Tristan
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The jet touched down on a small airstrip that Derek had somehow arranged on an island I’d never heard of, and the moment we stepped off the plane, I
could feel that something was wrong.
The bond with Athena was there but it felt different, like she was further away than she should be based on what we’d tracked during the flight.
“She’s not here,” I said immediately, and my voice came out tight with frustration.
Orion nodded beside me, his face grim. “I can feel it too. She’s close but not on this island.”
Derek was already talking into his radio, coordinating with his men who had spread out to secure the landing area. When he finished, he turned to us
with a frown.
“My scouts are reporting activity about two miles across the water,” he said, pointing toward the dark ocean.
“There’s a cave system built into the cliffs on the opposite shore. Natural formation but it looks like it’s been modified.”
I followed his gaze and could just make out the dark outline of rocky cliffs rising from the water. Somewhere in those shadows, Athena was waiting.
But a part of me couldn’t help but wonder what Daxon was really up to. Why was he doing all these? This was more than just a revenge.
This was more than we thought it was, but I was ready to get to the end of it.
“How do we get across?” I asked.
“Boats,” Derek replied. “But here’s the thing. My surveillance shows Daxon’s main operation is still running on those ships we identified. They’re using the cave as a secondary location, probably for whatever they’re doing to your mate.
My wolf snarled at the thought of what they might be doing to her, and I had to force myself to stay focused.
‘So we split up,‘ Orion said, and his voice was steady despite the rage I could feel radiating from him. “Some of us go to the cave, others hit the ships.”
Derek nodded. “That’s what I was thinking. Jackson can lead the assault on the maritime operation while we handle the cave.”
I looked around at our group. Besides Derek, Orion, and myself, we had my trusted gamma Jace and Orion’s gamma Lucas with us. The rest of Derek s men and Orion’s beta were preparing to split between the two targets.
I’m going to the cave,‘ I said, and there was no room for argument in my voice. “That’s where she is.”
‘We’re all going to the cave, Orion corrected. “The five of us can handle whatever they’ve got waiting there.”
Derek was studying a tactical map one of his men had provided. “The cave entrance is here,” he said, pointing to a spot on the coastline. “But there are
at least three guard positions we can see from our surveillance. Probably more inside.”
“How many men total?” Jace asked.
“Unknown, Derek admitted. “But based on the heat signatures we’re picking up, at least twenty, maybe more.”
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15:26 Sat, Jan 10 G MR.
Chapter 184
Lucas spoke up for the first time since we’d landed. ‘Five against twenty isn’t bad odds.”
“It’s not, when three of us are Alphas and two are highly trained gammas,‘ I said.
70
Derek folded up the map. “The boats are ready. We move in ten minutes.”
Those ten minutes felt like hours, but finally we were crossing the dark water in a fast boat that Derek’s people had waiting.
The cave loomed larger as we got closer, and I could see lights flickering from within the rocky entrance.
The bond with Athena was getting stronger, more urgent, and I could feel her distress like a physical pain in my chest.
‘Remember, Orion said quietly as we approached the shore, “we go in fast and hard. No hesitation, no mercy. And be careful. I’m sure their weapons are
loaded with wolfbane.”
“We all must come out alive. He continued looking at me like he was speaking to me particularly.
I nodded with the others in understanding.
We beached the boat on a narrow strip of rocky shore and immediately I could smell other wolves. Many other wolves, along with the scent of weapons and something else I couldn’t identify.
The cave entrance was about fifty yards up a steep path carved into the cliff face, and I could see the guards Derek had mentioned. Three men with automatic weapons positioned at strategic points.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
