Leah's POV
"They called it off for technical reasons?! Do you mean that if they had solved the technical reasons, they would have carried on with that project?"
Darren sighed and said, "Miss Lewyn, I really don't think we should start a debate about this..."
"It's unethical! We can't just play god like this and treat our own people like rats in the lab!" I said.
"They are not our own people, Miss Lewyn. They're rogues and outlaws..."
"They have family and friends! They settled down in Mediland and they chose to live a peaceful life. Only human beings are stupid enough to believe that one race is superior to the other I don't know wolves can be this stupid!" I said.
Darren remained silent. His indifference over this issue angered me.
I kept on going, "Think about Frank. He's a rogue. He's got five children and he used to be a gardener. Can you imagine subjecting him to some mad scientists' crazy thoughts and plans? How about Uma and Damian?"
"Leah, I'm not saying what they're doing is right, but we don't know exactly what happened. So my suggestion is that we shouldn't judge the person who made this decision," Darren said.
"Do you know who's behind this?" I frowned and asked.
Darren didn't reply.
"You know who's behind this enforcement project. Tell me who this person is." I said in a pressing voice.
"Leah, please. Just leave it. This whole thing doesn't concern you. You've got way more important things to do than dealing with the mess in Mediland," Darren said.
Josephine said in her high-pitched bitchy voice, "Darren, I know Leah better than you do. Leah is really bossy. She hates people deciding what concerns and what doesn't concern her."
She's doing it again. Sabotaging my relationship with Darren by trashing me.
Just before I was about to defend myself, Darren said, "Jo, don't say such things. Leah's a really understanding boss. There must have been some misunderstanding that happened in the past between you and her."
"Are you taking her side?" Josephine said with a drastic voice. "I can't believe that you're taking her side. I'm your mate!"
Darren didn't say anything and kept walking.
I knew I should have remained calm, but I really couldn't hold it anymore because of Josephine's bitchy attitude.
So I said, "Listen, Josephine. I don't like this situation any better than you do. But since you're Darren's mate and I respect Darren as a friend, why don't we be civil with each other and stop putting Darren in a difficult position?"
"Yes, do it again. Blame everything on me!" Josephine hissed.
"You're impossible." I stared at her and said.
"I'm impossible? You are the one who's holding my mate's hand right now! Right in front of me! Do you think I'm blind?!" Josephine pointed to Darren's hand and said.
"I'm just holding Leah, so she doesn't fall. It's too dark in here," Darren explained. He refused to let go of my hand.
"Can't you see that Leah's jealous of me?!" Josephine growled. "I've got my mate who would risk his life to rescue me from hundreds of soldiers, but she got rejected by her own mate! That's why she's using this kind of dirty little trick to steal you away from me!" Then, she turned her head toward me and said with bitterness, "Talking about your mate. How's Lucas doing? Is he still enjoying his slow death? He's full of shit! Just like you!"
At that moment, I almost jumped at Josephine to bash her head against the wall.
Nobody could insult me by trashing my mate like this!
Meanwhile, I realized that I had never felt so protective and defensive of Lucas before.
I mean, Lucian and Jalin referred to him as "asshole" and "bastard" all the time in the past, but I had never felt as furious as I did at that time.
Just when I was about to lose it, I heard the sound of a marine horn from above our heads.
"We're here!" Darren said with relief. He put Josephine down on the ground and touched the ceiling above us.
I lifted my arms to touch around, feeling something like a metal bar.
"It's a vault door. The handle is here," I said to Darren.
Darren pulled the handle with force and pushed up.
Light poured into the dark tunnel straight away.
I peeked through the open crack and the first thing I saw was the orange-colored sky as if it was lit by the sunset.
That's strange. I thought to myself. It's midnight now.
Then, I smelt sulfur burning in the air.
"No. This can't be it." I mumbled, pushing the vault door above our heads wide open.
After I pulled myself out of the door, I was shocked by what I saw.
In the dead of midnight, amidst this isolated artificial island, a peculiar sight unfolded beneath the ominous cloak of darkness. It was a night where chaos consumed the land, as the flickering flames licked at the skies. The island quivered with an eerie unease as the conflagration danced upon its surface. Boats bobbed helplessly in the harbor, their wooden frames surrendering to the ravages of fire. Barns, once sheltering livestock and the promise of sustenance, now became sacrificial pyres, their walls offering little resistance to the relentless inferno. Warehouses, filled with the dreams and desires of countless souls, were now engulfed in fiery turmoil.
In the midst of this desolation, the soldiers emerged, their intentions sinister and cruel. They were agents of confinement, wielding torches with ruthless intent. Their purpose was clear -
To prevent anyone from escaping the island's clutches. In their merciless hands, the flames were not only instruments of destruction but also harbingers of captivity.
As Darren pulled Josephine out of the ground, she exclaimed in a loud voice, "Oh, shit! They've burnt the dock! We are trapped!"
"Shut up, Josephine," I urged her in a low voice. "before you let everyone know our existence!"
"What shall we do?! We'll be dead!" She collapsed to the ground and started to wail.