Chapter 24
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 on what 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.”
Ryker nods, his mismatched eyes scanning the maps with tactical precision. “Team assignments?”
The war room fills as more pack members arrive for the emergency briefing—senior wolves, specialists, fighters. Soon we have enough personnel for two full assault teams.
“What about our allies?” Kitara asks. “The bear clans, the witch covens? They have people missing too.”
“Already reached out,” Ryker confirms. “Ghost River and Greyback packs are sending support teams, the other packs are considering who they can provide. The Northern Bear Clan is contributing a strike force. Three covens from the eastern territories are providing magical support and healing expertise.”
“The fae courts?” someone asks.
A heavy silence falls over the room. Ryker’s expression darkens. “No. There’s too much bad blood from the war years. They might use this as an excuse to settle old scores rather than focus on rescue operations. I’ll not risk our people like that.”
I nod, understanding his decision. The fae courts’ involvement in the Blood Wars left wounds that still haven’t healed.
“So we’re looking at coordinated strikes across multiple species,” Elias summarizes. “Wolves, bears, witches and warlocks. Should we have a unified command structure?”
“Lithia coordinates the eastern facility assault, Elias will take the west.” Ryker decides. “I’ll handle overall strategic command from here, maintaining communication between all teams.”
“I don’t know. The eastern facility is where we’ll face the strongest resistance,” Levi interjects from his position at my left shoulder. “I think it makes sense for Elias to lead.”
“Why?” I ask. “The mission parameters are similar to what Kier and I faced during our escape—underground facility, enhanced guards, silver-lined security measures.”
“Last time you got taken. The risk is too great. You’re too valuable to—”
“I’m Beta,” I snap, whirling to face him. “I make tactical decisions for this pack, not you.”
“And I’m Gamma,” he fires back, his yellow eyes blazing. “Which means when the Beta makes reckless decisions that endanger the pack’s command structure, I have a duty to intervene.”
The room goes deadly quiet. Every wolf present can feel the dominance struggle crackling between us, can scent the tension that’s been building for weeks finally boiling over.
“Step back,” I tell him, my voice a growl. “Now.”
He turns to Kier. “Aren’t you gonna say something?”
Kier looks at me, and I brace, waiting for him to cut me down as well. “Nah. She seems to have it in hand.”
After years of people either dismissing my authority or feeling the need to defend me when I’m perfectly capable of defending myself, Kier’s endorsement of my abilities catches me off guard.
He’s not trying to fight my battles for me or undermine my position—he’s simply acknowledging what should be obvious, I’m Beta of this pack for a reason.
My wolf preens at his quiet confidence in us, and I have to fight back a smile despite the tension crackling through the room.
Levi throws up his arms, opening his mouth to protest when Ryker cuts him off. “Enough.”
We both turn to face our Alpha, Levi’s jaw tight with barely contained frustration, my hands clenched into fists at my sides.
“Beta Lithia will lead the assault on the primary facility,” Ryker states with cold finality. “Levi, you’ll coordinate the overall operation from here.”
“Alpha, I respectfully protest—”
“Your protest is noted and overruled.” Ryker’s tone is filled with an unmistakable warning. “The decision stands.”
Levi’s face cycles through anger, hurt, and resignation before settling into cold acceptance. “Of course, Alpha.”
But I catch the look he throws my way as he steps back—a mixture of desperation and possession that makes my wolf snarl in response. This isn’t over.
“If you’ll let me, I’d like to be on the eastern facility team,” Kier says, straightening from where he’d been studying the facility schematics.
His golden eyes meet mine across the table.
“I have the most experience with their operational security, and Lithia will need someone who understands how these bastards think.”
“You’re not pack,” one of the senior wolves mutters, but Ryker silences him with a gesture.
“He’s proven himself,” Ryker says firmly, his tone carrying the weight of alpha authority. “Kier’s experience makes him invaluable for this operation.”
The casual way Ryker defends Kier’s place in our circle warms me. Whether he realizes it or not, Kier has become part of Shadowmist in truth, not just in name.
The bond between us thrums—I can feel his determination to protect me, my gratitude for his support, the electric awareness that never fades no matter how professional we try to keep things in public.
“All right, questions?” Ryker looks around the room.
Silence greets his inquiry, though the tension is thick enough to cut.
Kitara raises her hand.
Ryker grins, nodding at her. “You don’t need to raise a hand, mate.”
“I just thought you should know that I saw something.” She rubs her temples. “Zella is there. But that’s all I saw. They’ve got too much silver around the facility for me to get anything else.”
I stiffen, my resolve hardening.
It’s time to make that bitch pay.
My wolf is in agreement.
“Good. Lithia?”
I nod at my Alpha. “I’ll handle it.”
“Fine. Teams deploy at dawn. Dismissed.”
As the room empties, wolves moving to their various preparations, I find myself alone with the maps and my thoughts. The rescue mission should be my only focus—innocent lives depend on our success. But I can’t shake the feeling that the real danger won’t come from enemy guards or silver weapons.
It’ll come from the explosive dynamic between the three of us, trapped together in close quarters with months of unresolved tension ready to ignite at the worst possible moment.
“Beta.”
I turn to find Dane approaching, his expression carefully neutral. “Brother.”
“Walk with me,” he suggests, gesturing toward the door. “I want to show you something.”
I follow him through the winding corridors of the den, past the common areas where pack members go about their evening routines. We end up in the weapons room—a cavernous space lined with racks of blades, staffs, and projectile weapons of every description.
“Thought you might want to test some new gear before tomorrow,” Dane says, moving to a rack of particularly wicked-looking knives. “Elias had these specially made.”
I accept the blade he offers, testing its weight and balance. The metal has an unusual sheen to it, darker than normal steel but not quite silver. The handle is wood, inlaid with a beautiful pattern.