#Chapter 172: The Return

Aria The trek back to the portal was long and tiring, and by the time we arrived at the mysterious little elevator in the woods, the sun was beating on our backs and a fine coat of sweat had formed between my skin and my jacket. Darren, Liam, and the Lunar Labs gang and I stepped into the elevator first, feeling the familiar sensation of movement as it carried us down to the first floor of the building. Nothing could have prepared me for what awaited us when those elevators slid open. Lunar Labs—once a gleaming beacon of scientific progress and, more recently, a symbol of hope for werewolf-human relations—lay in ruins before us. The building that Darren and I had poured so much of ourselves into over the past months was nearly unrecognizable. “Oh my god,” I whispered, my steps faltering as I took in the destruction. Windows were shattered, leaving jagged teeth of glass in their frames. The sleek exterior was marred with scorch marks where fires had burned.