Chapter 36

Xander POV

The ale served at our table was questionable. It was warm and left a bitter taste in my mouth.

“It shouldn’t be too long now,” I said while skimming over the crowd that had gathered in the tavern.

Corbin Hawk was sitting impatiently on the other side of the table, his left leg bobbing up and down. He was making me nervous. The fact that the hunter had been silent during our investigation also was very unnerving. He grunted and gritted his teeth. That was about the extent of any sound that came from him since he was mute.

I had been running in circles throughout the city, dodging the rebels and misleading Mr. Hawk for almost a week. Gideon had sent word of a warehouse that housed some goods I could find and destroy without damaging the rebellion. The plan had been perfect, but the hunter was as relentless as my father, making it hard to stick to what I had planned. I had to tip my hat to him. He was highly dedicated. Once he had a scent, he didn’t back down. That also made me wary of him. He had a keen sense of observation, which could ultimately be my undoing as a member of the shifter community.

Twice, I felt Ida’s feelings through our bond, making me act unusually. Cold sweats would arrive without warning, or again, a sharp pain would appear but leave almost instantly. I didn’t know what she had been up to, but that day, I felt like someone had knocked her down and couldn’t breathe. My Lycan intensely hated the distance between her and us. It had been hard to push him down. I felt like he was always an inch away from taking over, transforming us in Lycan form and making way for the woods to find her.

There had also been issues with her marking me. The effects of her mark made my Lycan side even stronger. It heightened my senses to a point where I could almost hear everyone’s blood pulsing through their veins, every breath they took, and every slight movement they did. It wasn’t just my sense of hearing that had been altered, but my vision and smell as well. I could easily see the small specs of dust and smoke floating inside the tavern. The colours were more vibrant, and the scents were overwhelming. I had had massive headaches because of those newfound experiences. I was currently trying not to gag from the smell of ripe male body odours that filled my nostrils. This whole situation made me on edge.

We had followed up on sightings of suspected rebels in some taverns in Maple. Discussing with tavern patrons in the hopes of them providing the crucial piece of information I already detained. It took us days before someone mentioned that they had seen what seemed to be wooden pallets with boxes being stored in a building in the lumber yard. They had thought it odd that people would keep things other than wood in the storage. We were to meet with a lumberyard worker to confirm the rumours, and the man was taking his time making his way over to our meeting.

Leo returned to my side moments later and pointed toward a gentleman that had just entered the bar.

“That’s the guy you want to talk to concerning the lumberyard, milord.”

Mr. Hawk turned to look at the man that Leo had pointed out. He was young, maybe in his mid-twenties, and still had his lumberyard clothes. The hard day’s work stamped on his face. I nodded, thanked the boy for his service, and sent him back to our room until the deal was done. Tonight, we were to find the warehouse and burn it to the ground. We had searched long enough, and I was ready to make my report and leave.

“So, how do we go about it? You talk, I intimidate?” I said sourly to Mr. Hawk. I was in a bad mood, as was my Lycan.

The hunter looked at me with arched eyebrows. His jaw was set in an arrogant position.

“Glad to see your sense of humour is still intact. Always nice to have a conversation with you, Corbin.” I shrugged in defeat and headed toward the young man.

As I approached, I caught his scent and momentarily stopped mid-stride. Our lead was a shifter. I did not know if the rebellion planted him to speed up the process or if he genuinely was a simple lumberyard worker, uninvolved with the rebellion and hiding in plain sight.

I went on the free side beside him and placed my elbows on the high bar table.

“I hear you’re the guy to talk to about shady workings in the lumberyard.”

Our lead made a sideways glance at me and continued chugging down his ale. He put his buck down and slightly turned to face me. It was clear on his face that he was cautious of me, having smelled my Lycan scent as well.

“What’s in it for me?” He said in a smug voice.

Mr. Hawk appeared on his other side and dropped a coin purse in front of him, as well as a knife in between his legs. The man stiffened and squirmed in his seat. I could smell the stench of fear on him.

