After they emerged from the concrete tunnels, the small group found themselves on the outskirts of the pack's borderline. The sudden chorus of chirping birds and the dazzling sunlight made Trinity squint. She was taken aback to see her four Guardians standing tall and formidable before them, just as they opened the door.
Trinity's face remained neutral, but internally she winced. She hadn't expected her bodyguards to still be around. It had seemed as though they had simply disappeared after Onyx took her and Luca away. She had assumed they went back to their normal routine.
Kael fought the smirk that wanted to break free. He knew Trinity likely thought she had finally gotten rid of her shadows. They had only held back because there hadn't been any inherent danger on the basement level.
"Is something wrong?" Malika asked, straightening her posture as she noticed the four warriors. She wanted them to see her as an equal, a future protector of the pack.
Stepping forward, Zack seized the opportunity to take charge. "We've been sent on a mission. I'm the team Commander."
"Ignore us," Ann told the group of pups.
The group nodded respectfully, bowing their heads to the Warriors before taking off into the forest. Trinity gave them a scathing look before following the rest of her team.
As she ran, Trinity took in the sights. She had never been this deep in the woods. Normally, her class never went this far, where the pack's territory reached its very edge. It was a zone reserved for those in higher positions. Regular pack members couldn't just leave without notice; it would set off alarms. Now, she understood what that meant. All the sensors and cameras would instantly alert them to anyone leaving the pack. It was almost like everyone here was a prisoner.
"They're following us!" Zack spoke aloud, mindful of Trinity's lack of telepathy.
"Do they think we're weak?" Tank's jaw ticked with irritation, his teeth grinding audibly.
"Why would Warriors track us?" Leo asked, confusion etched on his face. This was a low-priority, green mission, not a red-tagged one.
It took roughly 40 minutes of running at a consistent pace to reach the coordinates Dom had navigated for them. He was in constant communication with the Wolves back in the basement.
"We need to search the area. We're looking for a tree with the numbers 162 carved into the base," Zach announced, his eyes scanning the tall trees.
"We are within 10 feet of that tree, from where I am standing," Dom spoke up, his voice a quiet command for everyone not to stray too far.
The group spread out, each member searching the area.
"Here!" Luca called, rubbing his fingers along the carved numbers. He looked up, spotting the camera above him.
Malika pulled out her tablet, tapping a button that synced the information from the trail cam sensor to her device. She typed away as they all waited to see what needed to be done.
"Battery change," she announced after confirming the information was synced. The forest canopy was too dense, allowing only minimal sunlight to filter through.
"On it!" Leo quickly climbed the tree, expertly perching on a branch to change the battery as if he had done it a thousand times. Once finished, he dropped down from the middle of the tree, landing gracefully on his feet.
Trinity still found herself amazed as she watched seemingly human-looking people do extraordinary things. The shock value hadn't worn off.
Tucking away her tablet, Malika looked to Dom, who began to lead them to the next area. This went on for a couple of hours until they reached the outer zone, where they had to add more sensors to the deeper blackout zones.
"Stop!" Trinity called, noticing a large bag hanging from a tree, tied up with rope. Her team froze, looking at her, unsure why she had halted their momentum.
"Humans," she whispered, her voice barely audible, but she knew they would all hear her with their enhanced senses. "This is too close. Humans shouldn't be all the way out here."
Suddenly, a sharp crack echoed through the quiet air. A large caliber bullet lodged into the tree to Trinity's left, and splinters of wood burst from the trunk.
As she turned, trying to cover her face, Luca acted swiftly. He pulled her into his arms, keeping his back to the splintering wood to shield her.
"Hunters," Tank spat, his voice low and filled with simmering rage.
Through the trees, Trinity could see bright, fluorescent yellow safety vests in the distance, easily spotted against the endless green.
"Are you okay?" Luca asked, gently pushing the hair out of her face and checking her for injuries.
"All good," she breathed.
Malika sent a telepathic message to Wesley, letting him know that human hunters were in the forest, right at their blackout zone.
The group of ten all ducked down, lying flat on their stomachs as they hid from the slowly approaching humans, waiting for Wesley's instructions.
