CHAPTER 177: MISSING?

The participants were faster than Angela expected. Alex moved like wildfire, so quick that he handed the stick to Stales two full minutes before anyone else. It wasn’t that the others were slow—Alex was just on another level. Angela had never seen him fail at anything he tried.

He was always the best, as if he were born for this. She wondered if it was sheer practice or some hidden gift no one knew about. She watched him cheer Stales on, urging him to push harder. The other participants tried to catch up, but her teammate wouldn’t let them.

Stales ran with everything he had, racing toward Xavier. Angela was surprised at his speed. She hadn’t realized Xavier was so good too. No wonder Stales had insisted he be on their side.

Xavier was fast, leaving a wide gap for the others to cover. But then, when he reached where Angela stood, he stopped. He just stared at her, shock written across his face. Angela’s heart skipped a beat. What was he doing? Why had he stopped?

"Xavier, come on," she said, planting her left leg forward on the line and bracing with the other behind her. She didn’t understand why he wasn’t moving. The other teams were closing in on them, getting dangerously close to her teammates.

Xavier stayed frozen. The cheering of the crowd meant nothing; it was like the world had completely shut him out. Angela looked toward the coaches, spotting Kaito with anxiety carved into every line of his face. How long had he been standing there?

"Xavier," she called again, teeth gritted, anger rising. Two of the opponents had already passed their batons, and he still hadn’t moved. Wait—was this one of his memory episodes? Oh no.

Angela had no time to waste. The third participant was approaching fast, and she couldn’t let him overtake them. She leaned and said, not caring who heard, "If you don’t give me that, I swear I will kill you this time. Don’t play with me."

He still didn’t move. The third participant passed the baton to his teammate, who shot forward immediately. Angela exhaled sharply, trying to calm the surge of anger in her chest.

Then, without warning, Xavier was at her side, baton in hand. Relief and surprise hit her at the same time. She snatched it from him and sprinted forward, pushing herself harder than ever.

Angela knew she wouldn’t make it without using her primal powers, so she summoned mighty-stormy. It was dangerous to show it with the whole stadium watching, but she didn’t care.

In less than ten seconds, she raced forward like the wind itself, passing the first two opponents. Their shocked faces told her she had caught them completely off guard. One of them lost balance and tumbled to the ground. The crowd erupted with cheers. She could bet that was the West house.

Her speed only increased as she saw the last participant ahead, closing in on the finish line. Her breathing grew tight, but she could not stop. Her eyes glowed as she poured all her strength into each stride.

She closed her eyes to hide the glow, but in that moment, she could see more clearly. The images around her were faint, yet they guided her. Pushing herself harder, she overtook her opponent, the crowd’s roar rising higher than ever.

Angela crossed the finish line just in time. The bell rang, announcing her victory. She opened her eyes and saw Kaito standing right in front of her. Without a second thought, she ran into his arms. No one noticed anything strange—they only saw the moment of celebration between the West house leader and their winning member.

"Well done, dear," he said, rubbing her back gently.

Her teammates rushed over, breaking the moment. Angela stepped back, though a part of her did not want to leave his embrace. She swallowed her feelings. "Drink this," he said, offering her a bottle.

"Thank you," she said, taking the bottle from him and drinking it all. The cold water calmed her racing heart. It was exactly what she needed after that tough race.

"Hey, congratulations," Stales came up to her. "I was so scared that..." He didn’t finish when she wrapped her arms around him.

"We did it," Angela said, her excitement spilling over. She caught sight of Alex approaching. "I still can’t believe it."

Stales stepped aside as Alex hugged her, and then Angela pulled both of them into a group hug. She noticed Xavier standing a few feet away, silent, not celebrating like the others.

Angela could feel his guilt and fear. She remembered the words she had shouted at him, her hands flying to her face in shame. She had said she was going to kill him. What was she thinking?

She started walking toward him to talk, but he turned and ran off, leaving her standing alone.

"You don’t worry. I will talk to him," Taros told her. She wanted to ask if he had caught up with Mr. Slade or if he had said anything, but before she could, he added, "Congratulations, dear. I owe you tonight."

Angela couldn’t hide the smile that spread across her face. Her mind raced with possibilities. What would tonight bring? A celebration? Another adventure? Or was he planning something else ... A cold shiver ran down her spine as she remembered Mr. Slade’s serious, almost threatening words.

What was she going to do about his invitation ?

******

Hiro woke up with a stiff body, his joints aching from sitting up all night. He had only just managed to drift off this morning. Last night had been a nightmare. Kael had lain sick on the bed while the rest of the crew stayed out, arguing. Hiro had tried to shut it all out, shutting his senses, but he couldn’t forget.

The hospital was alive with sound this morning. Voices, footsteps, the low hum of movement outside the room. Hiro rose from the chair and looked at the bed. Kael wasn’t there. His heart skipped. Where could he have gone without waking him?

Hiro opened the bathroom door and checked. Empty. Panic prickled at the edges of his mind, but he could still feel the bond between them. Kael was alive. Even if something had happened, the doctors would have told him first.

The door opened and a nurse peeked in, smiling. "Good morning, Alpha. Can I come in? I want to check on my patient."

Hiro recognized her from last night. She would be done with her shift soon. "He’s not here," he said.

"Where did he go?" Her brows knitted as she stepped into the room. She glanced at the bed and then at the bathroom, pointing. "Have you checked there?"

"I did," Hiro said, realizing she had no idea where Kael was. "I’ll check outside."

"I didn’t see him on my way here," she said. "The doctor asked me to keep an eye on him. He was so weak. He couldn’t have gone far on his own."

Hiro’s chest tightened. Kael missing again? No way. He grabbed his phone to text Renn, thinking he might know something since he had been around last night. Then he remembered.

He didn’t need Renn. He could reach Kael, even if he was miles away.