LOGINAdrian's POVThe first attack came three days after our meeting with the crown prince.Not against the compound. Not against our key personnel.Against the alliance itself.Someone leaked our meeting to the press. Carefully edited information that made it look like the packs were scheming with the crown prince against Prince Damian. Like we were choosing sides in a succession conflict."This is a disaster," Councilwoman Marsh said, throwing down the newspaper. "Public opinion is turning against us. They're saying we're interfering in royal politics. Overstepping our authority."I scanned the article. The journalist had done their homework. Quotes from unnamed sources. Details about the monastery meeting that only someone present could have known."Someone from the crown prince's security leaked this," Stefan said. "Or from ours.""Or Victoria," Dawson added. "She's the common link. She coordinated everything.""Victoria wouldn't." But even as I said it, doubt crept in. We'd trusted h
Stefan's POVI watched Victoria disappear into the shadows between buildings, moving with the practiced ease of someone who'd spent years hiding in plain sight.Adrian was tense beside me. The mate bond thrummed with his uncertainty, his frustration at having to wait, to trust someone who'd already led us into danger once."You think she's telling the truth?" I asked."I think she believes she is. Whether her intelligence is accurate is another question."We returned to the convoy. Dawson was coordinating with Lauren, already working on excuses to delay the meeting with the crown prince. Medical emergency. Security concerns that needed addressing. Anything that wouldn't make us look like we were backing out entirely."The crown prince won't like this," Dawson said. "He agreed to meet quickly because he needs allies. Delaying makes us look unreliable.""Better unreliable than dead," Adrian replied. "If Victoria's right and this is an assassination setup, showing up gets us all killed
Adrian's POVWe spread the documents across the secure conference table.Councilwoman Marsh was there. Dawson and Lauren. Alpha Marcus joined us via secure video link. Everyone who needed to see this without risking the information spreading too widely.I started reading through the first document. Legal testimony from wolves who'd witnessed Kael's challenge for alpha position. Their accounts contradicted the official record."According to this, Kael didn't win the challenge fairly," I said. "His opponent was drugged. Multiple witnesses confirmed it. But their testimonies were suppressed.""That's circumstantial," Marsh said. "Accusations decades old. Hard to prove now.""There's more." Stefan held up another document. "Property records. Kael seized lands that belonged to his brother. Lands that should have passed to the brother's heir. To me."Lauren was photographing everything. Creating digital backups. "This is substantial. Combined, these documents paint a picture of systematic
- Stefan's POVThe Bank of Alexandria sat in the heart of neutral territory, surrounded by commercial buildings and enough foot traffic to make a quiet operation impossible.We sat in a conference room at the packhouse, planning the extraction. Adrian, Dawson, Lauren, and six other wolves who specialized in security operations."The bank opens at nine," Dawson said, pulling up building schematics. "We'll need to get there right when they open. Minimize time the prince's people have to organize a response.""They'll be watching," one of the security specialists said. "The moment we enter that bank, they'll know.""Then we plan for confrontation. Two teams. One goes inside to retrieve the documentation. The other maintains perimeter security."Adrian looked at me. "You stay with the perimeter team.""No. I need to be inside. The safety deposit box is registered under my mother's name. They'll need my identification to access it.""We can forge documents.""And risk them refusing access
Adrian's POVI didn't sleep that night.Stefan was beside me, finally resting after hours of planning the meeting. But every time I closed my eyes, I saw scenarios where things went wrong. Where the meeting was a trap. Where I lost him.The mate bond hummed with his steady breathing. Peaceful. Trusting that tomorrow would work out.I wished I had that confidence.At five AM, I gave up on sleep entirely. Got dressed quietly and headed to the command center.Dawson was already there with Lauren. Neither looked like they'd slept either."Final security check?" I asked."Done. Sniper teams positioned on the ridge overlooking the mill. Ground teams stationed at every access point. Escape vehicles ready at three different locations." Dawson pulled up a tactical display. "If this goes south, we can extract Stefan in under thirty seconds.""That's still too long if they're prepared.""It's the best we can do given the terrain."Lauren added, "I've also got surveillance drones in the area. No
Stefan's POVBy midday, the command center had become my temporary office.They'd moved a proper desk in for me along with multiple monitors and communication equipment. My knee was propped up on a cushioned stool. Medication keeping the pain manageable.Lauren worked beside me, coordinating with intelligence officers from various packs. Information flowed in constantly. Reports. Surveillance. Rumors that needed verification."This just came through," she said, forwarding me a file. "Surveillance from the palace. One of our underground contacts got it."I opened the images. Prince Damian meeting with someone in what looked like a private study. The other person's face was partially obscured but their uniform was visible."That's a royal guard captain," I said. "High ranking. Personal security for the crown prince.""If Damian has the heir's security compromised, he can get to him easily.""We need to identify this guard. Get the information to someone who can remove him from that posi







