Expectations When Expecting

Book 2, Chapter 25

A/N: Hey! I'm alive! So sorry, I had quite a bit of trouble writing this because I didn't know how to portray it properly. And then when I had a good idea, I ended up in the hospital cause my breathing low-key sucks. Anyway! I'm gonna try uploading as much as I can today cause I threw off my own schedule. I hope you enjoy this chapter!
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Leona hissed in pain, dropping the two as he clutched his nose, Ruggie falling to the ground in a limp manner as he whimpered. Yuu quickly moved to grab him as she felt the familiar cold spread through her bones as she felt the ghostly glow and she clung to Ruggie, practically dragging him away from the very obvious threat.

Leona snarled as Riddle rushed forward, placing himself between the girl and the hyena. "If you have that much power, why do this?!" He questioned, his staff held at the ready.

Leona laughed dryly, "'Why?' What do you care, kid? You gonna scold me? Try to talk me down?" He scowled, sending a glare at Yuu before returning his gaze to Riddle.

"Don't you get it? Power alone ain't enough to make waves in this world. Look at Ruggie here." Leona gestured to Ruggie's groaning form. "He's like a muzzled dog. Pathetic, ain't it? Hard not to pity him."

"That's enough!" The Lion's comment seemed to irk the Wolf quite a bit as he released an animalistic growl. His golden eyes turned fierce and he called out;

"Unleash the Beast!"

Riddle turned to Jack, about to ask him about what he'd said, however, gasped in surprise.

Shaky from her painful ordeal, Yuu somehow mustered the strength to look up in the direction of which Jack had called out, her eyes widening when the area in which her younger friend had been standing showed little signs of Jack's presence. In his stead, a giant, silver-furred wolf with wild golden eyes stood, haunches raised, ears pinned to its head, and black lips pulled back into a snarl.

"W-what?" Yuu gasped, her eyes glued to the giant beast as it walked, placing itself protectively over Yuu and Ruggie, keeping Leona at a distance. Yuu looked at it for a moment longer, the wheels in her head slowly turning until something finally seemed to click.

"... Jack?" The pregnant woman recognized.

The wolf howled and snarled at Leona, who stared in surprise, his tail flicking anxiously. "What just-" The lion began, cutting himself off with a yelp as one of the spells finally connected, making Leona flinch.

"He broke Leona's concentration!" Riddle's eyes widened in surprise as he seized the opportunity. "Off With Your Head!"

The heart-shaped collar instantly snapped around Leona's throat, locking the powerful and dangerous magic away, making the lion fall to his knees, clawing at the collar in anger.

The atmosphere returned to its normal state, leaving Yuu and Ruggie finally gasping for breath. Yuu, who'd been more conscious compared to Ruggie, scrambled to check on the troublesome hyena, noting the cracking of the skin on his arm, nothing like skin, reminding her more of eroding stone or paint that seemed to crack off ancient pottery, the kind she'd obsessed over in youth. It sickened her to see that cracking on someone living.

"R-ruggie." With shaking hands, she tore at the hem of her shirt, internally apologizing to Crowley for ruining a perfectly good dress shirt. She wrapped the wound, not noticing the hands of the two boys from Diasomnia trying to grab at her and Ruggie.

"No... NO! You can't collar a lion!" Leona howled, turning to Jack, who remained between himself and the two he'd injured.

"How did you... Transformation potions are forbidden! Where did you get that?" He demanded, green eyes boring into the giant wolf which shrunk back into the form of the familiar beastman.

"I didn't use a potion—that's my signature spell." Jack explained, standing his ground protectively. "With it I can transform myself into a wolf." His golden eyes quickly flashed a look of concern to Ruggie and Yuu.

"Ha! What's that saying? Every dog has his day? Well I guess you had yours!" Leona mocked, his posture like that of a cornered wild animal.

"Housewarden Leona, I want you to know... I only came to this school because of how much I admired you!" Jack confessed, outraged and betrayed by his housewarden's actions. "What happened to the man you used to be?" He asked, words hammering themselves into Leona's skull.

"Shut up... Your dreams got nothin' to do with me!" Leona growled lowly, sensing insult in an innocent question.

Riddle stepped forward, "I understand the irony of me being the one to say it, but it pains me to see you like this. You'd be wise to confine yourself to your room and try to calm down!" The redhead pleaded.

"What do you know about how I feel?!" Leona demanded, making Yuu's heart ache at his words. She looked at him, staring as she witnessed his carefully sculpted mask begin the crumble beneath the weight of his own actions. What she felt for him wasn't pity. It was understanding.

"Leona-" She began, pausing as Lilia walked forward, a mocking grin etched on his youthful face.

"Would that the lion king of the savanna could witness this absolute farce." He spoke, tone biting. "No, if you ask me, the collar suits you far better than a crown ever could."

Leona looked up at the fae, eyes wide and terrified yet lips pulled back in a snarl.

"You may bemoan the fact that you're not higher in line to be king. But with that sensitive ego of yours? That so quickly directs all your petty anger at your retainers..." Lilia sighed, digging further into Leona's wounds. "Well, the idea of you ever contending with a REAL king like our Malleus—is absolutely laughable. Even if you COULD defeat Malleus, so long as that's how you choose to conduct yourself?" Lilia chuckled dryly as Yuu looked up at him from her place on the floor.

"L-Lilia... what are you doing?" She rasped as Lilia smiled reassuringly, returning his gaze to Leona.

"Yes, it's quite obvious... You would never be fit to rule!"

The look on Leona's face was one of pure unbridled rage as he seemed to snap out of his fear, cackling maniacally. "Yeah, you're probably right. No, you're EXACTLY right...!" He laughed until he noticed the uncomfortable shifting from the students present in the stadium.

Yuu felt her chest tightening again as she looked at Leona.

"I will never become king. No matter how hard I try!" He roared, the horrific scene of ink beginning to drip rapidly down his face, staining his hands.

"Myah?! All my fur's standin' on end!" Grim remarked, having somehow gotten beside Yuu, who stared in horror at the scene unfolding before her.

"The magic power within Leona is surging..." Riddle mentioned anxiously, his voice straining as he tried to keep his spell active. "I don't think my collar can hold it!" He warned.

"No..." Lilia, however, grabbed his pen, eyes wide. "That isn't magic power. That's negative energy, which means..." His eyes widened.

"E-Everybody get down!" Yuu cried.