Chapter 17 - Keira

By the time the final van leaves, driven by Rosa, who waves her arm out of the window at me as she pulls out of the lot out front, I’m already bored stiff.

I park myself in front of the four monitors Byron set up for me in the meeting room and pull on my headset, watching the tiny red tracker dots of the three cars and three vans streaking up the freeway north in staggered formation. Ado was the first to leave and is almost at the ridge already. He’s driving fast, I realize, way over the speed limit. I should say something, but I don’t.

Instead, I focus on the screens, trying to push down the restless energy that thrums through my veins. The hacked internal cameras of the mansion blink in and out on the monitors, showing me brief glimpses of dimly lit hallways, opulent rooms, and the dark, looming exterior of the compound. Everything looks quiet for now. Guests will soon be arriving.

In one room, the largest chamber in the building, I see a round stage looming out of one wall, lit brightly with floodlights like a theater. Long, thick curtains are folded on either side, obscuring the entrances and exits. Beneath the stage, dozens of seats stretch back out of sight.

My stomach flips. Soon, there will be women in chains on that stage, and the ‘brides’ will be sold.

The emptiness of the pack center creeps me out a little. I miss its vibrant activity—people coming and going, strategizing, arguing, laughing—it shouldn’t be only me here, I think, not when I’m an outsider. I thought staying behind would help calm my nerves. But now, sitting alone in the dim light of the meeting room, I’m not so sure.

I didn’t mean to ask Aris to take me out of the field for this infiltration—it just happened.

He was disappointed—I knew it then and know it now. And I know Olivia is worried for me after hearing I pulled out at the last minute, but I don’t have it in me to tell her what happened last night, or Maisie, or Veronica, or any of my new friends. I just can’t.

I can still hear his voice in my head, his look of concern when I asked this morning.

“You sure about this?” he said. “You’ve been prepping for this infiltration for days. You can contribute a lot from the base, but you can also help far more practically if you come to the extraction point with us and stay with Byron and Olivia for observation and coaching. You know that.”

“I’m sure,” I’d replied, trying to sound confident. “It’s just… I’m not feeling one hundred percent. I’ll be more useful here, keeping an eye on things.”

He’d hesitated, but in the end, he agreed. I’m grateful he didn’t push, but now, as I sit here with nothing but the glow of the screens for company, I wonder if I should have gone with them after all.

If last night hadn’t happened, I would have stuck it out.

But I can’t imagine being there, less than a mile from him, and watching Ado risk his life right now. It would fray my nerves so badly that I worry I might just burst into tears in the middle of the mission. I can’t afford that. I care too much about this job.

The tracker dots continue to move across the map. Ado’s icon blinks steadily, far ahead of the others. I bite my lip. Maybe I could call to remind him to slow down. But speaking to him right now would distract both of us. He knows what he’s doing and doesn’t need me babysitting him.

My thoughts drifted back to last night, to how he held me and looked at me like I was the only thing that mattered. And now, he’s speeding toward danger, and I’m stuck here, powerless to help if something goes wrong.

I shake my head, trying to clear it. Focus, Keira. You have a job to do.

The comms crackle to life, pulling me out of my thoughts.

“Keira, you copy?” Percy’s voice comes through, steady and calm.

“Copy,” I reply, my voice clear despite my anxiety. “You’re approaching the outer perimeter. No movement on the internal cameras yet. You’re clear. The entrance you’re looking for is the lot beside the gondola station. You’ll be driven up the mountain after you provide the documentation, we gave you concerning your ‘job’ serving.”

“Roger that,” he says. “We’ll keep you posted.”

I keep my eyes on the monitors, scanning each feed for any sign of movement. People are beginning to trickle in now—tall, suited men with shadowed eyes. The mansion is vast, with plenty of places to hide, and I know the team will need every bit of intel I can provide to navigate it safely, as well as my coaching, since all I’ve done for days is research the potential attendees and I can guide them through interactions.

The extraction points around the perimeter are secure, at least for now. The vans will soon be in position, and the rest of the team will be ready to move in when the time comes.

The comms go quiet. Then Rafael’s voice cuts through. “Hey, Keira, how’s the view from the command center? You getting bored yet?”

I allow myself a small smile. “Bored stiff, actually. But someone’s gotta keep you guys out of trouble.”

