MasukChapter 354XENOISAnd Jerome was orchestrating it all, staying safely out of reach while directing his forces like a conductor leading an orchestra of violence.We were winning, but slowly. Too slowly. Eventually we'd wear down, make a mistake, and that would be it.That's when I heard it.A child's voice, cutting through the chaos with absolute authority."Everyone DUCK!"I didn't question it. I dropped to the floor immediately, some instinct recognizing the voice even though it made no sense for that voice to be here, in the middle of a combat zone, in a nightwalker nest.A blast of superheated plasma streaked over my head, so close I felt the heat, and struck the nightwalker I'd been fighting. He disintegrated on the spot, ash and embers drifting down where he'd been standing seconds before.I looked up and my heart stopped.Because standing in the corridor entrance, looking exhausted but determined, was Riley. My five-year-old son. With Lake beside him, hands glowing with portal
Chapter 353XENOISThe interior of the Silvercrest nest was exactly as nightmarish as I'd expected—stone corridors that absorbed sound, minimal lighting that put werewolves at a disadvantage against nightwalkers, and an oppressive atmosphere that made every breath feel heavy.I moved through the darkness with Thorne at my right, Marcus and Klaus flanking us on either side. Four werewolves against god knew how many enemies, searching for my parents in a hostile stronghold while communications failed and bombs exploded in the distance.Just another Tuesday in the Blackwood pack.The bombs were Zade's doing—Team One making their dramatic entrance at the main gate, drawing attention and forces exactly as planned. I could hear the explosions echoing through the stone, feel the vibrations underfoot as his team demolished the nest's primary defenses.My team had infiltrated through the ventilation system exactly as planned, dropping into a storage area and making our way toward the cell blo
Chapter 352 LUMINA"Lake," I said, "can you open a portal to the Silvercrest nest? Based on the photos Xenois showed you?""Yes," Lake said, his hands already beginning to glow. "But Lumina, I've never taken this many people through at once. And I've definitely never taken them into active combat. If I mess up the coordinates, if I drop us in the wrong place—""You won't mess up," I said firmly. "Because Riley is going to guide you. Riley, can you see where we need to land? Where we can arrive without immediately getting killed?"Riley closed his eyes again, his face scrunching with concentration. After a moment, he opened them and pointed to a specific spot in the air, as if he could see through dimensions to our destination."There," he said. "That's a storage room about fifty feet from where the main fighting is happening. It's empty right now, and it gives us access to multiple corridors. We can approach from an angle Jerome's not expecting.""Perfect," I said, then looked at eve
Chapter 351LUMINAI wanted to argue. Wanted to say that we needed to trust Xenois's judgment, follow orders, stay safe like we'd promised.But I also remembered the video call with Samuel and Silvia. Remembered how they'd used humor and defiance to buy time, to keep their captors off-balance, to give Xenois every possible advantage.They'd been protecting their son in the only way they could from captivity.Maybe it was time we protected our family in the ways only we could."Riley," Lyn said, turning to address the five-year-old who'd been silent throughout this entire exchange. "Can you see what's happening? Can your precognition show you whether the mission is succeeding?"Riley looked uncertain, his eyes darting to me as if asking permission. I wanted to say no. Wanted to protect him from potentially seeing something terrible. But Lyn was right—we needed information."It's okay," I said softly. "If you can see something, if your ability is willing to show you, we need to know."R
Chapter 350LUMINAThe tension in the house was suffocating. Three hours. Three hours since Xenois and his strike team had left, and we'd heard nothing. No updates, no emergency calls, not even a brief text to confirm they'd reached the staging area.Just silence.I watched Lyn pace across the living room for what had to be the hundredth time, his movements jerky with barely suppressed anxiety. Each pass took him from the window to the door and back again, his hands alternating between running through his hair and clenching into fists at his sides."Lyn," I said gently, "you're going to wear a hole in the floor.""I don't care about the floor," he snapped, then immediately looked apologetic. "Sorry. I'm just—three hours, Lumina. Three hours and nothing. We should have heard something by now. Even if it's just 'we're in position' or 'beginning approach.' This silence is killing me."I couldn't argue with that. The silence was killing all of us.The kids were scattered around the room,
Chapter 349SILVIA"Samuel," I said slowly. "Do you remember the explosion technique from the territorial wars? The one we swore we'd never use again because it was too dangerous?"His eyes widened. "Silvia, no. That technique nearly killed us last time we used it. And that was when we were in our thirties and at peak physical condition.""Do you have a better idea?" I challenged.He opened his mouth to respond, then closed it again. "No," he admitted. "I really don't.""Then it's explosion technique time," I decided."If we die doing this—" Samuel started."Then we die together," I finished. "After forty-three years of marriage. Honestly, there are worse ways to go.""I can think of several better ways," he muttered, but he was already positioning himself for the technique, his hands moving through the preparatory gestures we'd learned decades ago from a particularly violent alpha who'd taught us his most dangerous tactics.The explosion technique was simple in theory: channel all yo







