“Yes.”
“You think this is an Aurora Collective matter?”
“Yes.” Brenna’s voice sharpens. “Because Garrett Forrester is in Syndicate hands.Dragonhands. And they’ve been trafficking wolves across the country. Experimenting on them. It’s not just about him. This is bigger.”
Another pause. Longer. I imagine Nadia processing it on the other end — the political calculation, the operational implications, the personal weight of what she’s being asked.
“How strong is your intel?” she says eventually.
“His mate is certain of it,” Brenna says “mate” like it’s the most natural thing in the world. But hearing it said out loud takes the breath from me.
“Who’s his mate?” asks Nadia.
“Merric’s scout, Briar,” says Brenna. “She’s a reliable source.”
“Briar,” says Nadia. “From Frostbourne? I remember her from when I was in the pack. She helped Jericho and me take down the first Syndicate facility.”
“That’s me.” My voice surprises me. Steady.
“When did this happen?” Nadia’s voice changes by a fraction.
“The capture was within the last two hours.”
“You’re certain he’s alive?”
“Yes. The mate bond would feel different otherwise.”
Bond. We have a mate bond. It’s the first time I’ve admitted it to myself, let alone anyone else.
“All right. I’ll raise it with Viktor immediately. But Brenna, you know our protocols. Aurora doesn’t rush into Syndicate facilities. We plan. We confirm. We don’t launch operations on instinct.”
“I know.”
“We also have… We have multiple pressures right now. The Circle of Fire is leaderless since the Carpathian battle and is fragmenting in ways we’re having to contain. We have internal security matters we’re still working through. Mara is runningpoint on a human-exposure situation that’s taking resources we’d normally have available. This isn’t a good time, Brenna.”
“When would be a good time, Nadia?” Brenna’s voice is tight.
“It’s never a good time. I’m just telling you what we’re up against when we bring this to Viktor. The answer won’t be no. But it won’t be ‘move tonight’, either.”
Brenna’s eyes meet mine. I nod. I don’t like it, but I nod.
“We’ll take what Viktor gives us,” Brenna says. “Call me back when you have his answer.”
The line goes dead. We wait.
It takes four hours. Four hours of me sitting in the kitchen because the kitchen is closer to the phone than anywhere else, and leaving means I might miss it. Willow brings me food. I don’t eat. Greta comes in to check on me, and I acknowledge her silently. But the rest of the time, I sit. The way I’ve done a thousand times on ridges, in forests, in crevices in rocks. But never like this.
The call comes through at dusk.
“Conference.” Merric puts the phone on speaker. Five voices on the other end — Viktor Parlance, Vanya Arrowvane, and Caleb Craven from the Aurora Collective hierarchy, along with Nadia and her mate, Jericho. Brenna, Merric, Willow, Conner, and I on ours.
Viktor starts.
“Our preliminary assessment. The Syndicate’s southern regional facility — the one your team destroyed six weeks ago — is not in play. That means Forrester has been moved to an adjacent regional facility or transported to one of their higher-security holdings. Based on Vanya’s intelligence and Jericho’s operational knowledge, we have three probable locations.”
“How far?” Brenna asks.
“Two in Texas. One in northern Mexico. All within twelve hours of the grain depot where he was taken.”