Chapter 125 The Flash Drive
Chapter 125 The Flash Drive
Alexander pushed open the heavy door of his study as soon as he stepped into the estate. The drive home had been long, the city lights blurring past the tinted windows while his mind churned with everything that had happened. The weight of the small USB drive in his coat pocket felt heavier with every mile. Lydia’s voice still echoed in his head. Smooth, confident, and too perfect. He had come straight here instead of going to his room. Sleep could wait, but answers could not.
He locked the door behind him and walked to his desk. The room was dark except for the soft glow of the city skyline through the floor to ceiling windows. He did not bother turning on the main lights. Only the desk lamp clicked on casting a warm circle of light across the polished wood. He pulled the USB drive from his pocket and stared at it for a long moment. It was small, unassuming. But it could hold the key to ending this war or it could be the trap that cost him everything, he hoped it wont be a trap.
He plugged it into his laptop. The screen lit up with a password prompt. Alexander typed in the code Lydia had written on the drive. The drive opened, folders appeared. Dozens of them. He clicked on the first one labeled “Stronghold Locations.”
Maps filled the screen. Detailed layouts of several Moonthorn bases. Coordinates. Security details. Shift schedules. Alexander studied them carefully. Some of the information matched what his own scouts had reported. Others were new. Deeper. More precise. He moved to the next folder. “Leadership Council.” Names. Photographs. Backgrounds. The elders who pulled the strings behind Kael Evans. One name stood out. A woman named Seraphina Voss. High ranking. Ruthless. Connected to several attacks on Silver borders.
He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. The information was good. Too good. Parts of it felt genuine. But something about the timing and the way Lydia had offered it made his instincts scream. He opened the final folder labeled “Oliver Sliver.” His heart clenched as he clicked it. There were medical records. Scans. Notes about her Silver bloodline. Plans for how they intended to use her and the baby. The details were chilling. Ritual circles. Blood extraction methods. Power transfer ceremonies. Alexander’s hands tightened into fists as he read. They had been planning this for years. Maddie was not just a target. She was the prize.
His phone buzzed. Marcus. Alexander answered immediately.
"Sir," Marcus said. "I have run the full verification on the drive. The information is mixed. Some of it is accurate. The stronghold locations match our own intelligence on three of the sites. The leadership council names are real. But there are inconsistencies. The ritual details for Maddie and the baby are exaggerated. Some of the plans look planted to lead us into an ambush. The strongest evidence is in the communication logs. Lydia has been in contact with Kael Evans. They seem to be working together. This is a trap, sir, I'm certain. She is trying to lure you into a meeting so they can take you out and use the distraction to reach the Silver sanctuary."
Alexander’s jaw tightened. "How confident are you Marcus?"
"Ninety percent," Marcus replied. "The hacker team cross checked everything. The drive was designed to look legitimate but the metadata shows it was created two days ago. They wanted you to bite."
Alexander exhaled slowly. "Thank you Marcus. Keep monitoring. I want eyes on every known Moonthorn location. And find out everything you can about Lydia. Real name, real history. I want to know who she really is."
He ended the call and stared at the screen. The drive was a trap. A clever one. Lydia had offered just enough truth to make it believable. But the inconsistencies gave her away. She was not trying to defect. She was trying to draw him out. To create an opening for Moonthorn to strike at the Silver sanctuary while he was distracted.
Alexander stood up and walked to the window. The city stretched out below him. Somewhere out there Lydia was waiting for his response. He would not give her what she wanted. He would play her game but on his terms. He would use the real information on the drive and discard the rest. He would turn her trap into his advantage.
The bond pulsed faintly in his chest. Maddie was resting. He could feel her calm. Her love. Her quiet strength. He sent back his own love and a silent promise. But first he needed to understand Lydia’s motives. The drive was either the key to victory or the beginning of a new trap. He would find out which before the next strike.
The night deepened around the estate. Alexander did not sleep. He sat at his desk reviewing every file again and again until the first light of dawn touched the horizon.