16. Dylan/ Whizz

DYLAN

I grabbedmy lunchbox and headed towards the staff room, I was planning to eat my lunch there.

Just as I was about to step inside, I heard Kyle”s voice calling out to me. ”Dylan! Hey, come over here!”

Kyle waved from the benches near the playground, and I couldn”t help but smile. I changed course and headed over to join him.

As I settled down on one of the benches, Kyle asked, ”So, how”s it going? How are you liking your classes?”

I took a bite of my sandwich before replying, ”The kids in my class are great. They”re so enthusiastic and eager to learn.”

As I nibbled on my ham and cheese sandwich, I noticed Kyle eyeing my bag of chips.

Without hesitation, I offered him some, and he graciously accepted.

Between bites, Kyle asked, ”So, where did you work before this place?”

I hesitated for a moment, considering how much to share.

”I was at a kindergarten in Greenfield, but I had to take some time off for personal reasons,” I said.

It was a vague but truthful answer. Kyle was friendly, but I wasn”t ready to spill the details of my recent trauma to a relative stranger.

Kyle nodded in understanding and then shared his own story.

”I used to teach in a kindergarten in the city. I moved here due to some boy troubles and family stuff. My stepbrother, my own family, needed me, so I decided to come back.”

”That”s really nice of you,” I said.

We soon finished our lunch, realizing it was almost time to head back to our classes.

As we gathered our things and stood up, Kyle asked, ”Hey, would you like to grab a coffee after classes sometime?”

A warm smile spread across my face. ”I”d like that,” I replied.

I told Kyle to go ahead, as I’d forgotten my lesson plans in the staff room.

As I hurried down the school corridor, the hairs on my arms stood on end.

A shiver ran down my spine, and I felt an eerie but familiar sensation, as if someone were watching me.

I glanced around, but the fading echoes of children”s laughter and the distant murmur of voices were the only sounds.

My rabbit half, always alert to danger, didn”t sense an immediate threat.

Still, the feeling of vulnerability gnawed at me.

I had grown accustomed to the protective presence of Whizz and his bear-shifter MC brothers, and perhaps I”d taken their shield for granted.

Now, I had to get used to being on my own again.

I reached the end of the corridor and glanced out the school windows, where the late afternoon sun cast long shadows.

There, next to a car parked nearby, I saw a shadowy figure. Panic surged through me as I struggled to make out any defining features.

Fear gripped my heart, and I knew I couldn”t ignore this unsettling presence any longer.

My heart pounded in my chest as I continued to watch the shadowy figure from the safety of the corridor.

Every part of me screamed to get away from the windows, to run to the safety of the staff room, or to call for help.

But another thought held me back.

If I told Whizz about this, he”d come rushing back for me, even if it turned out to be a false alarm.

His protectiveness was a reassuring comfort, but I couldn”t rely on it forever.

I needed to learn to stand on my own two feet, to regain my confidence.

It had been months since I escaped that horrible ordeal in that house, and I”d convinced myself I was over it.

But now, as fear coursed through my veins, I realized that maybe I needed more time.

Maybe my mind was still playing tricks on me, conjuring up threats where there were none. But I couldn”t take that chance.

With trembling hands, I slowly backed away from the window, my eyes never leaving the shadowy figure outside.

I needed to be cautious, to ensure my safety, even if it meant facing my fears alone.

”Dylan, did you get your lesson plans?” It was Kyle.

I let out a sigh of relief.

Kyle must”ve noticed something on my face because he asked, ”Is everything alright?”

I hesitated for a moment, my heart still racing. Should I confess what had been haunting my thoughts? Finally, I decided to share.

”I thought someone was watching me,” I said.

Kyle”s brow furrowed with concern, and I couldn”t help but feel worried that he might think I was delusional or a raving lunatic.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself before explaining further.

”I”m worried about an old stalker,” I blurted.

It sounded ridiculous but that was the only thing that I could think of on the fly.

Kyle followed my gaze, looking out the window into the parking lot. I watched as he scanned the area, trying to see what I had seen just moments ago.

The seconds dragged on as my anxiety continued to build. Finally, he turned back to me, his expression confused.

”What figure? There”s no one there, Dylan,” Kyle replied.

I blinked in surprise. My heart pounded in my chest as I struggled to comprehend what was happening. Had I imagined it?

The chilling sensation of being watched still clung to my skin, but if Kyle couldn”t see anything, then maybe it was just my paranoia playing tricks on me.

I rubbed my temples, feeling a headache coming on.

”Maybe I”m just overreacting,” I mumbled, more to myself than to Kyle. But deep down, I couldn”t shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong

WHIZZ

I was doingresearch on a rival MC for Venom when my phone buzzed and interrupted my concentration.

I glanced at the screen, and ”Marc” flashed in bold letters.

My heart sank a little as I answered, knowing that Marc”s last lead had taken me nowhere but to the grim discovery of Dylan and Jake”s old bones.

We hadn”t found any clues about his missing brother, Tommy.

