Chapter 31 #2
“We intercepted your call to Merric. Tracked the signal. Figured out what you were planning.” He looks at the facility. At the rescued hybrids. At the chaos. “We couldn’t let you do this alone. Despite your actions.”
Despite my treason. Despite breaking Jericho out. Despite choosing him over Aurora.
“The victims—” I start.
“We’ll get them medical attention. Extraction. Safety.” He gestures, and Aurora medics move forward. Efficient. Professional. Taking over care of the injured hybrids. “But right now, I need to know what we’re walking into.”
I brief him quickly. Facility layout based on Jericho’s intelligence. Dragon guards. Syndicate teams. The fact that my pack is already inside fighting.
And that Jericho went back for one more. The girl named Kaylin, who wasn’t with the others.
Viktor listens. Processes. Makes tactical decisions with the speed that made him a commander.
“We’re going in. Full assault. Extraction of all victims and your people.” He pauses. Looks at me directly. “Including Allon.”
Including Jericho. Relief floods me.
“Thank you,” I say quietly.
“We’ll sort out the rest after.” He turns to his team. “Move out. Lethal force authorized. Priority: rescue and extraction.”
Aurora operatives pour into the facility. Coordinated. Professional. Everything my pack isn’t trained for, but Aurora excels at.
I want to go with them. Want to fight my way to Jericho.
The bond pulses. Pain. His pain. He’s injured. Badly.
My wolf howls inside me. The urge to go to him is overwhelming. But the victims around me need help too.
“Stay with the victims. We need someone with skills here in case they turn their attention back,” Viktor says without looking at me. He knows what I’m feeling. “That’s an order.”
Then he’s gone. Leading his team into the facility. I’m left with a dozen injured hybrids and Aurora’s medics. Left feeling Jericho through the bond. Feeling his pain. His determination. His fear.
The battle intensifies. Dragon roars. Wolf howls. Weapons fire. Explosions.
Then silence. Terrible. Complete. Silence.
The bond is still there. Still present. But faint. So faint I have to focus to feel it.
He’s alive. Barely conscious. But alive.
Oh, dear God!
People start emerging. Aurora operatives first. Carrying victims. Some walking. Some unconscious. Efficient evacuation.
Then my pack. Merric first, in human form. Blood-streaked but moving. He nods at me. Okay.
Rook and Sienna shift back to human, both injured but functional. Dane and Briar emerge together. Supporting each other.
Still no Jericho.
The bond is fading. Not gone. Just distant. Like he’s using everything he has to stay conscious.
Viktor emerges. Scanning. Coordinating. Making sure everyone’s accounted for.
Where the hell is Jericho?
Then I see him.
Stumbling out of the facility entrance. Blood covering most of his body. Clothes torn. Moving on pure will.
Carrying someone.
A young woman. Wolf. Fragile. Near death. Kaylin.
He staggers toward the Aurora medics. Every step looks like it costs him everything. His face is gray. Eyes unfocused. But he keeps moving.
He reaches the medics. Hands over Kaylin with infinite gentleness.
“Critical condition,” he says, voice rough. “Multiple surgeries. Needs immediate—”
He collapses.
I’m across the clearing before thought catches up to action. Past victims and medics and tactical teams. I reach him and drop to my knees, rolling him carefully. I check for a pulse.
There. Weak but present.
He’s bloodsoaked. Some his. Some not. Claw wounds across his back. Dragon wounds. Deep. Burns on his arms. Bullet wounds in his side.
But alive.
“Medic!” I shout. “I need a medic here!”
Aurora’s medical team rushes over. They push me aside gently and start working. Assessing injuries. Applying pressure to wounds. Starting IV lines.
I kneel beside him. Can’t move. Can’t look away.
He went back for her. For Kaylin. Went back into that facility alone when he could have escaped. Risked everything to save one more person.
The bond strengthens slightly. His consciousness flickering. He’s fighting to stay aware, even though his body is shutting down. His eyes open slightly. Unfocused. But they find mine.
“Did she—?” His voice is practically inaudible. “Kaylin—”
“They have her. She’s alive. You got her out.”
He nods slightly, relief crossing his face despite the pain. Then his eyes close again, consciousness slipping away.
The medics work fast. Efficient. Professional. But there’s so much blood. So many injuries.
Viktor appears beside me. Looks at Jericho. At me. At the situation.
“He’s going back to Aurora,” Viktor says. “Medical facility. Full treatment.”
“He’s under arrest,” I say quietly, stating the reality we both know.
“He’s under medical care.” Viktor’s voice is firm. “We’ll deal with the rest after he’s stable.”
After.
If there is an after.
Don’t think about that now.
He’s alive. That’s what matters.
Everything else—the treason, the charges, the impossible future—we’ll figure out later.
If we make it that far.