Chapter 50: The Obsidian Gambit
Dawn broke not with gentle light, but with a blade of cold, gray steel slicing across the Silverfang peaks. There was no fanfare for their departure, no cheering pack members. The rescue mission moved out in a grim, silent convoy of armored all-terrain vehicles and a contingent of Valen's most trusted enforcers on motorcycles, their engines a low, predatory growl in the pre-dawn stillness.
Kael stood by the lead vehicle, a map of the Obsidian Outpost glowing on a data-slate in his hand. The man from last night—vulnerable, raw—was gone. In his place was the Alpha, his features carved from granite, his stormy eyes holding a cold fire that had been tempered in the crucible of Lyra's love. The marks of her nails were faint traces on his back beneath his combat gear, a secret armor.
