Javier hit the wall a second time harder than the first.
The concrete cracked.
He slid down slowly, coughing once before lifting his head. His smile was gone now, replaced by something tighter and more careful.
Kaelen stood a few feet away, posture relaxed in a way that was anything but.
"So," Kaelen said quietly, "this is who they sent."
Javier laughed weakly. "If you are disappointed, you should see the others."
Kaelen's eyes flicked to the guards. "Leave us."
One of them hesitated. "Alpha—"
"Now."
The door shut behind them with a final, echoing thud.
Silence followed and then Kaelen stepped closer.
"They sent the weakest one," he said calmly, looking Javier over like a flaw in stone. "A scavenger and a mouthpiece."
Javier swallowed. "Careful," he muttered. "Underestimating me is how you lose control again."
Kaelen's hand shot out.
