CHAPTER 48

Lucian’s POV

Aaron was still breathing too hard beside me, one hand pressed against his side where the blood hadn’t fully stopped. The medic in the back had done what he could, but it wasn’t clean, just enough to keep him from bleeding out on the ride back.

Kael was gone

Vera was gone

And we had nothing

I stared ahead, my mind running through every possible angle, every mistake, every gap in the operation that could have led to this. There weren’t many. That was the problem. Everything had been tight, controlled, calculated. And yet they still managed to take both of them right in front of us.

“We were set up,” Aaron muttered

"I know”

“They knew exactly how to split us,” he continued, his voice tight with frustration. “That wasn’t luck”

“It wasn’t”

Aaron let out a sharp breath, dragging his hand down his face, wincing slightly when it pulled at his injury. “So what now”

I didn’t answer immediately

Because there was only one option left

And I didn’t like it

“Call him,” I said

Aaron frowned slightly. “Who”

I turned my head, meeting his gaze

“The doctor”

Something shifted in his expression

“…Why”

“Because Kael told me to”

That alone was enough to make him go still

“…Since when do we follow instructions like that without knowing why” he asked

“Since Kael walked into a trap knowing he might not come out”

That shut him up

For a second

Then his brows pulled together. “Wait… you think he planned this”

“No,” I said calmly. “I think he prepared for it”

Aaron didn’t look convinced

Neither was I

But it didn’t matter

I pulled out my phone and made the call

It rang once

Twice

Then—

“Lucian, I was expecting your call,” the doctor said

Of course he was

“Then you know why I’m calling,” I replied

A pause

“Come back to the estate”

Something about the way he said it made my jaw tighten

“…Why” Aaron asked, leaning slightly closer

The doctor exhaled quietly. “Because there’s something you were never told”

That was enough

“I’m on my way,” I said, ending the call

Aaron stared at me. “I don’t like that”

I glanced at him briefly. “I don’t like any of this”

---

The estate hadn’t recovered

Even from the outside, it felt wrong

Guards straightened the moment we stepped in, their posture sharper than usual, eyes tracking us without asking questions. They already knew something had gone wrong. They just didn’t know how bad.

Aaron walked beside me, quieter now, his earlier frustration settling into something colder

Thinking

We moved through the halls without stopping until we reached the lower level

The air changed the moment we stepped down

Aaron slowed slightly beside me. “…Why are we down here”

I didn’t answer

Because the door was already opening

We stepped inside

And that was when it happened

The girl looked up

Her eyes landed on me—

And everything in her expression shattered

Fear

Pure, immediate, overwhelming fear

“No… no… no…” she choked out, her chair scraping harshly against the floor as she tried to push back despite the restraints. “Please… please don’t…”

Aaron froze beside me

I didn’t

“Don’t kill me again!” she cried, her voice breaking as panic took over. “I didn’t say anything, I swear, I didn’t—”

The words hit the room hard

Again

I stepped forward

Her breathing turned uneven, her whole body shaking as she stared at me like she was looking at something she couldn’t survive twice

“Please,” she whispered, tears already falling. “I won’t talk, I won’t say anything, just don’t… don’t do that again…”

I stopped in front of her

Looked down at her properly

“…Pathetic,” I said flatly

She flinched like I hit her

Aaron turned sharply. “Lucian—”

“Do you mind telling me who she is and why we are here,” I cut in calmly, not looking at him

Lina shook her head quickly, words tumbling over each other. “I won’t talk, I swear, I won’t say anything, I’ll just stay quiet, please—”

“You already talked,” I said

She froze

Confusion cut through the fear

Aaron stepped forward, his voice tight. “She thinks you’re Kael”

That made sense

Of course

I tilted my head slightly, studying her again

Then leaned in just enough for my voice to drop

“I’m not him”

Her breathing stuttered

“What…?” she whispered

“I’m the one who doesn’t care if you live or die”

That hit differently

The panic didn’t disappear

It shifted

Aaron exhaled sharply. “Alright, that’s enough”

The doctor finally spoke from the side. “She’s useful”

Lina’s gaze snapped toward him

Then back to me

Then—

“…You’re not Kael,” she said slowly

“No”

Her shoulders dropped slightly, not in relief, just… less immediate terror

Aaron ran a hand over his face. “Can someone explain why she’s alive”

The doctor didn’t hesitate. “Because Kael didn’t kill her”

Aaron let out a sharp laugh. “Of course he didn’t… why would he tell us anything”

“He couldn’t risk it,” the doctor said calmly. “No offense, Aaron, but you’re not exactly the type to know when not to talk.

That shut him up

Not because he agreed

Because he knew it was true

Aaron looked back at Lina, his expression darkening. “So what, she just gets to sit here after everything”

“She’s the only one who can help you find them,” the doctor replied

I stepped back slightly, my focus sharpening

“Then she talks”

Lina swallowed

Her fear was still there

But something else had settled in now

Urgency

“They took them, didn’t they,” she asked

“Yes”

Her eyes closed briefly, like she already knew what that meant

“Then we don’t have much time”

Aaron scoffed. “You suddenly care”

She ignored him

“They won’t just keep them,” she said, looking at me now. “They’ll break them”

My expression didn’t change

“They think they belong to them,” she added

That sat wrong

Deeply wrong

Aaron let out a dry laugh. “Yeah… they can try”

“They will,” she said quietly

I stepped closer again, this time controlled, focused

“Where are they”

She hesitated

“…I don’t know the exact location,” she admitted

Aaron swore under his breath

“But I know how they operate,” she added quickly. “Their facilities, their movement patterns, fallback routes… I’ve seen enough to recognize it”

That was something

Not enough

But something

I held her gaze

“You’re going to lead us to them,” I said quietly, my voice dropping just enough to carry weight, “or I will shoot you again, and this time I won’t care where it lands”

She didn’t argue

Didn’t resist

“…Okay”

Aaron shook his head slowly. “This is insane”

“Maybe,” I said

Then I looked at Lina

“But it’s all we have”

And right now

It had to be enough

Because wherever Kael and Vera were

Time wasn’t just running out

It was already against them