KIERAN'S POV
The Council chamber reeked of blood and power.
I stepped through the heavy doors at exactly 8 PM, every muscle in my body tense. My wolf was still unstable from this afternoon's near-shift, prowling just beneath my skin, demanding we go back to Hana. Protect her. Guard her.
But I couldn't. Because I'd been summoned here, to this meeting I couldn't refuse without showing weakness.
Seven Council members sat in a semicircle, representing the seven major shifter species. Bear. Wolf. Cat. Hawk. Fox. Snake. And one empty seat—the Phoenix seat, vacant for three hundred years.
Daniel Cross sat in the Snake section, his cobra eyes fixed on me with predatory interest.
My wolf snarled. *Enemy. Kill. Rip throat out.*
"Alpha Ashford," Councilor Morrison, an ancient bear, rumbled from the center seat. "You're late."
"Traffic," I lied smoothly, taking my place in the Wolf section. Marcus was already there, his face carefully blank. But I saw the warning in his eyes.
Something bad was coming.
"Now that we're all present," Morrison continued, "we'll begin with territorial disputes. Daniel Cross has filed a formal petition."
My claws pricked against my palms. I forced them back.
Daniel stood, smooth as oil. "Thank you, Councilor. As you know, Cross Global has been expanding our operations throughout the city. We've identified several... opportunities for growth."
"Get to the point," I growled.
Daniel's smile was cold. "I'm formally announcing my intention to acquire Ashford Industries through corporate merger. It's a generous offer, really. Your shareholders will profit immensely."
The room went silent.
Every shifter here knew what "corporate merger" meant. It meant pack warfare dressed up in business suits. It meant Daniel wanted my territory, my people, and my pack bonds.
"Denied," I said flatly.
"Oh, I'm afraid it's not that simple, Kieran." Daniel's eyes glittered. "You see, I've already secured agreements from forty percent of your board members. In the human world, that gives me significant leverage. And in our world..." He paused dramatically. "Well, it suggests your pack isn't as loyal as you think."
My wolf roared inside me. Traitors. Someone had sold us out.
Marcus tensed beside me. I felt his bear rising, ready to fight.
"Interesting tactic," I said, keeping my voice level. "Buying out board members instead of challenging me directly. Afraid you'd lose a real fight, Cross?"
His smile never wavered. "Why fight when commerce is so much cleaner? Besides, I'm not interested in your pack. I'm interested in your... assets."
The way he said "assets" made my blood run cold.
"What assets?" Councilor Morrison asked.
"Ashford Industries has some very unique employees," Daniel said casually. "Rare talents. Valuable resources that shouldn't be wasted on a declining pack."
He was talking about Hana. He had to be.
I stood slowly, letting my alpha power fill the room. Several younger shifters whimpered. Even some Council members shifted uncomfortably.
"My employees are off limits," I said softly. Dangerously. "Touch any of them, and I'll consider it an act of war."
"War? Over employees?" Daniel laughed. "Councilor Morrison, is Alpha Ashford threatening me over human resources?"
The trap was sprung. If I admitted Hana was more than just an employee, Daniel would demand she be brought before the Council. They'd register her, control her, possibly take her away from me entirely.
But if I denied her importance, Daniel would see it as permission to continue his hunt.
I was trapped, and he knew it.
"This Council doesn't interfere in business disputes," Morrison said carefully. "However, Daniel, if you're accusing Alpha Ashford of hoarding unregistered shifters, that's a different matter."
"Oh, I'm not accusing anything," Daniel said innocently. "I'm simply expressing... curiosity. I've heard rumors, you see. Whispers about a phoenix sighting in the city. Imagine that. A phoenix, after all these centuries. Wouldn't that be extraordinary?"
The room erupted. Council members shouting. Shifters standing. Everyone knew what a phoenix meant—power, healing, wealth beyond measure.
And everyone was now looking at me.
"There are no phoenixes," I said coldly. "They're extinct."
"Are they?" Daniel's eyes locked with mine. "Because I have sources that say otherwise. Sources that place a dormant phoenix at Ashford Industries. Working as someone's... assistant."
My wolf exploded. I felt my bones starting to crack, my face elongating. No. Not here. Control.
Marcus grabbed my arm, his bear strength forcing me to stay seated. "Kieran," he hissed under his breath. "Don't react. That's what he wants."
