Chapter 250
Xena’s POV
Really?” he asked, giving me one last chance to stay behind.
“Ready.” I reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling my legs up to my chest. His hand gripped my right thigh as I rested my head against his shoulder. We drove toward home.
“What do you want for dinner?” he asked gently.
“Something spicy.”
‘Chinese?” Ryder asked after a second.
“Sounds good.” Trees flew past as we drove back to the pack. The radio was off, everything felt so peaceful.
“How much further?” I asked, my voice sounding muffled in the enclosed car.
“Ten minutes, fifteen at most.”
I looked out the window at the familiar scenery rushing past–dense pine forests, occasional rocky outcroppings, and that winding creek. Everything looked normal, but something deep inside was stirring restlessly.
The road ahead began to climb, and the trees gradually thinned. I knew that after one more turn, the border checkpoint would come into view. There should be guards patrolling, routine inspection procedures, there should be-
Ryder suddenly hit the brakes.
The car slowly stopped on the hillside, the engine’s idle sound unusually loud in the sudden stillness. Neither of us spoke, just stared ahead.
The border checkpoint was there, but it shouldn’t look like this
The gate–that heavy iron gate that was always tightly closed–now lay twisted on the ground. The frame was warped and deformed, as if torn apart by enormous force from the inside. The metal surface was covered in scratches, some so deep you could see the steel reinforcement underneath.
“Where are the guards?” I whispered, though I already knew the answer.
No one was in sight. No patrolling figures, no sounds of routine checks, not even lights from the checkpoint. The entire
border station looked like an abandoned ruin, lifeless.
I took a deep breath and immediately regretted it.
The air was filled with a nauseating sweet metallic smell–the scent of blood, mixed with the rust of metal and something deeper, more terrifying. That terror wasn’t emotion, but an actual smell, as if fear itself had seeped into every inch of soil
on this land.
Una began howling uneasily, her claws scratching at the depths of my consciousness, letting out warning whimpers.
“Something’s wrong.” His voice was barely audible. He floored the accelerator. The engine roared angrily as the car shot
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forward. Gravel scattered under the tires, and I was pressed bat against the seat by the sudden acceleration.
“What’s happening-
Armed men,” Ryder said through gritted teeth, “at least three, coming out of the woods.”
Through the rearview mirror, I saw them–three men in camouflage uniforms carrying automatic rifles, emerging from the ruins behind the checkpoint. Their movements were well–trained and coordinated, clearly having been waiting for us.
The car raced along the winding path, but I knew we couldn’t get far. The road ahead was narrowing. If they had set up a roadblock ahead-
Sure enough, a fallen tree lay across the road, completely blocking our way. This was no accident–the trunk’s cut was clean and smooth, obviously freshly sawed.
Ryder was forced to brake, the car stopping a few meters from the roadblock. We were trapped.
“Get out! Hands up!”
Harsh shouts came from all directions. I counted at least five or six armed men emerging from cover, all weapons pointed at our car. Their faces were painted with camouflage, their eyes cold and professional.
Ryder and I had no choice but to slowly raise our hands and push open the car doors to get out.
The moment my feet touched the ground, the scene before me nearly suffocated me. The houses within pack territory weren’t just damaged–they were completely destroyed. The walls of the main building were riddled with bullet holes, one corner of the roof had collapsed. All the windows were shattered. More terrifyingly, I saw bodies.
Three corpses in border guard uniforms lay in the clearing in front of the checkpoint, their blood congealed into dark red stains. Their uniforms were tattered, clearly having gone through intense battle. One still gripped a radio in his hand.
We were too late. Too late.
As I was pushed forward, I saw an even more shocking scene. Our own warriors were all kneeling on the ground, hands bound behind their heads. Their faces were covered in bruises and blood. Luna Kestrel was among them. She maintained the same position, all of them looking at us with expressions of defiance.
Just as I was about to ask what had happened, a familiar and disgusting voice reached me.
“Where have you been? You missed all the fun!”
Tatum!
He emerged from behind the ruins, wearing that nauseating smile–a mixture of smugness, cruelty, and sick pleasure. The moment I saw him, Una let out an angry roar, wanting to break free and tear his throat out. That disgusting bastard. Just seeing his smile made me want to kill him.
Tatum strode toward me, his hand roughly grabbing my arm. His touch made me nauseous, like poisonous snakes ling on my skin.
“Did you think you could escape?” he whispered in my ear, his voice low and malicious. “We’re much smarter than you
think.”
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He dragged me forward, and I heard the metallic sound–the distinctive click of weapons being loaded. I turned to look, my heart nearly stopping.
An armed man was pressing a black Glock pistol against Ryder’s temple. The barrel was pressed tight against his skin, and I could even see the veins pulsing at Ryder’s temple.
“What are you doing here?” I asked firmly.
I need to buy time, find their weakness.
“We came to raid, but it seems you’ve already abandoned ship. Alpha Wiley looked around, appearing annoyed.
“You want me,” I said, avoiding Ryder’s eyes. His hands were bound, forced to kneel beside his warriors.
Seeing Ryder treated like this made my wolf roar, wanting to rush out and tear these bastards apart. But logic told me that acting impulsively now would only get everyone killed.
“Indeed,” Tatum grabbed my face, forcing a kiss toward my lips. I still had control of my body, so I did what I’d always wanted to do. Lifting my knee, I drove it hard into his groin.
“Fuck!” he screamed, doubling over in pain.
SLAP! A warrior angrily walked over and slapped me, splitting my lip.
“You little bitch!” Tatum straightened up, wiping blood from where he’d bitten his tongue. “You’re going to regret that.”
“The only thing I regret is not kicking you harder,” I spat, tasting blood on my lips.
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