Love And Betrayal | ✔️

62. Mind over matter

"Fight until you can't fight anymore. Never let go. Never give up. Never run. Never surrender. Fight the good fight; fight even when it seems inevitable and you're about to go down swinging."

—Dr. Amelia Shepherd (Grey's Anatomy)

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K I A R A

THE MACHINES BUZZ ominously.

Aden grips the iron bars. The metal dents like putty in his hands.

He looks every bit a leader. Driven by adrenaline. By animal instinct alone. Eyes blazing like twin charcoals, the sinews of his arms are taut as he yanks out the rods from the ground.

Pride warms my heart as I watch the awestruck faces of the Maikohs. Haggard as they seem, there's hope in their eyes.

As the rogues wolves pour in, they realise too late that they've finally met their match.

Behind every attack and swerve, there's a delicate balance, one that hangs between stone cold strategy and grace.

And the Maikohs—they're an ancient force come alive.

There's emotion in every move; anger at the injustice, fear at the looming face of failure, savage pleasure in the warm blood of enemies.

Strike. Dodge. Strike.

I see cracks and splinters; iron rods slamming down on the skull of rogue warriors; the muted cries of men as canines tear into their flesh; the gurgling of death as they choke on their own blood.

It's brutal.

The monitor flickers. A buzz fills the air as the footage is obscured by static.

The room is engulfed by darkness. Only the faint rays of moonlight stream in through the windows.

The scene around me isn't too different. If Aden is shooting bullets into rogues, I'm ramming daggers into their throats. Or at least I was, until moments ago. Now, twenty wolves lay dead at my feet. Claws and nails and fur everywhere. The floor underneath me is bathed in blood.

Wiping the specks of blood off my cheek, I survey the wreckage with grim satisfaction. This is the control room—the headquarters of the security personnel.

Pulling out my dagger from my boot, I cut all the wires, thus deleting every footage that existed upto now.

Static fills the screens. The beeps fade into silence.

The door creaks open and footsteps approach behind me. I don't have to turn to know it is. The familiar scent hits me like a welcoming embrace.

"Finally." He wheezes out, arm braced against the door. "Dammit, Ki. You're one hard chick to track."

Crossing my arms across my chest, I whirl towards him. "You should be with Aden. Why did you leave him?"

He huffs out a tired breath. "I'm not the babysitter of a grown-ass man. Carter can take care of himself."

"Let me guess, he sent you to me to be the shining knight saving the damsel in distress." I shoot him a deadpan look. "And you agreed."

Ashton looks down guiltily. "He was going paranoid at the thought of leaving you at the mercy of the rogues. He was convinced you were in danger." His lips purse into a thin line as he takes in the view—the guts scattered over the floor. "It seems," he breathes out, "He thought wrong."