"If such a phoenix existed," Councilor Morrison said slowly, "she would need to be brought before this Council immediately. Phoenix bloodlines are too valuable to remain hidden."
"She doesn't exist," I ground out.
"Then you won't mind if I investigate," Daniel said smoothly. "Just to put the rumors to rest, of course. I'm sure your... assistant won't mind answering a few questions."
Over my dead body.
"This meeting is over." I stood, Marcus rising with me. "Daniel, if you or any of your people come near my territory, near my company, or near anyone under my protection, I will end you. Council rules be damned."
"Is that a formal challenge?" Daniel asked, excitement lighting his eyes.
"It's a promise."
I walked out before Morrison could respond, Marcus right behind me. We made it to the parking garage before I completely lost it.
I slammed my fist into a concrete pillar. It cracked. Pieces fell.
"He knows," I snarled. "He knows about Hana. Someone told him."
"We have a spy in your company," Marcus said grimly. "Someone close enough to know about her, smart enough to recognize what she is, and greedy enough to sell that information to Cross."
"Find them."
"I'm trying! But Kieran, we're out of time. Cross isn't going to wait. He'll make a move, soon, and when he does—"
"She's not ready." I pressed my palms against my eyes. "Gods, Marcus, she's not ready. If I tell her now, the shock could kill her. But if I don't tell her, Cross will take her."
"There's a third option."
I looked at him.
Marcus met my eyes steadily. "Trigger the mate bond. Claim her tonight. Force her awakening."
"That could kill her!"
"Cross will definitely kill her! At least this way she has a chance!" Marcus grabbed my shoulders. "I know you're scared. But Kieran, she's stronger than you think. You've been training her for two years. She can survive this."
I wanted to believe him. But I'd seen too many failed awakenings. Too many bodies burned from the inside out.
My phone buzzed. A text from my security team at Hana's apartment building.
**SECURITY: Subject arrived home safely. Locked in. Two guards posted.**
Good. She was safe. For now.
But for how long?
I looked at Marcus. "How long do we have?"
"Based on Cross's behavior tonight? Days. Maybe less." He paused. "He's planning something big. I can feel it."
My wolf howled agreement. Danger. Threat. Protect mate NOW.
I pulled out my phone and typed a message to Hana before I could second-guess myself.
**ME: I need you in the office early tomorrow. 6 AM. We need to talk.**
The three dots appeared immediately. She was awake. Probably couldn't sleep after today's chaos.
**HANA: Is everything okay?**
No. Nothing was okay. Everything was falling apart.
ME: Just be there. Please.
I hit send and immediately regretted it. Tomorrow I would tell her everything. Tomorrow I would risk her life to save it.
Tomorrow everything would change.
"What's the plan?" Marcus asked quietly.
"I tell her the truth. About shifters. About me. About her." I took a shaky breath. "And I pray she's strong enough to survive what comes next."
Marcus nodded. "I'll have the pack on standby. Whatever happens, we protect her."
We got in my car. I drove toward home, my mind racing. Tomorrow. Tomorrow I would—
My phone rang. Unknown number.
Ice flooded my veins, but I answered. "Ashford."
Heavy breathing. Then a voice, distorted, mechanical: "The phoenix burns at dawn."
The line went dead.
I nearly crashed the car. Marcus swore, grabbing the wheel.
"What? What did they say?"
"Dawn," I whispered. "They're coming at dawn."
Not days. Not hours.
Dawn. Which was in nine hours.
I immediately called my security team. "Get Hana. Now. Bring her to my penthouse. I don't care if she argues. I don't care if she fights. Get her there safely or don't come back."
I hung up and pressed the accelerator to the floor.
"Marcus, call the pack. Everyone. I want every wolf we have surrounding my building by midnight."
"You think they'll attack your home?"
"I think they'll attack wherever she is." My hands were shaking on the wheel. "And if they get past me, if they hurt her—"
My phone buzzed. A text from Security.
**SECURITY: Subject's apartment is empty. She's gone.**
The world stopped.
"What?" Marcus grabbed my phone, read the message. "No. No, she was just there!"
I was already turning the car around, speeding back toward Hana's apartment. My wolf was going insane, howling, clawing.
*Mate missing. Find mate. FIND MATE NOW.*
Another text. This time from Daniel Cross's number.
My blood turned to ice when I opened it.
It was a photo.
Hana. Unconscious. Tied to a chair in a dark room.
And below it, one sentence:
"Come alone, or the phoenix burns."