”Hey,” I greeted him, guilt already gnawing at my insides.

”How you doing, Whizz?” Marc asked.

I sighed, leaning back in my chair and rubbing my temples.

“I just took a trip back to my old family”s place. Had to bury Jake next to our old man.”

There was a heavy silence on the other end of the line, as if Marc was trying to find the right words.

I could almost feel his pain through the phone.

”Damn, I”m sorry to hear that,” he finally said.

I appreciated his condolences but knew there was more to discuss.

”Yeah, it”s been tough but Dylan, one of the omegas we’d rescued, has been a huge help.” I paused, then continued, “I haven”t stopped looking for Tommy. I promise, Marc, we”ll find him.”

Marc fell silent for a few moments and all I could hear was his breathing. I could tell something was wrong.

I”d known Marc for years, and he was always the guy who had a handle on his emotions.

He didn”t get rattled easily, which made me all the more concerned.

”Hey, Marc, talk to me,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm. ”What”s wrong?”

There was a frustrated growl on the other end of the line before Marc finally spoke. ”Whizz, it’s bad.”

I furrowed my brow, my curiosity piqued. Marc didn”t usually reach out unless it was related to our MC business.

”Alright. What”s going on?”

I could sense Marc”s frustration as he took a moment to compose himself.

It wasn”t like him to lose control like that. It made me uneasy, waiting for whatever bombshell he was about to drop.

“A few days ago, you sent me all the information you had on Gregory Hicks and his gang,” Marc said.

“That’s right,” I answered.

”I”ve been keeping tabs on them, Whizz.”

I let out a slow breath, realizing that there was more to this conversation than met the eye.

Marc”s earlier loss of control now made sense; something about this situation had gotten under his skin.

I stayed quiet, waiting for Marc to continue.

I knew he would tell me what was really eating at him when he was ready, and until then, I”d be here, ready to listen and help in any way I could.

“There’s been two new abductions in Stormriver. Two brothers went missing last night, as they were closing up their family store,” Marc said.

My heart sank. I grabbed my laptop and entered the address into the search bar.

Stormriver was not far from Crimson View, where we had managed to rescue Dylan and the others from Hick’s old estate.

I clenched my jaw, feeling the grizzy, half-feral part of me jolt awake. I understood now the reason behind Marc”s frustration and anger.

We had put in the work, risked everything to dismantle Hicks” operation, and it seemed like we had succeeded.

But instead of running away and going into hiding, Hicks” group had started a new operation. They sure had nerve.

”Damn it,” I muttered under my breath.

”These people are like cockroaches, Whizz,” Marc said, his voice heavy with frustration. ”They don”t know when to stop.”

I couldn”t help but nod in agreement, even though Marc couldn”t see me.

Hicks and his gang had proven to be resilient, relentless, and utterly ruthless.

”They”re a damn plague,” I muttered, my anger simmering just beneath the surface. ”If they”d been there at the Crimson View property, me and my MC brothers would”ve taken care of them permanently.”

Things would have been so much easier, if that happened, if Piston, Nitro and I managed to end every member of Hick’s gang in one fell swoop.

That didn’t happen though.

”I know, Whizz. But you and your MC brothers prioritized the safety of the rescued omegas. I would”ve done the same thing in your shoes,” Marc told me.

Dylan and the other survivors had been through hell.

Ensuring their safety first had been a given, even if it meant letting the rest of those rats scatter.

It didn”t mean we would leave Hicks and his gang alone; it meant we needed to regroup and come up with a plan to wipe them out for good.

”They won”t escape justice forever,” I said, an edge of my voice. ”We”ll find them, Marc, and this time, they won”t slip through our fingers.”

”Whizz, don”t do anything rash,” Marc warned. ”I can hear the fury in your voice, but Hicks is smart and careful.”

I rubbed my temples, struggling to keep my emotions in check.

Marc had a point, but I couldn”t help the simmering rage that burned within me.

Hicks had made a grave mistake by continuing his operations. He should have known when to stop.

“Something is bugging me, Whizz,” Marc said. “It feels like Hicks is taunting us, issuing a challenge to whoever closed his operations in Crimson View. I have a feeling he”s trying to find out who”s responsible for his missing merchandise.”

I knew Marc was right, that we needed to approach this with caution and intelligence, but it was hard to think past the blinding rage that consumed me.

My thoughts drifted to Dylan, my brave mate who had fought so hard to move forward.

He”d found an apartment, secured a new job, and was finally beginning to heal. Dylan was learning to live again. And now, this had to happen.

I clenched my fists, my anger boiling over.

”It pisses me off, Marc. Hicks doesn”t get to ruin everything Dylan and the other survivors are working hard for. They should be able to continue rebuilding their lives without fear,” I said.

”I know, Whizz. We”ll get through this, and we”ll make sure Hicks pays for what he”s done. But we have to be smart about it, for the sake of everyone involved,” Marc said. “Will you promise me you won’t do anything rash until we have more information?”

“Fine,” I mumbled, unhappy about my decision.