جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 76

I wake at dawn to find Dexter's room empty.His bed hasn't been slept in. The window is open, curtains moving in the morning breeze. And there's a stillness to the space that suggests he's been gone for hours."Damn it," I mutter, checking my phone. Five thirty am. The meeting with James isn't until noon. Where the hell did he go?Rylan is already up when I find him, coordinating the morning patrol schedule. He looks up as I enter, reading my expression immediately."What's wrong?""Dexter's gone.""Gone where?""If I knew that, I wouldn't be concerned." I grab coffee from the pot, needing the caffeine. "He was making calls last night. Something about needing eyes on the warehouse. But this feels different.""Different how?""Like he's doing something he knew we'd try to stop." I drain half the cup in one go. "Can you reach out to pack scouts? See if anyone saw him leave?"Rylan nods and starts making calls. I pace the kitchen, my mind racing through possibilities. Dexter is smart eno

"Absolutely not."Dexter's voice cuts through the war council before anyone else can speak. We're all gathered in the main cabin, finalizing plans for the warehouse rescue. Sage has the cloaking spell prepared. Marcus has climbing gear ready. The warriors are armed and focused.And Dexter is shaking his head like we've all lost our minds."What do you mean, not?" Rylan demands. "We have the intel. We know where Kael is. We go in, extract him, get out. That's the plan.""That's a suicide mission disguised as a plan." Dexter leans against the wall, arms crossed. "You're talking about breaching a warehouse held by twelve hostile wolves, navigating to a silver-reinforced cell, extracting a hostage who's been drugged with wolfsbane, and escaping before they kill you all. The odds of success are maybe thirty percent. Probably less.""So what's your alternative?" I ask, frustration bleeding into my voice. "We can't just leave him there.""I didn't say leave him. I said don't commit suicide t

The bank is exactly as abandoned as Dexter promised. Broken windows, graffiti-covered walls, the hollow shell of a building that once meant something. Sebastian is waiting in the shadows near a service entrance, a lean wolf with sharp features and cautious eyes."You're late," he says by way of greeting."We're punctual," Rylan corrects. "You're just early.""Same thing in my world." Sebastian looks us over—me, Rylan, Zara, and two warriors Rylan selected for their stealth skills. "Small group. Good. The tunnels aren't built for armies.""How long to reach the cells?" I ask."Twenty minutes if we move carefully. Less if we're lucky and don't encounter patrols." He produces a flashlight. "Stay close. The tunnel system is a maze. People have gotten lost down there and never found their way out.""Comforting," Zara mutters.Sebastian leads us inside through a door that shouldn't open but does. The interior is gutted, just concrete and rust. He moves to what looks like a solid wall and pr