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I glanced at the operational display. Vaelor markers now occupied the facilities that had belonged to Tureen when the Council chamber was sealed.

“Council?”

“Still in session.”

House Tureen’s High Lord had entered that chamber with his operation intact. He would leave it after my soldiers had opened his cells and Lucien had possession of the records.

Veska waited until the connection ended before approaching.

“These poor Omegas.” Her voice was quiet enough that only I could hear. “The remaining Houses will be fighting over custody the moment their existence is made public.”

“For now, they are in our care. We will see them safely out of here. Do not burden yourself with decisions that are not ours to make.”

She nodded and returned to the transport teams. I understood her concern, though my own was for Ivy and Nora. Finding them would not give me the authority to decide their future.

By the time the final non-critical transport departed, the corridors were nearly empty. Disabled locks hung loose beside open doors. The chains had been labelled for evidence, along with the equipment left in the rooms.

I called Lucien from the recovery station.

“Ivy and Nora?”

“Neither has been found at any of the facilities.”

“Have all those recovered been identified?”

“Yes, Caius. Every facility has been searched. My teams are still tracing the transfers.”

I looked down at the census, my hand resting beside the display.

“Tell me as soon as you have anything.”

“I will.”

Lucien returned to his work, and I remained beside the projection. Two hundred and seven people from this facility were alive and out of Tureen’s hands, yet I was thinking of the two young Omegas I had once again failed to find.

I closed my eyes.

Forgive me, my mate.

Chapter 41

Magnus

The clerk closed the final ledger. For six hours, the Council had dealt with petitions, roads, grain, borders and the ordinary work of keeping the realm running. Around the stone table, the High Lords gathered their documents, ready to return to their Houses.

Across from me, High Lord Severin of House Tureen looked no different from when he had entered the chamber that morning. Under Council rules, communication devices were prohibited. He had spent the entire meeting beyond the reach of his people.

Octavian of House Valenne, the Council’s First Alpha, looked around the table. Before he could ask whether any further business remained, I stood.

“I request the Red Fang.”

The clerk’s hand stopped over the ledger. Severin looked up, and the other High Lords set down their documents.

“On what grounds, Lord Vaelor?” Octavian asked.

“High treason. Murder. Unlawful imprisonment. Interference with succession in several Great Houses. The unlawful substitution of High Mountain citizens, and experimentation on adults and children, including Omegas.”

A low whistle came from the far end of the table, followed by several voices speaking at once. Severin remained rigid in his chair, his jaw clenched as he stared at me. I held his gaze until the First Alpha raised a hand to silence them.