Chapter 216: Too Easy

Words : 1069 Updated : Sep 25th, 2025

Chapter 216: Too Easy Natalie~ The sky loomed with bruised clouds as I stood beside Fox, our silhouettes stark against the glowing city beneath us. We were perched on the edge of a crumbling skyscraper, thirty stories up. The wind tangled in my hair, tugged at my clothes, as if trying to drag me off the edge. Fox stood still beside me, tall and relaxed, as though he wasn’t standing on a death trap in the sky. His golden eyes gleamed like molten suns, narrowed in concentration. His red hair whipped violently in the wind, flames licking his temples even though no fire had been summoned. He raised one hand high, fingers splayed. The heat in the air crackled as he sent sparks trailing upward like flares. "He’s not in the city," Fox said, voice taut with frustration. "I’ve scanned every quadrant twice." I didn’t respond. I was too lost in my thoughts. In my guilt. In my silence. Jasmine murmured inside me, "you’re spiraling again, Mara." "How can I not?" I whispered to her, to myself. Fox shot me a side glance but said nothing. Alex had been stabbed. My son. I’d seen red. I hadn’t just killed those bastards—I slaughtered them. Bones snapped. Skulls cracked. Arteries sliced like ribbons. My power had been like a storm I couldn’t contain. Even when I brought the men back to life—restored their broken bodies with trembling hands—it didn’t erase what I’d done. I’d lost control. Again. Then there was Griffin. Arrogant, stubborn Griffin. The ex-mate I had promised Jacob and Fox to protect. Shadow had wanted him, and I had left him behind like an idiot. Like a fool. And for what? Rage. Chaos. I lost myself so badly that I forgot what mattered. And Zane... Oh Goddess, Zane. I missed his coronation. I missed his moment. I was supposed to stand beside him. But instead? I turned his home into a battleground. I could only imagine the scream Easter must’ve let out when she saw all that blood. That poor girl... she didn’t deserve any of this. And Rose—sweet, innocent Rose— Damn it. What the hell have I done? I wiped at my face angrily. "We have to find him," I choked. Fox lowered his hand slowly, the flames around his fingers snuffing out like dying stars. "We will," he said simply. I turned my eyes to him. "And if we don’t?" His smile was crooked, mischievous. "Then I’ll burn the world down until we do." Despite myself, I let out a breath of laughter. He always knew how to snap me back from the edge. We leapt off the building together—Fox engulfed in flames that floated around him like a second skin, and me surrounded by a shimmer of wind and moonlight. We swept through the city like ghosts—slipping down shadowy alleys, slicing through forests, chasing faint energy trails like bloodhounds on a scent. I scaled rooftops, prowled through crumbling warehouses, traced the edges of every river. Nothing. Not a trace. But then— There. A flicker. Barely noticeable. But it pulsed like a heartbeat in my chest. Fox stiffened mid-flight. "You feel that?" he asked, voice tense. I nodded. "It’s him." We followed the energy deeper into the woods. The trees grew denser, like thick walls of secrets and shadows. I could hear my own heartbeat in my ears. Every crack of a branch beneath my boots made me flinch. We stopped in front of an old, decaying house. Moss and vines crawled over broken windows. The front door hung crooked on its hinges like a drunken smile. "This feels wrong," Fox said, sniffing the air. "Too... quiet." I did the same. I expected blood. Or Shadow and Kalmia’s foul magic. But there was nothing. "No scent," I murmured. "Not even fear." Then we saw him. Griffin. He stumbled out of the door like a ghost. His brown hair was a tangled mess, face pale and gaunt. His eyes were wide with confusion. His clothes were ripped, soaked in sweat and grime. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days. I froze in place. "Griffin?" His head lifted slowly, and his eyes locked onto mine—raw, tired, real. "Natalie..." he breathed, barely audible. Before I could even blink, his body gave way, collapsing straight into my arms. Without thinking, I caught him. He held on tight, his arms trembling like he was barely hanging on. I drew in a shaky breath. His scent hit me—familiar, unmistakable. It was him. Only him. I reached out with my power, probing gently. No strange magic. No Shadow lurking. No Kalmia’s taint. No hidden strings pulling at him. Just Griffin. His energy flickered faintly, like a dying flame struggling for life—but it was pure, all his own. "It’s really him," I whispered, disbelief washing over me. "Then why does this feel like a trap?" Jasmine growled. I didn’t know. But Goddess, I didn’t care. I was just relieved he was alive. Fox approached slowly, watching us with narrowed eyes. "Natalie," he said carefully, "this doesn’t feel right." I looked up. "What do you mean?" He glanced at Griffin, then back at me. "We’re dealing with Shadow. This was too easy. We’ve been looking for Griffin for hours, and he just happens to walk out of some creepy house in the middle of nowhere?" I wanted to argue, but he had a point. It didn’t make sense. Still... "Maybe," I said slowly, "maybe Shadow didn’t take him after all. Maybe Griffin escaped." Fox wasn’t convinced, but he didn’t push. "Let’s get him home," I said. "He needs rest." Fox gave me a skeptical look but nodded. "Fine. But I’m keeping one eye open tonight." Griffin groaned softly in my arms. "Cold..." I cradled him closer, my heart aching. "You’re okay now. I’ve got you." In a shimmer of silver light and wind, I teleported us back to Zane’s mansion. The air was thick with magic, but it wasn’t hostile anymore. It was calm. Almost like the house had forgiven me. Or maybe it was Zane’s energy that blanketed the space in peace. I felt it immediately, the soft thrum of Zane’s presence. Even without seeing him, I felt him—my anchor. I looked down at the man in my arms—Griffin. Alive. Safe. Maybe, just maybe, everything would be okay. But Jasmine’s voice echoed once more. "Or maybe... it’s just the calm before the storm."

Chapter 216: Too Easy

Comments (0)