Chapter 214
of him: 1 mi
morber, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze. Her face was drawn with worry, lines cutting deep around her eyes he My heart sank Busking at her – the sermed to have aged years.
replied, bet voice so soh I barely caught it. She reached up and patted my hand, the gesture somehow both comforting me and
be looks, you know. Always has been.” Her yes glistened with unshed tears.
idow, Sunlight outlined her the as the gazed out at the hospital grounds, shoulders slumped with the weight of worry. When
turned and attempted a smile that didn’t quite reach her tired eyes.
I firmly, not asking but telling. “The pack needs their Alpha right now. We’ll watch over him.” She straightened her spine, trying to she dido 1 fully feel
lower lip, fering torn in half. My duty pulled me one way while my heart yanked me in another. “If there’s any change-
– My voice cracked
Victoria promised, her fingers digging into my arm with surprising strength. “He’d want you to protect the pack first. You know that mjas held mine, learning no room for argument.
fral glance of my father’s sleeping form- small now against the white sheets- I took a deep breath and forced myself to leave. The sharp sting of
sostrih as 1 marched through the corridors, my jaw deniched tight. My phone vibrated against my thigh–three missed calls from
ply read: Egent Call immediately.
i twisted into knots an 1 jabbed at the phone screen.
o headquarters now,” I barked into the phone, emgine roaring to life. “Have the full report ready,” My knuckles turned white against the
David’s clipped response.
Every red light felt like a personal attack as I drove, drumming my fingers impatiently against the dashboard. My mind bounced frantically between images of my father booked to machines and whatever threat now faced my pack, Rogues attacking now, of all times the timing made my skin crawl. They always
sed to know exactly when we were most vulnerable, like vultures circling wounded prry.
Dand stood tod straight at the entrance when I pulled in, tension radiating from him in waves. He fell into step beside me, matching my hurried pace
יד
bout to brief you on the rogue situation earlier, he said, frustration threading through his words. “But then your mother called. His nostrils
I shot him a quick glance, my eyebrow arching “You suspected something was coming? My gut Lightened further.
increased activity along the northern territory lines. David’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Nothing concrete, but enough chatter
The counter buzzed with tense energy when we entered – maps splayed across tables, sores flickering with security footage, and the low mumur of urgent cometutions. My rys inmediately locked onto the central display where bright red markers dotted our territory like angry wounds.
ar the status of the injured? I demanded, leaning forward to study the tactical display. My pulse pounded in my ears. table,” David replied, his posture stiffening further as he clasped his hands behind his back, “Nothing life–threatening.” Belief flooded through me, loosening the tightness in my chest. Without warning, memories of another attack seven years ap Bloody bodies of friends, faces I’d trained with, laughed with. My stomach churned as I remembered how those deaths had hollowed me out, especially when
father pefaued to tell me
ago flashed before my eyes dut la knew about these rogurt,
resort – when I’d unknowingly met, when Lucas had been conceived – I’d been drowning myself in whiskey, desperate to numb the raw
- that had been eating me alive.
Devidoe stapped me back. “Your under His eyes searched my face, concern briefly replacing his p
professional mask,
shoulders and swallowed hard, pushing the ghosts away. “Double the patrols along all borders,” I ordered, forcing strength into my voice. “I
cken following the retreat paths of these rogues. They have to be based somewhere within striking distance.”
“Already in progress,” he confirmed with a short nod.
fully, studying his expression. Tove you identified their leader? These attacks are too coordinated to be random bands of packless
a besitation, a dxcomfort that made my skin prickle with foreboding. He cleared his throat. “We have a name a
and eir commander. Trap Shadowcloc”
sparked nothing in me, but David’s pinched expression told me there was more. “And?” I prompted, dread pooling in my gut.
The calls himself the King of Rogues. David’s Adams apple bobbed as be swallowed. “Our intelligence suggests he’s approximately your father’s age possibly slightly younger.” He handed me a thin file, his fingers stiff. “There’s…a possibility that he has some connection to your father.”
I flipped open the file with trembling fingers I couldn’t quite control. The grainy photograph showed a silver–haired man with sharp features that struck me
converting early Sintheses of his jew, the shape of his eyes that reminded me of my own reflection.
“What kind of connection? I asked my mouth suddenly dry as coton
weight from ce foot to the other, eyes darting away from mine. The intelligence team has a theory based on physical resemblance and
paused, is discomfon palpable in the air between us. They believe he might be your uncle.”
“My The word felt allen on my tongue, bitter and strange.
Chapter Comments
cognize lucas as his pup earlier
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raking sense. Bet he has a lot of questions for his Dad
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