"Just where does this secret passage end? We have been walking for an hour already and the exit is nowhere to be found."
"I have a feeling that this will lead us to another secret base…"
"Finally realizing how meticulous our leader is in planning these things… Yeah, the probability is high."
Baretta, Ornil and Azazel was having a discussion as they led the group through the secret passage Yolan told them to enter.
Last week, their leader had told them this secret passage for emergency use, though he never told them where it led.
It's a dark passage with only white walls surrounding it, forcing them to turn on the flashlights on their phone to not get lost in the dark.
Who knew they would be using this passage this soon?
Ornil muttered under his breath, "That Yolan… He always keeps so many secrets from us. Even something as important as base locations is kept a secret until this morning. Does he not trust us or something?"
"No Uncle Ornil, it's not that Yolan doesn't trust us. It's just he doesn't want us to be burdened with too much information or rather, he doesn't want us involved too deeply in this War of Throne."
Eliot answered as he shone the flashlight in his hand at Ornil, which made Ornil narrow his eyes. Eliot then turned his head toward his two peers.
"You realized it too don't you, Jessie, Samuel? Yolan is especially attentive to us, students. And the fact that we aren't allowed to fight beside him right now and were told to escape proves that he still judges our skill lacking."
Then turning his gaze away, Eliot mumbled, "At least, that's how I perceive it as."
"No, you might be right. I've known Yolan longer than you guys, and his judgement is always clear. He could vaguely gauge my capability and makes decision based on it." Azazel rubbed her chin.
"So we're still useless, is that how it is?" Ornil scowled, to which Baretta replied.
"I guess that's how it is." She brushed her hair as she sighed. Her pride as an Alpha couldn't take it either.
"That's a sign that we have to work harder, isn't it?! I don't know about you guys, but I've considered Yolan my best friend, so I'll try my best to protect him."
Azazel pumped her fist as she smiled, making the others awkwardly smile too.
They continued their walk in silence – each had their own thoughts to sort through. It wasn't until they spotted a faint light that outlined the frame of a door that the group finally erupted in joy.
"The exit! We're finally there!"
The group practically ran toward the door, hoping to get out of this narrow passage as soon as possible.
But when Azazel held the doorknob, Baretta stopped her hand.
"Baretta? What's the matter?"
Azazel asked the woman beside her, but Baretta just frowned while turning her head to Ornil – he also had the same expression on his face.
"This sweet, refreshing smell... Its his right?"
"Yeah, it might be his house, or somewhere he stays in for a long time."
Azazel tilted her head. Baretta and Ornil were having a conversation she didn't understand.
"What are you guys talking about?"
Baretta awkwardly scratched her cheek.
"You guys might not be able to smell it, but the place behind this door reeks of Yolan's pheromone."
"What?!" the group shouted in surprise.
Ornil explained, "Yolan usually masked his pheromone with a pheromone blocker, but when he got into heat that one time, both Baretta and me could finally smell his pheromone, and it's the exact same scent coming through this door."
"And because he's a dominant, the smell is quite disturbing even for us." Baretta muttered, which made Azazel ask.
"Disturbing in a sense of disgust or…?"
"No, it's... Complicated."
Ornil adjusted his glass before he raised his gaze to Baretta, "I don't know why this secret passage leads to his house, but we have to enter anyway. You ready?"
Baretta gave him a nod and released her hand on top of Azazel.
Azazel took that cue to turn the doorknob and open the door. Behind it, a minimalistic living room was revealed.
"Oh, it looks really comfy."
Jessie was the first to comment. The group slowly entered as they looked around the house.
A living room with a TV hung on the wall and that wall separated it from the kitchen and toilet. Two rooms with their doors shut tight were beside the living room. And in the corner, there was a ladder leading to the second floor.
"Wait, this is a different house from when I brought him in his heat." Azazel said, which made Ornil frown.
"This is not his place? How come his pheromone is this strong then?"
"Hm? This is… an automatic perfume sprayer?" looking around, Jessie spotted a white capsule on the wall.
Baretta inspected the capsule and said, "So that's how it is, this is the culprit. It sprays perfume similar to his pheromone every 10 minutes."
"Why would Yolan do this though?"
"To create an illusion that this place is the place he lives in, probably this house itself is a decoy for our enemies."
Baretta put the capsule back to its place as she continued, "But it's still dangerous, maybe that's why we were told to leave immediately as soon as we arrived."
Brushing the leather sofa with her hand, Azazel mumbled.
"I thought it was going to be another base. Yolan is usually the type to separate his work and private life."
CLACK!
The group went on alert once the front door creaked open. They pulled out their gun, aiming at the intruder.
But once they saw the familiar blue eyes and blue locks of their Queen, they heaved a sigh of relief.
"So it's true that you guys are gathered here."
Cassius said as he shut the door behind him – his face haggard.
"Cassius! Your arm!"
Blood had been seeping through Cassius' white shirt, immediately catching others' attention. Not minding the concerned stares, he sat down on the living room sofa as he peeled off his shirt.
"Samuel, can you hand me the wooden box on your right?"
"Ah, you mean this one?"
Samuel brought the wooden box in front of Cassius, which Cassius opened and rummaged through. It's a first aid kit with a lot of things such as antiseptic, bandages, and medicines.
"Let me help."
Baretta, having already gone through a similar wound before, offered Cassius. The others silently watched her pull the bullet out and wrap Cassius' arm in fresh bandages.
"Cassius… Where's Yolan?"
Jessie raised the question everyone had been wondering about. All eyes turned to him, seeking an answer.
Under the gaze of his teammates, Cassius opened his mouth.
"He's heading to one of our bases. Saying he will set up our new base before calling us there."
Ornil frowned, "And you left him alone to do that?"
Cassius wiped his face as he let out a heavy sigh, a slight tremble in his voice.
"He made me do it. He told me to head here and take care of you guys first."
He clicked his tongue, "Goddamn it! He's so frustrating! He's the one who said things like 'take care of your safety first before taking care of others', so why does he, himself, always do the opposite? I might go crazy thinking about his safety."
"Cassius…"
Cassius never cursed others, especially Yolan. Even a slight negative talk about Yolan was shut down by Cassius. He always respected Yolan and everything he said.
So for someone as loyal as Cassius to snap out of anger and curse the one he referred to meant the situation was so out of his control that he was forced to silently obey. And he was left with no choice as Yolan was the one who forced him to do it.
Azazel tapped on his shoulder, pumping her fist as she gave him a smile.
"Don't worry Cassius, once we meet him again, I'll definitely scold him for his 'lone wolf' attitude. Does he think it's cool to do everything himself? Hmph, I'll teach him how important the power of friendship is!"
Cassius smiled at the gesture. Azazel had successfully raised his and others' mood just from her words.
"Yeah, let's scold him later. I'll definitely make him regret underestimating our skill."
All this time, Yolan had been the one protecting them, so next time they would be the ones protecting him – even if he didn't like it.