Ch. The Lucan Marked me 22 The Lucan Marked me 22

Chapter 22 

Logan 

Bruce had vanished. 

: 

78 

Bruce, in question, was the warrior who had been placed in charge of the perimeter on the 

night the rogues had attacked. He hadn’t checked in, hadn’t left a trail of communication, 

hadn’t taken permission to be absent for however long. At first I’d given him the benefit of the 

doubt, but after two days, it was easily obvious something else was at play. 

I’d finally sent a message across to Kael, Cassian, and Tobe, ordering them to gear up. We were 

going into the woods. It wasn’t just that Bruce was missing anymore. We needed to know if 

he’d gone rogue, been taken, or sold us out. I prepared for the patrol, letting Maurie-she was 

in charge of all the servants at the palace-know I wouldn’t be having lunch until later in the 

evening when I got back. 

Kael, Cassian and Tobe, along with a few of the other warriors, were already assembled outside 

of the palace by the time I stepped out. I led the search party in silence, quietly listening for 

anything-snapped branches, rustling, even breathing that was out of place. Unfortunately, for 

the first hours we circled the woods, it was quiet. Too quiet. Kael kept to my right, scanning 

the trees with sharp eyes. “You think he ran?” 

“I don’t know,” I answered, my thoughts reeling. “But right now, it’s the option I’m leaning 

towards the most.” We moved for miles, going deeper into the forest where the trees thickened 

and the light barely filtered through. That’s when Cassian caught it-claw marks, etched deep 

into the bark of a tree. It was jagged, still a little fresh. I crouched beside a scuff in fort. 

“Struggle.” I noted. 

But for how long? 

Blood was smeared faintly over the underbrush, not enough to suggest death, but enough to 

suggest something had definitely gone down. Had Bruce been attacked while running from the 

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Chapter 22 

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pack? Had he done the attacking? A lot of questions filtered into my mind, but one thing was 

clear. If Bruce hadn’t stepped forward with the truth of what was going on, then he had to 

have had a hand in it somehow. Had he realized he was dealing with more than he could 

handle and tried to back out? 

We followed the trail of the scuffle in the dirt, still noting the very small droplets of blood. 

Until it stopped. I looked around, grinding my teeth in frustration. There was no hideout or 

exit in sight. The trail had stopped just like that-no more blood. No prints. Nothing. It was 

like the woods had suddenly swallowed the trail. They couldn’t just have disappeared. I 

clenched my jaw, breathing out through my nose as the dots connected. Bruce was one of the 

top warriors. 

He had to have guessed the first line of action we would take in finding him-coming out to 

the woods. The marks, the blood, the scuffle. They had been nothing other than his attempts 

to confuse us. Because why had they stopped so suddenly? “He knew exactly what he was 

doing,” I muttered, anger rising to the surface. At least I was sure now that the bastard had 

been up to no good. Cassian straightened, eyes flicking toward me. “You think this was 

coordinated?” 

“It’s too clean,” I replied. “It’s definitely not from when they had been storming into the pack. 

It seems they had just…walked in.” I said slowly, still trying to piece everything together. “This 

is different. Someone, definitely Bruce, had let the rogues in and then headed out into the 

woods to fake a struggle scene.” 

Karl slowly nodded, mulling my words over in his head. “You want us to keep going?” 

“No. Not tonight.” I exhaled. If they had in fact staged the struggle, then we needed some 

time to look at things from another angel. “We’ll only be wasting time by staying here. Let’s 

head back.” 

By the time we returned to the palace, I was immediately moving toward the warrior records 

chamber. The others went home to debrief and eat. Good for them. I needed answers. And I 

needed them now. I stepped into the chamber, shutting the door behind me. This room was 

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Chapter 22 

sacred. Every warrior, past and present, had their mark in here-files, performance logs, 

transfer records. Loyalty charts, even psychological assessments. I knew every name. I’d read 

every report. 

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But tonight, I wasn’t just scanning data. 

I was looking for cracks. 

I cross-checked Bruce’s last few shifts. He’d only watched the perimeter when he was supposed 

to, never giving an excuse, never swapping with anyone. He’d been careful, I had to give him 

that. Made sure his records wouldn’t raise suspicions, or lead us to another warrior. Because 

there was no way he’d managed everything on his own. 

I leaned back, tension building behind my eyes. Someone inside the palace was helping the 

enemy move pieces. Bruce was either dead or playing a long game. Either way, he wasn’t the 

only one I needed to worry about. A list was forming in my head. Warriors with questionable 

ties. Those who had shifted allegiances in the past and been conveniently cleared. I scribbled 

down names. One by one. Things were getting intense. 

I trusted Kael. Cassian. Tobe. 

Everyone else? 

They’d need to earn it. 

I exited the chamber, the list folded and tucked into my pocket. Karl was still hanging around 

the palace, patiently waiting for new instructions. “Start putting together a more tight knit 

and trustworthy search party,” I told him. “We’re going to find Bruce. And if we can’t bring 

him back…” I met his gaze. “We’ll bring back the truth.” 

He nodded once, and disappeared down the corridor. If there were more traitors in my pack, 

then the war hadn’t just started. 

It was already here. 

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The Lycan Marked Me and Walked Away