The moment Seth hit the ignition and sped out of the hotel’s private driveway, the engine roared to life as the tires squealed as they gripped the asphalt, launching the vehicle forward into the night. In the passenger seat, Rose lay unconscious, her face bruised from the earlier fall, her limbs limp as a ragdoll. Seth kept one hand on the steering wheel, the other on his phone.“Come on, come on… Pick up Damnit.”Lucas wasn’t answering, the screen blinked, then went black.No signal.Seth’s eyes narrowed. “They’re jamming the frequency. FUCK!!!”He tossed the phone into the back seater. Whoever was after them wasn’t just some gang of street level idiots. This was organized and professional. He checked the rearview mirror and there it was as he had expected, a convoy of matte black SUVs, headlights off, driving hard at his tail.“Of course,” Seth muttered. “Nothing says friendly neighborhood assassination squads like rolling blackout trucks at 120 kilometers per hour.”Bullets explode

The edge of the cliff loomed far above them like a broken crown. Seth lay at the bottom, half his body skewered by a branch thick as his arm. It had ripped clean through his side, puncturing flesh and muscle as blood oozed slowly from the wound, dark and thick.Nearby, Rose knelt, shivering and wounded but alive, thanks only to the way Seth had rejected her seat during their fall. Her dress was torn, her knees were bruised, and arms were scraped, but her eyes, her eyes were wide with something deeper than shock.She had been scared for Seth's life but now she felt a different emotion... Rage, pure, undiluted rage.Of course, Seth had passed out and come through, and now Rose had found out somethings that were better left unsaid."So it was all a lie," she said, voice eerily calm. "You never came here for me. You were after the mine, that’s why you let my family trust you, that’s why you pretended to care."Seth blinked as sweat and blood were rolling down his temple as pain spiked in

The last thing Seth remembered was the sound of rotor blades and Rose’s voice, sharp with panic. Then darkness swallowed him whole.When he came to, he wasn’t in the forest anymore. He was flat on a cold metal table, blinding lights burning down on him, and voices swam in the background.“Stabilize him.”“His blood pressure is dropping.”“Get the branch out... careful, don’t tear the artery.”Hands pressed into him, needles pierced his veins, masks hovered above him. The smell of antiseptic stung his nose, so strong it felt like drowning in chemicals. He tried to move, tried to speak, but his body didn’t obey.A mask descended over his face. A calm voice whispered, “Sleep, soldier. We’ve got you.”And Seth fell again, this time deeper.***Hours blurred into eternity.When he opened his eyes again, he wasn’t sure how much time had passed. All he knew was pain. His body felt hollowed out, stitched together, heavier than stone. But underneath the ache was something else, something pulsi

The underground command room buzzed with quiet urgency. The hum of generators mixed with the faint crackle of screens and the soft whirring of surveillance drones parked in their charging bays. Seth stood upright now, the bandages hidden beneath a fresh tactical shirt, his breathing steady. It was almost hard to believe he had been half dead just days ago.Lucas stood beside him, his posture rigid, eyes narrowed at the holographic console table between them. They had spent the last three hours cutting through possibilities, sharpening contingencies like blades on whetstones. Every move Vin could make, they tried to anticipate. Every step Seth and Lucas could counter, they discussed until there were no words left unspoken.When they were finally satisfied with the web of strategy they had built, Lucas gave a single nod.“It’s time.”Seth exhaled, his hand brushing the faint scar under his ribs. The reminder of how close he’d come to being buried in those woods never really left him. Bu

The Tyrel estate was quieter than usual. Night had settled with its silvery weight, blanketing the gardens in moonlight, but the silence inside the marble halls felt tense, rehearsed, as if every servant and family member was acting out their roles on a stage.Rose sat in the drawing room with her mother on one side, her father across from her, and the looming figure of her grandfather, Mr. Mason, at the head of the chamber. A fire burned in the hearth, throwing long shadows across the ornate furniture.It was supposed to be an intimate family evening, but Rose felt the heavy pressure before anyone spoke.Mr. Mason cleared his throat. His voice, gravelly with age and authority, filled the room.“Rose, my dear. The time has come for us to speak plainly about your future.”Her fingers tightened around the armrest. “My future?”“Yes,” he said firmly, eyes like cold iron. “Your return is a blessing, but it also means we must move forward. Plans have already been made. The family hall is b