Chapter 191
Blake
"Viktor," Asher said, his Alpha command making the word a physical force. "Answer him."
"Nine to ten years," Viktor said. "In natural conditions. With a consciousness inside, maybe a bit longer because of the additional will to survive. But..." He met Dmitri's eyes. "If they've been in there for ten years, they're running out of time. The serpent bodies are breaking down. Soon, there won't be anything left to transfer."
The cold storage facility was silent except for our breathing. Through our bond, I felt my brothers processing the same horrifying timeline I was.
Kara's parents had been trapped in serpent bodies for a decade. Their daughter—our pregnant mate—had been kidnapped by the same organization, probably destined for the same fate. And now we had a deadline: find them all before the serpent bodies failed and three souls were lost forever.
"Where?" I demanded. "Where does Court keep these serpents?"
Viktor's eyes were haunted. "In Boss's private chambers. In the real facility, not the fighting ring. Underground, heavily guarded, protected by blood magic wards."
"Where is this facility?" Asher asked.
"I don't know the exact location," Viktor said. "They transported me there unconscious. But it's within driving distance of Fairbanks. Maybe an hour, maybe two. Old building from the outside—industrial, abandoned. But inside..." He shuddered. "Inside, it's different. The Boss lives there, along with her inner circle."
"Her?" Dmitri's voice was sharp. "The Boss is female?"
"Yes," Viktor confirmed. "She's the one who runs everything. Konstantin answers to her. The entire Court operation in Alaska is hers. She's been building it for decades, collecting rare bloodlines, perfecting the transfer process." His eyes met mine. "And now she has Kara. Young, healthy, carrying powerful Alpha bloodlines. Plus she's pregnant, which makes her even more valuable."
Through our bond, I felt rage so pure it burned. Asher's scent flooded the space with dominance. Cole's mint carried the sharp edge of barely controlled violence.
"This Boss," I said, my voice deadly quiet. "Does she have a name?"
Viktor hesitated, genuine fear crossing his face. "We're not supposed to say it. She has blood magic that can track—"
"I don't give a fuck about her magic," I snarled. "Give me her name."
Viktor looked at Dmitri, as if seeking permission or absolution. The old wolf nodded grimly.
"Most people call her Beloved," Viktor said. "But her real name is Diana."
The name hit Dmitri like a physical blow. Through our bond, I felt Asher's instant recognition—this was the woman Ivan had mentioned, the one who'd recruited Celeste into Court, who'd been there the night Connor and Celeste "died."
"Diana," Dmitri repeated, his voice hollow. "The woman who destroyed my daughter. Who trapped her in a serpent's body for ten years. Who now has my granddaughter."
"She didn't kill Celeste," Viktor said quietly. "That's the whole point. She preserved her. Kept her consciousness alive, waiting. And now..." He swallowed hard. "Now that Kara's of age, now that she's proven she inherited Celeste's rare bloodline and mated with three Alphas, Diana finally has what she's been waiting for."
"What?" Cole demanded.
Viktor's eyes were haunted. "The perfect vessel for Celeste's soul. Diana will offer you a choice—let her transfer Celeste's consciousness into Kara's body, giving Kara's mother a second chance at life in a young, powerful form. In exchange, she'll preserve Kara's soul. Maybe put it in a new body someday. Maybe."
Through our bond, I felt the horror of it—the impossible choice Diana was preparing to force on us. Let Kara's mother take over her body, or refuse and watch Diana do it anyway, trapping our mate's consciousness in a serpent to die slowly.
"That's not happening," I said, my voice carrying absolute certainty. "We're getting Kara back. All of her—body and soul. And we're freeing Connor and Celeste."
"You can't," Viktor said. "Diana's too powerful. The facility's too well protected. Even if you got past the guards and the blood magic wards, even if you found where she's keeping them, you'd never get out alive."
"Then we'll die trying," Asher said simply. "Because the alternative is leaving our pregnant mate in that bitch's hands. And that's not an option."
Through our bond, I felt Cole's fierce agreement, and my own wolf's savage approval.
"There's something else," Viktor said quietly. "Something you need to know about the transfer process."
"What?" Dmitri demanded.
Viktor's eyes met his, and I saw genuine sorrow there. "It's not instant. The ritual takes hours. And during that time, both consciousnesses are awake, aware, trapped in the same body while the magic works. They can feel each other's thoughts, memories, emotions." He shuddered. "It's torture. For both of them."
The image crystallized in my mind—Kara trapped in her own body while someone else's consciousness invaded, feeling every moment as they stole her life, her memories, her connection to us. Feeling our child growing inside her while some stranger took control.
"How long?" I asked, my voice barely human. "How long does the ritual take?"
"Twelve hours," Viktor said. "From start to finish. Once it begins, there's no stopping it without killing both consciousnesses."
Twelve hours. We had to find Kara before Diana started the ritual. Had to get her out before it was too late.
"Where would Diana perform this ritual?" Asher asked.
"In her private chambers," Viktor said. "The same place she keeps the serpents. There's a ritual room, specially prepared with blood magic circles and—"
He cut off abruptly, his eyes going wide. The collar around his neck pulsed brighter, and his body went rigid.
"Viktor?" Cole moved forward, medical instincts overriding caution.
"They know," Viktor gasped out. "The collar—it's tracking what I say. They know I'm talking. They're coming."
Through our bond, I felt Asher's instant tactical assessment, Cole's alarm, and my own wolf's savage readiness for a fight.
"How long?" Asher demanded.
"Minutes," Viktor said, his voice strained as he fought against the collar's influence. "Maybe less. They'll send enforcers. You need to go. Now."
"Not without answers," I snarled. "Where is this facility? Give us something we can use."
Viktor's eyes met mine, and I saw him make a decision. Saw him choose to help us even knowing what it would cost him.
"North of Fairbanks," he said quickly. "Old pharmaceutical plant, abandoned twenty years ago. Looks derelict from outside, but the underground levels go down five stories. Diana's chambers are on the lowest level. The serpents are kept in aquariums in her bedroom. Three of them—silver, gold, and white."
Through our bond, I felt Dmitri's sharp focus on that last detail. White. Celeste had been a white wolf. The white serpent was his daughter.
"The wards?" Asher asked.
"Blood magic," Viktor said. "Keyed to Diana's bloodline. Anyone else who tries to enter will trigger alarms and..." He grimaced. "They're designed to be lethal."
"How do we get past them?" Cole demanded.
"You can't," Viktor said. "Not without someone from Diana's bloodline to—"
He cut off with a choked sound, his collar flaring so bright it hurt to look at. His eyes rolled back, and blood started trickling from his nose.
"They're shutting him down," Cole said, moving forward. "The collar's going to kill him if we don't—"
"Let it," I said coldly. "He's given us what we need."
"Blake!" Cole's horror flooded our bond.
But Viktor's hand shot out, grabbing Cole's wrist with desperate strength. "No," he gasped. "Let it happen. I'm done. Just..." His eyes found mine. "Promise me you'll save her. Save Kara. And when you find those serpents, when you free them..." His voice broke. "Tell Celeste I'm sorry. Tell her I tried to protect her daughter."
The collar flared one final time, and Viktor's body went limp.
Cole checked for a pulse, then shook his head. "He's gone."