Ember Frost’s POV

A thick wooden door barred the entrance to the second base. We knocked repeatedly, but we were met with silence. The emptiness felt wrong and heavy.

Something didn’t feel right.

“No matter the mission, leaving someone to guard the base is non-negotiable,” Orion said, his voice steady but tense. “With all his experience, it’s impossible he would overlook this.”

The door stood before us like a wall hiding something unknown, something that could strike at any ...