Chapter 83

**AUSTIN**

The scent of sweat and dirt filled the training grounds as I landed a solid punch against my opponent’s ribs, forcing him back. The deltas were pushing hard today, testing my reflexes, but my mind was somewhere else.

Something was wrong.

It started as a flicker of unease in my chest, a weight pressing against my ribs. At first, I ignored it, chalking it up to exhaustion, but as the seconds passed, the feeling only grew stronger. My instincts screamed at me. Aria.

I abandoned the fight without a word, ignoring the confused looks of my packmates as I strode toward the edge of the field. Pulling my phone from my pocket, I dialed Cassius.

He picked up after the second ring.

"Austin? What's up?"

"Have you heard from Aria? Or Adam?"

A pause. Too long for my liking.

"No. Should I have?"

My jaw clenched. "It’s been too long since she checked in. Something’s off. I can feel it."

Cassius exhaled sharply. "Austin, she’s in Europe. They’re both fine. You’re overthinking."

But I wasn’t. My instincts had never failed me.

"Call me the second you hear from them," I said before hanging up.

Not satisfied, I immediately dialed Alex.

"Tell me you can track them."

Alex didn’t ask questions. "Give me a sec."

The sound of rapid typing filled the silence as I paced. My heart pounded against my ribs, frustration mounting with every second that passed.

"Come on, Alex."

"Got them," he finally said. "Hang on, I’m hacking into some surveillance feeds."

I barely breathed as I waited. Then I heard a sharp intake of breath from his end.

"Austin… it’s bad."

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. "Show me."

A moment later, the live feed appeared on my phone screen. It was grainy, but the view was unmistakable—Lord Ambrose’s castle, dark and looming against the night sky. And outside of it, chaos.

Figures moved through the shadows, circling the castle walls like predators. Flashes of gunfire cut through the night, followed by small explosions. Smoke curled toward the sky.

Fares’ voice came through the speaker. "They’re human."

"How do you know?" My voice was low, deadly.

"Look at their movements," Fares said. "They’re using formation tactics—efficient, controlled. Werewolves fight with instinct. Vampires move with unnatural speed. These attackers are methodical, precise. And those weapons? Silver rounds, incendiary devices… they came prepared."

Hunters.

I clenched my fist so tightly my nails bit into my palm. My mate was in the middle of a goddamn war zone, and I was stuck on the other side of the world, useless.

Fares continued. "We need to move fast. If they came for Ambrose, they came for information. But if they came for Adam and Aria…"

He didn’t finish, but he didn’t have to.

I gritted my teeth. "Get a jet ready. Now."

Then I ended the call and turned toward the pack house, my pulse hammering in my ears.

I had to get to her. Before it was too late.

**ARIA**

Chaos exploded around me.

Gunfire echoed through the halls, a sharp contrast to the eerie silence that had settled over the castle just moments ago. The scent of burning wood and metal filled my lungs, mixing with something darker—blood. I ducked behind an overturned table, my pulse hammering so loudly I could barely think. The attack had been swift, precise, and before I knew what was happening, Adam and I had been separated.

*Adam!* My mind screamed for him through our link.

*Stay hidden*, his voice came back, tight with urgency. *I’m coming to you.*

I wanted to believe him, but I wasn’t sure if he even knew where I was. One second, we had been side by side, following Lord Ambrose down one of the dimly lit corridors, and the next, an explosion had ripped through the walls, forcing us apart in the chaos.
A hand grabbed my arm, and I spun, ready to fight, but it was Ambrose. His expression was as unreadable as ever, though there was something sharp in his gaze. “Come with me,” he said, pulling me toward a hidden passage behind an old bookcase. “Now.”
“No.” I yanked my arm free. “Not without Adam.”

Ambrose let out a sharp breath, his patience clearly thinning. “Your hybrid is strong, but even he is not invincible. If you stay here, you’ll be dead or worse—captured.”

The way he said it sent a chill down my spine. Captured. The hunters weren’t here just to kill. They wanted something—or someone.

I clenched my fists. *Adam, Ambrose is taking me somewhere safe. Meet us when you can.*

*No.* His response was immediate, laced with fury. *You don’t trust him, and neither do I. Stay where you are, I’ll—*

*There’s no time!*

Ambrose was already moving, and I had no choice but to follow, ignoring the way my instincts screamed at me. The hidden passage was narrow, barely wide enough for us to slip through single file. The stone walls felt suffocating, pressing in on me as we descended deeper into the castle.

When we finally emerged into a dimly lit chamber, I spun on him. “Where are we?”

“A safe room,” Ambrose said, shutting the heavy door behind him. “Hidden from prying eyes.”

I exhaled sharply, trying to steady my breathing. My body was still on high alert, my hands itching to fight, to dosomething.
Ambrose took a step toward me, his gaze raking over me in that same assessing way he had when we first arrived. “You are fascinating.”

I tensed. “Not the time.”

He chuckled, circling me slowly, his predatory grace making my skin crawl. “I was simply thinking,” he mused, “how remarkable it is that you’re exactly as they predicted. A Scava—strong-willed, stubborn, and entirely impervious to charm.”

I crossed my arms. “Was that supposed to be a compliment?”

“An observation.” His smirk deepened. “Most would be flattered to have my attention, but you?” He tilted his head. “I could stand here, showering you with the most poetic of praises, and you would look at me as if I were nothing more than an inconvenient mosquito buzzing in your ear.”

I didn’t even dignify that with a response.

Ambrose laughed, a rich, amused sound. “I must say, I like you, Aria.”

“Well, I don’t like you.”

That only made him laugh harder.

I sighed, my frustration mounting. *Adam, where the hell are you?*