The man in black, lying on the ground, trembled at the sight. “This... can’t be real...” He could hardly believe his eyes. Axel? This guy? He had just killed Jaxon?

  Jaxon was a killer who’d faced off with awakened people and survived. And yet Axel—just a student—had ended his life?

  “Fuck,” Kieran said, his expression had shifted to something unreadable. His eyes flicked from Axel to the severed head, realizing that Axel wasn’t the na?ve student he thought he was. He was sharper, colder, and more dangerous than anyone had given him credit for.

  Freya was the first to reach Axel, concern written all over her face. “Axel, you’re hurt! You need to go to the hospital—now.”

  Axel shook his head, his voice steady despite the blood staining his clothes. "No rush, Mr. Skye. I need to ask you something first." He paused, his gaze turning serious. “Do you know Steel? What’s his relationship with Wolfe?”

  "They should know each other. They're both part of the Dune Business Association," Skye said. "Axel, we’ll talk about this later. You need to get to the hospital first."

  Steel, Wolfe...

  Axel’s lips curled into a small, knowing smile. It seemed his suspicions had been right.

  "How does this connect to Wolfe?" Kieran asked, his face a mixture of confusion and concern. He didn’t know about the deal Axel and Skye had been working on, and it was throwing him off.

  "I didn’t think this would hit you this hard," Skye muttered, his usual lighthearted demeanor gone. Guilt seemed to be weighing on him. In his mind, Axel was completely innocent—he never should’ve been dragged into this mess.

  "I can still hold up. Looks like you guys failed with the Wolfe case," Axel replied coolly.

  Both Freya and Skye froze. The incident with Wolfe had only happened recently, so there was no way Axel should have known about it. How had he figured it out?

  "What the hell is going on between you two? I’m dying of confusion here," Kieran complained, frustrated. He had no idea what they were talking about and was staring at Skye like he was the culprit.

  Axel leaned back against the ground, wincing as Freya tended to his wounds. He gave a small nod to Skye, signaling the next step. Together, they tied up the man in black, knocked him unconscious, and dumped him in an abandoned house nearby.

  "It’s related to the infected case in Area C," Skye started, his voice lowered. "Axel and I were investigating it together. Wolfe is a big suspect. I caught him under pressure and applied for a truth serum, but it didn’t work."

  "Truth serum?" Axel asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

  Freya leaned in slightly, her voice softer. "It’s a drug designed by third-tier awakened individuals or above. If they take it, they can't lie for about half an hour."

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  Kieran’s face shifted when he heard this, his expression tightening. He knew Wolfe wasn’t someone to be taken lightly. Skye had just used a truth serum on him? That was a serious move—and if it failed, then Skye must’ve been in deep trouble.

  Skye just shrugged, not looking fazed. "Yeah, I’m on leave for the next six months. I can’t handle cases. But that’s not the point. Wolfe was ready for this. He had a third-tier awakener put a mental barrier on his mind."

  "The truth serum can’t break that kind of barrier," Skye continued. "And, well... using it was against the rules in the first place."

  Axel sat up slightly, the pain in his side gnawing at him. "So, that leaves you with... nothing?"

  "Pretty much," Skye said, rubbing the back of his neck. "The blood test didn’t match any of the people on the list either."

  Yeah, when they found the dissolving agent and the blood seeped into the soil, they thought it had to be Ashford—the awakener who turned down Wolfe. But then Ashford showed up alive and well!

  Skye let out a sigh. "Our old director helped me carry the pressure... But now, everything’s fallen apart. Wolfe got released this afternoon."

  Kieran, who had been listening intently, now looked at Skye with sympathy. He knew that Skye didn’t care about much, but this had to be a blow.

  "Wolfe," Kieran said slowly, his brow furrowed. "He’s filthy rich. Why would he get mixed up with something like the infected? You sure you didn’t make a mistake?" He turned to Axel. "Also, you think Wolfe had Steel put a mental mark on you?"

  "I can’t think of anyone else either," Axel said, his voice calm as ever.

  Things were unfolding just as he’d suspected, though the truth serum pills and mental barriers were unexpected surprises. The world of the Awakened was far more complex—and dangerous—than he’d thought.

  "We’ve got someone who’s Awakened. He should know a lot. If you’ve got more truth serum pills, I want to wait until you interrogate him before we leave," Axel added, his gaze never wavering.

  Kieran looked at him, sighing inwardly.

  "Alright, if you’re sure you can handle it, we’ll stay a bit longer. That’s what I was planning to do anyway." Skye's tone was sincere. After all their encounters, he no longer treated Axel as some na?ve kid but as a capable ally—someone with sharp instincts and a steady mind.

  Skye walked over to the man in black and kicked him a few times. He ripped off the man’s mask, revealing an old, weathered face.

  "Wow, you're still at it, huh? A killer at your age. Must be nice to have such dedication. How much did Wolfe pay you for this job?"

  The man in black gasped for air, his eyes locked onto Axel. He hadn’t expected this. A group like this—he never thought they’d catch him alive. He assumed he'd have taken Axel down by now, not the other way around.

  "Wolfe? Who’s that? I don’t know anyone by that name," the man stammered. He knew better than to name names, especially not Wolfe's. If he did, it would be the death of him—and his family.

  "Oh, playing dumb, huh?" Skye sighed, shaking his head.

  He cracked his knuckles, a look of amusement flickering across his face. The man, Sebastian, tensed.

  "You wanna force a confession?" Sebastian hissed, his voice strained.

  "Not quite," Skye replied casually. "But I did bring something special for you."

  In a flash, before Sebastian could react, Skye grabbed his jaw, forcing his mouth open. He shoved a pill into his mouth before Sebastian could spit it out.

  Sebastian’s face contorted, his eyes wide with panic. "What the hell did you give me? I need a lawyer!"

  "Now you want a lawyer?" Skye chuckled darkly. "Too late for that. Thought you could hold out? Let's see how long you last now."

  Freya, standing nearby, stepped in. "Did Wolfe order you to kill Axel? Or did the person who sent you answer to him?"

  Skye pulled out a recorder and held it up, a cold smile on his face. Kieran stood silently beside him, watching with a wary eye. Despite all the explanations, he still couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

  Sebastian’s face flushed a deep red. His body stiffened. He wanted to fight the truth serum’s effects, but there was something pulling at his mind—something primal. He knew the moment he lied, something terrible would happen. Fear flooded his veins.

  "Yes." The word came out before he could stop it.

  Skye’s grin widened. "Good boy."