<h4>Chapter 222: Thest stand.</h4>


    <strong>Kael</strong>


    "Kael," Rhett’s voice crackled through the radio, tight with tension. "Kael, we have a problem."


    I pressed the radio to my ear. "What kind of problem?"


    "Armed men. A lot of them. They just pulled up in five ck vans."


    My stomach dropped. "How many?"


    "I’m counting... forty-seven, forty-eight..." Rhett paused. "Fifty. There are fifty of them."


    "Describe them," I said sharply. "What are they wearing?"


    "ck tactical gear. Military grade. But that’s not the weird part." Rhett’s voice lowered. "They’re all wearing masks. Full face masks. No skin showing. They move in perfect formation. Completely silent. Kael, they don’t move like normal fighters. They move like..."


    "Like what?" I demanded, though the chill in my gut was slowly spreading.


    "I don’t know, they moved with such a gait that you might think they’re like us. Maybe they’re were creatures."


    I closed my eyes. Fuck.


    "Kael?" Rhett said. "What is it? What are they?"


    I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. "They’re called The Faceless. Elite supernatural assassins. Trained from childhood to kill wolves specifically. They’re enhanced versions of shifters. They are faster, stronger, and more durable than normal humans. And they’re absolutely lethal."


    "Shit," Rhett breathed.


    "Yeah." I looked at my team. Sarah and Tom were helping ter to his feet. Charis hovered close to him, her face pale. Riley stood in the doorway of her cell, watching us with wary eyes. "How long until they reach the building?"


    "They’re already inside. Split into groups. One group is heading your direction—five men. The rest are spreading through the facility."


    Five men. Just the advance team. And if The Faceless were here, that meant someone very powerful had sent them—someone who wanted to clean up this operation and eliminate everyone who knew about it.


    Including us.


    My mind raced through options. We were outnumbered ten to one. ter could barely walk. Charis had nobat training. Riley looked like she’d been through hell and wasn’t in any condition to fight. Sarah and Tom were good, but not good enough to take on The Faceless.


    If we stayed together, we’d all die.


    The only chance was to split up. Draw their attention. Give the others time to escape.


    "Everyone listen to me," I said, my voice cutting through the room. "We need to leave. Now."


    "What about Bane?" Sarah asked, gesturing to the unconscious collector.


    "Leave him. He’s my problem now, I’ll bring him with me."


    "With you?" Tom arched a brow. "What’s going on?"


    "Rhett identified a group of five men heading our way. I’ll distract them while you all make a clean break." I lied, then turned to Sarah and Tom. "Get onms with Rhett. He’ll guide you out through a safe route. Take ter, Charis, and Riley with you."


    "What about you?" Tom asked.


    "I’m going to slow down those five men heading our direction."


    Charis’s head snapped toward me. "No. We stick together."


    "That’s a death sentence," I said tly. "The Faceless are the deadliest fighters in the supernatural world. If they catch all of us together, we’re done."


    "Then we fight them together," Charis insisted, stepping closer. "We’re stronger as a group."


    "Charis, look at ter. Look at Riley." I gestured at them. "They need medical attention. They’re weak. They can’t fight. And you..." I met her eyes. "You’re brave, but you’re not trained for this. If you stay, you’ll die."


    "And if you stay alone, you’ll die!" Her voice cracked. "Kael, please. Don’t do this."


    "It’s the only way." I cupped her face in my hands. "Listen to me. Those five men are just the advance team. I can take them down easily; it’ll slow the others. Give you time to get out."


    "You can’t take down five Faceless assassins alone!"


    "I can, Charis, trust me," Iughed lightly, trying to ease the tension on her face. "You know I am an excellent fighter. This would be a walk through the park."


    "That’s not good enough!" Tears were streaming down her face now. "What if you don’t make it? What if I lose you?"


    "You won’t lose me," I lied. "I’ll catch up with you once I’m done."


    "You’re lying." Her hands gripped my shirt. "I can see it in your eyes. You don’t think you’reing back."


    I didn’t answer. Because she was right. Fifty Faceless Assassins was no easy feat; still, I had to try.


    "Kael, please." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Please don’t leave me. I can’t lose you."


    My chest ached. I wanted to promise her I’d survive. Wanted to tell her everything would be fine. But I’d never been good at lying to her.


    Instead, I kissed her.


    It was desperate and fierce and full of everything I couldn’t say. She kissed me back just as hard, her fingers tangling in my hair, her tears wet against both our faces.


    When we finally broke apart, we pressed our foreheads together. Both of us breathing hard, memorising this moment.


