The strategic alcove was lit by a single, controlled flicker of Damaris's magic. It didn't cast light so much as it sharpened the shadows, making the four of them look like ghosts plotting their own haunting.
They were hunched over a map drawn in charcoal and blood-dust. Their differences—the Alpha's pride, the Warlock's ice, the Rogue's trauma—were momentarily burned away by the cold necessity of the mission.
"The goal is simple," Damaris stated, tracing a thin line through the ruins. "Infiltration. Retrieval. Extraction. Alpha, your diversion must be loud enough to wake the dead. It must pull every high-value Lycan from the perimeter."
Emin nodded. His expression was grim. Ravenna felt the weight of his honor through the bond; it was a heavy, suffocating thing. He was about to set fire to his own reputation to save her.
"I'll contact a cell near the main rail junction," Emin confirmed. "They're loyal to the Pack, not the Elder's cowardice. The attack will be undeniable. Nokon will assume the Elder has finally grown a spine and ordered a full counter-assault."
Asher leaned in, pointing to a mess of faded blue lines. "While the Alpha is busy becoming Public Enemy Number One, we use the mining tunnels. Nokon knows my Coven routes. He won't know the Alpha's maintenance paths. They're narrow, damp, and bypass every magical ward he's got."
"It's a long shot," Asher added, a flicker of his old cynicism returning. "But at least if the tunnel collapses, I'm not dying because I was a sentimental idiot. I'm dying because of physics."
"A marked improvement on your previous survival strategy," Damaris remarked dryly. A faint, approving smile touched his lips.
"See, Warlock?" Asher retorted, his lips twisting into a strained grin. "Psychological unity. We're both focused on my failures."
Ravenna felt the humor break the tension. It was a dark, jagged thing, but it was theirs. They were mocking the abyss before they jumped into it.
The Vow
The logistics were set.
Damaris: Structural reinforcement and scent-masking.
Asher: The guide. The ghost in the machine.
Ravenna: The battery. The anchor.
"We must consider the contingency of failure," Damaris said. "Nokon will use the Stone to amplify his binding magic. We need to disrupt him without killing him. He has to be taken alive for interrogation."
Asher's eyes darkened. "He won't leave alive."
"He will, Rogue," Emin corrected. His voice carried the weight of a judge. "Nokon holds the key to Nyzor's entire network. We retrieve the Stone, and we bring Nokon back. Unbroken."
Emin stepped back from the map. He looked at the three volatile beings he was bound to—the three people who should have been his enemies.
"We are an anomaly," Emin stated. "We exist against natural law. But we are united by the man who tried to own us. Nokon tried to use the Mate Bond as a lure. We will use it as a weapon."
He extended his hand, palm up, into the center of the circle.
"I make a vow," Emin said, his golden eyes fixed on Ravenna. "I vow to sacrifice my Pack, my honor, and my life to ensure the Hybrid secures the Stone and Nokon faces justice."
Damaris placed his pale hand over Emin's. "I vow to apply my logic and my magic to this victory. I will not seek control; I will seek success."
Asher's hand went next. His touch was light, resting over the knuckles of the men he'd spent his life dodging. "I vow to use every dirty trick and every ounce of my hate to guide us. If he tries to use my shame again, I'll channel that pain into his heart."
Ravenna placed her hand on top. The connection was electric. Protection, Strategy, Vengeance. It was the cleanest the bond had ever felt.
"I vow to be the center," Ravenna said. "I will be the anchor that holds this chaos together. I will show Nokon that some things cannot be controlled."
The physical contact solidified the covenant. It wasn't love. It was a pact of survivors standing against a common predator.
Emin stepped back and pulled a small, encrypted communicator from his boot. He moved into the shadows of the alcove, needing distance for the call that would end his life as an Alpha.
"I need eyes on the trade junction," Emin spoke into the device, his voice clipped and cold. "The rail nexus. Launch the assault. Full force. A diversion to draw every Nyzor patrol from the Dead Zone."
He listened for a heartbeat. His face hardened into stone.
"Yes. The Elder be damned. This is for the Pack. Hit them in one hour. Do not stop until you are overrun."
He cut the transmission. The air in the room felt heavier. He was now a traitor to the only world he had ever known.
"The clock is running," Emin announced, turning back to them. His eyes were alight with a fierce, painful resolve. "Infiltration team moves now."
He looked at Asher. "Rogue, be our shadows. Warlock, be our structure. Ravenna, be our center."
"Go," he commanded. "And do not fail."