Tracking the Storm
974 Words
The moment Rae disappeared, the air in Bayou Falls changed.
Not fear.
Not panic.
Something sharper.
Personal.
Because this wasn’t just an enemy move.
This was a strike at the center of everything.
And Trey felt it first.
⸻
He was kneeling beside Rae’s shattered wristband, fingers brushing the scorched metal, when his head snapped upward.
Stillness.
Then a sharp inhale.
Everyone turned toward him.
“What?” Will demanded.
Trey didn’t answer immediately.
He was listening.
No—
scenting.
The wolf beneath his skin surged forward, instincts locking into place.
Then his eyes narrowed.
“I’ve got her.”
Silence.
Remi stepped closer. “What do you mean?”
Trey rose slowly.
“Her scent.”
Elijah frowned. “That’s impossible. They masked the trail.”
Trey shook his head.
“Not enough.”
He turned toward the south exit.
“There’s static in the air—burnt ozone, swamp water, and Rae’s energy signature.”
Will’s posture sharpened instantly.
“Can you track it?”
Trey looked at him.
A dangerous grin touched his face.
“Already am.”
⸻
They moved fast.
No full unit.
No delay.
Just the core.
Will, Remi, Elijah, Del, and Trey.
Five shadows cutting through the bayou under moonlight.
The deeper they went, the stranger the air became.
Charged.
Heavy.
Like a storm building beneath the surface.
Remi’s senses sharpened with every step.
Her dormant wolf restless.
Del stayed close, grounding her when the energy around them spiked too hard.
Elijah covered the rear.
Will stayed at point beside Trey.
And Trey never broke stride.
Every few yards, he paused.
Tilted his head.
Adjusted direction.
Following something no one else could fully perceive.
“She’s alive,” he said once.
How he knew, no one asked.
Because his certainty was enough.
The trail led them toward abandoned marshland on the edge of disputed territory.
A forgotten hunter’s outpost sat half-submerged in black water.
Broken roof.
Rotting wood.
One weak lantern glow inside.
Trey froze.
His expression shifted.
“What?”
He held up a hand.
“Listen.”
They did.
At first—nothing.
Then—
a voice.
Rae.
Very clear.
Very annoyed.
“…and I am telling you, if you touch that console again, I will personally rewire your nervous system.”
Silence.
Then a crash.
Then a man screaming.
Everyone exchanged a look.
Remi blinked.
“Is she… arguing?”
Del looked offended.
“Of course she’s arguing.”
Will motioned forward.
Slow approach.
Weapons ready.
They circled the structure carefully until they had a visual through the shattered side panel.
And then—
they stopped.
Because the scene inside made absolutely no sense.
Rae was not restrained.
Not unconscious.
Not helpless.
She was standing in the center of the room, hands glowing with silver-blue energy, hair wild, eyes blazing.
A massive Ashen Circle operative was slammed against the far wall—pinned there by invisible force.
Computers around him sparked violently.
The room looked like it had survived a tornado.
Or several.
Rae took one step forward.
“Now,” she said coldly, “explain why your encrypted servers are written by amateurs.”
The operative groaned.
Rae’s energy flared.
He lifted higher.
“Wrong answer.”
Then she launched him.
He flew across the room and crashed into a steel cabinet hard enough to dent it.
Silence.
Outside, Trey was openly staring.
Elijah blinked once.
Remi looked deeply unimpressed.
Will muttered, “Well.”
Del folded her arms.
“She seems fine.”
Rae turned at the noise.
Saw them.
And immediately scowled.
“Oh, good. Backup.”
A beat.
“You’re late.”
Trey stepped inside first.
“Late?”
Rae pointed at the unconscious bodies scattered around.
“I had to kidnap myself back halfway through.”
Remi walked in, surveying the wreckage.
“You escaped.”
Rae lifted a shoulder.
“Technically, yes.”
Del entered next, eyes scanning Rae for injuries.
There were bruises.
Minor cuts.
But nothing catastrophic.
“Are you hurt?”
Rae softened slightly.
“No.”
Then added—
“Just deeply offended.”
Will approached the operative trying to crawl toward a side exit.
Pinned him down with one hand.
“What happened here?”
Rae crossed her arms.
“They underestimated my mood.”
Trey snorted.
“That’ll do it.”
Rae pointed toward the glowing servers.
“I let them think I was disoriented. Played along long enough to access their systems.”
Remi’s attention snapped up.
“You got data?”
Rae grinned.
“Obviously.”
Elijah moved to the terminal.
“Can we extract it?”
Rae’s expression darkened.
“Yes.”
A pause.
“But you’re not going to like what’s on it.”
The room went quiet.
Because when Rae lost her sarcasm—
things were bad.
Very bad.
She looked at all of them.
“The Ashen Circle isn’t just targeting us.”
She gestured to the files.
“They’re mapping every major pack territory in the region.”
Del frowned.
“For invasion?”
Rae shook her head.
“For synchronization.”
Will’s jaw tightened.
“Meaning?”
Rae hesitated.
Then said the words none of them wanted to hear.
“They’re planning to trigger simultaneous collapses.”
Silence.
Remi’s pulse pounded.
“Allied packs?”
Rae nodded.
“Every one connected to the bloodline network.”
Trey cursed.
Elijah looked at the unconscious operative.
“When?”
Rae’s face turned grim.
“Within forty-eight hours.”
That landed like a weapon.
Because suddenly this rescue wasn’t the mission anymore.
This was confirmation.
War was no longer local.
It was regional.
Coordinated.
And already in motion.
Outside, thunder rolled over the bayou.
Rae looked toward the dark horizon.
Then quietly—
“The storm I felt?”
She met Remi’s eyes.
“It’s here.”
- Writer
