Page 17

CHAPTER 17

S ilas

The forest stretched wide and empty ahead of us, the mist curling low around the trees, eerie in the early morning light. The cold bit at my skin, but it was nothing compared to the satisfaction settling in my chest.

Lia was safe.

There was no doubt in my mind that she was back at camp, under Jax’s watchful eye, exactly where she needed to be. I hadn’t missed the defiant glint in her eyes when I told her she wasn’t coming. I knew she was mad as hell about it. This wasn’t a fight she was built for though, at least not while she was still human.

Rowan moved at my side, his knowing blue gaze scanning the horizon, while Varek walked a little ahead, leading the way with the kind of arrogant ease that made my hackles rise. Behind us, three of my wolves flanked our trail—Ryan, a wiry, sharp-eyed scout who had been tracking since he was old enough to shift; Caleb, broad-shouldered and quiet, one of the best fighters I had; and Hale, young, but fast and eager to prove himself.

They had all volunteered for this mission, despite knowing what we were up against. While we walked, Varek filled them in on what little we’d managed to piece together about the Nyktos. His voice sounded almost reluctant as he pushed a branch out of his way, scanning the woods ahead.

“They don’t hunt like anything we’ve ever seen,” he said. “They don’t charge in or act on impulse. They don’t take risks. They wait. Watch. They strike when they choose to, and then… they’re just gone.”

Rowan scoffed, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. “Sounds like they’re thinking.”

Varek nodded once. “That’s the problem.” He glanced back at the group, his expression serious. “I’ve seen the patterns. Sent out a scout team a few weeks ago—five men, heavily armed, trained for hostile recon. I monitored their movement for four days.”

He paused.

“And then—nothing. Radio contact cut. No distress signal. They just vanished.”

Ryan frowned. “So, what the hell happened to them?”

“I don’t know,” Varek muttered. “I found their gear: a boot, a broken comm unit, a bloody captain’s log. But no trails, no bodies, no signs of a fight. Just… gone.”

“You didn’t mention this before,” I said, narrowing my eyes.

Varek exhaled, clearly not proud of the answer. “Because I needed you with me. I needed backup. If I’d told you that the last trained squad that I sent out disappeared without a trace, I figured you wouldn’t come.”

I clenched my jaw, but couldn’t argue. He wasn’t wrong.

Caleb stepped over a root and cleared his throat. “So what are they doing? Why take people?”

Varek hesitated. “I don’t know. But something’s changing. The captain’s log noted increasing movement around old mining corridors and cave networks we thought were inactive. Areas that haven’t had wildlife in months are starting to rot. All evidence points to the fact that there are more of them with each passing day.”

Hale’s face was pale. “So, what happens when there are too many?”

Varek’s voice dropped, his tone final. “Then we lose. All of us.”

Silence settled over the group and none of us said anything for a while.

We were making good time, the group moving in sync, each of us instinctively spreading out just enough to cover every angle. I adjusted the knife at my belt, ensuring it sat comfortably within reach. I preferred my claws, but when you were walking into a fight you didn’t understand, it was best to have a few backup plans.

Varek still walked just ahead of us, Rowan at my side, both scanning the terrain with the same wary, assessing gaze. We’d been traveling south for a few hours, the tension obvious, but no one had spoken in a while.

“So,” Varek finally drawled, glancing over his shoulder. “How’d your mates take the news of being left behind?”

Rowan grunted, keeping his eyes forward.

I huffed out a short breath, my mouth twitching slightly. “Let’s just say conversations were had.”

Varek snorted. “That sounds like a polite way of putting it…”

I exhaled, keeping my gaze forward. “Jax is handling her.”

Varek smirked. “Handling her? Sounds like a full-time job.”

I shot him a look, unimpressed. “Jax can handle her.”

Rowan glanced over. “You trust him to keep her there?”

I nodded once. “Jax knows what’s at stake. She’s not following us, not with him on the job.”

Varek let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. “You hope she’s not following us.”

Rowan gave him a bland look. “I don’t see your mate trailing behind us, either.”

Varek just grinned. “That’s because I don’t have one.”

“Yet,” I said as I flicked my eyes toward him.

Varek didn’t answer, just curled his lip and kept walking.

I went back to ignoring him.

Lia was stubborn, but she wasn’t stupid. Jax was one of my best. He knew how important it was to keep her safe. He wouldn’t let her just slip away.

Right?