Chapter 8 Chapter 8
RIAN
The memory of Amina’s wide, terrified eyes, and suddenly filled with the searing knowledge of my childhood was a hot brand on the back of my skull. She had invaded the most sacred, sealed chamber of my mind, the memory of my grandmother’s execution that drove every single one of my actions.
She knows, the primal part of my mind screamed. She knows why I fear the Prophecy.
I’d spent the rest of the day after the training session forcing my control back into place, avoiding Amina, and reviewing the political report. I had forty-eight hours left before the Council’s deadline expired. I needed to solidify the lie.
I dressed in my most imposing suit, a dark charcoal that felt like armor, and took the high-speed transit to Morgan Hall.
The atmosphere in the Council Chamber was colder than usual. Alarie’s rage had solidified into aggressive suspicion, and Seraphina Thorne’s quiet patience was brittle. They were waiting for me like executioners.
I took my seat, placing a slim, encrypted drive on the table. I met Alarie’s angry glare first.
“Alpha Alarie, my initial seventy-two-hour containment period concluded this morning. I am here to report on the elimination of the Hybrid asset and the security measures taken to ensure the breach of the Shroud is contained.” My voice was steady, utterly devoid of emotion. I spoke as the Alpha, the cold enforcer of the law.
Alarie leaned forward, his massive hands resting on the marble. “We demand definitive proof, Vale. No corporate jargon. No technical reports. Did you execute the creature?”
“The asset was neutralized, Alpha Alarie. Cleanly, according to the Law of Outlawry.” I opened the report on the central screen. The image was a sterile schematic of the Vale Tower’s top floor, displaying complex energy signatures.
“Due to the volatile nature of the Lycan-Seer magic and to avoid the risk of a secondary, uncontrolled surge upon execution, I utilized a specialized, high-frequency kinetic dampener. The resulting bio-residue was minimal and immediately processed via a bespoke thermite sequence developed by my own security chief, Kira.”
I paused, letting the technical jargon and the professional tone sink in. Alpha Thorne, the most dangerous one, was watching me, her expression unreadable.
“The entire process was overseen by Alpha Haddad’s specialized containment drones, which verified the neutralization signatures. The remains are non-existent. The threat is eliminated.”
Zayna Haddad (The Scientist) spoke up, her voice smooth and clinical. “The thermal signatures are correct, Alpha Vale. The energy output matched projected Hybrid dissipation rates under extreme kinetic dampening. The asset is, statistically speaking, rendered inert.”
Haddad was backing my lie, confirming the technical aspects. This was necessary. Without her scientific verification, Alarie would never drop the issue. But why was she doing it so easily?
Alarie grumbled, clearly dissatisfied with the sterile resolution. “Non-existent remains. Convenient. I would have preferred a public display of the creature’s head.”
“That would have violated the Shroud, Alpha,” I returned, my tone sharp. “My duty is to the Pack’s survival, not to your traditional bloodlust.”
“Enough,” Seraphina Thorne commanded, her voice cutting through the tension. She finally looked up from her meticulously clean notepad. “Rian, you are the youngest among us, but your pack is the wealthiest. We depend on your discretion. Were there any external risks to the Shroud? Human exposure?”
“The initial incident involved a single human, a low-level contact who has been monitored and secured,” I lied, thinking of Ethan, who was probably losing his mind right now. “The risk is contained. The Shroud remains intact. The matter is closed.”
Thorne held my gaze, her suspicion radiating across the table. She was trying to break my composure, to find the single tremor of guilt.
She sees the lie. She sees the lack of grief. But she can’t prove the Mate Bond.
I returned her stare with the full, cold weight of my Alpha Command. I gave her nothing but professional arrogance.
Thorne finally gave a curt nod. “Very well, Alpha Vale. The Council accepts your report. The incident is contained. Let us focus on the future.”
Vesper (The Treasurer) immediately started discussing projected losses from the brief rogue pack activity. The Council was satisfied. I had won three days, and now, I had won the reprieve.
I stood up, ready to walk out of the room, return to my tower, and resume the impossible task of training my Mate/Prophetic Assassin.
“Alpha Vale. A word.”
It was Zayna Haddad. Her voice was quiet, pulling me away from the door with a deceptive ease. We stopped near the exit, away from the others who were already deep in financial planning.
Haddad’s dark eyes were intense, and they held no confusion, only cold certainty.
“The thermal signatures were conclusive, Rian. Technically speaking, you destroyed the Hybrid,” Haddad said, her voice a low murmur. She adjusted the cuff on her pristine white lab coat. “But I can assure you, the M-Scan data I reviewed from my drones was… inconsistent. The bio-residue was too clean. Too targeted. It appears your dampener eliminated the volatile magic but left the core specimen intact.”
My gut clenched. The M-Scan was a highly technical diagnostic only her lab used. Of course she had spotted the anomaly. She was a scientist before she was a politician.
“Alpha Haddad, I assure you, the asset is inert,” I ground out, maintaining the lie.
Haddad offered a thin, professional smile. “Don’t insult my intelligence, Rian. You contained the asset. The Hybrid is alive in your tower. The question is why. Is it the prophecy? Or is it the bond?”
The clarity of her accusation was a punch to the chest. I felt the familiar, terrifying anger rise. “That is treasonous conjecture, Alpha.”
“It’s genetics, Rian. You’re young, but not stupid. You’re fighting a biological imperative, and you’ll lose. But I don’t care about your heartaches, Alpha. I care about the data.” She leaned in, her eyes shining with cold, scientific hunger. “The Lycan-Seer Hybrid is a genetic anomaly that holds the key to the weaknesses in our own werewolf DNA. I can offer you political silence, full immunity from treason, and technical support that will make your continued containment of the Hybrid invisible to the rest of the Council.”
I stared at her, the silence of the marble hall suddenly deafening. She wasn't threatening me with death; she was threatening me with exposure.
“And the price?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
“The price is minimal,” Haddad said, her smile widening slightly. “I need access. I need samples. I need to run periodic, controlled diagnostics on the Hybrid. I need the specimen alive, Rian, and you need my silence. Let’s discuss a partnership, Alpha Vale.”
I had escaped the Council only to fall into the hands of the most meticulous, scientific villain among them. My Mate was safe from execution, but now she was a laboratory experiment. I had no other choice.
"I'll send you the secure access protocols," I agreed, my voice heavy with the taste of betrayal.