All Chapters of SHADOWS OF THE OAT : Chapter 71
- Chapter 80
220 chapters
CHAPTER 71
Caught Between Two WorldsI can’t breathe.Julian’s eyes pin me in place like a predator waiting for its prey to break. His voice, smooth and commanding, lingers in the air between us. “You know what to do, Nathan.” A simple command, but one laced with the weight of a thousand decisions I never wanted to make.I swallow hard, forcing my body to remain still, though my heart pounds against my ribs like a caged animal. If I refuse, Julian will know I’m lying. If I follow through, I lose myself forever.And yet, my hesitation is its own betrayal.I shift in my seat, pressing my palms flat against my thighs to stop them from clenching into fists. "And if I say no?" My voice is steady—too steady. It’s a lie in itself.Julian leans forward, a smirk curling at the corner of his lips. "Then we both know what happens next." His words slither into the space between us, filling it with something thick and suffocating.I glance at the others in the room. Spectators. Pieces on Julian’s chessboard.
Last Updated : 2025-03-07
CHAPTER 72
The Blood PriceThe air reeks of sweat, gun oil, and the sharp metallic tang of blood. The black site is nothing more than a gutted warehouse on the outskirts of the city, a place built for ghosts—men and women who no longer officially exist. A place where choices turn into consequences, and hesitation is the quickest way to die.And right now, I’m standing in the middle of it, staring at the Resistance fighters I once called allies.The moment I step through the rusted metal door, weapons rise. Fingers hover over triggers. Eyes narrow. My presence is not a welcome one.“Nathan,” a voice calls out, low and razor-sharp.I turn toward it, locking eyes with Elias. He stands just beyond the glow of a single overhead light, his broad shoulders casting long shadows against the cracked concrete floor. His expression is unreadable, but the tension in his stance says everything.He doesn’t trust me.I can’t blame him.My pulse is steady, but beneath the surface, I feel the cold grip of somethi
Last Updated : 2025-03-07
CHAPTER 73
The DecisionSmoke curls through the air, thick and suffocating. The acrid scent of burning metal stings my nose, mixing with the chaos of shouts and gunfire. My hands are steady on my weapon, but my pulse is a different story—pounding, relentless.I didn’t hesitate. I made my choice.But making a choice is one thing. Surviving it? That’s another.The Resistance fighters are scattering, trying to retreat through the back exits. The Oath’s enforcers are closing in, sweeping the perimeter, hunting. If I don’t make this look convincing, Julian will know. He already suspects. I saw it in his eyes before the gunfire started—he was watching for weakness, waiting for the moment I gave myself away.I need to play this right.Riley moves in the corner of my vision, dark hair whipping as she darts toward the exit. Elias is covering her, taking down an enforcer with two clean shots before moving toward the opposite side. Nyla stays back, knife flashing as she deals with a soldier who got too clo
Last Updated : 2025-03-07
CHAPTER 74
Riley’s PleaThe cold night air stung as I stepped onto the balcony, the city stretching beneath me in a blur of neon and shadows. A cigarette burned between my fingers, the ember pulsing like the warning signs I’d been ignoring for too long. The weight of my choices pressed against my ribs, an iron vice that tightened with each breath.Then came the knock. Sharp. Urgent.I exhaled, watching the smoke curl upward, before turning toward the door. When I opened it, Riley stood there, his jaw tight, his eyes dark with something between frustration and fear.“We need to talk.” His voice was low, clipped.I gestured for him to come in, shutting the door behind him. He didn’t sit. Didn’t take off his coat. Just stood there, hands clenched at his sides, like a man about to walk into a storm.“You know, for someone who claims he doesn’t care about consequences, you sure seem tense,” I muttered, leaning against the desk.Riley didn’t take the bait. “You need to end this before they bury you.”
