CHAPTER 54: MORNING REVELATIONS...

Kael

I bolted from the room just as two warriors rounded the corner, their weapons drawn.

Without hesitation, I took the opposite corridor, trying to run and still be stealthy. In the next few minutes, the quiet facility turned into a maze of running boots and shouted orders.

My mind raced, calculating escape routes as I ran, trying to remember how I’d entered and to create my own escape. I knew that emergency exits would be sealed and main entrances would be heavily guarded. My only option would be through one of these rooms.

I darted into a room, closing the door softly behind me as the warriors chasing after me ran past. Using my pen-like flashlight, I swiped the room, noting it had lots of boxes covered with white clothes.

I moved past the boxes, searching silently for a window. Luckily, I found one.

It took me nearly ten minutes trying to get the window to open, but when I finally did, I stuck my head outside of the window, looking at the ground below. I didn’t recognise this part of the facility.

Left with no other option, I swung my legs over the window, refusing to calculate the distance from the window to the ground.

I landed in a crouch on the soft grass, then scurried towards a dwarf flower fence. I saw a flashlight sweep the area I’d landed before additional orders were barked. The warriors must have noticed that I’d escaped using that room.

Running quietly through the flower fence, I tried to find an exit, but I reached a security barrier. I vaulted over it and immediately sprinted down a maintenance corridor. Behind me, I could hear at least six people pursuing me.

Suddenly, a warrior emerged from a side passage, blocking my path. I didn’t slow down; instead, I launched myself into a sliding tackle that took the man’s legs out from under him. Before the warrior could recover, I was past him and was racing toward an open tunnel I saw.

The tunnel was narrow, forcing me to crawl for several meters before it opened into a drainage system. I paused for a moment, trying to determine where the drainage system led.

After confirming it led to the facility perimeter, I resumed my light sprint.

Water soaked through my clothes as I moved, but it was a small price for freedom.

When I finally came outside the facility grounds, breathing heavily, a figure stepped out of the shadows. The man sneered at me, flexing his shirtless chest and big muscles.

If there’s one known and proven fact, big people—people like this man — may know how to fight, but they are not light on their feet.

I, on the other hand, was a good fighter.

"Going somewhere?" the man asked, and from his waist, drew out a curved blade.

The man charged straight at me, and immediately, I turned left, sidestepping him and then drove my elbow straight into his stomach, following up with another blow to his back.

The man crashed to the ground.

Without waiting to see if he would recover, I scaled the facility fence and disappeared into the forest.

An hour and forty-five minutes later, I slipped inside my dorm room, with my heart still racing. It was a few minutes after seven in the morning, and thankfully, Eamon was still fast asleep.

I rushed to the bathroom, stripping off my sodden clothes and stepping under the hot spray. The water felt like heaven against my skin, washing away the evidence of my morning infiltration.

Just as I came out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around my waist, and my hair still dripping, I wanted to wake Eamon. The doorbell rang.

Wondering who it was, I walked straight to the door and opened it.

I was surprised to see Slater standing in the hallway.

He was about to say something when he paused, his eyes scanning me from head to toe.

"Hey!"

He ignored my attempt at a greeting as his eyes roamed over my body, pausing pointedly on the droplets of water sliding down my chest.

"What’s up?" I tried again.

"Why are you in a towel, half-naked?" he blurted out. His tone held accusation.

I looked at him strangely, raising an eyebrow. The intensity of his gaze was making me uncomfortable, like I was being scrutinised for some crime I wasn’t aware of committing.

"I just came out of the bath," I said slowly, confused by the suspicious look on Slater’s face. "Is that...a problem or a crime now?"

"At seven in the morning?" Slater pressed, his voice carrying an edge that made my hackles rise. "That’s pretty early for a shower, don’t you think?"

My brow furrowed. What is this interrogation about? "Some people like to start their day clean. Since when do you care about my bathing schedule?"

"And you just happened to be half-naked when I knocked?" he continued, ignoring my question.

"That’s generally what happens when someone interrupts you getting out of the shower," I replied dryly. "What exactly are you getting at, Slater?"

He took a step closer, holding my gaze. I could sense his wolf was agitated about something. "Where’s Eamon?"

"Sleeping," I answered automatically, narrowing my eyes. "Why?"

"Just sleeping? Nothing else happened this morning that might explain why you had to take a morning bath?"

My face flushed hot with embarrassment as I realised what he was talking about. "Are you seriously suggesting—? Moons, Slater, what kind of person do you think I am?"

"The kind who’s been acting strange around my brother since the moment he arrived," Slater shot back. "The kind who kissed him passionately at the pool... I saw the video, and I should know a passionate kiss when I see one. And now, you’re conveniently half-dressed at dawn."

My hands clenched into fists on my sides. "That kiss was an accident, and you know it. And I’m half-dressed because I was taking a shower, not because I was doing anything inappropriate with your stepbrother."

"Really?" his brows arched skeptically. "Because from where I’m standing, this looks pretty suspicious."

"You’re being paranoid," I snapped. "And frankly, it’s insulting that you’d think I’d take advantage of him. He’s a boy, Slater. Just like me, and I’m not into boys."