or the council leaders might overhear.

Suddenly, the warriors entered. The lurkers were gone now, taken away as well.

I heard they had all been locked in a dungeon and would only be released when the academy reopened.

That was cruel. I did not even know if anything could be done about their cases.

They escorted us to the train station.

When we arrived, we saw Clementine and Ian being forced into one of the carriages from a distance. We were not allowed to join them.

They shoved us into another carriage.

I stepped inside and quickly caught Fauna before she lost her balance.

She did not push me away this time.

Leysa and Troy stood near the window. Troy explained what to expect in the North.

I sat opposite Fauna on the bench. I leaned forward, hands clasped together, elbows resting on my thighs, watching her in silence.

She tried to stay angry with me, but I could tell her focus had shifted to the North.

"Do not worry. I will be with you," I whispered, expecting a harsh glare or for her to tell me to fuck off.

She did neither.

That was how I knew she was truly scared.

"Hey, you know what?" I murmured. "They will probably take us to the better part of the North. That area is not so bad."

I offered her a weak smile.

By now, she had started rubbing her hands together. She was no longer hiding her anxiety.

"Did you ever have nothing at all?" she asked quietly. "No weapons?"

She already knew the answer, yet she still asked.

Troy and I shook our heads.

Leysa had always been pampered and supported, at least by her mother. She grew up strong.

Fauna did not. Her father used to beat her until, as he called it, her face structure changed.

I understood then that she felt unprepared.

"No, we never had anything," I replied. "And we never needed anything." I smiled to her.

"When you think of the North, you probably imagine woods and monsters everywhere," I continued. "That is not the case. It is a regular shifter settlement, just like the mainland, except for the monsters and the lack of ordinary people."

As I spoke, I noticed Leysa shift on the bench and turn toward us, listening carefully.

"What about food?" Leysa asked, glancing at Troy.

"There is a mart where we used to get supplies," I answered before Haiden could.

She looked unconvinced, as if she believed we were only trying to comfort them.

"He is right," Troy added. "There was a mart."

I began explaining further when the train jerked to a halt.

"Okay. We are here," I said, rising to my feet.

Fauna remained seated. She placed her hands in her lap and lifted her head to look at me.

Fear was written across her face.

I stood in front of her and gently lifted her chin.

"You have me, Fauna. You have me," I assured her.

She rose instantly but removed my hand from her chin and held it tightly between both of hers.

The comfort from her touch grounded me.

For the first time since returning to the North, I felt a faint smile form.

"Well," Troy muttered as we stepped out of the carriage, "home sweet home."

The moment we stepped onto the platform, I saw Ian and Clementine.

They turned toward us, shock clear on their faces.

They had no idea we were here.

They were barely standing, still weakened by whatever sedatives had been injected into them earlier.