The air in the living room was thick with tension even after James was escorted away.
Kael leaned back on the couch, silent, lost in thought. His mind was already turning, calculating. The name Luciani was enough to set everything into motion.
Rin stood near him, one arm folded loosely over his chest. His expression was calm, but his eyes were sharp with thought. "We need to make Ray talk," he said finally, breaking the silence. His tone was low but firm, cutting through the air like a blade. "The Luciani have a wide network overseas. If Ash Fang is trying to use them to gain a foothold in other countries, it'll be troublesome for us. We need to stop this before it spreads."
Kael nodded slowly, his jaw tightening. "You're right." He straightened up, his voice cold and resolute.
As they rose from the couch, the atmosphere in the room shifted immediately. Suri, Rowan, Lucas, and Talon followed without needing to be told. They knew where this was heading.
The walk to the interrogation room was quiet. The sound of their footsteps echoed down the hallway, mixing with the hum of fluorescent lights. The deeper they went into the HQ's lower levels, the colder the air became, thick with the metallic scent of blood and disinfectant.
When they reached the reinforced door, Suri pushed it open. The hinges creaked faintly, revealing a stark room painted in dull gray.
A single chair stood at the center, bolted to the concrete floor. Near the wall, a small metal table held a careful array of tools—blades, clamps, pliers, and a coiled whip. The sharp smell of iron hung heavy in the air.
Ray sat slumped in the chair, wrists cuffed behind his back. His face was lowered, shadows covering most of his expression. The only sound in the room was the faint hum of the overhead light and his shallow breathing.
When the door shut behind them, Ray slowly lifted his head. His swollen eye blinked against the light, and when his gaze landed on Kael, his jaw clenched involuntarily. Even bound, even bloodied, he still tried to look defiant—but the flicker of fear in his eyes gave him away.
Kael stood in front of him, tall and imposing. His voice came out low and cold. "We already know Ash Fang's trying to join hands with the Luciani."
Ray's calm expression faltered—just for a second—but he quickly masked it with a sneer. "So what if we are?" he muttered. "You think you can stop it?"
Kael's eyes hardened. He took a slow step forward until his shadow fell over Ray. "It would be smart," he said evenly, "to start talking while we're asking nicely. Because I promise—there are other ways to make you talk."
Ray scoffed, a dry, mocking sound. He turned his head away as if Kael's words bored him. But when he did, his eyes landed on someone else—Rin.
Rin stood near the door, arms loosely crossed, his gaze unreadable. The dim light caught the edge of his profile—pale skin, calm eyes, delicate yet cold features.
Ray froze. For a brief moment, his arrogance melted into stunned silence. He had seen countless Omegas, had toyed with many, broken a few—but none of them looked like this.
When Ray had first seen Rin during the port raid — the moment that infuriatingly calm figure had blocked his path — he hadn't paid much attention. Everything had been chaos then: smoke, gunfire, blood, and the sharp sting of defeat. But now, sitting in the cold interrogation room with chains biting into his wrists, he finally saw him clearly. The dim light framed Rin's face like something sculpted out of moonlight and silence — too unearthly to belong to this world. His beauty wasn't soft or delicate; it was sharp, commanding, the kind that made people pause without knowing why. For a second, Ray forgot where he was, the pain, the blood, everything — because standing before him was someone who looked more like a fallen deity than a man.
But something puzzled him. He couldn't sense any pheromones—nothing that screamed Omega or Alpha. Just… stillness. A beta? he thought, interest glinting in his eyes. Now this is interesting.
A faint smirk curled his lips. Kael caught the shift in expression immediately, and irritation flared through him. He didn't like the way Ray was looking at Rin—like he was prey.
Ray turned back to Kael, eyes gleaming with mockery. "You want me to talk?" he said casually, voice dripping with amusement. "Then give me him." He tilted his chin toward Rin. "I'll tell you everything you want to know if you let me have him for a night."
The room fell into stunned silence.
For a heartbeat, no one moved. Then tension exploded in the air like lightning.
Lucas's expression dark. He moved behind Rin, standing like a silent wall of defense. Suri's eyes went sharp, and even Rowan and Talon shifted, their postures radiating danger.
