Chapter 263. Knavish Gamma

Valen’s POV

We were still in Kain's pack, hiding in the hot forest, one mile from where we traced Venus's phone. Sunlight filtered through the canopy of lumbering trees, creating a pattern of light and shadow on the leaf-covered forest floor.

Everyone else was casually dressed in regular jeans and T-shirts. If Raina saw us in our tactical suits, she might feel threatened. We were here to talk. Nothing more than to prove to her that we’re the originals of her world.

As Penn attempted to use a spell to loosen the Gamma’s pants, I turned sideways to lean on a tree. I kept my sights ahead, peering through the thicket while hiking up my hearing, listening for Raina’s voice and movement.

It was difficult to shut out the lingering rage, the fear of rejection, the thought of losing her, and the memory of kissing her, because she was the flower field of bluebells to my forest.

All I longed for was to wrap her up in my arms and take away every ou