Chapter 95: I Should Have Came Sooner

Theo

Theo’s heart leaped straight into his throat. Both brothers snapped their heads around, their wolf instincts flaring in absolute terror as a cold, oppressive aura flooded the cavern, smothering the warmth of the fire in an instant. "I don’t hate anyone," the voice added softly. Roiner stepped into the tunnel. The rain thundered and blared violently behind him at the cave entrance, lightning flashing to illuminate his tall, imposing figure clad in dark robes.

"Roiner!" Theo gasped out, scrambling to his feet alongside Malric. "What... what are you doing here?!" Roiner stepped into the light of the fire, his crimson eyes glowing like burning embers in the dark. "You guys did not return," Roiner stated flatly, his voice devoid of any warmth. "A search party was out."

Theo cleared his throat nervously, adjusting his wet shirt. "Oh... we were going to make it back ourselves tomorrow morning—"

"Please," Roiner cut him off coldly, raising a pale hand. "Save your stories for someone who cares."

Without another word, Roiner walked straight past the two brothers not giving a damn about them, walking straight over to where Travis and Vance were sleeping. Theo watched with wide, bewildered eyes as Roiner bent down, sliding his broad arms beneath

Travis’s filthy, feces-stained body to pick him up, the man looked like he looked at Travis as if, he was the shinest pearl in the ocean and not a filthy covered pig, he didn’t even flinch when he took Travis into his arms, but as Roiner lifted Travis off the stone floor, a sudden tension locked Roiner’s shoulders.

Travis’s hand was tightly linked with Vance’s hand. Their fingers were intertwined in a desperate, sleep-bound grip that refused to let go. Roiner froze. The temperature in the cave dropped so rapidly that Theo could literally see his own breath misting in the air.

"What are you doing?" Theo blurted out, taking an involuntary step forward.

"Taking a student," Roiner rumbled softly, his voice carrying a dangerous, vibrating threat that made the hair on Theo’s arms stand on end. "As you can see, I am taking a student back to camp who is sleeping."

"Then, pick up my brother," Theo offered quickly, reaching toward Travis. "I’ll take Travis."

Roiner slowly turned his head. He didn’t say a word. He simply leveled a glare at Theo and he felt his knees go weak. Oh my, Theo screamed internally, his mind paralyzed with dread. What is that look?! Why does he look like he wants to tear my head off and feed it to the crows?! "Remove your brother’s hand," Roiner commanded, his tone dropping into a whisper.

Malric, sensing the immediate, life-threatening danger hanging over them, snapped his head toward Theo. "Theo, Remove Vance’s hand from Travis." Theo blinked, utterly bewildered by Malric’s sudden panic. "What?!"

"Just do as you’re told!" Malric ordered sharply, trying his best to stay calm. Theo hurried forward, bending down to pry Vance’s long fingers off Travis’s hand. But Vance’s grip was locked tight in his sleep, his knuckles stark white. Theo tugged, strained, and pulled, but the hands wouldn’t separate.

Theo looked up at Malric with a helpless, frantic expression. "Malric, I can’t! Their hands are stuck together!" Roiner let out a low, deeply irritated hum that vibrated straight through the stone floor beneath their boots. He was thoroughly, completely done with this ridiculous ordeal.

"No," Roiner muttered flatly. Before Theo or Malric could even process what was happening, Roiner moved in a swift, terrifying blur of motion.

With his left arm, Roiner yanked Vance straight off the cold floor by his collar, slinging the prince effortlessly over his broad shoulder. He held Vance in place with just a single hand, clamping around his waist like a heavy sack of flour. Simultaneously, Roiner lifted Travis effortlessly into his right arm, cradle-carrying the mud-covered boy against his chest.

Theo and Malric stood frozen, their jaws practically hitting the dirt as they shared a look of shock. Did he just... carry one and a half alpha’s at the same time with zero effort?! Theo thought, his brain completely short-circuiting.

In a literal blink of an eye, Roiner turned on his heel and vanished into the roaring, rainy dark outside the cave, leaving behind only the faint scent of dark cloves and ozone. Malric and Theo stared at the empty cave entrance for a long, silent moment. Theo slowly turned his head to look at Malric. "That was weird."

Malric swallowed hard, nodding slowly. "Indeed." Theo let out a heavy sigh, looking over at where Keali was still passed out against the far wall. He pointed a finger. "Yo... help me carry Keali."

"Sure," Malric muttered, rubbing his temples.

The brothers approached Keali, each grabbing one of his arms and draping them over their broad shoulders. Lifting their unconscious brother between them, they began the long, agonizing trek out of the cave into the pouring rain. Theo looked out at the dark, mud-slicked forest path ahead and groaned from the bottom of his soul. "This is going to be a long walk."

"Yeah," Malric grunted, stepping out into the storm.

Roiner

The quiet hearth inside Team Fang’s cabin crackled with a warm, steady fire, casting a soft golden glow over the living room. Roiner stood beside a small bed in the only room in the cabin he could find that looked like it hadn’t been lived in, his broad chest rising and falling slow breaths as he looked down at Aina’s sleeping figure tucked beneath the thick blankets.

She was still disguised as Travis, her face pale, messy, and streaked with faint bits of dried poop that he had carefully wiped away with a damp cloth. But what made Roiner’s blood simmer with irritation was the sight resting right next to her. Vance was slumped on the bed right beside her bed, fast asleep, and his hand was still firmly, stubbornly clasped around Aina’s hand. Specifically, he was holding the exact hand which was where Roiner’s sacred soul-bond mark was hidden beneath her tunic sleeve.

Roiner stared at their joined hands, his jaw clenching so hard his fangs practically ached.

I should have come sooner, Roiner berated himself, a heavy weight of guilt pressing down on his chest. I should have ignored Cedric and searched every inch of that forest the moment the sun dipped below the trees. Something clearly happened out there... something bad, for them to end up trapped in a cave.