Chapter 110 Luca
Rafe showed up to school with blood on his sleeve and acted like it was nothing. That was how I knew things were getting worse.
He didn’t even try to hide it. Just walked into the hallway like every other morning, backpack slung over one shoulder, his expression calm and controlled. The only giveaway was the faint smear of dried red near his cuff and nobody else noticed.
Of course they didn’t. To them, Rafe was just another quiet guy who kept to himself, good grades, decent athlete, and nothing special. They didn’t see the way his eyes scanned every corner when he entered a room or how he always positioned himself near exits.
“You’re late,” I muttered when he slid into the seat beside me in class.
“I had things to check,” he replied under his breath.
I glanced at his sleeve. “You want to explain that?”
He followed my gaze, then shrugged slightly. “It’s not mine.”
“That’s supposed to make me feel better?”
“It should,” he said. “Means I’m still alive.”
I exhaled slowly, leaning back in my chair as the teacher droned on about something I wasn’t listening to.
“Talk,” I said quietly.
Rafe never rushed into anything, not words, decisions, or fights. He measured everything first, weighed it, turned it over until he was sure that was why I trusted him to lead a subgroup.
That, and the fact that he didn’t panic.
“They’re not moving like before again,” he said finally.
“Define ‘not like before.’”
“They’re splitting,” he said.
My jaw tightened. “That’s new strategy.”
“Exactly.”
I ran a hand through my hair. “We were tracking larger groups before now they’re ghosting through the territory like they own it.”
Rafe nodded once. “They’re testing our response time.”
“Yeah,” I muttered. “And we’re failing.”
The bell rang, cutting off the conversation, but neither of us moved right away. Students started filing out completely unaware of the fact that something dangerous was unfolding right under their noses.
Rafe stood first. “Walk with me.”
I grabbed my bag and followed him out into the hallway.
“You’ve been running double shifts,” I said as we moved through the crowd. “School and patrol.”
“So have you.”
We stepped outside, the noise fading slightly as the doors closed behind us.
“Damian’s group spotted movement near the south ridge last night,” he continued, then caught himself with a faint grimace. “My group,” he corrected. “They didn’t engage just watched.”
“Smart,” I said.
“They weren’t alone,” he added.
That stopped me. “How many?
“Couldn’t tell,” he admitted. “That’s the problem.”
I cursed under my breath. “They’re learning fast.”
“Or they already knew,” Rafe countered.
The idea that everything we were still dealing with now had been mapped out long before any of us realized what was happening made my stomach twist.
“We need to adjust.” I said.
Rafe nodded. “Already started doing that.”
Of course he had.
“What about school?” I asked. “You can’t keep disappearing like this without drawing attention.”
“I’m not the only one,” he said.
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
He glanced around briefly before lowering his voice. “There are others blending in.”
My chest tightened. “Hunters?”
“Not confirmed,” he said. “But there are faces I don’t recognize and their smell don’t fit here.”
“That could be anyone,” I pointed out.
“Not like this.” he said.
A chill slid down my spine. If hunters were integrating into the school then this wasn’t just about territory anymore.
“They’re getting bold,” I muttered.
“They’re getting daring,” Rafe corrected.
“They hit you last night,” I said after a moment, nodding toward his sleeve.
“Yeah.”
“Rogue?”
“Didn’t stay long enough to confirm,” he answered.
“They’re probing,” I said.
Rafe nodded. “Every move we make, they’re learning from it.”
I clenched my fists slightly. “Then we need to start giving them the wrong information.”
That got his attention. “Meaning?”
“Set traps,” I said. “Feed them patterns that don’t mean anything. Let them think they’ve figured us out.”
Rafe considered that for a moment. “Risky.”
“So is doing nothing.”
He didn’t argue with that.
“You’ve been injured before?” Rafe asked suddenly.
I stiffened. “I’m fine.”
“Not what I asked.”
I looked at him. “It’s handled.”
“Damian?”
“Yeah.”
Rafe nodded slowly. “You trust him.”
“I trust that he doesn’t want us dead,” I said.
“Not the same thing.”
“No,” I agreed. “But it’s enough for now.”
“You’re keeping things from the pack.”
It wasn’t an accusation.
“You think you’re protecting them,” he continued.
“I know I am.”
“Or you’re isolating yourself,” he said.
I exhaled sharply. “We don’t have time for this.”
“We don’t have time not to deal with it,” he shot back.
I turned to face him fully, frustration rising. “You want me to walk into a council meeting and tell them everything? About the hunters changing tactics–”
“No, about the fact that we’re losing control,” Rafe cut in.
I looked away. “We’re not losing control.”
“Then why does it feel like we’re always one step behind?” he asked quietly.
Before I could respond, a sharp sound cut through the air. It was Rafe’s. He pulled it out, his features changing as he read the message.
“What is it?” I asked. “Rafe.”
He looked up at me slowly. “They hit one of the inner routes.”
My chest tightened. “Whose?”
He hesitated. “Tessa’s group.”
Everything in me went cold. “When?” I demanded.
“Just now.”
My pulse spiked. “Are they—”
“Unknown,” he cut in. “The message was cut short.”
That was worse.
“Location?” I asked.
Rafe showed me the screen. I stared at it then swore.
“That’s too close,” I said.
“Yeah.”
“They’re escalating,” I stated.
Rafe’s jaw tightened. “We need to move.”
We took off across the parking lot, heading straight for the tree line, ignoring the confused looks from the few students still lingering outside. Nothing else mattered except getting there in time.
As we reached the edge of the woods, I felt a pressure. I glanced at Rafe. He felt it too.
“They’re pulling us in,” he said.
“Yeah,” I agreed.
“But this time…”
I didn’t finish the thought because as we crossed into the forest, the distant sound of something heavy crashing through the trees echoed toward us and moving straight in our direction.
Rafe slowed slightly, his eyes narrowing. “That’s not a retreat.”
“No,” I said, my pulse pounding. “It’s not.”