Chapter 145 – Ashes Before Arrival
By the time we got there, it was already burning.
The warehouse was almost gone.
Fire climbed high into the dark sky, swallowing the wooden beams and metal sheets like they were nothing.
Smoke poured out thick and black, covering the area in a heavy cloud that burned my eyes and throat.
For a few seconds, no one spoke.
I stood there, my jaw tight.
Elder Rowan’s face was hard and unreadable.
Damien… Damien just stared at the flames.
“This isn’t possible,” one of the Betas muttered behind me.
But it was possible.
Because it was happening right in front of us.
I was the first to move.
“Call the fire department!” I said.
Two of the Betas immediately pulled out their phones.
I could hear the panic in their voices as they made the call.
The heat was intense. Even from a distance, it felt like the fire was breathing against my skin.
The iron gate of the warehouse had already collapsed inward. Part of the roof fell with a loud crash, sending sparks flying into the night air.
“We’re too late,” someone whispered.
Sirens sounded in the distance.
The fire trucks arrived quickly, red lights flashing against the smoke-filled sky. Firemen jumped down, unrolling hoses, shouting orders to each other.
Water sprayed against the flames, hissing loudly.
We all stood back, watching what was left of the evidence disappear into ash.
My chest felt tight.
We had planned this carefully.
We had moved the raid earlier than scheduled.
And still… this.
I shook my head slowly out of disappointment.
“How did they know?” I said under my breath.
No one answered.
But we were all thinking the same thing.
Someone told them.
Jovan, who had tipped us off, stood not far from me. His face was pale, his eyes red from the smoke and from fear.
“I was here yesterday,” he said suddenly.
We all turned toward him.
“Yesterday in the evening,” he continued, his voice shaking. “Everything was normal. The guards were here. The captives were here. Nothing looked different.”
I looked at him sharply. “You’re sure?”
“I’m sure!” he snapped, frustration breaking through his fear. “I risked my life coming here. I saw them. They were here.”
The fire crackled loudly behind us.
Elder Rowan’s gaze darkened.
“So,” he said slowly, “that means someone informed them today.”
The man nodded quickly. “It must have been today. And they must have known the exact time you were coming.”
Silence fell between us again.
Exact time. My stomach twisted.
I ran a hand through my hair. “Only a few of us knew the time.”
I didn’t like where this was going.
Neither did Jovan who was devastated. This was an opportunity for him to save his daughter but now he wasn't sure if he was ever going to see her again.
The Betas murmured among themselves.
Elder Rowan looked around slowly, his sharp eyes observing every face.
Then his gaze shifted slightly.
To the side.
Damien.
Damien was standing away from us, near one of the trees at the edge of the clearing.
His back was turned. His phone pressed to his ear.
I noticed too. My brows furrowed slightly.
Elder Rowan leaned closer to me, his voice low enough that only I could hear because I was standing near them.
“How well do you know Damien?” Rowan asked quietly.
I blinked. “Why do you ask?”
“How well,” Rowan repeated, “do you know him?”
I exhaled slowly.
“I’ve known him since we were kids,” I replied. “We grew up together.”
“And you trust him?” Rowan asked.
I hesitated.
That hesitation didn’t go unnoticed.
“I did,” I said honestly.
Rowan’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“I do not trust easily,” he said. “Hardly ever. It is not in my nature.”
I nodded slowly.
“But,” Rowan continued, “I have watched you. I have seen your loyalty. Your discipline. I believe I can give you my trust.”
I swallowed slightly. “That means a lot, Elder.”
“But Damien…” Rowan’s voice hardened. “I do not trust him.”
The words hung heavy between them.
I looked toward Damien again.
“I won’t lie,” I said quietly. “He’s been acting differently lately.”
Rowan waited.
“He’s been distracted,” I continued. “Not fully focused during meetings. Missing details. Even today… while we were driving here, his phone kept ringing. Over and over again.”
Rowan’s expression did not change.
“Did he answer?”
“No”
“We need to look into him,” Rowan said firmly.
I nodded.
“I was already thinking the same thing.”
Rowan gave him a long look.
“Then trust your instinct.”
On the other side of the clearing, Damien finally turned slightly, still speaking into his phone.
His voice was low, urgent.
I couldn’t hear him from here.
But if I had been closer, I would have heard everything.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Jasper’s voice came through the phone sharp and furious.
Damien clenched his jaw.
“I was going to handle it,” he said quickly. “You didn’t need to panic.”
“Don’t tell me what I need!” Jasper snapped. “Felix is one of the gifted Betas who escaped. One of the five still missing.”
Damien inhaled slowly.
“Yes.”
“And you didn’t think to inform me?” Jasper continued, his voice dangerously calm now. “Or did you think I wouldn’t find out?”
“I have everything under control,” Damien said, lowering his voice further. “Fourteen were missing. The hunters found nine already. They’re working on the remaining five. It’s only a matter of time.”
“I don’t care about numbers,” Jasper hissed.
Damien’s grip tightened on his phone.
“We’ll find him,” Damien replied quickly.
“You better,” Jasper said coldly. “Because if you don’t… you’re as good as dead.”
The threat wasn’t loud.
But it was real. Damien swallowed.
There was a short pause on the line.
“And there’s something else,” Jasper added.
Damien frowned slightly. “What?”
“One of the five missing,” Jasper said slowly. “A girl. Young. Wounded.”
Damien’s brows pulled together.
“How do you know that?”
“I have information,” Jasper replied sharply. “She’s heading toward the old Silverpine Ravine. The one past the northern forest line.”
Damien froze.
Silverpine Ravine.
“How certain is this information?” he asked carefully.
“Certain enough,” Jasper said. “Tell your hunters to head there immediately. I want her found before tonight.”
Damien glanced toward Kian and the others.
They were still talking among themselves.
The fire was dying down.
“I’ll inform them,” he said.
“Now!” Jasper said coldly.
Damien exhaled slowly. “Understood.”
The call ended.
Damien lowered the phone slowly.
For a moment, he just stared at the screen.
Then he quickly dialed another number.
“Change of direction,” he said the moment the line connected. “Head to Silverpine Ravine. The old bridge past the northern forest line. There’s a wounded girl heading there. I want her found before nightfall.”
He ended the call.