Chapter Twenty-Two
Lucas
The chaos around me was a mind-numbing blur of snarling teeth and shifting bodies. I could smell the metallic scent of blood in the air. I focused on one thing: reaching Annika. She was surrounded, holding her ground, but I could see her falter. My instincts took over, propelling me forward like a predator zeroing in on its prey.
I reached her just as a shifter lunged at her, claws extended. My arm shot out, slamming the beast to the ground. Its body shifted mid-air, fur retracting as it reverted to human form. It was unconscious but alive… for now. Annika’s eyes met mine, wide with fear but also with trust. I didn’t linger on the connection. There was no time. Instead, I turned to face the onslaught around us.
“Stay close!” I barked, positioning myself between her and the remaining attackers.
Then I heard it. A voice cutting through the chaos, commanding, familiar. My entire body froze for a fraction of a second as I recognized the cadence.
“Enough!”
The shifters paused as if their strings had been cut, retreating a step back. Emerging from the shadows was a man I hadn’t seen in decades but could never forget. His dark hair was streaked with silver now, his frame heavier with age, but his presence was as sharp and commanding as ever.
“Damien,” I whispered, disbelief slicing through my anger. I thought he was no longer among the living. I thought that the same shifters for whom he had betrayed his own kin had ended his life a long time ago. Now, it seemed that I was wrong.
He smirked, his eyes gleaming with the predatory satisfaction of a cat toying with a mouse. “Lucas. How poetic to find you here.”
Annika stepped closer, her voice trembling. “Who is he?”
My teeth clenched, the memories clawing their way to the surface. “My uncle,” I said bitterly. “The one who betrayed my family and our entire clan.”
Damien’s laughter was cold, a dagger of sound that pierced the tension. “Betrayal is such a harsh word. Let’s call it... survival.”
He turned his gaze to Annika, his expression shifting to one of fascination. “And you must be the healer. You’ve caused quite the stir among my allies. I must admit, I underestimated your... potential.”
Annika stiffened behind me, but I raised a hand to keep her from responding. I wasn’t going to let him manipulate her the way he had manipulated so many others in his path.
“Why are you doing this, Damien?” I asked in a steely voice, trying to hide the whirlwind inside of me.
He spread his arms as if addressing an adoring crowd. “Because, dear nephew, times have changed. The old ways are dying, and alliances must shift if one is to thrive. The shifters have their uses, as you’ve no doubt learned.”
The rage building in me was dangerous, a storm I barely kept contained. “You sold out your own kind for power,” I spat.
“I ensured my survival,” he corrected with a sneer. “Something your father never understood.”
His words were a match for my fury. My grip on my blade tightened as I prepared to lunge, but Annika’s hand on my arm stopped me. “Not here,” she said softly, her voice pulling me back from the brink.
Damien’s smirk widened, sensing the restraint. “Wise choice. For now. But this isn’t over, Lucas. You and your little rebellion have been amusing, but your time is running out.”
With a sharp whistle, he signaled the shifters. They retreated, melting into the darkness as quickly as they had appeared.
As soon as they were gone, I turned to Annika. Her face was pale, her eyes full of questions, but I couldn’t answer them. Not yet. Not while the ghosts of my past still clung to me, dragging me under.
“Let’s head back,” I said quietly.
The journey back to the headquarters was silent. Our every step was burdened by what had just happened. I kept glancing over my shoulder constantly. We couldn’t afford to be followed by Damien and his hordes. The others did the same, their makeshift weapons ready to be drawn at any moment.
Annika walked beside me, her face pale and her expression unreadable. I wanted to say something, anything, to reassure her, but the words stuck in my throat. What could I say? That it was going to be okay? That I hadn’t just been blindsided by my past, dragged into a nightmare I thought I’d buried long ago?
We reached the headquarters without incident, slipping inside and sealing the doors behind us. Everyone moved quickly, securing the perimeter, checking weapons, ensuring that everyone was still safe and accounted for. It was only once we were gathered in the main room, the door locked tight, that the tension snapped like a taut string.
“What the hell was that?” Callum demanded, breaking the silence. His eyes were sharp, cutting through the group until they landed on me. “Lucas, who was that guy?”
I exhaled slowly, running a hand through my hair. “Damien,” I said, the name tasting bitter on my tongue. “He’s… my uncle.”
The room fell quiet, the weight of those words settling over everyone. Annika’s gaze snapped to me, her eyes wide with shock. I couldn’t meet her stare. Not yet.
“He’s the one who betrayed your family, isn’t he?” Lena’s voice was low, filled with the kind of quiet fury I knew all too well.
I nodded. “Yes. He sided with our enemies when we needed him most. Sold us out for power, wealth, influence, whatever he could gain for himself. My father trusted him, and Damien turned on him, on all of us.”
