LOGINLucian pushed the stone panel behind the pedestal, revealing the entrance to the river drain passage."Cade, take point," Lucian said, stepping aside. "Soren, watch our rear."Cade moved into the narrow stone tunnel first, holding his rifle at his waist. "Clear for twenty yards," Cade reported. "The tunnel slopes downward toward the main drainage line."I stepped into the passage behind Cade, followed by Brecken, Soren, and Lucian. Lucian pulled the stone panel back into place, locking the mechanism from the inside."How long until Marcus's main force arrives at the upper perimeter?" Brecken asked, keeping his hand on his weapon."His command unit was two miles out when we entered the vault," Cade said, checking the digital tracker on his wrist. "If he deploys a full containment grid, he will cover all six river outlets within fifteen minutes.""He won't cover the sub-level sluice gate," Soren said, holding his injured hand against his coat. "It isn't marked on the current Tribunal ci
We reached the subterranean vault twenty feet beneath the foundation of the Tribunal’s primary archive.Soren held his hand flat against the bronze doors sealing the inner chamber. The warlock mark on his wrist glowed violet, aligning with the runes carved into the bronze frame."The seal is original First Coven," Soren said, his voice quiet after hours of channeling magic. "It hasn't been opened since the translation six centuries ago.""Can you open the latch, or do we need Brecken to force it?" Cade asked, scanning the corridor behind us. He kept his tactical rifle at his shoulder, his finger hovering over the guard."If Brecken hits this bronze, the kinetic impact will trigger a localized collapse spell," Soren replied without looking back. "He stays where he is."Brecken stepped up beside me. "We don't have time for a lecture, warlock. The Tribunal reinforcement squad breached the upper bridge ten minutes ago. We have four minutes before they locate the hatch.""Three minutes," L
The next morning, we moved up from the cellar to the main floor of the logging mill. Cade set the laptop on an old wooden crate by the window. He plugged a black flash drive into the side and closed the lid halfway. He didn't look at any code or talk about files. He just pressed one button and stepped back."The radio signal is active," Cade said, looking at Brecken. "Any pack guard checking the northern boundary will pick up the transmission. It tells them you're back."Brecken stood by the broken wooden door, his hands in his pockets. His jaw was set tight, and his gold eyes watched the forest outside."My pack thinks I abandoned them," Brecken said, his voice low. "When Marcus came with his Tribunal papers, my Beta opened the gate without a fight. If I walk up to that fence, half the pack will think I'm a traitor.""They won't think that once they see you," I said, walking up beside him. "You're their Alpha. Marcus used paper and fear to take your land. You're going to take it bac
We ran through the dark trees until the sound of the burning bridge faded behind us. Brecken led the way up the steep slope, his boots crushing the wet pine needles as he pushed through the brush. Cade stayed right behind me, keeping his gun raised to watch our rear trail. Lucian and Soren moved silently on our flanks, scanning the dark woods for any sign of pursuit.We reached the old logging mill an hour later. Brecken unlatched the heavy iron floor hatch, and we climbed down into the underground cellar. Soren pulled the heavy security bar shut and locked it into place. The cellar was safe, quiet, and completely sealed off from the outside world.Brecken walked over to the wooden crate near the wall and sat down heavily. His jacket was torn at the shoulder, and soot covered his face, but his gold eyes were fixed entirely on me. "Are you hit?" Brecken asked, his voice rough."I'm fine," I said, shaking my head. "The file didn't get damaged."Cade walked over to the wooden workbenc
The steel door closed behind us, locking out the noise from the road. The inside of the command trailer was narrow and lit by blue emergency lights. Rows of computer monitors lined the walls, displaying maps of the river basin and security feeds.Cade locked the door bolt and plugged a black cable straight into the main console port."Look for the blue terminal," Cade said, typing on the keyboard. "The High Council archives run on a separate drive marked with a three-pointed crown stamp."I walked deeper into the trailer. My head was completely clear. The dampening field outside was blocked by the heavy walls, so my three bloodlines stayed calm.At the end of the desk row, I spotted a metal server rack on the wall. A silver seal was stamped into the door: three crown points inside a circle."Found it," I called out.Cade stepped up beside me and plugged a portable drive into the front port. The monitor screen turned white with a blinking prompt.*TRIBUNAL RESTRICTED ARCHIVE.**REQUIR
Midnight came fast. The air outside the logging mill was freezing cold, and a low river fog covered the gravel road leading to the bridge.We crouched in the dark pine trees on the ridge overlooking the crossing. Down below, two giant floodlights lit up the old wooden bridge. Marcus had parked a massive black command trailer right in the middle of the road. Four armored Tribunal trucks sat around it, blocking the lane completely."I count twelve guards on the road," Brecken whispered, his gold eyes glowing in the dark as he looked through the trees. "Six more walking the riverbank.""The main shield generator is mounted on the roof of the trailer," Lucian pointed out softly, pointing a long finger through the branches. "You can see the purple light humming around the metal frame. If I get within fifty feet of that truck, my fangs will lock up.""That's why you aren't going near the truck," Cade said, checking the magazine in his pistol. "You, Brecken, and Soren take the north side of
I lay there in the big bed staring at the ceiling for a long time after Brecken left. The t-shirt he gave me smelled like him. Pine and storm and something warm that made my stomach feel weird. I pulled the blanket up higher and tried to ignore it. My body still felt weak. Like I had run a maratho
I know everyone says omegas are weak, well we actually are. and personally my case is different my name is Aria Frost and i am about to let you in my world. I am what you call a Tribrid. Rejected and now four alphas would do anything to claim me. *** I stood there in the middle of the ballroom w
I had passed out on the floor after the three natures tried to tear me apart. When I woke up, I was back on the bed. My heart was beating too fast. It would not slow down. I felt like I had an extra heart. The sunlight was already up and my clothes were different from the previous day. I lifted the
Hearing about the rumours in the pack makes me feel like I will never belong anywhere. Why does Alpha Brecken look at me with so much compassion in his eyes? Something inside me wanted him so badly I could have kissed him right there and then. But then I remembered. I just got rejected and my Tribr







