Chapter 80: Chapter 80
Wherever they were, it felt like a maze.
They passed through the only exit where they were located and slowly walked down a hallway.
Suki was on high alert, scanning every inch of her surroundings – no cameras, no guards or workers or whatever goons brought them there, and no signs of an escape route.
“How long have you been here? Do you know?” asked Suki.
Humming a groan, Hadeon murmured, “I have no idea. I’ve been in and out of consciousness.”
As much as Hadeon tried to hold his own, Suki was forced to do more of the heavy lifting than anticipated, which only depleted her minimal strength faster.
Her legs trembled against her forceful pushes to keep moving forward. “It’s okay, we’ll get out–” She froze as they entered another room full of people in cages, smaller than the ones they found themselves in.
The people trembled and hid in the corners of their cages, clearly trying not to be seen by their captors.
“Goddess, save us…” Suki trembled. “Who are we dealing with?”
“Humans are more ruthless than we ever thought,” Hadeon said, using a table to support himself, allowing Suki a break. He stepped closer to one of the cages, and one of the prisoners whimpered and buried their face into their knees.
Suki paced over to another cage; the woman she approached did the same. “It’s okay,” she whispered. “We can get you out of here.”
The woman shook her head rapidly and pointed to her own neck brace.
Suki touched her own. “They’re treating you all like rabid animals.” She sighed, “I can’t leave you all here, please, escape with us.”
“N-No…” the woman coughed. Then she shrieked an agonising scream.
Suki jumped back, startled. Examining her carefully, she realised the neck brace was electrocuting her.
“Which one of those fucking dogs is screaming now?” a deep voice from afar yelled.
“Shit,” blurted Hadeon. “We’ve gotta go.”
She looked at him, noticing how he was flushed of all the colour from his complexion. “We can’t leave them.”
“We can barely carry ourselves right now.”
An aching pain twisted in her chest. Her heart shattered at the idea of leaving these people, but she also knew there was nothing she could do in the state she was in. “I promise you, I’ll come back for you all, if it’s the last thing I do.”
The woman looked at her and, for a brief moment, a glimmer of hope twinkled in her eyes, taking over the fear.
“Suki.”
“Come on,” she helped lead him out of the room, and they rushed deeper into the building.
It didn’t take many strides for Suki to feel another thumping heaviness in her head. “Crap, not now.” She stopped moving and leaned against the wall. “I need to catch my breath.”
Hadeon scanned their surroundings and saw a storage closet. “This way,” he said, pulling her into the room.
Resting her back against the wall, she slowly dropped to the ground. “I think–” she breathed heavily. “–I’ve been running on adrenaline this whole time.” She squeezed her eyes tightly and winced. “I can feel myself crashing.”
“Don’t panic, just take a minute.” Hadeon opened the door carefully and peeked through a small gap. “Whoever these people are, they’re not coming in this direction. We’re good.”
Relieved, Suki rested her head against the wall and allowed herself a chance to calm herself.
Hadeon sat next to her, settling his stumbling breathing.
“How the hell did we end up in this mess?”
“There’s someone fucked up out there who doesn’t give a damn about werewolves.”
Suki hunched over in defeat and placed her face in her palms. “We have to get out of here,” she muffled.
“Hey, that’s a cool tattoo you’ve got there.”
“What? I don’t have a–”
Then, it hit her.
Of course, how could she forget?
“I might have a way to save us,” she said wearily.
Hadeon didn’t question her; he just looked at her with a blank expression. “With the shadow magic marked on your skin?”
She blinked. “How did you–”
“I’m from Nighttide,” he chuckled. “I might be wolfless, but I’m not oblivious to the power my people have.” Hadeon took her hand and traced his finger over the design – like black smoke frozen in time and embedded on her skin. “It looks exactly like my brother’s power.” He glanced up at Suki.
“Oh?” she swallowed. “What’s his name?”
He arched a brow. “Come on, Suki. I saw the way you looked at me when we first met – like you already knew who I was – and how you reacted to hearing the name of my sister’s wolf toy. You know my brother.”
Her mouth went dry. She nodded slowly. “Yes, you’re right. He… lives in my pack.”
He hummed. “So he managed to find a decent home to settle in. Good for him. Hope he’s not too much trouble for you all.”
She shook her head. “Oh, not at all.”
“Good. Although I suppose you’re a little biased, being mated to him and all.”
“Right– wait, what?” Her cheeks burned.
Hadeon smirked. “I wasn’t entirely sure, but now I am. Now I see why you looked at me the way you did at Nighttide – you weren’t interested in me, you were comparing me to your mate.”
Suki cringed. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to lead you on.”
“You didn’t.” He leaned his head back against the wall and exhaled, “I’m just a hopeless wolfless man, hoping to find that perfect girl to rule my world with me.”
Placing a hand on his shoulder, Suki offered him a soft smile. “If you’re anything like your brother, you’ll find the right person one day, I just know it.”
He smiled back at her, though it didn’t reflect in his eyes. “Right, just like my brother, the Rogue, has.”
“He’s a good person, but you know that already.”
“Right, of course I do,” he said, looking to the ground. “So,” he sighed and gestured to the shadow magic marked on her arm. “What’s the plan?”