Claimed by the Alpha and the Vampire Prince: Masquerading as a Man-Chapter 166: Morning Horrors

CLARK POV

The moment the first light of dawn crept through the cracks in the blinds, I was up, adrenaline still pumping, despite the sleepless night. I was ready to get moving. My whole body screamed for action, for something—anything—that would lead me to Sara.The whole night felt like a haze, a strange, twisted blur of conversations, warnings, and half-truths that I couldn’t seem to shake. I wasn’t even sure what I was looking for anymore, but I had to find Sara. I had to know she was okay, even though the little voice inside me had already started whispering that okay didn’t mean what it used to.

Just as I was about to step out, Lucas stirred. He was still half-dazed, but when he heard me moving, his eyes snapped open. "Wait for me," he said, his voice rough but determined. "I’ll help you search for your friend."

I didn’t question it. I figured maybe, just maybe, if we worked together, we could find Sara before something bad happened to her too. So within minutes, we were walking through the darkened corridors, Lucas pulling on his hoodie, his face a mask of exhaustion and something darker—like he’d already seen too much. I had no idea what the hell was going on in his mind, but I couldn’t afford to think about that right now.

We agreed the first place to check would be the girls’ dorm—Sara’s room, if she was still there. If she wasn’t, then we’d start looking for her in other parts of the campus.

But the moment we started walking down the hallway, the air seemed to change. I don’t know how else to describe it—like the very walls were humming with something that didn’t belong. Something off. It made the hairs on my neck stand up.

And then, we heard it.

Sobbing.

At first, I thought it was just one person, but as we moved further into the hall, the sounds grew louder. Faint at first, distant cries of anguish, but they were everywhere.

And then I saw her.

A girl—maybe my age—shambling down the hallway toward us, her dress torn up, blood seeping from between her legs, her arms covered in bite marks that looked like something straight out of a nightmare. I froze for a second, my stomach churning. It didn’t look real. It couldn’t be real. Her eyes were wide with panic, her sobs almost uncontrollable.

Lucas didn’t hesitate, though. Without a word, he was moving forward, offering to help her. I stood there, unsure of what to do, and then I rushed to catch up.

"Hey," I called gently, "are you okay? Can we help you?"

She didn’t look up at us. She didn’t even seem to notice we were there at first. But then, when we got closer, she let out a shaky breath and looked at us with wide, bloodshot eyes. She was pale—too pale. Her skin was sallow, her face drained of life. But there was something else in her eyes. Something dead in her stare.

"I’m fine," she muttered, voice hoarse and cracked. "I can walk on my own." 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

I didn’t believe her. Not for a second. I wanted to carry her, to get her somewhere safe, but she wouldn’t let me. She didn’t even want our help, shaking her head violently when I tried to offer my arm.

She jerked away, her eyes wild, refusing to let me get too close. "I’m fine," she muttered, her voice trembling. "I can walk. Don’t... don’t touch me."

I felt a sharp pang of helplessness, but we didn’t push. Instead, we walked beside her, trying to offer whatever comfort we could.

We asked her when the party ended, what had happened, but she didn’t answer right away. She only shrugged, her movements erratic, as if every word was a struggle.

"It... it went to shit at midnight," she whispered, voice barely audible. Her eyes darted around like she was afraid someone was listening, but who? We were the only ones here.

"And then?" I prompted, my heart pounding in my chest.

She took in a shaky breath, looking down at her bleeding legs, then met my gaze. "The seniors... the gorgeous guys... they entered. And it all went to hell. They aren’t human."

A chill went through me at those words, but it was Lucas who reacted first. His face was grim, like he already knew. He didn’t look surprised at all. As though he’d been waiting for her to say that—waiting for the confirmation that the monsters were real. His eyes flicked to her, but he didn’t say anything.

I could tell he was thinking it over, processing it.

I looked closely at the girl. She was trembling, her body slick with sweat, like she was still processing what had happened to her. Her chest heaved, and I could hear the faintest sobs break free from her throat, but she wasn’t looking at me anymore. She was looking past me, lost in whatever hell she had just survived.

I tried to steady myself, my hands now feeling clammy. "What do you mean? What happened? Who are they?"

She didn’t answer. Instead, she shook her head violently, like just thinking about it hurt too much.

Lucas stepped closer to her, finally speaking again. "You don’t have to say anything. It’s okay. We know what they are."

But then it hit me—she was familiar. That dress. The blood. The marks on her arms.

Oh God.

It was the girl I’d seen last night, in the midst of the chaos—the one who had been dragged off by the half-human, half-wolf monsters. The ones who had... done things to her. I thought I had been imagining it, but now, standing here, staring at her broken body, I realized the horrific truth. She hadn’t just been assaulted—she’d been hunted.

The realization hit me like a punch to the gut. "Jesus," I muttered under my breath. "You were... you were with them, weren’t you?"

She flinched when I spoke, her gaze darting away. I knew she didn’t want to admit it, but it was clear—those beautiful, terrifying creatures had gotten to her. She wasn’t just a victim of the party; she was another casualty in a twisted game I couldn’t even begin to understand.

I tried to talk to her again, to get her to say something, but she just shook her head. "They’re all the same," she whispered. "They feed. We’re just food." She spoke as if it was the only truth that mattered.

A silence stretched between us, heavy and suffocating. I didn’t know what to say to comfort her. What could I say? Nothing would change the horror she’d just been through.

Lucas, who had been eerily quiet this whole time, broke the silence. "She’s not the first, and she won’t be the last," he said flatly. "But we need to get out of here. We need to stay away from them. And you—" He turned to the girl, his voice more urgent now. "Go. Find somewhere to hide. Trust me, it won’t get better."

She looked at him, almost as if she wanted to argue, but she didn’t. She just nodded, slowly, and then turned, stumbling down the hall as if the world was too much for her to bear.

This place... this whole school. It wasn’t a school. It was a trap. And they were the predators.

But Sara? I had to find her. Had to keep pushing.

I turned to the girl one last time. "Do you know where the seniors are? Where they take the others?"

She shook her head weakly. "I don’t know. But... they’re everywhere."

With that, she shuffled away, leaving us standing there, silent, watching her retreat into the shadows. She was broken—physically, emotionally, mentally. And the worst part was, she wasn’t the only one.

But Sara... I couldn’t think of her like this. Not like... this girl.

I stood there, still frozen, watching her go. And in that moment, I understood. The party wasn’t just a celebration. It wasn’t just a night for the new students to get drunk and let loose. It was a ritual. A harvest.

We were livestock.

And I didn’t know how much longer I could pretend to be human in this place.

*********

The hallway felt colder as we walked. The sound of our footsteps echoed off the walls, too loud in the heavy silence. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was watching us, waiting for us to slip up. But we had to keep moving.

The girl had disappeared into the shadows, but her sobs still lingered in my ears. Her broken face, the way she had barely been able to form a sentence, like she was too afraid to even speak the truth. It all felt surreal. But the truth was coming—whether I was ready for it or not.

We reached the girls’ dorm, our steps slowing as we approached sara’s room. I didn’t want to open it. Didn’t want to face whatever horrors were waiting behind it. But I had to. For Sara. For all of us.

I pushed the door open, a chill running up my spine.