Chapter 122

Elias’s POV

Maya strode toward the ship, her steps resolute despite the chaos around us. Thomas immediately moved to help her climb aboard, but she waved him off without a second thought and allowed one of Richard’s men to lend her a hand instead. For a moment, I thought she’d chosen to bypass Thomas deliberately—perhaps sensing the tension between them—but none of us could have anticipated what happened next.

No sooner had Maya set foot on the deck than Thomas was at her side. In one swift motion, he pressed a folded handkerchief against her face. Before she could react, the cloth was saturated with a potent sedative. Maya’s eyes fluttered wildly as the drug took hold, and she slumped forward, helpless. Within seconds, she drifted into a deep, unresisting sleep.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” Adrian and I shouted in perfect unison, the sound ripping through