The answer came quickly. Trinity couldn't hear what he said, but she watched as her team members' eyes went vacant as the message was delivered to their minds.
At the sound of the shot, Kael moved quickly. He stood just behind Trinity and Luca, sending a mental message to Wesley. He let him know his group would handle the humans and that Trinity would need to come with them.
Reaching down, Kael was quick to pull Trinity to her feet. With a look of utter disinterest at the rest of her team, he pulled her along and moved toward the human hunters.
"Look scared," he whispered down to Trinity just as he began to shout like an angry, aggrieved father.
"Are you out of your fucking mind!" Kael's voice was higher than normal, more panicked and hysterical. He moved his arms wildly, gesturing in fury.
The two hunters slowly making their way toward them noticed the shaking girl and her obviously furious father. They realized their shot must have landed too close.
"We were hunting a deer. We didn't mean any harm," the man said, raising his hands, his gun now pointed to the sky in a show of surrender.
"You could have killed us! You could have killed my kid! What are you even doing here?" Kael demanded, his voice cracking with feigned emotion.
The two men exchanged nervous glances as they realized their crucial mistake. They were illegally hunting on private property. And for the first time, they had encountered the owner.
"We must have wandered off the path that, umm..." he trailed off, unable to think of a plausible lie. How could he explain that they had gone kilometers in the wrong direction without noticing? There was a sign every few meters letting them know they had entered private property.
"I ought to call the cops on both of you," Kael said, pointing a finger in their faces.
"We really... we won't do this again. I just wanted to bring my son on a fun hunting trip, and I made a mistake."
"They're only young for so long," Kael said, his voice softening, like an understanding father grappling with the struggles of a soon-to-be adult child.
"I'm going to need to see some ID. I'm going to log it, and if you come back here again, I won't be so kind."
"But, Dad," Trinity said, her voice laced with feigned anger that he was letting them off so easily. She pressed her hand over her lips to hide her grin.
"We all make mistakes, Annabelle. We're going to forget them," he said, waving his hands as if he were dusting away an imaginary stain.
Digging into his pockets, the hunter's hands trembled as he felt for his wallet. He quickly pulled out his ID and showed it to Kael.
Holding the ID before his face, Kael moved it back as if he were nearsighted before taking a picture with his phone. Handing it back to the man, he gave him a pleasant smile.
"Have a good day with your boy," he smiled, patting Trinity on the shoulder before sending them on their way.
They waited until the hunters were out of sight. Once they were gone, Trinity couldn't hold back the small chuckle that left her lips.
"You're full of surprises." A mocking grin stretched across her face.
"It worked out. No one wants to kill a father in front of his son." His voice returned to its lower pitch, making his words sound stark and violent.
The grin on her lips slowly disappeared as she stared at Kael, wondering if he was joking. She couldn't tell. He seemed very serious.
"You're kidding, right?" Her eyes widened fraction.
Turning away, he led her back into the forest so she could rejoin her training. He wasn't going to confirm anything for her.
"Wait till Boris hears that I called you Dad!" Trinity chuckled, pushing his homicidal comment to the back of her mind for now.
As expected, her words made Kael stiffen. She knew he would be worried about Boris's reaction and what he might do to him. It was enough payback for her, at least for now.
Kael noticed her voice soften, a quiet question hanging in the air. "Can I ask you something?" Her tone made him more aware of her presence beside him. He kept his eyes on the path ahead but watched her from the corner of his vision. "Hmm?"
"Timothy, my friend. The one that shifted—" She gnawed on her lip, a wave of conflict washing over her. She wondered if he would know anything.
Kael's steps slowed slightly. "What do you want to know?"
"Is he okay?" she asked, the question carrying the weight of a thousand others. Is he still alive? Does he hate me? Is he still in his wolf form? The questions were endless, but she only spoke one.
Kael wasn't sure how to answer. Timothy was alive, but not without issues. "He's alive," he said, the words coming out clipped.
He quickened his pace, and Trinity realized he wasn't open to saying anything more. Still, she was glad to know Timothy was at least alive. It didn't lessen her guilt, but it gave her a small measure of peace.