“Trouble? Us?” Rafael’s tone is teasing, but there’s an edge of tension underneath. “Never. We’re professionals.”

“Yeah, right,” I reply, trying to keep the mood light. “Just stay focused, okay?”

“Always,” he says, and then the comms go quiet again.

I settle back in my chair, trying to ignore the uneasy feeling gnawing at me all day. Everything seems fine. The mission is going according to plan. But I can’t shake the sense that something’s coming, something I won’t be able to stop.

For a moment, I consider asking Aris to take me off the next mission, too. Maybe I need more time to get my head straight and figure out how to deal with everything that’s been weighing on me lately. But then, I push the thought away. I know I won’t ask. I can’t keep running from the field forever.

Suddenly, a noise pulls me from my thoughts. A soft creak, barely audible over the hum of the monitors.

I freeze, listening intently. The pack center is supposed to be empty—everyone is either on the mission or stationed outside for extraction. No one else should be here.

Another sound, this time louder, from somewhere above me. A faint shuffle, like someone moving carefully, trying not to be heard.

They must be on the floor above.

My heart skips a beat. I stand up slowly, removing my headset and setting it down on the desk. My eyes flick toward the stairwell at the back of the room, the only way up to the top floor from here. This building is almost brand new, far too modern to be creaking and settling in the evenings.

It’s certainly a person. Whether it’s friend or foe, I don’t yet know. Maybe it’s Linnea—but I can’t see why she’d be here when Aris told me she’s at home tonight, taking care of Araya, Kaila, little Percy, and the babies and then taking the rest of the night to herself.

I slip toward the door, every muscle in my body taut. It could be nothing—a townsperson or a stray animal that got in somehow. But I can’t ignore the thrum of anxiety in my chest that tells me otherwise.

I creep up the stairs, each step deliberate, careful not to make a sound. The light from the lower level barely reaches this far up, and the hallway at the top of the stairs is cloaked in shadow. I strain my ears, listening for any sign of movement, but the only sound I hear is my own breathing.

It’s dark, too dark to see clearly, but the feeling of being watched is unmistakable. I hear my heartbeat in my ears. Whoever’s up here, they shouldn’t be.

A faint shuffle ahead.

My eyes strain to adjust to the dim light. The hallway is too dark to make out anything clearly. Breath catches in my throat as I pause, trying to listen again. But the only sound I can hear is the rapid thudding of my own heartbeat.

A figure lunges at me from the shadows.

I barely have time to react before they’re on me, a hard force slamming into my chest and knocking me off balance.

I hit the floor hard. My skull cracks back against the cold tile, and I see an explosion of light. Bizarrely, I think they’ve set off a flash bomb, but then I realize it’s the fragmentation of my vision. The world spins around me, a mess of shapes and colors.

The stranger straddles me, pinning me to the ground with surprising strength. I try to fight back, kicking and shoving, but they’re too strong. My head spins, disoriented from the fall, and I can’t focus my eyes anymore.

My hand scrambles for something, anything, to use as a weapon, but my fingers only find smooth, empty floor. I twist and buck beneath the mass of my attacker. It’s no use. They’re stronger than they should be, stronger than any human.

A shifter. I realize I can smell it, too—a shifter with the rancid smell of a rogue.

A rough hand clamps over my mouth, stifling the scream that’s rising in my throat. Panic rips through me. I hear roaring in my ears.

I thrash harder, trying to break free, but the stranger only presses down harder, the pressure on my chest making it difficult to breathe. And then, with a sudden movement, they slam my head against the floor again.

Pain explodes behind my eyes, and everything goes blurry. The fight drains out of me as darkness creeps in at the edges of my vision.

No, not again. Please, not again.

I’m back there, trapped in that hell all over again. The feeling of being overpowered, helpless, taken against my will—it’s the same. The same as it was years ago. My mind screams at me to fight, to do something, but my body refuses to respond. The fear paralyzes me, drowning me in memories I thought I’d buried for good.

The stranger’s grip tightens, and I feel myself slipping, the world around me fading into a haze. I try to focus, try to hold on to consciousness, but it’s no use. The anchor of the past drags me down, pulling me under.

Ado. Ado, help me. Save me.

As the darkness finally takes me, one thought echoes in my mind, loud and relentless:

It’s happening again.