Chapter 4 Finally
Atlas’s POV
The mindlink hit without warning, cutting clean through everything else I had running at once.
I was already stretched across multiple mind links, coordinating with our fathers while issuing orders to the perimeter teams, trying to bring some kind of structure back to what was left of the grounds.
The garden still smoking below, warriors moving in tight formations as they cleared debris and secured every entry point. Nothing about tonight had gone the way it should have, and every instinct I had was still locked on the possibility that it wasn’t over.
Then Abraham’s voice came through. “You won’t believe who we’ve got.”
I didn’t even have to ask. He didn’t wait. “Clarence.”
Beside me, Cassian choked mid-drink, water spraying as he coughed and turned his head. “What the fuck…” he snapped, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “Don’t joke about that.”
His tone rode the line between disbelief and something far more serious, because there were names you didn’t throw around lightly. Clarence was one of them.
Elara’s eyes widened slightly, though the reaction didn’t last long before something far more dangerous took its place. “Oh, Ryder is going to love this,” she said, rubbing her hands together like she’d just been handed a gift.
I stayed focused on the link. “Are you serious, Abraham?” I asked, my voice serious and firm. “You actually have Clarence in custody?”
“Yes, my kings,” he replied immediately. “He’s secured in the dungeon. We have him in silver chains. We also dosed him with wolfsbane. He’s not going anywhere.”
Good. That was the only acceptable answer.
“Where did you find him?” I asked, my interest sharpening. Because Clarence didn’t get caught. Not like that. Not ever.
He was calculated, precise, always three steps ahead. He was the kind of enemy who planned exits before he even entered a fight. If he was in chains right now, then something had gone wrong on his end and I wanted to know exactly what.
“We found him going for the cave system to the west,” Abraham said. “Hell, I didn’t even know they were there. We caught movement and checked. We didn’t get his gamma, but his beta was killed.”
Clarence doesn’t get sloppy. Not once.
He escaped the compound years ago when our father’s men stormed it. Used tunnels. Left traps behind him to slow them down. He doesn’t get caught unless something goes wrong.
That alone was a problem.
I exhaled slowly.
“Clarence was heading for deeper cover,” Abraham added. “We cut him off before he could reach it.”
Which meant we got lucky. And I didn’t like relying on luck.
“Keep him secured,” I said. “Double the guard. No one goes near him alone. We’ll deal with him when we get there.”
“Yes, my king.”
I ended the link and looked over at Cassian. He already had that look on his face, the one that meant he was halfway between impressed and ready to cause problems.
“Well,” he said, pushing off the wall slightly, “if one good thing came out of tonight, it’s that.”
I smirked faintly. “You’re not wrong.”
We moved through the corridor together, heading deeper into the palace.
We finally entered the kings’ quarters, where the others were already waiting.
Benjamin was near the center of the room, Trinity beside him, while Elliott and Brandi hovered closer to the far wall. These weren’t just allies, they were leaders in their own right, each one responsible for their own pack, their own people, all of them tied together under our rule.
I didn’t waste time. I turned directly to Benjamin. “You might be interested in this,” I said, letting just enough of it show. “Our warriors caught one of the ones responsible for tonight’s attack.”
His posture shifted instantly.
“He’s alive,” I added. “Locked in the dungeon.” I paused deliberately. Let it build.
“Go on,” Benjamin said, narrowing his eyes. “Who is it?”
I held his gaze for half a second longer.
“Clarence.”
He shot to his feet so fast the chair scraped loudly across the floor. “You’re shitting me,” he said, disbelief and excitement colliding in his voice.
I shook my head once. “Nope.”
Cassian chuckled quietly beside me. “Didn’t think we’d see that one coming,” he added.
“No one did,” I replied.
Movement at the doorway drew my attention as Elara stepped back into the room. She had already handled the coven women, securing them downstairs under heavy guard before returning to join us. Even now, there was a faint edge of power lingering around her, a reminder that she hadn’t fully let go of what she’d done out there.
“Everything’s contained for now,” she said, her gaze sweeping across the room. “They’re secured and watched.”
“Good,” I replied. Because that was one problem we didn’t need expanding.
“We still need a full damage report,” Cassian added. “Structures, casualties, everything.”
“And we’ll get it,” I said, pushing away from the wall. “But first, we make sure our queen is cleaned up. Plus I already have Evander and Aleric on that. They will be delivering the report when it’s ready.”
We didn’t linger. We turned toward the door, ready to leave and head towards our rooms, when a voice stopped us.
“Hey.” Caden said abruptly.
I turned. Both of our fathers stood near the back of the room, their expressions tighter than I liked. These were men who had seen more than most, handled situations far worse than this, and still stood steady. So when they looked concerned, it was important.
“What is it?” I asked.
Coban crossed his arms, his jaw set. “Have you seen Kevan or Mark?”
The question landed harder than it should have.
I glanced at Cassian instinctively. He shook his head. “No,” he said. “I figured they were still outside.”
“They’re not,” Caden replied, his voice low now. “We haven’t seen them since the fighting ended.”
“They’re not answering their links,” Coban added.
That was worse. Much worse. Because in a situation like this, silence didn’t mean delay. It meant something had gone wrong.
I felt it settle in my chest. “Alright,” I said, my tone tightening as I looked between them. “Then we find them.”