Chapter 27: Blood on the Contract

The black car sped through the winding streets, the city lights bleeding into long, colorless streaks across the windows.

Inside, silence sat thick between Elias and Selene.

She drove like a ghost — swift, unnoticed, dangerous.

Only when they reached the outskirts of the city did she finally speak.

"You'll get a message tonight," she said, voice low. "It'll contain your first task."

Elias stared straight ahead, his reflection faint on the glass.

"And if I refuse?" he asked.

Selene gave a humorless chuckle.

"You already accepted. There's no 'refuse' anymore."

The car turned sharply onto a deserted road flanked by old factories and abandoned warehouses. It rolled to a stop in front of a battered steel door, half-hidden by vines and rust.

"This is your safehouse," she said, tossing him a black keycard. "Only you and one other person have access."

Elias caught it midair.

"Who's the other person?"

Selene's eyes flickered briefly with something — worry, regret — before hardening.

"You'll find out soon enough," she said cryptically. "Be careful. Not all allies stay allies."

Before he could ask more, she slammed the car into reverse and sped away, tires screaming against the asphalt.

Leaving him alone.

---

The inside of the safehouse was bare but functional:

One bed.

One desk.

One bulletproof window.

And on the desk — waiting for him — was a small black envelope.

Elias approached it slowly.

His name was written on it in bold red ink: "Elias Grey."

Hands steady, he opened it.

Inside was a single sheet of paper.

The message was chilling in its simplicity:

---

Mission 1:

Find the traitor among us.

Deadline: 48 hours.

Reward: Power.

Failure: Death.

A list of three names followed:

Selene

Dorian

Ivy

---

Elias's heart skipped.

Selene — the one who had saved him, who had trained him.

Dorian — the quiet strategist he'd glimpsed once at a meeting.

Ivy — a name he didn't recognize at all.

One of them was a traitor?

Or worse...

All of this was a test to see who he'd betray first.

He crumpled the paper in his fist, breathing heavily.

Trust no one.

He needed to choose carefully.

Move carefully.

Already, a timer had started ticking down inside his mind.

48 hours to make a choice that could cost him everything.

And somewhere in the shadows, someone was already watching him — waiting for him to slip.

---