Chapter 18 Ronan
Ronan
Location: Northern Alps — Cliffside Ravine
The forest breathes wrong.
Too quiet in the wrong places. Too loud where it shouldn’t be.
Ascendancy soldiers are closing in fast—boots crunching snow, shouted commands echoing through the trees. They’re moving with confidence now.
Because they think they’ve already won.
I pull Lena tighter behind me, my body a wall she doesn’t question. She presses into my back, shaking—but steady. She doesn’t scream. Doesn’t panic.
She trusts me.
Roscov just made that personal.
“Cyclone,” Aaron snaps into comms, “we’ve got eyes on the heavy escort, but Ascendancy is flooding the ravine. We’re not holding this position.”
Cyclone’s voice crackles back. “Copy. You’ve got ninety seconds before they’re on you. Bird can’t land with that many hostiles in play.”
River swears under his breath. “We’re out of time.”
I scan the terrain—rock face to our left, ravine drop to our right, tree line collapsing inward. This is exactly where Roscov wanted us.
But he made one mistake.
He assumed I’d play defense.
“River,” I say calmly, already moving. “Get the Golden Team clear.”
He turns sharply. “Ronan—”
“She’s injured. You’ve got medics. You’ve got more men wounded from the crash.” I glance at Lena, then back at him. “I’ve got Delta Five.”
Aaron stiffens. “You’re not staying behind alone.”
“I’m not,” I answer. “I’m staying with my team.”
Beckett looks between us, understanding hitting his eyes. “You’re going to draw them.”
“Yes.”
River steps closer, lowering his voice. “This isn’t a solo mission.”
“No,” I agree. “It’s an execution.”
Lena’s fingers tighten in my jacket.
“Ronan…” she whispers.
I turn, cupping her face gently despite the chaos. Snow clings to her lashes. Fear lives in her eyes—but so does steel.
“They’re hunting us,” she says.
“No,” I correct quietly. “They’re hunting me.”
Her breath shudders. “Then don’t let them take you.”
A promise forms in my chest—heavy, permanent.
“I won’t.”
River steps in, gripping my shoulder hard. “We exfil now. Golden Team moves south, back to California. Delta Five stays dark. Off-grid.”
“Good,” I say. “That’s how we work best.”
Cyclone cuts back in. “Pierce, say the word.”
I lift my rifle, eyes already tracking movement in the trees.
“Do it.”
The heavy escort screams overhead—low, aggressive, shaking snow loose from the cliffs. Ascendancy soldiers scatter instinctively, fire breaking into chaos.
River shouts, “Golden Team—MOVE!”
They pull back fast, disciplined, carrying the wounded, dragging gear. I don’t look back.
Because my attention is already locked on the enemy.
Aaron slides in beside me. “Are we ready?”
Miles checks his mag. “Born ready.”
Jase grins—grim, dangerous. “They wanted Pierce?”
I nod once.
“They’ve got him.”
The first Ascendancy wave breaks through the smoke.
I step forward.
Deliberate. Visible.
Let them see me.
Let them recognize me.
Gunfire erupts—but this time, we’re the ones advancing.
I drop two men with controlled bursts. Aaron flanks left. Miles takes high ground. Jase disappears into the trees like a ghost.
Lena stays where I put her—hidden, protected, exactly where she belongs.
Roscov’s voice crackles back into comms again, smug.
“You’re alone now, Pierce.”
I smile—slow and lethal—as I reload.
“No,” I say evenly. “I’m unleashed.”
The Delta Five SEALS move as one—silent, brutal, precise.
And for the first time since this nightmare began…
The Ascendancy starts retreating.
I don’t chase.
I hunt.