Page 31 of Beast in the Badlands
RENN
I stand at the edge of the Coalition med zone, the morning sun barely breaking through the haze.
The ruins loom behind me, crumbling remnants of what was once a thriving hub for those who believed they could help.
I stare at the sky, willing Kairon and the crew to arrive, though a gnawing emptiness sits heavy in my gut.
Emry's words echo in my mind, and each pulse of regret hits harder than any wound I carry.
The wind shifts, bringing a distant rumble that pulls my attention upward. A shadow breaks through the clouds—my heart races as The Vornyx descends, cutting through the gray with its angular silhouette. Relief washes over me; they’ve come.
Kairon lands with a thud that shakes the ground beneath me. He steps out first, his tall frame imposing even against the wreckage surrounding us. The crew spills out behind him, their laughter loud and raucous—a welcome sound after days of silence.
“Look at you!” one of them shouts, smirking at my state. “You look like you got dragged through a black hole!”
“Nice to see you too,” I reply dryly, but it’s hard not to crack a smile at their banter.
Kairon strides toward me, eyes sharp as they take in my bandaged legs and weary posture. “What did you do to yourself?” His voice carries that familiar mix of authority and concern.
“Nothing I couldn’t handle,” I grumble, but he isn’t fooled.
He steps closer, assessing every bruise and scrape with an intensity that feels almost invasive. “You’re still injured,” he states flatly, brow furrowed.
“I’ll be fine,” I insist. But even I can hear the uncertainty in my voice.
Ava appears beside Kairon, her keen gaze scanning our surroundings—taking in the chaos left behind by yesterday's battle. She squints against the sun as if trying to piece together what happened here. “Where are we?” she asks casually while moving deeper into the ruins.
“Vestra,” I reply curtly. “War for resources.”
Kairon huffs out a breath of frustration as he inspects my legs again before shaking his head like I'm a child who won’t listen. “We don’t have time for you to play hero.”
Ava catches sight of something moving in the debris—a civilian emerging cautiously from behind an overturned crate—and her expression shifts from curiosity to concern. “What about them?” she asks softly.
“They're what's left.” My chest tightens as I watch them stumble into view—a ragged group that still believes someone will save them.
"Ready t leave?" Kairon asks, slapping my shoulder.
I open my mouth, prepared to say yes, but the words don’t come. My chest throbs, my gut twists. It’s hopeless. I can’t leave.
“I can’t leave,” I finally manage, the words tasting like gravel.
Kairon gives me a puzzled look, brow furrowing. “What do you mean? Of course you can. Let’s go.”
But I stand firm, legs shaking slightly under the weight of my decision. “I won’t.”
Ava steps forward, her sharp gaze boring into me as if she’s trying to peel back layers of my defenses. The silence stretches taut between us until she pieces it together with an unsettling quickness.
“You found your mate,” she states, voice low and knowing.
I don’t need to respond. The truth hangs heavy in the air like a storm cloud ready to burst.
Kairon blinks at me, shock evident on his face. “Well, I’ll be damned. How did you know?”
Ava shrugs casually, but there’s no mistaking the flicker of recognition in her eyes. “I recognize that look,” she says with a hint of amusement creeping into her tone—“the same loathing look Kairon had when he realized we were mated.”
Both men snap back instantly, their voices overlapping in fierce denial.
“It’s not loathing!” Kairon barks, and I can feel the heat rising in my cheeks at his sudden intensity.
“It’s…” I hesitate, searching for a word that doesn’t betray the chaotic jumble of feelings thrumming inside me. It’s possessiveness wrapped in fear; it’s confusion tangled with something far deeper that I don’t dare name yet.
Ava watches me closely. “Then what is it?”
I open my mouth again but find nothing more than silence there—a void where answers should lie. The reality sits heavy on my shoulders Emry is still out there, fighting for those who remain while I stand here with them.
The ground feels unsteady beneath my feet as I struggle against their insistence. All I see are images of Emry—the way she fought through chaos without hesitation and how her presence calms something wild within me.
“She needs me,” I murmur finally, barely above a whisper.
And suddenly it feels like a chain links around my heart—a tether pulling me toward her even as uncertainty churns within me.
I feel the weight of Ava's gaze like a blade pressing against my skin. “So, where’s this mate of yours?”
“She’s here,” I reply, the words coming out tighter than I intend. “In the med zone.”
Ava raises an eyebrow, crossing her arms. “And you let her stay behind while you crashed into the dirt? What kind of dumbass are you?”
“Hey, it wasn’t exactly part of the plan,” I shoot back, irritation sparking in my chest. “I tried to get her to leave with me. She wouldn’t go.”
“Right,” she says, sarcasm dripping from her voice. “Because dragging her away from people who need help is definitely a winning strategy.”
I scoff, folding my arms as I pace. “I know that! That’s why I can’t just leave. She’s stubborn as hell, and she’s not going to abandon those civilians.”
“Then you better get your ass moving and help her!” Ava fires back, voice low but fierce.
“I’m not leaving without her!” My frustration flares hotter, and I glare at her.
Ava meets my gaze without flinching. “Then what do you propose? You’re not in any shape to storm the place yourself.”
“I don’t know!” I bark, hands clenching into fists at my sides. It isn’t like I can just wave a magic wand and fix everything.
Ava rolls her eyes, clearly fed up with my excuses. “If Emry wants to stay and help these people, then that’s what you need to do too.”
“I know that, damn it.” My voice drops dangerously low. “It just took a minute. I… I can't leave with you.”
“Renn.” Her tone cuts through the noise in my head like a knife. “We aren't leaving. We're going to help.”
“Help?” Nyra pipes up from somewhere behind us, arms crossed and leaning against the ship’s hull. She smirks slightly. “Who made you captain?”
“Well,” Ava retorts without missing a beat, “I’ve been fucking him for three years so I think that’s close enough.”
Nyra shakes her head in mock disbelief as I roll my eyes at their bickering. It's been this way since Kairon found out that Ava was his mate and brought her on board. I've always thought that Nyra is jealous.
But before I can respond, an explosion erupts from the direction of the med zone—a deafening roar that rattles my bones and sends plumes of smoke spiraling into the air above us.
“What the hell was that?” Ava shouts over the chaos.
The ground shakes beneath our feet as panic ripples through me. Emry.