Chapter 239 Chapter 239

Chapter 239 Chapter 239
Rayne

I didn't have to wait long.

Holding Evalie firmly against me, I prepared for an ambush at any minute. Wherever Erlan's guards had hurried to, they would probably be returning any moment now. I could only hope Roger wouldn't run into too much trouble on his way here.

Soon enough, I heard footsteps that got me on high alert for only a few seconds before I relaxed because I easily recognized them to be Roger's. We'd spent so long training together that I could tell when he was approaching even with my eyes closed. His pace was steady, unhurried and controlled. That alone told me everything I needed to know. If he was walking like that, he was alive. He wasn’t being pursued. He wasn’t panicking.

I exhaled slowly.

But when he came into view, my relief died in my throat.

He was carrying someone.

At first, I didn’t recognize the body in his arms. The man was limp, head hanging back at an unnatural angle, one leg dangling uselessly. Blood had soaked through his clothes, dark and heavy, dripping in thin trails onto the expensive carpet.

Then my gaze adjusted.

And I saw his face.

Or what was left of it.

Reed.

If I hadn’t known it was him, I might not have guessed. His features were swollen beyond recognition. One eye was completely shut. His lip had split open. Blood crusted at the corner of his mouth. His knuckles were scraped raw, as if he had fought until the last possible second. There was something disturbingly fragile about him in that moment, like a broken thing someone had thrown away after it stopped being useful.

He looked almost difficult to look at.

“What happened?” I asked, my voice even, though something sharp had settled in my chest.

Roger shifted Reed slightly to secure his grip. His expression was composed, but his jaw was tight enough to crack teeth.

“I have no idea,” he replied. “I was making my way back when I heard someone calling for help. I went to take a look and saw him getting demolished. I had to do something.”

Getting demolished.

The words felt insufficient for what I was seeing.

I studied Reed for another second, then forced myself to look away. Sympathy tried to surface, but it collided with memory—betrayal, reckless decisions, his own role in all of this.

I sighed.

“Can’t exactly feel sorry for him when he brought this on himself,” I admitted. It was not cruelty. It was a fact. Reed had chosen a side. He had walked willingly into fire.

Still…

I glanced around the underground structure, taking in the reinforced walls, the hidden layout, the careful planning behind it all.

“I’m grateful he led me here,” I added. “Good call on saving him.”

Roger nodded once. “Thanks.”

There was no self-congratulation in him. He had done what he believed was necessary. That was always the way with Roger. He operated on duty, not emotion.

I turned to Evalie, she was peeking from behind me, clearly shaken by the sight. Her fingers were clenched into fists, knuckles pale, but she held herself upright.

“Take Evalie and get the both of them out of here,” I ordered. “Call for backup as soon as you’re out. I’ll handle things on my own for now.”

Roger didn’t hesitate.

“Got it.”

He adjusted Reed again, cradling him with surprising care for someone who was indifferent to almost everything that wasn't related to duty. With his free hand, he reached for Evalie’s. She took it immediately, anchoring herself to him as they began moving down the corridor.

After a few steps, Roger stopped.

He turned back to face me.

For a moment, we just looked at each other. No theatrics. No unnecessary words. Just understanding.

“Good luck,” he said. Then, after a beat, “Make sure you don’t die.”

A smirk tugged at the corner of my mouth despite the tension coiling inside me.

“I don’t plan on it.”

He gave a slight nod and disappeared around the bend, taking Reed and Evalie with him.

I did not move.

Not yet.

I stood there and waited for the mind link to activate. Seconds stretched longer than they should have. My senses were already straining, listening for anything out of place.

Then Roger’s voice brushed against my mind.

We’re back on the surface. A good distance from the house. No need for caution anymore.

Only then did I allow myself to fully turn toward the task at hand.

Now I could move without holding anything back.

I began searching the floor methodically, opening doors one by one, checking every room with calculated precision. I expected resistance and most definitely an ambush. Every muscle in my body was primed for an attack that never came.

The rooms were empty.

Storage. Abandoned equipment. Dust-covered furniture. Signs that people had been here recently but no one remained.

With each cleared space, a sinking sensation grew heavier in my gut.

Time was bleeding out.

Every empty room was another minute lost.

Inside me, Eden was no longer calm.

“This is a waste,” he growled. “You’re thinking like a man. Not like a wolf.”

I ignored him and checked another room.

Empty.

“There’s no time for this,” Eden snapped. “Relinquish control to me. I can sniff her out easily.”

My jaw tightened. I hated surrendering control, especially now, when every decision mattered. But the truth pressed down on me with undeniable weight; I was losing precious seconds.

If Erlan had already moved her…

If he had already reached the surface…

My chest tightened painfully at the thought.

Seeing no other choice, I loosened my hold.

The switch happened in a second and even now it felt strange, like being pulled out of my own body. Control tilted away from me, and Eden surged forward, filling the space I had occupied. I did not disappear. I remained present, aware and watching but I was no longer steering.

Wanting to reserve our energy for the real fight, Eden did not shift into wolf form. Instead, he sharpened our senses to their absolute peak.

The world transformed instantly.

Sounds deepened. Layers I had never noticed before became distinct. I could hear the faint skitter of something small moving inside the walls. The subtle electrical hum behind concrete. The distant echo of air moving through unseen vents.

Scents multiplied.

Dust. Metal. Oil. Old blood.

And beneath it all—

Amber.

Faint, but unmistakable.

Her honeysuckle scent lingered in fragile threads through the underground corridors. Eden inhaled slowly, carefully isolating it from the rest.

For a moment, the overload was overwhelming. The sudden intensity threatened to destabilize us. But we adjusted, grounding ourselves in instinct.

Then Eden moved and the hunt began.