The King Of War Returns (Jaden Rift) novel Chapter 107

Meanwhile, in another room tucked away from the chaos, Drax sat comfortably on a couch, a steaming bowl of noodles in his hand. He slurped lazily, completely at ease, while Hannah and Clara paced nervously in front of him, their expressions tight with worry.

"This… this isn’t right." Hannah’s voice cracked slightly, her eyes darting to the clock on the wall. "Why hasn’t Jaden come out yet? He’s been in there way too long."

She pulled her phone from her pocket with trembling fingers. "I’m calling my father. I— I can’t just sit here."

"I’m calling Grandpa." Clara’s voice was equally tense as she fumbled for her phone, her usually composed demeanor shattered by anxiety.

Drax sighed, rolling his eyes as he casually lifted another mouthful of noodles. "Relax, ladies," he said, chewing slowly, completely unbothered. "Jaden’s fine. You’re panicking over nothing."

Clara snapped her head toward him. "Panicking? Do you even understand what’s happening? If something happens to Jaden—"

Before she could finish, Hannah’s phone buzzed, cutting through the tense atmosphere.

She glanced down at the screen, eyes widening. "It’s Jaden!"

Immediately, she swiped to answer, voice trembling with anticipation. "Jaden? Where are you? Are you okay?"

Drax leaned forward slightly, still slurping his noodles, curiosity flickering in his eyes.

On the other end of the line, Jaden’s voice came through, calm as ever, laced with quiet amusement.

"Yeah, I’m fine," Jaden replied, his footsteps crunching lightly against uneven, muddy ground as he walked. He glanced around—the area was isolated, surrounded by tall marsh grass and patches of bush. The sky overhead was cloudy, casting a faint, grayish hue across the landscape.

"You’re… really okay?" Hannah’s voice cracked, relief flooding her tone. Her eyes shimmered, unshed tears forming as she clutched the phone tightly. "How could you do that? How could you sacrifice yourself like that—staying back for me? I… I thought—" Her voice broke for a moment, a tear escaping down her cheek. "If anything had happened to you, I wouldn’t… I wouldn’t know what to do."

Jaden’s expression softened faintly, though his voice remained light. "Don’t get all emotional on me now," he teased. "It’s just a small thing. Handled it."

Clara and Drax exchanged glances, tension slowly draining from Clara’s face, though Drax merely smirked, as if to say told you so.

The screaming grew louder.

Pushing through the final stretch of bush, Jaden stopped abruptly, his eyes narrowing at the sight in front of him.

A man, tall and scruffy, his face twisted with sick satisfaction, had a young woman pinned against a fallen log. Her clothes were torn, her face streaked with tears, and she thrashed helplessly beneath him.

"Quit struggling, little lady," the man sneered, gripping her wrists with bruising force. "You’re only making this harder on yourself. Relax… I’ll make sure you enjoy it."

Jaden’s jaw tightened.

"In broad daylight?" he muttered, his tone carrying both disbelief and disgust. "I thought crap like this only happened in movies…"

The man’s head snapped up at the sound of Jaden’s voice, his eyes narrowing in confusion.