Chapter 551

Nina

Finally, it was time.

After two days of preparations, we went to collect Ronan from his cell. Much to my surprise, he stayed calm, not even needing to be guarded as we made our way out to the truck. After the four of us—myself, Enzo, Ronan, and Luke—climbed into the truck, we pulled out and began following the directions to the location.

The drive to the location Ronan had revealed was tense and filled with apprehension, and the length it took to get there didn’t make it any better. Although the car was quiet, save for Ronan’s occasional direction regarding a turn in the road, I just couldn’t seem to shake the feeling that we were walking into a trap.

However, I felt oddly reassured that he was telling the truth. I couldn’t quite explain why, but I could sense it; maybe my wolf’s sixth sense was kicking in. Ronan had proven himself untrustworthy in the past, and it was hard to forget the anguish he had put us through during… well, everything, but he had grown somber since our promise to get him help.

Maybe that was all people needed sometimes. Help getting out of a bad situation.

As we neared the remote forest area on the outskirts of a neighboring town, Luke piped up from the backseat. “This is actually not too far from where I saw Edward at that gas station a while back.”

My heart skipped a beat at the mention of Edward’s name. Ever since his sudden return, no matter how brief, I had felt more on edge at the sound of his name than I had in a very long time.

“You’re sure?” I asked, twisting in my seat to look at him.

Luke nodded solemnly. “Positive. It can’t be a coincidence that Ronan led us here.”

A heavy silence hung in the air as we processed this new information. Could Edward be tied up in all of this, somehow? The thought made my stomach churn.

“Do you know anything about that, Ronan?” Enzo asked, meeting Ronan’s steely gaze in the rearview mirror. “About Edward?”

Ronan furrowed his brow for a moment, then shook his head. “I told you all I know.”

There was a heavy silence, but none of us pressed the matter. I believed Ronan; it was clear that he truly knew nothing more than the orders given to him by some mysterious messenger.

Finally, we reached the coordinates Ronan had given us—a small, nondescript warehouse nestled deep within the forest. It was well-hidden from prying eyes, surrounded by dense foliage and accessible only by a narrow dirt road. We had parked the truck in some underbrush a while back and had walked the rest of the way, keeping off the path in case of being spotted.

As we approached on foot, Ronan cast a furtive glance around before turning to us. “Well, this is it,” he whispered. “The only place I know.”

Enzo, Luke and I exchanged glances before we carefully crept forward, peering through the underbrush. The small warehouse was unassuming, and completely dark. But it was the middle of the day—somehow, I had a feeling that most of the dealings here went on at night.

“Tell us what you know,” Enzo finally whispered, glancing over at Ronan.

Ronan let out the tiniest of sighs as he peered through the foliage. “About once a month or so, I’d meet with my boss here to give him updates on you guys and get new orders,” he said. “But I never went inside. I’m not sure if I would have wanted to, if I was even allowed.”

I cast him a curious glance. “What do you mean?”

He shrugged. “I can’t really explain it,” he said. “The place just gives off… bad vibes. My wolf would always get uneasy whenever we’d get close to the building. I don’t know exactly what goes on in there, but I have a feeling that it’s not pleasant.”

Enzo and I looked at each other, our eyes widening. If that was true, then I had likely dodged a huge bullet by not allowing myself to get kidnapped.

But that just made the reasons for this mysterious “Schreiber” family wanting my baby all the more sinister.

Finally, Enzo straightened and walked over to Ronan, his expression steely. “Well, you’ve held up your end of the bargain,” he said. “Now it’s time for us to hold up ours.”

Ronan nodded, a flicker of relief passing over his features. “I appreciate you keeping your word.”

“We’re the Peacekeepers,” I said, my voice hardening. “We don’t make false promises.”

Ronan’s lips quirked upwards into a humorless smile. “Fair enough.” He stuffed his hands into his pockets, rocking back on his heels. “Well, I suppose this is goodbye, then.”

A beat of silence stretched between us, charged with a thousand unspoken words and lingering tensions. Finally, I stepped forward, fixing Ronan with an unwavering stare.

“If you ever come near me or my family again, I won’t hesitate to use the antidote on you,” I warned, my voice low and steady. “And then, once you’re human and powerless, we’ll dump you right on the Schreibers’ doorstep.”

“And we won’t get involved with whatever it is they plan to do to you,” Enzo added.

Ronan held our gazes, his expression unreadable. Then, after a moment, he inclined his head in a subtle nod. “Gotcha.”

With that, Enzo reached into his pocket and withdrew a thick envelope, holding it out to Ronan. “Here. Enough cash to get you started, and directions to a safehouse in the werewolf realm. It’s the best we can do for now.”

Ronan accepted the envelope, his brow furrowing ever so slightly. For a fleeting moment, I thought I saw a glimmer of gratitude in his eyes, but it was gone before I could be sure.

Without another word, he turned and began making his way back down the dirt path, his footsteps crunching softly in the undergrowth. Luke followed him so that he could open a portal in a more secluded place, and soon they had disappeared around the bend.

An eerie silence descended upon us in the wake of their departure. Enzo and I stared after them for a few moments before he spoke.

“You think he’ll stay out of trouble?” Enzo murmured, turning to look at me.

I exhaled slowly, my mind whirling. “If he comes back, if he so much as breathes a word about us or our involvement, he’s as good as dead,” I whispered. “And if there’s one thing I know about Ronan, it’s that he values his own skin above all else.”

With that, I turned towards the warehouse, steeling my resolve. Now, we would wait.

…

Hours passed. Night had fallen, cloaking the forest in inky darkness, and we knew our best chance of investigating undetected was now.

“Let’s go,” Enzo said, shifting into his wolf form. I followed suit, and soon, I had shifted as well; my senses sharpened, my footsteps growing quieter and more agile in case I needed to bolt at a moment’s notice.

Slowly, we moved silently through the underbrush, our paws making virtually no sound on the soft forest floor. We had to get closer, to see if we could spot anything.

But as we neared the warehouse, I caught the faint whiff of something distinctly canine on the night breeze—the unmistakable scent of another wolf.

Slinking closer, we crouched in the bushes close to the warehouse, our eyes trained on the door. For what felt like an eternity, nothing happened. Then, at last, the crunch of tires on gravel reached our ears, and a large truck rumbled into view, pulling up to the warehouse’s loading bay.

A hooded figure emerged from the driver’s side, their face obscured in shadow. They made their way around to the back of the truck, unlatching the doors and hauling out a massive wolf. It crouched dazedly in the back, with a large, heavy chain around its neck.

“Come on, beast,” the driver barked, yanking on the chains harshly. The wolf complied, almost stupidly, and it was then that I saw the blood and foam dripping out of its mouth. Was it drugged?

The hooded figure began tugging the wolf along behind him. The wolf followed complacently, only stopping for the briefest of moments. I felt my heart stop in my chest as the wolf’s nostrils flared, and its scraggly head slowly swiveled toward us. Its eyes grew fixed on us in the bushes, its pupils dilating.

But the only emotion it conveyed was simple, primal, painful just to look at: fear.

Then, the hooded figure yanked the chains again, cursed out loud, and dragged the wolf into the warehouse.