He scrolled to her number and dialed. One ring. Two. Three. Four.
“Hello?” The whisper was barely audible, but Gregor recognized her voice.
“Valerie. It’s Commander Gregor. Can you talk?”
A sharp intake of breath. “Commander. Oh, thank the gods. I’ve been trying to—” Her voice cracked. “It’s bad here. It’s really bad.”
“Tell me.” Gregor put the phone on speaker, and the room leaned in.
“Duncan and Donovan took over the day King Fergal disappeared. They said it was emergency protocol, that with the king missing and the dragon-slayer threat, they needed to assume temporary authority for the clan’s protection.” Herwords came fast, running together like water finding cracks. “They replaced Ruben’s guards with their own men. The omegas have been confined to their quarters. Anyone who questions them gets isolated. So far, nine alphas have been locked in the barracks for refusing to comply.”
Nine alphas had spoken up. That was more than Gregor had expected, and he would take that as an encouragement.
“Are you safe?” Gregor asked.
“For now. They don’t consider me important enough to watch closely.” A sob broke through. “Is he alive? Is King Fergal alive?”
“He’s alive.” Gregor’s voice held steady through sheer will. “He’s being held, but he’s alive, and we’re going to get him back. Valerie, I need you to listen carefully. Do exactly what you’ve been doing—stay invisible, stay compliant, don’t draw attention. We’re coming. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Commander.”
“Can you get a message to the alphas in the barracks? Tell them to sit tight. Help is coming.”
“I’ll try.”
“Be careful. Don’t take any risks you don’t have to.”
“I won’t.” A pause. “Commander? Get him back. Please. He’s the best king we’ve ever had, and we can’t lose him.”
Gregor ended the call. The phone sat on the table between them, and the room processed what they’d just heard.
“Two targets,” Rhene said, breaking the silence. “Two simultaneous operations. We can’t hit the compound where Fergal is held without securing the Fitzgerald clan at the same time, or Duncan and Donovan will either accelerate the takeover or use the clan as leverage.”
“Agreed,” Gregor said. “We need to split into two teams. One liberates the Fitzgerald compound. The other hits Cladhaire’s property and gets Fergal out.”
“And Duff,” Erwan added quietly. “If he’s there.”
“And Duff.” Gregor pulled up the map on the laptop, the property’s coordinates marked in red. “And anyone else they’re holding. Simon indicated there might be other prisoners. We should be prepared for that.”
The planning took two hours. Two hours of tactical analysis, resource allocation, argument, and compromise. They all understood that the margin for error was zero and the stakes were everything. Emma left and others joined—Blair, Adar, Nadiv, and Valdis. They moved to the meeting barn when more showed up, and then the Hayes pack delegation showed up, and all the hairs on Gregor’s body rose on end.
Lidon Hayes had arrived.
Gregor had met the True Alpha, but every single time, the sheer power that radiated from him rolled over him, into him all over again. He had this crazy impulse to bow for him. Though he didn’t because he would not bow to anyone other than Fergal, his king.
“We heard you need help,” Palani said, putting a firm hand on Gregor’s shoulder to squeeze it. “We’re at your service.”
Gregor needed a moment to swallow the massive lump that clogged his throat. “Thank you. That means… Thank you.”
Within minutes, Gregor understood why Palani was Lidon’s second-in-command. Any lingering doubt he might’ve harbored about Lidon’s judgment being clouded by personal feelings for the beta—the love between them was palpable—vanished. With a few sharp questions, Palani exposed weaknesses in the plans they’d made so far, so they reassessed and adjusted until everyone was confident.
They’d created two teams. Blair would lead the mission to the Fitzgerald compound, while Gregor would head the team that would liberate Fergal.
Blair asked, “What are the rules of engagement?”
“Secure the compound with minimum force. Duncan and Donovan are to be detained, not harmed. We need them alive for interrogation and for the legal proceedings that will follow. The omegas are to be protected at all costs. Any alpha who stands down peacefully is to be treated with respect. Anyone who fights…” Gregor paused. “Use your judgment. But remember that many of those alphas may be following orders they don’t fully understand. Give them the chance to make the right choice before you make it for them.”
“Let’s put Nadiv on that team,” Erwan suggested. “His influencer gift may be able to sway some people.”
