"Where have you all been for two weeks?!" Lana roared as she glared at the boys angrily, her foot tapping the ground rapidly while her hands were crossed. Her sharp eyes scanned each of them from top to bottom, her irritation almost tangible.

After settling a few things back at Max's town, the boys had to leave, putting Kelly in charge of the pub in their absence. Before leaving, the gang had gotten burner phones.

Every single member in The Crimson Scales had one, and the only numbers allowed on them were those of other members. The regular members didn't have the leaders' numbers.

Only the core members — Kelly, Max, Jake, and Jim had each other's numbers saved. Max had also dropped by Camila's place before leaving to grab his smartphone.

He would've done more with his women before leaving, but time wasn't on his side, so he left in a rush. Not without a few deep kisses and teasing touches, though just nothing too deep.

Now, they were all back in the association. The moment Lana heard they had returned, she stormed into their room with Daki and Jasmine right behind her. Without wasting even a second or letting the boys breathe, she dumped a barrage of questions on them immediately.

"Huh? Why do you want to know? Did something happen while we were away?" Jake asked with a raised eyebrow.

"He asks if something happened." Lana let out a dry chuckle as she shot him a death glare sharp enough to cut steel. Jake instinctively took a few steps back. "Yes, something happened! We were forced to not take any missions for two whole weeks!"

"Ow. Too bad," Max said with a shrug, grabbing his smartphone and casually scrolling through it like her rage didn't even exist.

"Too bad? Too bad? Is that the only thing you can say?!" Lana thundered, her fists clenched tightly while her teeth ground back and forth in restrained rage.

"I mean, what do you want me to say though?" Max asked, one brow raised. "We're the best squad at the moment, so if the association benched us, they must have had a reason to."

"They benched us because you dumbasses were nowhere to be found!" Jasmine snapped, her voice sharp and her frown deep.

"But we told the higher-ups that we'd be away for a while, didn't we? So why are you girls acting all hyper now?" Jim asked, confusion flashing across his face.

"You know," Lana said, cutting him off with venom in her tone, "I don't recall asking for an input from a weakling like you."

"Hey! Jim is part of our squad, okay? And as long as we're squad members, I implore that we all respect one another regardless of rank or strength," Max said, his brows furrowing as he dropped his phone aside. "We aren't bullies, nor are we oppressors. I'd like for us to keep it that way. Alright?"

"Who died and made you the damn leader that you think you can control me like that?!" Lana roared again, glaring daggers at the dragon.

"Max is right," Jake quickly cut in. "We're squad members. We've been through life-and-death situations together, and I don't want any of us treating the others as outsiders. Whether we like it or not, we're a family in this association."

"Did I tell any of you that I got no family outside?" Lana asked with a raised eyebrow, her tone sharp and laced with challenge.

"You do, I do, Max does too. But regardless, as long as we're in this association, we are a family. And family, they do what?" Jake asked, his voice steady and slightly firm.

"Watch each other's backs and respect one another," Jasmine muttered, her arms crossed.

"Good," Jake nodded with a faint smile. "So please, we can argue and banter as much as we want, but let it not cross the borderline of disrespecting a squad member. That's wrong and unnecessary."

"Okay, we've heard you," Daki finally spoke for the first time in a while, her voice calm but curious. "But we still want to know where you all went for two weeks. That's the only way to calm this situation right now."

Max sighed softly and rose from the bed, stretching his arms before replying, "I went back to my town because I had a personal issue to attend to."

"I went back to my city because my dad called me," Jake said, rubbing the back of his neck. "He needed me home to explain what happened with Lenny since the Black Veil gang is stirring trouble."

"And I went with Max to his town because he's my idol, and I don't want anything to happen to him," Jim added proudly, his eyes sparkling with pure admiration as he looked at the dragon.

"Weirdo," the girls muttered under their breaths at the same time.

"Fine, we've heard you all," Jasmine said, letting out a sigh. "But we'd appreciate it if, whenever you plan to leave, you tell us beforehand. And kindly try not to spend too much time away. Communication goes a long way."

"Fine, we've heard you," Jake said again as he plopped down onto his chair, tiredly rubbing his temples. Max sat back on his bed beside Jim, who stayed close like always, unwilling to leave the dragon's side.

"So, what now?" Lana asked with a frown, her arms crossing over her chest, accentuating her curves. "I'm sure the association knows you're all back, so why don't we go look for a mission to do? At least make up for the ones we missed."

"I don't know about you all," Max began as he tucked his phone away, his voice calm and slightly drained, "but I'm too sore for any strenuous mission right now. I'll just lay here and rest for a bit."

'I've been with them for weeks now, but something about Max feels off,' Daki thought as she glanced at him, her eyes narrowing.

'Why can't I sense his aura at all? I can sense the others clearly, but his is completely hidden. Also… there's another one here whose aura feels invisible too.' Her gaze shifted from Max to another member in the room, her expression darkening with suspicion.

"You want to sleep? The hell do you me…" Lana's words trailed off as a series of beeping noises echoed through the room. Everyone immediately dipped their hands into their pockets and pulled out their comm devices.

"A mission. Finally," the female hybrid grinned, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Ugh," Max groaned in frustration as he rose from the bed. "Alright then, you girls should leave the room. We want to change."

"Yeah," Jake added, already removing his jacket. The girls exchanged looks before leaving the room, closing the door behind them and leaving the boys to gear up in peace.

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