Chapter 152: BLOODY RETREAT
KEISHA’S POV
The knife left Orin’s hand with terrifying speed.
For one suspended heartbeat, I could do nothing except watch it cut through the air toward the stack of crates where Dane was hidden. My warning came too late, my voice sounding uselessly through the warehouse as the blade closed the remaining distance.
"Dane!"
He burst from his cover but instead of dodging, he caught the knife before it could bury itself in his chest. The blade sliced deep across his palm as his fingers clamped around it, fresh blood immediately spilling down his wrist and dripping onto the dusty concrete floor. His face tightened with pain, but he didn’t loosen his grip for even a second.
Orin’s lips slowly stretched into a grin. "I knew it," he said, taking several unhurried steps toward Dane. "I wondered why she looked so calm after I chained her up. Then she glanced in your direction for the briefest second. Most people wouldn’t have noticed it, but I did." His smile widened as he looked between us. "You really came after her. Tell me, Dane... do you love her that much?"
Dane didn’t waste time answering, the knife clattered to the floor as he launched himself forward, driving his shoulder into Orin with enough force to send both of them crashing into a pile of wooden pallets. The impact echoed across the warehouse, scattering dust into the air.
Neither man held back. Dane fought with the aggression I’d seen countless times during training sessions, while Orin fought like someone driven entirely by anger, throwing punches without caring how many he received in return so long as he landed one of his own.
I pulled violently against the chains again, my wrists already burning from the metal biting into my skin but the struggle was useless.
My breathing became uneven as another thought forced itself into my mind.
Lyra.
My phone. It was still inside my jacket pocket.
I fumbled awkwardly until my fingers managed to pull it free. The screen trembled in my hand as I dialed her number, praying her number would go through.
The call connected after only a few rings and I almost burst into tears. "Keisha?" Lyra’s voice came through immediately. "I was just about to call you."
Oh god.
"Where are you?"
"I’m almost home. We’ve already crossed into Coldridge territory. Another thirty minutes and I’ll be at the house." She paused, immediately picking up on my breathing. "Why are you asking? What’s happened?"
I closed my eyes for a brief moment. Nothing had happened to her. The letter had been a lie. It had done exactly what it was intended to do. It had brought me here.
"I’m fine," I said, forcing my voice to remain steady despite the fight continuing only a short distance away. "I just wanted to make sure you’d arrived safely."
"Keisha... why is it so loud?"
My voice shook. "I’ll call you back—"
The moment the call ended, I shoved the phone back into my pocket and looked around desperately for anything that could help.
The fight had carried Dane and Orin farther across the warehouse, leaving a broken wooden plank within my reach. I stretched as far as the chains allowed, my fingertips brushing against it before finally dragging it close enough to grab.
Without stopping to think, I swung it as hard as I could toward Orin’s back but the wood never connected because he turned at the last second and shoved me with enough force to throw me sideways.
"No!" Dane shouted.
My shoulder struck the concrete first, followed by my hip. Pain shot through my entire body as I rolled across the dusty floor, the impact knocking the breath from my lungs. For several seconds I could only lie there, coughing as I struggled to force air back into my chest.
When my vision finally cleared, the fight was still going on.
Dane had recovered first. He drove a powerful punch into Orin’s jaw before following it with another to his ribs. Orin stumbled backwards, barely managing to stay on his feet before Dane closed the distance again.
Orin was losing. He was beginning to stagger and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as another punch sent him crashing against one of the support beams.
Hope flickered inside me but everything changed when Orin’s hand disappeared beneath his jacket and a knife flashed in the dim light.
"Dane!" I shouted to warn him.
He turned instinctively toward my voice and it was enough time as Orin lunged forward and the blade disappeared into Dane’s abdomen.
"No!" I screamed, tears gathering in my eyes.
Dane staggered backwards, instinctively grabbing the handle before pulling the knife free. Blood spread rapidly across the front of his shirt, soaking through the fabric almost instantly before dripping onto the floor beneath him.