Last Updated : 2025-03-07
CHAPTER 75
A Dangerous OrderJulian’s voice was steady, devoid of hesitation. “Bring me Riley.”Two words. Simple. Direct. And yet, they shattered something inside me.I kept my face still, unreadable, though my stomach twisted in protest. Riley. The woman I’d sworn to protect. The woman who had, against all odds, trusted me.A threat, Julian called her. A loose end.I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of his gaze pressing against me like a steel vice. Julian never made idle requests. This was an order.Betray her, or betray myself.Silence stretched between us, thick with expectation. I forced myself to breathe evenly, to keep my hands from curling into fists. This was a test—one of many he’d put me through.“Is there a problem, Nathan?” Julian asked smoothly, tapping his fingers against the polished surface of his desk.Problem? Yeah. The problem was that I wasn’t the man he thought I was. Not anymore.I met his gaze. “What do you want me to do with her?”Julian smiled, slow and knowing. “Tha
Last Updated : 2025-03-07
CHAPTER 76
The SetupRiley’s wrists were bound. Her lip was split, a smear of blood trailing down her chin. Her breathing was shallow, controlled, as if she knew any sign of resistance would only make things worse.It was an act.The ropes weren’t real restraints—I’d tied them loose enough for her to slip free in seconds. The blood? A carefully placed smear of red from a capsule she’d bitten into before we arrived. But the tension in her body? That was real.Because no matter how much we planned, no matter how much we anticipated, walking into Julian’s den was a gamble we weren’t guaranteed to win.I tightened my grip on her arm as we stepped inside, playing the part of the loyal enforcer. My face was a mask—cold, unreadable. My gut twisted at the way Julian’s men watched us, like vultures circling a fresh kill.Julian sat at the head of the long glass table, swirling a dark amber drink in his hand. The room was dim, the air thick with cigar smoke. He looked up as we entered, his expression impa
Last Updated : 2025-03-07
CHAPTER 77
The UnravelingWe barely had time to breathe.Riley and I hit the alley pavement hard, rolling to absorb the impact. The night air was thick with the scent of rain and gunpowder, but we had no time to appreciate either. Footsteps pounded above us—Julian’s men, scrambling to follow.“Move,” I barked, grabbing Riley’s wrist. We bolted, our boots slamming against the wet asphalt as we tore through the backstreets.She glanced over her shoulder, eyes sharp. “Tell me there’s a plan.”“There was.” I exhaled. “It’s currently on fire.”We turned a corner, slipping into the shadows of a loading dock. The city pulsed around us—horns blaring, neon lights flickering in the distance. For a second, it felt like we’d made it.Then the slow clap started.Julian’s voice cut through the dark, smooth as silk. “You almost had me, Nathan.”My stomach dropped.Riley stiffened beside me.I turned. He was standing under the glow of a streetlamp, his crisp black suit unruffled, his expression unreadable. Behi
Last Updated : 2025-03-07
CHAPTER 78
The EscapeThe stench of gunpowder clung to the air, thick and suffocating. My lungs burned as I sucked in a ragged breath, my pulse thundering like war drums in my ears. Riley was at my side, her face streaked with sweat and grime, her chest rising and falling in sharp, shallow breaths.“Keep moving,” I urged, gripping her wrist as we darted down the dimly lit alley. Our boots splashed through puddles, each step echoing against the towering buildings pressing in on us. The city streets were alive with distant sirens, but they wouldn’t get here in time.Not before The Oath did.A gunshot cracked behind us, the bullet ricocheting off the metal dumpster to my left. I shoved Riley ahead just as a second shot whizzed past, so close I could feel the heat as it skimmed my sleeve.Riley twisted around, raising her pistol. “They’re closing in.”“No time to fight, we need to—” I didn’t get to finish.A black SUV screeched into the alley’s entrance, blocking our escape. The tinted windows glare
Last Updated : 2025-03-07
CHAPTER 79
The Final PlanThe weight of the truth settled in my chest like an anchor, dragging me down into a darkness I couldn’t escape. The Oath wasn’t just controlling governments. They weren’t just puppeteers pulling strings from the shadows.They were the storm itself.They created the chaos. Wars, economic collapses, pandemics—none of them were random. They were manufactured, carefully orchestrated disasters meant to keep the world in a perpetual state of fear. And fear? That was their currency. Their power.I clenched my fists, my pulse a rapid, angry drum in my ears.Destroying them wouldn’t just be about exposing corruption or dismantling an organization. It would change everything. It would mean unraveling the very fabric of what people believed was reality.Was the world even ready for that?“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Gabriel muttered from across the dimly lit room. He leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his ever-present smirk absent for once. “And knowing you, I’m guessi
Last Updated : 2025-03-07
CHAPTER 80
No Turning BackThe night stretched around us, heavy with unspoken tension. The air was thick, almost suffocating, as we gathered in the abandoned safe house just outside the city. The walls were cracked, the floors creaking beneath our weight, but none of us cared. We had bigger things to worry about.Riley stood near the flickering lantern on the table, arms crossed, her sharp eyes flicking between me and the others. “Are you sure this is the right move?”I didn’t hesitate. “It’s the only move.”Gabriel let out a low whistle from his spot near the window, peering out into the darkness. “Damn. No hesitation, no second thoughts. You really are a reckless bastard.”I shot him a look. “You’re still here, aren’t you?”He smirked. “Someone’s gotta keep you from getting yourself killed.”Eloise wasn’t smiling. She sat on the edge of the table, arms wrapped around herself, her face unreadable. “This isn’t like anything we’ve done before,” she said quietly. “We’re not just taking down a corr
Last Updated : 2025-03-07