“What my charming colleague is trying to say is that we will pay you for any interesting information you can provide, and you’ll get a bonus pouch if you show us where the warehouse is in the lumberyard.” I tried to smile persuasively.

The young man looked from me to Mr. Hawk and sighed. He took the money pouch, weighed it in his hand, then dropped it and turned his head to me.

“Tell your creepy henchman to ease up. Faiths. This isn’t worth losing my dick over. I’ll show you the warehouse.”

That was the answer I was hoping to get out of him. I would have hated to “pretend” to find the warehouse myself. It could have been a little obvious to someone as perceptive as the hunter.

The lumber worker got up, pulled his rain frock over his shoulders, and knocked the tavern door open. It had gotten dark quite early, and he held an oil lamp in his hand. He waited for us to follow him and made his way towards his place of employment.

I looked at Hawk and nodded in the wagon's direction we had parked outside the building. We had filled it with oil barrels. I moved close to him.

“With the amount of oil we have, it might be best if we go on foot and you follow us behind. Wouldn’t want the oil lamp to blow us up in the event it falls. The explosion could be big enough to see from well over three towns over with the barrels we’re packing.”

I wanted him out of ears' way for the quick conversation I wanted to have with the young shifter. Mr. Hawk tipped his head and headed over to the wagon, preparing the horses for the road.

I jogged back over to the man, and we made our way quietly until we were far enough from the hunter to speak.

“Which side are you on?” I casually asked in a hushed tone.

The sound of our feet scraping the dirt road muffled most of my question, but I knew that his hearing was perfect and that he had understood my question.

“Same as you.” He replied in the identical, low voice I had used.

I nodded. So, the man was a plant from the rebellion. They should have informed me of this. I hated going in blind. Wild cards were unpredictable.

We entered the lumberyard and made a couple of turns until we came face to a medium-sized wood storage. It didn’t look unique from the other warehouses that we had encountered, but it was the farthest one in the yard. The side panelling on the building had small cracks to let in the air so the wood inside could dry until ready for use.

Mr. Hawk dropped from the wagon and went straight inside to inspect the goods. He threw the second coin pouch to the man and gestured at the oil barrels when he returned. I gathered the finding satisfied him and was ready to blow it up. We took turns dropping the barrels on the ground and rolling them into the building. Once they were all in, I broke four caskets and kicked them hard, spilling the black oil everywhere, coating most boxes.

The hunter had gone on the second level and soaked the top floor with the flammable liquid. I moved near the door to prevent oil from falling on me from the storey above. I was ready to get us out of here and set everything ablaze.

Without warning, the earth shook, and I was hit with a storm of Ida’s emotions. The severity of it brought me to my knees. The sheer shock of energy that overcame me cut the air from my lungs and made me see black spots behind my eyes. What in Faith’s name was happening to her? I staggered, trying to lift myself. My counterpart was forcing me to change. I grabbed the nearest wall and tried to steady my shaking legs. My claws came out at the tips of my fingers, and all the hairs on my body raised in alert. I snarled from the pain that pulsed through my mate bond, desperately trying to push my Lycan down.

I turned to get out of the structure before Mr. Hawk could see me, but I came face to face with the shifter. He was blocking the entrance.

“Lord Starling sends his regards.” A pitched growl escaped from his lips.

I looked at him with confusion as his fist connected with my face, then his foot hit my stomach and sent me flying in the oil-covered dirt.

Mr. Hawk saw the commotion, and I noticed the hunter jumping down the stairs and running for the exit toward our lead; but he hit the thick wide wooden doors that had just been shut and barricaded, trapping us in.

The shifter hadn’t come alone. I could see multiple shadows moving behind the air cracks of the warehouse. I cursed at myself. This had been a setup.

I tried to get up, but Ida’s agony paralyzed me. My Lycan was ready to take over and flee when I saw the light of multiple torches outside. My eyes went wide as they realized what their plan was.

They dropped the torches to the ground, and the crackling sound of fire being fed by the oil filled my ears at the same time as I felt my whole body being engulfed by hot, bright flames.