The silence that follows is deafening. I force myself to sit, my back against the wall for support. My legs feel like water, my hands still trembling. I’m exposed—vulnerable in a way I haven’t been since I left home. My face bare, secret revealed.
Elias and Kellen shift to regard me, expressions unreadable behind their masks. For a long moment, no one speaks.
“How long have you known?” I ask, my voice a ragged whisper.
Elias shifts, arms crossing before he answers. “I suspected from day one that you had…other motivations for being here.” He pauses, then adds, “I did not realize you weren’t Lachlan Ashford, though.”
I nod slowly, wincing at the movement. “And you?” I ask, looking at Kellen.
“Elias told me his suspicions.” A slight head tilt. “I didn’t believe him until now.”
“What now?”
The men watch me for a moment, their eyes scrutinizing every inch of my exposed face. It’s wildly uncomfortable, but I remain still, allowing them to stare
“We’ll come back later to talk,” Kellen says, his tone making clear the discussion is done for now.
They leave me to process the aftermath of my almost-death, a sharp hiss at the door indicating it would be futile for me to try to escape this room.
What the fuck am I going to do?
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
ARAYIK
Inever hesitate.
It’s a discipline I’ve cultivated since childhood—the ability to act without second-guessing, to execute without doubt. Hesitation means weakness, and weakness is the worst quality a man can have. This is what I’ve built my life on. What’s earned me my rank, and what keeps the order I’ve sworn to maintain.
But right now, I’m hesitating.
My fingers trace the security panel outside Ashford’s quarters, the skin on my knuckles tight from how hard I’ve been clenching my fists. The corridor is empty, overhead lights dimmed for the night cycle. No witnesses to what I need to do.
Just me and the truth I’ve been circling for weeks. I’ve been testing him, pushing him, never obtaining a solid answer.
Rage unlike I’ve ever known boils under my skin, and I swipe a finger over the panel before kicking Ashford’s door in. There’s a loud crack, something I ignore in favor of the wide-eyed recruit staring back at me.
Stepping inside, I close the door to hide any would be onlookers.
“Commander,” Ashford sputters in that higher-pitched whine I’ve come to hate.
“No.” I do not want to hear another word from this monstrosity.
I waste not one more second, advancing on the dead-recruit-walking, smirking at the retreating form.
If I hadn’t overheard Elias confiding in Kellen about what Ashford had done, I likely wouldn’t be here. Would have sat in my hatred for this thing in our ranks, knowing I had no proof to do anything substantial. But the only proof I need is right in front of me.
“I’ve watched you,” I growl in a voice that would have others pissing themselves. “From the first day, something was wrong.”
Ashford blanches. “I don’t know what you’re?—”
“Do. Not. Speak!” Why does this sad excuse of a human believe talking to me is acceptable?
I move faster than Ashford can react, my hand shooting out to grab the edge of the mask. With one swift motion, I rip it away, both securing straps snapping under the force.
Soft features. Wide eyes. Delicate jawline. A woman’s face.
“I knew it,” I growl, satisfaction surging through me like a current. Vindication tastes metallic on my tongue.
