42. Between Ashes And Hope

Malachi

The tension in the air is palpable the moment Cassian and I step inside the War Room, fresh from the jarring revelations offered by Boreas. I try to reach out to Reyna and Rune through the mind link again, meeting nothing but static.

“Anything?” Cassian asks for the tenth fucking time, his eyes narrowed.

“Nothing. Silence still,” I say, trying to keep my temper down, because right now I’m not sure what the hell I’m angry about. It’s not his fault … it’s none of our fault.

Cassian’s brow furrows. “We need to find them, Kai. Something’s wrong, I can feel it and I’m pissed off that we didn’t look into Leana more.”

“You and me both,” I say, then I sigh. “Let’s go outside, the trackers have arrived and we need to give them instructions.”

Cassian nods and we leave the War Room, slipping into our roles as Alphas is as easy as putting on a glove. They cannot see how this absence has affected both of us; Alphas aren’t supposed to have weaknesses.

And yet, as my hand goes to the marks o