Callum let out a low whistle. “And now he’s in bed with the shifters. That explains a lot.”
“Explains, but also complicates,” Lena said. “If he’s involved, this isn’t just about shifters anymore. He knows how we operate. He knows you, Lucas.”
I clenched my fists, the anger I’d tried to push down bubbling to the surface. “He doesn’t know me anymore,” I snapped. “Not who I’ve become.”
Annika spoke softly, her voice cutting through the tension like a blade. “He mentioned me. He called me a healer. How would he know that?”
All eyes turned to her, and I could see the unease in her posture, the way she shifted under the weight of their stares.
“He has spies everywhere,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “He would have heard about what happened at the camp, or... maybe even here.”
“You think we have a traitor?” Callum’s voice was sharp, his hand resting on the hilt of his blade.
I shook my head, though I couldn’t be sure. “I don’t know. But we can’t rule anything out.”
Annika’s voice was soft when she spoke. “If they’re after me... maybe I shouldn’t—”
“Don’t,” I said, cutting her off. Her eyes met mine, and I could see the storm of emotions swirling there. I could see fear, guilt, doubt. “Don’t say you shouldn’t be here. This isn’t your fault, Annika.”
“You being here isn’t what put us in danger,” Callum added. “We were already at war. You didn’t start this fight, but you’ve been part of it, just like the rest of us. Don’t shoulder blame that doesn’t belong to you.”
Her shoulders slumped, her gaze dropping to the floor. I hated seeing her like this—so strong yet so uncertain. I wanted to reach out, to take her hand, but I didn’t. Not in front of everyone.
“We’ll figure it out,” Lena said, her voice cutting through the tension. “Damien or no Damien, shifters or no shifters. We’ve come this far. We’re not backing down now.”
The group murmured in agreement, and we all dispersed in different directions, remaining within the confines of the headquarters. I went to my quarters, and Annika silently followed behind. I didn’t want to be alone. I wanted to be with her.
I leaned against the edge of the desk, watching her pace near the barred window. She’d been restless since the meeting ended.
Finally, she turned to face me. “Lucas,” she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper, “how are you feeling?”
Her question caught me off guard. Of all the things I expected her to ask, that wasn’t one of them. “I’m fine,” I said automatically, though the words felt hollow even as I spoke them.
She frowned, crossing her arms. “Don’t do that. Don’t give me some surface-level answer. I want to know how you’re really feeling.”
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. How could I explain the tangle of emotions inside me? The rage simmering from seeing Damien again, the guilt of dragging Annika into this, the suffocating fear of what could happen to her if this war went wrong? And beneath it all, the way her presence left a mark I couldn’t ignore.
“I don’t know,” I admitted finally, my voice low. “I feel... torn.”
She stepped closer, her arms uncrossing. “Torn how?”
I met her gaze, those deep eyes searching mine. I wanted to tell her everything, to lay it all bare, but the words felt too sharp. “Torn between what I have to do and what I want to do,” I said after a long pause. “Between protecting the people who depend on me, keeping you safe and taking Damien head on.”
Her brow furrowed, and she shook her head. “But I’m not your responsibility—”
“You are,” I cut her off, sharper than I intended. Her eyes widened, and I forced myself to soften. “You are, Annika. Maybe not in the way you think, but you’ve become part of this. Part of us. And I...”
I trailed off, unsure how to finish. I didn’t want to push her away with the depth of what I felt, but I also couldn’t lie. Not to her.
“And you what?” she pressed, her voice quiet but insistent.
“I’m afraid,” I admitted, my chest tightening as the words spilled out. “Afraid of losing you. Afraid of failing you. And... afraid of what it would mean if I asked you to stay.”
Her lips parted slightly, as though she wanted to say something, but no words came. The silence between us stretched, heavy and loaded.
Finally, she stepped closer, her hand brushing against mine. “Lucas,” she whispered, her tone laced with something I couldn’t quite place, hope, maybe, or doubt.
“Do you want me to stay?” she asked tenderly.
I closed my eyes for a moment, the weight of the question pressing down on me. “I want you to stay more than I should,” I admitted, my voice barely audible. “But I can’t ask you to. You have your life, your mother... I’d never forgive myself if I pulled you away from that.”
The moment hung between us like a fragile thread, one I wasn’t sure I wanted to break. Annika’s fingers were still entwined with mine, her warmth grounding me in a way I hadn’t thought possible. For a moment, it felt as though the war, the danger, and everything else faded into nothing but the sound of her breath and the faint scent of her skin.
Then the door flew open with a crash, and reality came hurtling back.
“Lucas! Annika!” Callum’s voice was sharp, urgent. He barely glanced at the two of us, his focus on the chaos behind him. “There’s trouble in town. It’s bad. We need to move. Now.”