Chapter 16

What are you doing here?” The masked man asked Iliana who looked dumbfounded.

“I’m not allowed to come here?” Iliana countered.

“…let’s go to the surface.” The masked man said.

Iliana gave Samuel one last look before following the masked man to though the maze of the catacombs. The walked out to the surface and the moon was beaming at them.

“It’s night already?” Iliana questioned

“Something’s not right.” The masked man thought. “Are you with the watch I gave you?”

“Yes.” Iliana pulled the wrist watch out of her pocket. “How long have I been in there?”

“Something feels very out of place.” The masked man stood by what he thought.

“It’s the time.” Iliana mentioned. “The time was around twelve in the afternoon when I went down there, but it says eleven.”

It happened again.

“What’s happening?” Iliana asked the masked man.

“It’s that power.” The masked man whispered. “I have to go.” The masked man said preparing to leave the forest in a haste.

“What are you talking about?” Iliana asked grabbing the man’s hand; pulling him back.

“I’ll come by later and explain everything to you. For now, just go.”

“Let come with you.” Iliana was persistent.

“You should go. I’m sure Alexander might be waiting for you somewhere. It won’t be a good image if you are found with me.”

“Oh, I see.” Iliana remembered Sophia telling Rajesh about people claimed to be from Shadow town. “I just remembered I have something to do. I’ll see you later”

As they said their farewells, the masked man bolted deeper into the forest and Iliana, out if the forest. Iliana was desperate to return to her phone and check the date. She was more desperate to know what the masked man meant by ‘that power’. “What power?” She asked herself as she walked to her room in the motel.

“Iliana.” A familiar voice called. Iliana’s turned to see who it was. It was a member of the Shadow pack she knew well. Iliana was excited but she knew she had to be careful; eyes are everywhere.

“I don’t know who you’re talking of, I’m sorry.” Iliana said as she continued her walk to her room.

“I’m Jack. You’re Iliana Dimitri of the Shadow pack, aren’t you?” He kept on.

“You have the wrong person. If you are from the Shadow pack, this is the wrong place for you. You will be killed. Run away if you can.”

“What’s your name?” Jack asked further.

“Did you not listen to me?! Leave while you ca—” Iliana paused “You can’t leave. You shouldn’t have come in the first place. You’re a fool.”

“Iliana, what are you talking about? Where’s Samuel? Where’s Stuart?”

“I will say this for the last time…I don’t know who you are. I don’t know who Iliana, Samuel or Stuart is. Get out.” Iliana entered her room and slammed the door. She exhaled loudly and hoped nobody saw them. Iliana cursed herself for what just happened but prayed Jack understood what she was trying to tell him. “Don’t get caught.”

Iliana grabbed her phone from her bed. She turned it on. In an instant she gasped at the date. She realized she had been in the catacombs for two days.

“How can this be?” She was baffled “I was I’m there for only a few minutes.” Iliana paced around with her hands on her head. “Is this that power?”

With only two days left to liberate Samuel and Stuart, she hoped for Jack and the other person not to get caught. There was no time left. A sudden ring hit her phone, startling her. It was a continuous ring. She checked who would call her at the moment. It was an unknown contact. There was no name. She was hesitant to pick the call but she did.

“Iliana, it’s Damian.”

Iliana’s heart pounded and her head throbbed.

“Damian…”

“Iliana, what happened?” Damian sounded aggressive. “You never sent any report, for four months, you were gone just like that. Neither Samuel nor Stuart are responsive. They are supposed to be in charge. Have you any idea how much this will cause? Why did you make such reckless decision to abandon your mission. We were supposed to keep our communication and—” Iliana cut the call.

Iliana understood Damian’s anger to a point but she couldn’t continue anymore with him. Talking to him will take her nowhere. There was no point in the conversation. Multiple pings sounded out her phone. They were all messages from Damian. For reasons best known to her, she was infuriated. She turned off her phone and sat on there bed with her hands running through her hair.

“What should I do now?”

In silence, Iliana sat; wondering. Thinking. Brainstorming. All came to naught. All the thinking was erased by the sound of a knock on her door. “Who is it now?”

She opened the door and it was her usual visitor but it felt different.

“What you want?”

“Can I come in?” He asked. Iliana gestured him to come in.

“So, why did you come?”

“I want you to be honest with me. Why were you at the catacombs alone?”

“Why can’t I go there?”

“You can’t just go there as you please. What do you think would have happened if you were found there alone?”

“What were you doing there?” Iliana’s asked him back.

“I am allowed to be there. Every alpha is allowed. Be thankful that you weren’t found by his brothers instead, I’m sure you know what that can do by now.”

“I’ll be more careful.” Iliana understood the man’s point of view and scorned herself for not thinking of what could’ve happened if David or Erik found her. Then, she remembered that power. “I still want to know what you meant by that power.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“I am worried about it. That was not the first time it happened to me.” Iliana explained

“It’s not?”

“Why do you think I’ve been here for so long and have nobody but you to talk to. In my head I’ve been here for merely a week but in reality, I’ve been hear for more than three months. How is that possible?!”

The masked man paused “I should explained it to you but I don’t know what to say. It’s a power I can’t understand either.”

“Oh.” Iliana was disappointed.

“Anyways, stay out of the catacombs. However, that is what I would’ve said to you if the spies are still in the catacombs.”

“What do you mean?”

“They’ve been moved to a different cell.”

“Why?”

“The execution is tomorrow.”