CHAPTER 17

CAINES POV

A sharp throbbing pain shot at the back of my head as I stirred awake, the metallic tang of blood filling my mouth. My ears buzzed with the distant echoes of screams and shattering glasses. It took me a while to realize where I was—the men’s restroom, sprawled on the cold floor with my blood smeared around.

I helped myself up, first meeting with my reflection on the mirror above the sink that was cracked. Blood trickled down my forehead, dripping onto the floor with steady beats. My wolf growled low within me, snapping me out of my pain and urging me to find her.

The last thing I remembered was Lucy’s scream. I had no idea how long I’d laid on the floor, but I wasn’t going to let them leave the club with her. Dragging myself out of the restroom, I staggered down the stairs, holding my head in pain.

I could still feel a piece of glass hiding beneath my head. I wiped the blood from my face with the back of my hand, forcing my vision to focus on the stairs which looked like they were wobbling.

“Lucy,” I called, taking a break on a step. My eyes darted around me, trying to get a glimpse of her. But everything was covered in red. I continued, dragging myself further down the stairs.

“Lucy,” I breathed. The door in front of me flung open, people racing through it. I was almost pushed to the floor, but my grip around the rail was strong to keep me on my feet. I forced myself through the crowd, stepping over broken bottles and bodies.

The DJ booth was damaged, the music playing in a distorted manner. The Dj himself was dead. I recognized him—a student of ours. My wolf growled, clawing at me to unleash the anger in me. But I reeled him in. “Not now, boy,” I muttered.

As seconds passed, I finally got a clearer vision. “Jojo!” I yelled his name the moment I sighted him. He hurried to where I was and assisted me.

“You were cut,” jojo said, placing his hand on a deep cut I didn’t notice on my torso. I winced, shifting away from his hand,

“I’m fine. Where’s Lucy?” I asked.

“Lucy? Thought she was with you?” He returned.

My heart went into overdrive, racing like I just returned from a sprint. If Lucy wasn’t with the rest of the group, it means they have her.

“They took her. We have to find her. Imani! Spencer! Harper!” I yelled their names. Spencer was hurt. His old Injury hadn’t healed and something must have torn it open again.

“Who’s they?” Jojo asked, racing to assist Spencer. I lifted my face, finally listening to the low growls of my wolf. That was when I understood why he’d been restless.

“They,” I said, my gaze fixed on the men standing by the door. Their eyes followed my direction, and soon, we were all staring at the men/ hooded figures standing by the door.

“I don’t see Lucy. Where’s Lucy?!” I yelled, making an attempt to go after them. But Jojo pulled me back.

“We can’t. Don’t even think about it. We don’t know who these people are,”

“That’s the reason why we should…” my breath hitched in my throat the moment I saw one of them pull out a gun. “They have guns,” I said calmly, yet filled with tension.

One thing I learnt from my father, no one points a gun without silver billets at a werewolf. The aim was always to kill. His advice—when there’s a gun involved, run!

“Run!” I told the group.

We burst into a sprint, Imani and Jojo leading while Harper and I assisted Spencer.

“Faster!” Imani yelled.

Shots were fired, glasses shattering in front of us as we got closer to our vehicle.

“Keys!” Jojo yelled. I tossed the keys to him, ignoring the fact that he’s a horrible driver. He was better than Imani when you look at it from the brighter side.

Getting into the car was a whole different task. The engine failed to kick start. Spencer kept screaming at every method we tried to put him in. Imani sat in the car, yelling at how slow we were.

“It’s refusing…to…start,” Jojo grunted, applying more pressure. Harper, Spencer and I successfully got into the car, and now, we were waiting for Jojo. We buried our heads, holding our hopes high chaotically until the engine kicked.

“Drive!” I yelled.

****

The journey home was quiet, everyone still healing from the shock. Jojo packed at the garage, stepping out before everyone of us. We helped Spencer out while Imani went ahead of us to open the doors.

“Something’s off,” Harper said. I sensed it too. The silence, it was weird. I checked my phone for the time and it was just past midnight. The students occupying the top floor were usually up and about by this time. They hardly slept early.

After placing Spencer on the table, I headed for the top floor—Jasmine's room. It was locked from inside. I wanted to leave, but my wolf grew restless with every step I took away.

I returned to the door, placed my ear on its metallic frame and listened for a heartbeat. There was none. My wolf growled, its anger crawling up my skin. My mate was gone.

With a strength gathered from my wolf, I crashed my shoulder against the door, breaking its lock and forcing it open. The room was empty.

My chest tightened, my breath coming out with so much difficulty that I feared I was going to pass out. Jasmine was gone. They had taken her.

My legs found its way out of the room, staggering as I made my way down the stairs.

“Guys, Jasmine was taken too,” I announced terrified.

They were standing in a curved circle, and my arrival made them break the perfect arc, revealing Jojo who was fighting for his breath on the floor, hands covered in blood.

“A bullet got to Jojo”.

*****