Colt’s POV

"Are they ready for us?" I asked, pacing the length of the command tent.

Garret looked up from the map, his expression grim. "Our scouts were compromised. Oliver has the upper hand, and he’s holding his position."

"Then what do we do?" My voice cracked with a desperation I couldn't suppress. "Cass is out there, and we don't know what they're doing to her."

Victor gripped my shoulder, his grip iron-tight. "I know, Colt. But rushing in blind will only seal her fate. We have to wait for the right opening."

"Wait? We’ve been waiting for weeks!"

Beck, our lead tracker, stepped forward, his eyes hollow. "I’ve checked every corner of Oliver’s territory and Ezra’s strongholds. She’s not there. They’ve scrubbed her trail clean."

The silence that followed was suffocating. I felt as if the air were being slowly sucked from the room.

"Garret," I growled, turning to our war strategist. "What about the other packs? Are they going to sit on the fence while Ezra and Oliver tear us apart?"

"The Alphas are meeting," Garret replied. "They’re watching us like vultures. If we show even a crack in our armor, they’ll jump into the fray to ensure our destruction. We have to maintain the narrative that this is a private war."

"Trust me," I countered, "they won't believe a word of it."

"Send the message anyway," Victor ordered. "Colt, get some rest. You’re of no use to her if you’re dead on your feet."

I was exhausted, my body aching with a phantom pain I could only attribute to Cass’s absence. I left the meeting, my mind a storm of grief and rage.

The bar room was my only refuge, though lately, it felt less like a sanctuary and more like a tomb. I found Bryn and Miles there, sitting in familiar silence. As long as Bryn couldn't speak, I knew, deep down, the soul-bond still held.

Cass is alive.

Dash joined me, trying to break the tension with his usual brand of cynical humor, but I barely registered his voice. My thoughts kept drifting back to her—the way she looked at me when we were in those cells, seeing the man behind the scars, not the Alpha everyone feared.

"You're holding on to her," Skye’s voice broke through my reverie. She had appeared behind me, her touch soft, too soft.

"I have to," I murmured.

"She wasn't your mate, Colt. Why does it hurt this much?"

"She was everything," I said, my voice devoid of hesitation. "She saw me when no one else would."

Skye tried to offer comfort, but her presence felt like a jagged intrusion. Then Julia appeared, clutching a flan, trying to weave her way back into my life with her manipulative sweetness. I pushed them both away. I didn't want their comfort; I wanted my Angel back.

Later that night, back in my quarters, the door burst open. I was in the middle of changing, towels dropped, fury rising.

"Stop!" I grabbed Julia by the arm, dragging her out into the hallway. She collided with Skye, and the two began to squabble like carrion crows. I slammed the door on their pathetic bickering, my patience burned to ash. "Stay away from me, both of you!"

I had barely managed to dress when a frantic pack member knocked. "Alpha Victor and Alpha Garret require you immediately."

I rushed to the meeting room. Crow, the head of our elite rogue trackers, stood there, looking like he’d been dragged through hell.

"What is it?" I demanded.

Crow held up a hand. "I’ve been scouring every black-market town and underground pit between here and the border. I couldn't find a trace of her—until today."

The room went deathly still.

"There’s an arena," Crow continued, his voice dropping. "A place where they sell souls for sport. I didn't see her face, but I saw a girl being led into the pits. She had an iron mask bolted to her skull, and the guards were terrified of her."

My pulse hammered in my ears.

"Crow," Garret pressed, his voice strained. "Is it her?"

Crow looked me in the eye. "If you value my judgment... the odds are high. It's her, Colt."

An arena.

My heart, which had been frozen for weeks, suddenly ignited with a single, burning purpose.

"Where is it?" I snarled, grabbing my gear. "Tell me exactly where the hell that pit is."