**Shadows Hearts by Joseph King**
**Chapter 62: The First Blast**
Thora’s eyelids fluttered open, and she turned her gaze toward Shirley, who was seated beside her. With an air of resignation, she stated flatly, “I know.”
As soon as she hung up the phone, a sense of urgency surged through her veins. She sprinted toward the nearest source of the ominous ticking sound that had invaded her senses.
Shirley, her brow furrowed in concern, squinted into the distance, her instincts kicking in. Without hesitation, she followed Thora, her heart racing in sync with her friend’s urgency.
Meanwhile, high above in Skybound Tower, Darius was a storm of frustration. His mood had soured throughout the day, and Lorcan, lurking within the recesses of his mind, mirrored that restlessness.
He unbuttoned the top of his shirt, the fabric pulling away to reveal his chiseled collarbones and the hint of a muscular chest beneath. His tie hung askew, a reflection of the chaos swirling inside him.
“Well? Have you decrypted it yet?” he barked at the glowing screen before him, his voice laced with impatience.
“Alpha, we’re almost there! Just one more code sequence to crack,” came the response, tinged with urgency.
Darius’s fingers drummed against the desk’s edge, a rhythmic manifestation of his growing frustration. His dark eyes narrowed, a storm brewing within.
Then, a sudden thought struck him, sharp and clear. “Call the Astralis College principal’s office right now!” he commanded, his voice a low growl.
“Yes, Alpha,” Carl replied, his fingers flying over the keyboard as he initiated the communication.
Two agonizing seconds ticked by before Carl’s voice returned, heavy with dread. “Alpha, it’s not in service.”
Darius felt a chill race down his spine, confirming his worst fears. He pulled out his phone, dialing Thora’s number with a sense of rising panic. But once again, the same disheartening message echoed back—no connection.
“Damn it!” he cursed, frustration boiling over. Without a second thought, he abandoned his jacket, his instincts propelling him toward the exit. “Contact Mr. Stanton at the military immediately!” he ordered, urgency lacing his tone.
In all his meticulous calculations, he had never once considered the implications of Astralis College. This institution was not just a school; it was a sanctuary for the children of werewolf nobility, a breeding ground for the future leaders of the Astralis Empire.
And now, it was the target of Greywolf’s mercenaries!
“Thora’s at the academy too! Give me control of the body!” Lorcan’s voice roared within him, a mixture of fear and determination. Darius complied, transferring control seamlessly.
In an instant, silver-gray fur erupted from beneath Darius’s skin, bones cracking and reshaping as a massive wolf—towering nearly six and a half feet at the shoulder—emerged.
With a powerful howl that reverberated through the building and made the glass tremble, the wolf sprang into action, launching itself from the top of Skybound Tower. It landed with barely a whisper of dust, vanishing down the street in the blink of an eye, a silver bolt of lightning racing toward its destination.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Apocalyptic Queen's Werewolf Journey (Thora and Darius)