Invisible String || Erik Lehnsherr

Chapter 5

When we got back to the group, the cold wind biting at my face, Erik was already storming toward me, his expression dark. The snow crunched under his boots, and before I could even catch my breath, he was yelling.

"Where the hell were you?" His voice boomed, harsh and accusatory, cutting through the chaos around us. His glare was fixed on me, and I could feel the weight of his anger like a physical thing pressing down on me.

I stood there, still trying to process everything that had just happened—the man in the cage, the guards, the alarms. It was all a blur, but Erik didn't care. All he saw was that I'd gone off the grid, and now he was furious.

"I—" I started, my voice shaky. "I found something."

"You found something?" he snapped, taking a step closer, his eyes narrowing. "We're in the middle of a mission, and you just wander off to 'find something'? You put everyone at risk."

I clenched my jaw, feeling a surge of defensiveness rise up. "I didn't wander off. I had to check out what was in that room—"

"You had to check it out?" Erik cut me off, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "You're not a soldier, Flora. You don't get to make those calls. You don't have the experience, and you sure as hell don't have the right to go rogue during a mission."

My chest tightened with frustration. "I didn't go rogue. I found that man in the cage—he was being tortured. I couldn't just leave him there!"

Erik's face darkened even more, his fists clenching at his sides. "You should've waited for backup. We have protocols for a reason."

"She did the right thing," Raven's voice cut in, firm and unwavering as she stepped between us. "That man would still be locked up in that cage if it weren't for her."

Erik's glare shifted to Raven, his jaw tightening. "You're defending her? She didn't follow orders—"

"Enough!" Charles's voice came through the earpiece, his tone commanding. "We don't have time for this. Everyone back to the jet, now."

Erik's eyes flickered with frustration, but he didn't argue with Charles. He shot me one last cold look before turning and stalking off toward the jet, the tension between us still thick in the air.

Raven placed a hand on my shoulder, her expression softening. "Don't let him get to you. You did what you thought was right."

I nodded, my heart still pounding in my chest. "He's right, though. I didn't follow protocol. I should've told someone—"

"You followed your instincts," Raven said, her voice low but firm. "And sometimes that's more important than following the rules. You saved that man."

I glanced back at the unconscious figure being carried toward the jet, still unsure of whether I had made the right call. But there was no turning back now.

With a deep breath, I fell into step with the others, my mind spinning as we headed back to the jet. Erik's words still echoed in my head, but Raven's reassurance helped ease the knot of doubt tightening in my chest.

As we boarded the jet, the atmosphere was tense. Erik sat in his usual seat, his gaze hard and distant, refusing to even look at me. I sat as far from him as possible, trying to calm the storm of emotions swirling inside me.

The jet began to lift off, the hum of the engines filling the cabin as I tried to focus on anything but Erik's lingering glare. My eyes drifted to the unconscious man lying on the floor, his chest rising and falling steadily, but still, I couldn't help but feel a deep sense of sorrow for him.

He had been locked in that metal box, tortured, maybe for years, and I couldn't stop imagining what he must have gone through. The thought made my heart ache for him. His body was defended with muscle, which was tense even in unconsciousness, as if he had been on edge for so long that he didn't know how to relax.