Page 46 of Hunted By the Wolves
Chapter Ten
The Command Centernever truly slept, but by dusk it had taken on a different quality—a tight, humming focus worn thin by hours of relentless work.The day had bled away unnoticed, sunlight fading from the reinforced windows as the team remained locked in place, chasing threads and fragments that refused to come together.
Riley sat at one of the secondary consoles, sleeves rolled to her elbows, a mug of coffee gone cold at her side as lines of data scrolled past.Christian’s name appeared again and again in fragments Malik had pulled free—dates, locations, redacted trial notes that made her stomach clench.Every piece confirmed what they already knew and made it worse.
“He doesn’t think like us,” Malik said, pacing slowly behind the central table.“There’s no pack instinct.No balance.Everything routes back to dominance and control.”
Rafe stood just behind Riley’s chair, one hand resting lightly on her shoulder.Dorian was to her left, close enough that she could feel the heat of him.She hadn’t realized how much she needed that simple contact until the data started filling in the blanks.
“The situation in Montana has been contained.”Ivan said as he strode back into the room.A rogue had decided that today was the day he was going to take out a girl and her family for having the audacity to tell him he couldn’t have their farm.The Gorillas and Leopards had taken off first thing that morning to take care of it.“They’re on their way back now.”
As if on cue, one of the main screens flickered.
Sienna Maddox filled it—perfect hair, tailored jacket, professional smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.But it was her face that said something was off, she was way too pale.
“I want to remind everyone,” Sienna said brightly, though her gaze kept sliding off-camera, “that in just three days I’ll be sharing discoveries that will change how we all see the world.”
Riley felt the shift in the room before anyone spoke.
“She looks scared,” Caleb muttered.
“Yeah,” Jackson agreed.“And from the way she’s looking to the left of the camera, it makes me think that whatever is scaring her, is standing right there.”
They all watched as Sienna clasped her hands a little too tightly, her smile flickering before she recovered.“I’m very much looking forward to bringing this information to you,” she finished, voice steady but eyes wary.
The feed cut to an advertisement and was automatically muted.
“She’s not the same woman we saw last week,” Riley said quietly.
“No,” Wyatt agreed.“Someone’s gotten to her.”
The Lions bristled as one.
“We should talk to her,” Jackson said flatly.
Victor and Ivan both turned to look at all three of them.For a long moment, neither man said anything.The silence stretched, heavy with unspoken calculation.
Then Victor nodded.Slowly.Deliberately.
Before anyone could respond, the alarm screamed.
Red lights strobed across the Command Center as the automated voice cut through the air.“Security breach.Main floor compromised.Multiple casualties.”
A panicked voice broke in over comms.“We’ve got guards down at the main entrance—claw wounds, severe trauma.We need med support now!”
Riley was already moving to grab her medical bag.
They hit the lifts at a run.Riley shoved her way in with them, heart hammering.
“I’m not staying behind,” she said firmly as Dorian opened his mouth.“I’ll treat the wounded.I won’t get in the way.”
Rafe hesitated—just a fraction—then nodded.“You stay behind me or Dorian.Always.”
The doors opened into chaos.
The air outside was thick with the sound of violence—metal tearing, concrete cracking, inhuman roars that scraped along her spine.The E.S.E shifters were already shifting, bones snapping and reforming as bears, lions, wolves, and razorbacks took their true shapes.
Then the hybrids surged into view.