    "I love you," I whispered. "You know that, right?"


    "I love you too," she choked out. "Soe back to me. Promise me you’lle back."


    "I promise, baby. You think I would leave you to Rhett and ter? C’mon," I huffed. "I’lle back for you."


    She pulled back and looked at me with red, swollen eyes. "That’s good enough, and when youe back, we can talk about the future and about staying together. I’m losing my shit, Kael. I want this to end."


    "That is why I must do this," I cupped her face again. "We’ll get the future we deserve."


    Sarah cleared her throat gently. "Kael, we need to move."


    I nodded and stepped away from Charis. It was one of the hardest things I’d ever done.


    "Go," I said to the group. "Get onms with Rhett. Follow his instructions exactly. Don’t stop for anything."


    Sarah and Tom each supported one of ter’s arms. Charis stayed close to them, her eyes never leaving mine. Riley followed silently, still looking wary but smart enough to understand the danger.


    "Kael—" Charis started.


    "Go!" I said more harshly than I meant to. "Now!"


    She flinched but finally turned and followed the others down the hallway. I watched until they disappeared around a corner.


    Then I switched my radio to a private channel with Rhett.


    "They’re clear," I said quietly.


    "Kael, what the hell are you nning?"


    "Don’t tell them about The Faceless," I said. "Don’t tell them how dangerous this is. Just get them out."


    There was a long pause. Then Rhett exploded.


    "Are you fucking crazy? Are you going to face fifty elite assassins alone? That’s suicide!"


    "It’s tactical," I corrected. "If we all face them together, this whole mission would be for nothing, and everyone dies. This way, at least some of us survive."


    "Some of us, being everyone except you!"


    "Maybe or maybe not."


    "Kael, no. Absolutely not. Come with us. We’ll figure something else out."


    "There is nothing else. If I run with them, they’ll follow. They’ll hunt us down and pick us off one by one. But if I stay and engage them here, I can buy you time."


    "You’ll die!"


    "Maybe. Maybe not," I said again, checking my weapons. "All I need from you is guidance. Give me reports. Tell me where they are, how they’re moving. Help me navigate this building. That’s how you can help me."


    Rhett’s breath came in shaky gasps. "Kael, please. Don’t do this."


    "I’m already doing it. Now give me the report. Where are those five men?"


    Another pause. Then Rhett’s voice came back, steadier but still strained. "East corridor. Heading toward your position. They’re moving fast. You have maybe two minutes."


    "How do I get to them?"


    "Take the hallway to your left. Fifty feet, then right. You’ll hit an intersection. They’reing from the north."


    I started moving, following his directions. The facility was a maze of corridors, but Rhett guided me through it.


    "Thirty feet ahead, there’s a storage room on your right," Rhett said. "Could be a good ambush point."


    "No. I need open space. Somewhere I can see theming."


    "Kael, you’re outnumbered five to one—"


    "I know the math, Rhett." I kept moving. "Just keep reporting."


    "Okay. Okay." I heard him take a breath. "They’re close now. Twenty feet from the intersection. Fifteen."


    I reached the intersection and stopped. The corridor stretched out in four directions. I positioned myself in the centre where I could see all approaches.


    "They’re splitting up," Rhett said. "Two going left, three going straight."


    "So they know I’m here."


    "Looks like it."


    I took a fighting stance and waited.


    They appeared from both directions simultaneously—five men in ck tactical gear and full-face masks. The masks were featureless. It had no eye holes, no mouth openings. Just smooth ck material that somehow didn’t seem to hinder their vision.


    They moved with supernatural fluidity and perfect coordination. There was no wasted movement.


    They were the Faceless, after all.


    They stopped about fifteen feet away, forming a semicircle around me. None of them spoke or made any sound at all.


    Then one of them—slightly taller than the others, probably the leader—tilted his head.


    "You must be the famous Kael," he said. His voice was distorted through the mask. "The one who’s been disrupting our operations."


    "And you must be The Faceless," I said. "The ones who hide behind masks because you’re too ugly to show your real faces."


    If the insult got to them, they didn’t show it.


    "I’ll ask you once," the leader said. "Are you alone?"


    "What do you think?" I shot back.


    He stared at me for a long moment. Then: "Where is the Direwolf?"


    "What Direwolf?"


    "The female. Charis Greye. We know she’s here."


    "Never heard of her."


    The leader made a small gesture with his hand. Two of The Faceless moved forward, reaching for weapons at their belts.


    They were fast. Incredibly fast.


    But I was faster.