Jace had this funny feeling. Even as he slept, he couldn't quite shake it off. He rolled round in his sleep, disturbed by the strange feeling that hung over him.The night was nearing its end, and the darkness began to fade. It's been hours now, but still, in Jace’s subconscious, something stirred, a feeling, an unexplainable one, but still deeply unsettling. It pressed on his chest like a heavy weight, and he tossed from side to side; his breath was uneven. He pulled his brows together forcefully as his dream became increasingly disturbing. The fear was growing, finding roots in his mind as it began to choke him. Suddenly, like a man slapped awake by a hand, Jace shot upright in bed.His breath came out fast and uneven. His chest rose and fell rapidly, and his whole body, from head to toe, was drenched in sweat. The room was dead silent, but his ears rang loudly with a disturbing sound that didn’t belong in his world.It was his laughter, loud and sickening. Blackwood’s laughter fro
It had been a rough day for him, and all he needed was some good news, something to put a smile on his face before he fell asleep, but worry washed over him, and anxiety followed.Jace stared at the lit-up screen of his phone like it held the answers he needed. Nine missed calls, four from Clara and five from one of the officers. His thumb hovered over the space between their contact names, and his eyes flicked from one to the other.He exhaled sharply. He wasn’t ready for Clara, not for whatever conversation she wanted to have. A part of him hoped it wasn't what he thought, but deep down, he knew it would be. Her calls had come in quick succession, which wasn’t casual. She certainly wasn’t "just checking in."And truthfully? He didn’t feel like talking to her, not when his entire reality was being chipped away piece by piece by Blackwood’s invisible hand.He tapped the officer's name and hit "call." The line connected after just one ring.“Alpha,” his voice came through. It was urgen
She tried as she could, but she couldn't just quite shake it off. Like a stubborn stench, it rested over her head, not settling for a second.Clara couldn’t stop pacing. The echo of Blackwood’s threat from earlier in the day rang through her thoughts like am alarm she couldn't silence. No matter how hard she tried to suppress it, it wrapped around her like thick fog. It pulled the breath out of her nostrils.She stood in front of her trainees with her whistle in hand and a stern face. She gave her best face and pretence.“Take formation, now!” she ordered.The group scrambled into motion, but Clara’s eyes lingered on the spot for a moment, a random spot, she had gotten lost in thoughts again. She didn’t even notice when one trainee tripped during an attempted stance arrangement. The heavy sound her body made after hitting the training mat startled Clara back to the moment. She rushed towards her and helped the trainee up. Only offered a simple nod without a single word of correction
It was a very familiar sound, one that wasn't heard often, but when it was, it drew everyone’s attention. Just like today.The sharp, pulsing alarm that echoed through the gym wasn’t just any sound. It was the Pack’s official emergency broadcast tone. Everyone, trainees, coaches and even passerbys, all stood, frozen in place. No one dared to ignore it. Clara, who was in the middle of a session, dropped the foam pad she was holding and immediately turned towards the massive wall screen that now lit up with red lights, signaling that a message was incoming.For a moment, the screen remained blank, building anxiety among the people before it lit up with the image cleared.Her heart stopped for a second, and by the looks of things, everyone who knew the fact on the screen shared the same emotion.There, projected for all to see, was a face Clara never thought she'd witness in real-time, Blackwood.Gasps echoed around the gym as murmurs began to spread. Clara’s breath caught in her throat.
The room fell silent, dead silent, and no one dared to speak. The only sound was the low hum of the screen, still on from the video transmission that had just ended. The air was thick, and nobody dared to break the silence first. Gabriel and Stephanie exchanged a long look but said nothing, both trying to read the other, to know the next act. But Jace, Jace was already long gone.His body trembled, but not with fear, but rage. Rage so raw that those around him could feel it. His fists were clenched by his sides as his jaw ticked repeatedly, like he was grinding his own teeth. His eyes were locked on the screen, though it had gone black moments ago. Blackwood’s voice, his threats still echoed in his mind. The confidence in his voice taunted them. The sick laugh, the last sound he made before crashing his fist into the screen. It rang in every corner of the room, playing over and over in their heads. It nearly drove Jace mad.Gabriel swallowed hard and shifted slightly. He had dealt wi
Jace felt like he had heard enough. How much more could he take? He was yet to recover from the first bombshell, and now another one had just dropped. From the look of things, this one would be worse.The tension hung thick in the air between Jace and Gabriel. Both men were rooted to the floor. They didn't say anything, they just stared at each other with clenched jaws, then back to the expectant face of Stephanie.Jace ran a hand over his hair in frustration while Gabriel stood with his hands on his hips. The weight of what was about to come pressed heavily on their shoulders, and for a moment, neither could find the right words.Then Jace looked over at Gabriel. Their eyes locked for a second, they seemed to be communicating with each other through their eyes, by there was no mindlink, just mutual understanding. Whatever this was, it wasn’t going to be good. Jace nodded slightly, and Gabriel returned it."Stephanie," Jace called, his voice sharp. "Lead us there."Without a word, Ste