Despite everything, I laugh. “When you put it that way, it does sound pretty good.”
“It is good.” His arms tighten around me slightly. “It’s perfect.”
We stay like that for a long time, wrapped in each other’s arms beneath the ancient oak, the music from the hall a distant backdrop to our private moment of peace. I let myself savor it—the warmth of his body, the strength of his arms, the steady rhythm of his breathing.
Just for tonight,I’d told myself. But as I lift my face to his, seeking his lips in a kiss that feels like coming home, I know I’m lying to myself.
One night will never be enough.
Chapter
Twenty-Four
The emergency summons comes at dawn—a sharp rap on my door that jolts me from restless sleep.
“Beta,” the young scout pants, his eyes bright with excitement. “Elias needs you in the war room immediately. The reconnaissance teams have returned.”
I’m dressed and moving within minutes, my heart hammering as I follow him through the winding corridors. Our scouts have finally returned from their surveillance of the three facilities we’ve identified—I can only hope it’s good news.
The war room thrums with controlled urgency when I arrive. Maps cover every surface—hand-drawn schematics updated with fresh intelligence, guard rotations documented from days of careful observation, escape routes marked in red ink.
Elias looks up as I enter, his weathered face grim but determined. Around the table, I see the familiar faces of our senior staff—Dane studying reconnaissance photos, and Levi examining supply lists.
I’m surprised to see Kier leaning over facility blueprints.His gaze meets mine, and I nod, understanding that Ryker’s trying to include him in our pack.
“We have a window,” Elias says without preamble. “Twenty-four hours, maybe less.”
“What did the scouts find?” I ask, moving to the largest map where red pins mark the known facilities.
“They’re moving prisoners,” Dane reports from his position near the western maps. “Heath overheard a conversation that said they’ve got a large transport planned for tomorrow night. If we don’t move now, we lose our chance.”
My blood chills. “Is the large transport prisoners or something else?”
“Unknown,” Elias admits. “But based on the preparations we observed, we think it is.”
The implication hangs heavy in the air.
“How many total are at the facility?” I ask, studying the updated intelligence.
“Conservative estimate? Forty to fifty across all three facilities,” another scout reports. “But here’s the significant development—” He points to the map I know by heart, the facility where Kier and I were held. “This location has been completely evacuated. No prisoners, minimal guard presence.”
I nod. “We thought they would.”
“But it means they’ve either got another facility we haven’t been able to track, or they’ve consolidated operations at their last two heavily fortified sites.” He indicates the eastern and western facilities. “Best intelligence suggests the high-value targets—the seers—are being held here.” His finger taps the eastern location.
Prudence.
“Guard strength at the active sites?”
Elias shrugs. “Eastern facility—the one likely holding the seers—twenty-plus guards, definitely enhanced based onwhat we could scent in the breeze. The western site has standard security, maybe fifteen guards total.”
I study the fresh intelligence, my mind racing through tactical possibilities. Two facilities, limited time, innocent lives hanging in the balance.
“We hit them simultaneously,” I decide. “Divide their attention, prevent coordination between sites.”
“Agreed,” comes Ryker’s voice from the doorway. Our Alpha enters with Kitara at his side, both looking like they’ve been awakened as urgently as I was. “What’s our timeline?”
“Teams need to be in position by sunset,” Elias replies. “Simultaneous strikes at midnight when the guards are due to change will create maximum confusion.”
