CHAPTER 121: THE ASSIGNMENT...

Kael

The message from my Master had come at the worst possible time.

My phone buzzed just as I sat at my desk. "Urgent. Come now."

Since my Master knew I had problems with reading words, he never sent lengthy messages that would make it difficult for me to read.

Just as I was wondering what the problem was, because he had never requested to see me during school hours, never interrupted my daily routine, except in cases of life-or-death issues or when something truly important had happened.

Almost immediately, Rhett had called me with news of Charis’s arrest, and it was spreading through the school like wildfire.

By the time I arrived at her class, with Slater behind me, the classroom was crowded with students peeking inside, trying to see what was happening.

I remembered seeing blood when I walked in and saw how distressed Charis had been.

I wanted to retaliate, but experience had taught me that being the Victim in Ravenshore didn’t mean you would win the case because one tiny reaction from you would tip the balance in favour of your offender.

I suppressed the instinct that screamed at me to tear apart the people who had made her sad. Fast forward, the next few minutes after that had been nothing but gruelling. I had to watch a clip of Charis being accused of crimes she would never commit.

I’d watched in pain and confusion as Vale handed Slater and Rhett strange words written in white papers, and for the first time, I wished I could read. I wished I could pick up a paper and see the words for what they are.

I just stood there helplessly as they took Charis to the holding cells. While we were at Vale’s message, another message from my Master came into my phone again, requesting I drop everything and come.

I stared at the screen, clenching my jaw so hard that I thought my teeth might crack, and for a moment, I considered ignoring it. Charis was in trouble, and I wanted to be here, but years of training, years of being taught to obey rules and follow orders, made my fingers move across the keyboard before I could stop them as I typed.

"On my way."

An hour later, I arrived at an abandoned warehouse at the edge of Ravenspire pack and around Ravenshore Academy area. From the outside, it appeared to be the same as it always had.

I nodded to the other agents as I walked past them, muttering back their greetings. My mind was still back at school, still focused on the way Charis had looked when she was dragged out of the classroom.

If only we knew something like that would happen, I wouldn’t have let Charis set foot outside my room.

I walked into the main hall and spotted my Master at the other end, but he wasn’t alone. He was standing with a tall man, who stood with his back to me. Something about the way his shoulders were slumped pulled me to the stranger as I wondered who he was.

Since I couldn’t just walk up to my Master without prior information, and especially since he was with someone, I cleared my throat to announce my presence. Immediately, my Master looked up and waved me over.

As I neared both of them, I could see the stranger. First, I could tell he was an Alpha from the way he carried himself, his expensive clothes and his Alpha signet ring on his left thumb.

But instead of expecting the Alpha aura and commanding presence every Alpha I’ve met (and I’ve met dozens of them) carried, this man looked haunted. The bones in his neck were sticking out as if he were sick, and from the deathly pallor of his skin and the dark circles around his eyes, I could tell he hadn’t slept properly in months.

One of the things we always learned in training was learning to control our emotions. Detaching yourself from the feelings of your client and focusing solely on how to solve the problem, but as I stared at the man, I felt a surge of sympathy.

Whatever had brought him here, whatever had reduced this Alpha to such a state, it had to be devastating.

I tried to recall if any students had recently gone missing in Ravenshore or Ebonvale.

"You’re here," my Master called out to me, drawing my attention to him.

I nodded and bowed slightly to both him and the Alpha.

"This is Alpha Silas Greye," my Master began.

As soon as I heard the man’s name, everything stopped. The world seemed to pause; my breathing, my heartbeat, even the blood in my veins stopped flowing. I turned to look at the man again, to really look at him, and suddenly, the gaunt features made perfect sense.

I recognised Charis’s bone structure, down to his hair. This wasn’t any Alpha seeking help; this was Charis’s father.

The man who had driven my mate away from her home, her pack, her identity. The reason she was here, disguised as a boy, was to live in constant fear of discovery. The source of every nightmare that made her who she was today.

I felt hatred begin to rise inside me; it was so sudden that it startled even me. I had spent years learning to filter through emotions like hate and not to let it cloud my judgment, but looking at him? I didn’t know how to describe how I felt.

Black snarled inside me, pressing against his constraints.

"So he lost his daughter more than two months ago," my Master continued, but his voice sounded like it was coming from underwater. I wasn’t looking at him anymore. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Alpha Silas, couldn’t stop the hatred that was filling me.

As an agent, I’d been trained to compartmentalise. To set aside personal feelings and focus on the mission. I’d worked cases involving people I despised, people who made my skin crawl, and I’d maintained perfect professional detachment. But standing here, looking at the man who had caused Charis so much pain, every bit of that training deserted me.

I wanted to kill him. The urge was so strong that my hands twitched, and I had to shove my hands inside my pockets.

"They traced Charis’s trail from Crestborne down to Ravenspire pack," my Master was still saying, "but they haven’t been able to find where she is. The Alpha has searched Ebonvale and all over the packs, but has made no headway."

I forced myself to nod, and to look engaged, even as my mind raced. They were looking for her. They were getting close. And somehow, I was being brought in to help them find the one person I’d die to protect.

"So what’s next now?" I asked, proud that my voice didn’t hint at what I felt within.

"Alpha Silas heard of us through a friend and hopes we can reunite him with his daughter. So, we’ll try to find her," my Master replied, then turned to Alpha Silas. "We’ll try our best to find your daughter."

The man nodded and mumbled. "Thank you." Then he started to leave.

But something inside me couldn’t let him walk away.

"What exactly happened?" I asked quietly. "Did she just disappear or—?"

Alpha Silas paused, turning back to regard me. His grey eyes flickered over my form before he finally murmured.

"No. She ran away."

"Why?"

The single word hung in the air between us. Alpha Silas’s gaze shifted to my Master as if he was telling him to control me, and instantly, my Master moved to stand beside me, his hand settling on my shoulder to calm me.

"That’s enough," he said through gritted teeth.

Alpha Silas looked at me one last time before walking out. The moment he was gone, my Master rounded on me.

"What’s wrong with you? That man is paying lots of money for us to find his daughter. You can’t just—"

"We can’t take that job!" The words came out of me before I could stop them. "Return his money. We are not taking it."

My Master stared at me like I’d grown a second head. Then he moved closer, reaching up as if to check my forehead for fever. I jerked backwards, dodging his hand.

"Are you alright? Are you sick?"

The question irritated me, but I ignored it, focusing on the one thing that mattered. "Return his money to him. Let’s not take the job."

My Master scoffed. "I should return a hundred million dollars to him? Why?"

I shrugged, not trusting myself to explain the real reason. "I don’t like the man."

"When has that ever mattered to you?" he asked, and he wasn’t far from the truth. When had I ever cared about liking a client? When had I ever let personal feelings interfere with a job?

"We have work to do," he continued seamlessly. "Anyway, since you’re closest to Ebonvale, why don’t you start there? See if she’s really at the school and they’re hiding her."

He pulled out a photograph and slid it across the table toward me. My heart stopped completely.

It was Charis. Not as I knew her now—not as Eamon, the quiet boy whom I’d met on the first day at the assembly hall—but as she really was.

Her long blond hair flowed over her shoulders, softening the features on her face. She looked younger in the photo, more innocent, but there was already a shadow in her eyes that spoke of pain I was only beginning to understand.

I stared at the picture and then looked up at my Master. "No."