Kael's face hardened, a muscle ticking in his jaw.
Ray chuckled softly, oblivious to the way the temperature in the room seemed to drop. "What?" he said lightly, raising a brow. "It's not a bad deal. You give me that pretty boy, I give you information. Everyone wins."
Lucas stepped forward, his glare sharp enough to cut. "Watch your mouth," he snapped. "You're not even in the same league to look at him."
Ray tilted his head, pretending to look surprised. "Oh? And why's that?"
Lucas's voice dropped, dark with pride. "Because he's our leader. Rin Asano."
Ray blinked, taken aback for a moment, before laughter bubbled out of him—a dry, ugly sound. "You're kidding," he said, looking at Rin again. "The leader of the Crimson Vultures? I didn't expect your boss to be this pretty."
He turned back to Kael, smirking wider now, as if pushing every possible boundary. "The offer still stands, Alpha. Let me have him, and I'll tell you what you want."
Kael's composure cracked. Fury surged through him like wildfire. In two steps, he was in front of Ray, his hand fisting the man's collar and jerking him up roughly. "You should watch your mouth," Kael growled, his voice low and dangerous. "You're standing on borrowed time."
Ray only smirked, blood staining his teeth. "Touch a nerve, did I?"
Kael's hand tightened—but before he could act, a light touch landed on his shoulder.
He turned. Rin was standing beside him, calm as ever. His eyes met Kael's—steady, unshaken. "Forget it," Rin said quietly. "Don't dirty your hands. Let Suri and the others handle him."
Kael stared at him for a moment, chest heaving, his instincts screaming to break the man's jaw. But Rin's calm gaze anchored him.
Rin's reasoning was clear in his eyes—We can't kill him yet. Not until he talks.
After a long pause, Kael released his grip and stepped back, though his glare never left Ray.
Ray laughed again, breathless. "What's there to be angry about?" he said, turning his attention back to Rin. His smile turned lewd. "I could make you feel good, you know. Doesn't matter if you're a Beta or an Omega—"
He didn't finish.
A blur of motion cut him off mid-sentence.
Rin moved before anyone could blink—a sharp, controlled strike. His fist connected with Ray's jaw with a brutal, echoing crack. The impact was so strong that the chair tilted and crashed onto its side, sending Ray sprawling to the ground.
The room froze.
Even Kael's eyes widened slightly in shock. Rin's punch wasn't wild or reckless—it was precise, efficient, devastating. The kind that came from someone who knew exactly how to hit where it hurt most.
Ray groaned, blood dripping from his split lip. His jaw was already swelling, and pain twisted his face into an ugly snarl. He looked up at Rin with murder in his eyes.
"How dare you—" he started, voice trembling with rage.
But Rin's expression didn't change. He stepped closer, his movements calm, unhurried.
When he reached Ray, who was still bound to his chair, Rin raised his foot and kicked him squarely in the side of the head. The thud echoed harshly off the walls.
Ray's body went limp instantly, falling unconscious, blood pooling beneath his cheek.
For several seconds, silence reigned. Everyone in the room stared—Lucas, Suri, Rowan, Talon—all wide-eyed. Even Kael's composure cracked just slightly, surprise flickering across his features.
Rin exhaled softly, straightening his posture as if nothing happened. He brushed his hand against his sleeve, eyes still cold.
"He's making too much noise," Rin said quietly, voice calm and steady, as though he hadn't just knocked a man out cold. His gaze shifted to Suri. "Extract as much information as you can from him when he wakes. Use whatever method you need."
Suri blinked once, then nodded firmly. "Understood."
Without another glance at the unconscious Ray, Rin turned and walked out of the room. His footsteps were steady, unhurried, echoing off the concrete as he left.
For a moment, no one moved.
Then Talon let out a low whistle. "Remind me not to piss him off," he muttered under his breath.
Kael watched Rin's retreating figure silently, something unreadable passing through his eyes. It wasn't just admiration—it was a flicker of something deeper, sharper.
Rin didn't look back as the door shut behind him.