Chapter 39: The Price of Freedom

They should have felt free. But freedom, Alexander knew, was never given. It was taken, clawed out from the hands of those who sought to keep them caged.

Carver wouldn't let this go. The underground world didn't just allow men to walk away. Blood demanded blood.

The first sign of trouble came when they reached the city limits. Every road out was blocked. Men stationed at every exit, watching, waiting.

"They were ready for this," Eve murmured.

Alexander clenched his jaw. Of course they were. Carver had always played the long game, anticipating every move before it happened. And now, they weren't just fighting for their lives—they were fighting for a future that may not even exist.

"We need another way out," Eve said.

Alexander shook his head. "There is no other way. They want a war. So we give them one."

She looked at him, searching for something in his eyes. "And if we lose?"

He smirked, the ghost of a warrior who had nothing left to fear. "Then we make damn sure they bleed trying."

"I should have known. There's no freedom for men like me—only the illusion of it, just before the cage locks again."