Orin laughed, the sound maniacal. "I told you!" he shouted. "Heroes always fall!"
He expected Dane to collapse but instead, Dane straightened.
"You..." Dane muttered through clenched teeth. "Talk too much."
Before Orin could react, Dane drove his boot hard into his chest.
The force sent Orin flying backwards into a stack of rusted barrels that toppled over with a deafening crash. Dane followed immediately, refusing to give him even a second to recover. He grabbed Orin by the front of his shirt and drove him into the ground, landing blow after blow until Orin’s attempts to fight back became increasingly desperate.
Then another sound filled the warehouse.
Rushed footsteps.
The front entrance burst open as armed soldiers poured inside, spreading through the building.
"Surround the exits! Move! Don’t let him escape!"
Orin’s head snapped toward the voices. "So that’s how it is," he spat, glaring at me before looking toward Dane. "You really brought the whole pack."
He shoved Dane away with the last of his strength and sprinted toward the rear of the warehouse.
"There!" Several guards immediately gave chase and within seconds, he disappeared through the back entrance, the sound of pursuing footsteps fading into the distance.
I didn’t care, the moment my hands were free, I rushed to Dane and he was already sinking to one knee. "Dane.". I caught him before he could hit the floor completely, my hands pressing desperately against the wound in his abdomen, but blood seeped through my fingers no matter how much pressure I applied. "No... no..."
"It’s..." He struggled to breathe. "...not... as bad..."
"Don’t lie." I sobbed.
"I’m trying..." His voice weakened and my vision blurred as tears filled my eyes.
"Stay awake."
He tried to smile but barely lasted a second before he went slack in my arms. "Dane?"
There was no response.
"Dane!" I shook him harder.
The warehouse doors opened again and this time, I recognised the footsteps before I even looked up.
Callum.
He froze the instant his eyes landed on us and he crossed the distance in seconds. "What happened?"
"He was stabbed." My body shook with sobs.
Callum immediately dropped beside us, quickly assessing the wound before looking over his shoulder. "Get him to the clinic. Now!"
Several guards rushed forward with a stretcher.
"And the others?" one of them asked.
"Half of you continue after Orin. I want every road, every trail and every possible escape route covered. He does not leave Ashveil."
"Yes, Alpha!" The guards lifted Dane carefully onto the stretcher before rushing him toward the waiting vehicles.
Only after they disappeared did Callum turn back to me and I hadn’t realised how badly I was shaking until he placed both hands on my shoulders.
"Keisha."
I couldn’t answer.
"Look at me."
Slowly, I did.
"Are you hurt?" He asked.
I slowly shook my head and his eyes searched my face, stopping briefly at the shallow cut across my cheek before pulling me into a firm embrace. "You’re safe."
I wanted to believe him but instead, my eyes remained fixed on the trail of blood Dane had left behind. "We have to go," I whispered.
Callum didn’t argue, he helped me up and got me into the car heading to the hospital.
By the time we arrived, the medical staff were already waiting outside with another stretcher. The new pack doctor, appointed only days after Doctor Fenn’s death, immediately took charge, directing nurses as Dane was rushed through the double doors leading to the operating theatre.
Neither Callum nor I were allowed beyond them and we just stood in the waiting area, pacing around.
Eventually, the doctor emerged still wearing bloodstained gloves. "The knife missed the major artery," he said, removing his surgical mask. "That’s the good news."
I nodded, waiting for him to continue.
"The bad news," he continued, "is that he has lost a significant amount of blood. We’re taking him into surgery immediately. The next few hours will be critical."
He was saying something but I wasn’t listening again, even after he left and I stared at them long after the doctor had disappeared.
The image of Orin’s face twisted with satisfaction as he drove the knife into Dane, replayed over and over inside my head.
My hands curled into fists. Orin had crossed every line there was to cross. I drew a slow breath, my eyes never leaving the operating theatre.
The next time I stood in front of Orin, I wouldn’t waste a single question. I would make him answer for everything.