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“Yeah,” Arsenio agrees, relief smoothing out his expression.
We walk back towards the entrance, while slowly examining the items laid neatly on the table in the center.
They’re high-priced items, alright. Some of these weapons were hard enough for us to find. I have no doubt they’re waiting to hold an auction to sell them off to the highest bidder. That was their first mistake though—their second was attacking us and thinking we weren’t going to retaliate.
“I wish I could see the look on Aldric’s face when he—” The smile curling on my lips falls immediately the second the silver glinting in the emergency lights flashes.
“What is it?” Arsenio asks, stepping to the spot right across from me.
Before me lies a gun. A very familiar one—one that’s been missing for weeks now.
“This is my father’s,” I murmur, pointing to the silver-plated pistol on the table. “What the fuck is it doing here?”
My finger shakes slightly, and I yank it back and take a staggered breath.
“You’re sure it’s his?” Arsenio asks, his brows furrowed as he inspects the gun.
“Look at the inscription.” I point to the script artfully engraved into the side. It has our family name ‘Draven’ in large lettering with the words ‘family, duty, pack’ under it. “He always carried it on him; he even had it with him when he visited me at the club before he—”
“Then what the hell is it doing here?” Arsenio huffs, his jaw tensing as though he’s about to search for Aldric himself just to ask him.
“It’s here because his killer must be linked to the bears.” Bile rises in my throat at the clear proof sitting before us. “Did Aldric save it as some sort of sick keepsake?”
“Whatever his plan was, he’s not fucking keeping it,” Arsenio declares.
“No—” I say just as he reaches for the gun, but it’s too late. The moment his fingers grasp the silver-plated pistol, the alarm blares around us, piercing my eardrums with the high-pitched shriek.
“Fuck,” Arsenio blurts and leaps away from the table with the gun still clutched in his hand. “Let’s get out of here.”
We bolt towards the door, and I leap over the motion sensor, not wanting to take any chances. Sure, they already know we’re here, but we don’t need to be blown up in the process.
I push the door open, carefully avoiding the bolts, and we sprint back to our supplies. We don’t have much time now and need to work fast. I chance a glance over towards the compound, already spotting the telltale flash of headlights blaring amongst the orange tint of fire blazing along the trees.
“Strap on your pack and shift,” Arsenio shouts, shoving the guns into his pack and pulling it on.
“What about you?” Terror tinges my words, stiffening my limbs, but I push through it, knowing every second counts.
“I have a remote detonator,” he explains, holding it up. “With the amount of explosives in there, I want to give us as much room as possible from the blast radius.”
I nod, not wanting to waste time arguing as I call on my wolf. I fall to my knees, the shift coming over faster than it ever has before.
“Let’s go,” Arsenio says. He scans the distance, and I can only imagine the commotion already heading our way.
We spring into action, my wolf’s strength reassuring me as our senses burst into overdrive. Taking the lead, we follow the most direct path away from the bunker, pushing our legs to the limit as we try to put as much space between us and the bunker. We cock our ears, making sure Arsenio is still behind us. He might not be in his wolf form, but he’s fast. He leaps over fallen branches, following closely after us.
We slow our pace a fraction, not wanting to get split up as the gap widens between us.
“Keep going,” Arsenio says between panted breaths, but we ignore him. There’s no way we’re leaving our mate to face any of the bears on his own. Not a fucking chance.
Shouts echo far too close for comfort, meaning they must have gotten to the bunker.
“It’s now or never,” Arsenio grinds out, and he skitters to a halt. “Get to the ground.”
We duck into a crouch, rolling across the forest floor with the abrupt stop just as Arsenio drops to the ground. He sucks in a sharp breath and pushes the button as the crack of branches begins to echo.
Footsteps and frantic shouts ring from the clearing for a moment longer, and our heart pounds as the sounds of life get closer and closer.
Did we mess something up?
