Lost And Found
Chapter 109:
They moved fast.
Lucien taking the lead, walking ahead, his movements sharp and measured, every step betraying the tension simmering beneath his skin.
Aria followed close behind, her eyes darting across the path that wound along the ridge. The morning mist had burned away, leaving behind the faint shimmer of water on the dirt road.
Hours had passed since they left the town, and still, there was no sign of Kael. Not his scent. Not a track. Nothing.
Until Lucien stopped.
He dropped to a crouch near the bend, brushing his fingers over the ground. “Here,” he murmured.
Aria hurried closer. The earth was disturbed: faint grooves in the dirt, half-dried blood, and the impression of something heavy being dragged.
Her stomach clenched. “Lucien…”
“He was here,” Lucien said, his tone flat, steady, the way it always got when he was forcing himself not to panic. “Two, maybe three wolves. One heavier than the others. They were moving fast.”
“Then he’s alive,” she whispered. “They wouldn’t drag him if…”
“He’s alive,” Lucien said again, this time with conviction.
He straightened, scanning the horizon. The trail veered off the main path, cutting through the brush toward a rise in the distance, an old, crumbling watchtower from before the packs claimed this land.
Lucien’s jaw tightened. “They took him there.”
They moved quickly. The ground turned rougher, scattered with broken stones and roots. The smell of damp and rust filled the air as they climbed higher, until the ruins came into view, skeletal tower leaning against the sky, its stones faded with age.
Lucien signaled for her to stay behind, but Aria ignored him, creeping up beside him as they approached the entrance.
The faint sound of breathing drifted from inside, shallow and labored with effort.
Lucien’s wolf surfaced instantly, his senses sharpening. He motioned for silence, then stepped inside first, his blade drawn. The air inside was thick, heavy with the scent of blood and iron.
And then she saw him.
Kael was slumped against one of the stone pillars, with his wrists bound with rope, his head hanging forward. Blood streaked down the side of his face, drying dark against his temple. His breathing was ragged but steady.
“Kael!”
“Kael,” Aria breathed, already moving before Lucien could stop her. She dropped to her knees beside him, her hands trembling as she touched his shoulder. “Hey, it’s me. You’re okay.”
His eyes fluttered open, unfocused at first, then sharpened when they found hers. “Aria,” he rasped, his voice raw. “You shouldn’t—”
“Don’t,” she whispered, her throat tight. “Just don’t.”
Lucien crouched beside them, his hand going to Kael’s wrist to check his pulse. “He’s weak, but he’s stable.” His gaze darkened. “Did you see who did this?”, he asked, slicing through the bonds.
Kael’s lips twitched in something close to a smile. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
“Try me,” Lucien said, his tone cold.
Kael coughed, wincing as he tried to sit up. “It wasn’t wolves,” he managed. “Humans.”
Lucien’s gaze darkened. “Hunters.”
Kael nodded weakly. “Three of them. Two kept their distance. One…” He paused, grimacing. “They were armed. Silver blades. Crossbows. They weren’t trying to kill me, cause they kept saying something about, “The Alpha will follow.”
Lucien froze. “They wanted me?”
Aria’s heart dropped. “You mean this was a trap.”
“Looks like it.” Kael winced as Lucien sliced through the ropes at his wrists. “But they probably didn’t expect me to still be breathing when you got here.”
Before Aria could respond, the faint crack of twigs came from the left.
Lucien was already on his feet, eyes snapping toward the sound. “We’re not alone.”
Kael tried to stand, but stumbled. Aria caught him, steadying his weight against her shoulder. “Stay still,” she murmured.
Lucien moved forward soundlessly, his blade gleaming faintly in the dim light. From behind a tree, a man stepped out: tall, dressed in black leather reinforced with silver plating. A crossbow hung at his side, and his scent was all wrong. No wolf. Just smelled faintly of smoke and gunpowder.
“Stay where you are,” Lucien warned, his voice low. “If you move, I’ll…”
The man didn’t listen. His hand went to his weapon, but he wasn’t fast enough. Lucien was already there, grabbing him by the collar and slamming him hard against a tree.
“Where are the others?” Lucien growled, claws half-sliding out.
The hunter’s eyes flicked toward Aria, then to Kael. A slow, bloodied smile spread across his face. “Oh my! Is that the Alpha of Alphas?”
Lucien’s grip tightened. “Answer the question.”
“Too late,” the man rasped, laughing through clenched teeth. “The others already…”
Lucien slammed him again. “Already what?!”
But the hunter didn’t answer. Instead, his hand jerked downward, a flash of steel glinted between them.
Aria shouted, “Lucien!”
The blade never landed. Lucien twisted, forcing the knife away and driving his own blade forward in one brutal motion. The man gasped, eyes wide, the laughter dying in his throat.
Blood soaked through his shirt.
Lucien froze. The hunter sagged in his grip, then went still.
Aria stood there, breath caught in her throat. “Lucien…?”
He lowered the body slowly, his expression blank. “He was going for a second blade.”
Kael, pale and trembling, leaned against the ruined wall. “And now we have nothing.”
Lucien’s head snapped up. “What?”
Kael’s gaze was cold, practical despite the pain. “He was the last one who could’ve told us where the others went.”
Lucien’s jaw clenched. “I couldn’t risk it.”
“I’m not saying you were wrong,” Kael said hoarsely. “I’m saying now we’re blind.”
Aria swallowed hard, staring at the hunter’s body. He couldn’t have been more than thirty, human, yes, but not ordinary. His armor was marked with the same broken crescent sigil they’d found on the rogues.
“They’re connected,” she whispered. “The symbol… it’s the same.”
Lucien followed her gaze, his features darkening. “We already established that the rogues weren’t acting alone.”
Kael nodded. “Looks like the hunters and the wolves have started working together. That’s new.”