Deborah's POV
After last night's tense dinner, Barron and I finally managed to carve out a small piece of quiet for ourselves.
It was a brief reprieve from the suffocating formalities and unspoken hostilities that hung heavy over the Vandran estate.
The morning air was crisp and cool, the sun casting long shadows over Macha's stark, orderly streets.
We decided to use the rare chance to escape the Vandran family's ever-watchful eyes.
It wasn't hard; Macha, for all its meticulous surveillance, was filled with strangers who barely noticed us.
To most here, we were just two more faces passing through.
Emily, surprisingly, had allowed us to borrow her car. Of course, her "generosity" was suspicious at best.
Knowing Emily, it wasn't out of trust or goodwill but because she had bigger concerns to handle today—namely, the Vandran family meeting that had been the talk of the household all week.
Her preoccupation with that meeting meant she had little time to monitor our movements, something we fully intended to exploit.
Emily had shared no details about the meeting's agenda. She wouldn't risk revealing anything significant, but I didn't need her to.
Using Telepathy, I had quietly pieced together fragments of information from the minds of others.
The so-called strategic summit wasn't just another family gathering.
It was a meeting of vital importance, addressing sensitive topics like resource allocation, potential military moves, and, most alarmingly, strategies for dealing with Tirfothuinn.
For the Vandran family, this was a fight for dominance, their chance to secure their position in Sky City's delicate power structure.
The thought weighed on me as I sat in the passenger seat, the window cracked just enough to let the cool air stream in. It carried the faint scent of damp stone and metallic undertones, a distinct reminder of Macha's industrial roots. The chill against my skin was sharp, almost bracing, but it did little to clear my mind.
Beside me, Barron was as relaxed as ever. One hand rested on the steering wheel while he hummed a tune I didn't recognize—off-key, of course.
He seemed completely unfazed by our surroundings, even throwing out casual comments about Emily's supposed "kindness" in lending us her car.
His tone was teasing, his words light, but I could sense the undercurrent of amusement in his voice. He loved poking at Emily whenever he had the chance.
I let him chatter on, offering only the occasional distracted nod. My focus remained fixed on the streets outside.
Macha was an entirely different world from Tirfothuinn, and the differences were impossible to ignore.
Everything here was structured, efficient, and meticulously maintained. The streets were lined with uniform buildings, their sharp edges and steel facades gleaming in the morning light.
Even the people reflected this atmosphere—moving with purpose, their gazes fixed ahead, their steps hurried but precise.
Patrol teams were stationed at nearly every major intersection. Clad in identical uniforms, they moved in perfect synchronization, their presence impossible to overlook.
Their vigilance was unnerving, a constant reminder that we were being watched, even if only indirectly.
Every corner of Macha seemed to hum with an underlying tension, as though the city itself was bracing for something inevitable.
"It's strange, isn't it?" Barron's voice broke through my thoughts. His tone was light, almost curious. "How everyone here moves like clockwork. It's like they're all part of some giant machine."
I glanced at him briefly before returning my gaze to the window. "It's efficient," I replied. "But it feels… rigid. Like there's no room for anything unexpected."
Barron smirked, his eyes flicking to the rearview mirror. "Well, lucky for us, I thrive on the unexpected."
I couldn't help but roll my eyes at his usual bravado, though a small smile tugged at the corner of my lips. His confidence was irritating at times, but it was also strangely reassuring. In a city like Macha, where everything felt cold and calculated, Barron's lightheartedness was a welcome contrast.
The streets continued to pass by in a blur of gray and steel. Macha was starkly beautiful in its own way, but it lacked the warmth and life of Tirfothuinn. There was no sense of community here, no shared purpose beyond the rigid order imposed by the Vandran family. It was a city of rules, built on the backs of those who had no choice but to obey.
"Do you think they know we're out here?" Barron asked suddenly, his tone more serious now.
I shook my head. "Emily's too distracted by that meeting to worry about us. As long as we stay out of sight, they won't bother checking."
Barron nodded, his smirk returning. "Good. Because I plan on making the most of this little escape."
Despite myself, I felt a flicker of amusement at his words. For all his flaws, Barron had a way of making even the most dire situations feel a little less heavy. In a place like this, that was a skill worth appreciating.
As we drove deeper into the city, the towering structures and watchful patrols seemed to close in around us. The air felt heavier here, thick with the weight of unspoken rules and silent threats. But for now, we were just two outsiders, slipping unnoticed through the cracks of Macha's perfect facade.
And I intended to keep it that way.
"You think the werewolves are here?" Barron asked suddenly, breaking the silence.
I turned to look at him, shaking my head slightly. "If it's Matthew, he'll be avoiding people—especially patrols."
Barron smirked knowingly, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the steering wheel. "Not every werewolf is as clever as he is."
He guided the car toward a network of backstreets near the border checkpoints. This was where the city's defenses were most stringent. Every vehicle and pedestrian was scrutinized in painstaking detail, creating an atmosphere so tense it felt like the faintest misstep could trigger chaos.
After weaving through several quiet streets, we found what we were looking for. A cluster of figures caught our attention in a park near one of the checkpoints.