The guest wing of Haanshil Manor had been converted into something between a diplomatic suite and a prison cell, which was probably the best Jasmine BlackY could hope for given that half of Cole's pack wanted her dead.
Hart stood outside the reinforced door with Cole and Jethro, watching through the security camera feed as Jasmine paced the room like a caged animal, which was fair because she basically was one.
"This is a terrible idea," Jethro said for the third time. "She could be lying about everything, and we'd be handing Liam exactly what he wants by trusting her."
"She brought thirty wolves with her," Cole said, his arms crossed. "If this was a trap, she would have attacked already instead of asking for sanctuary and offering intelligence."
"Or she's waiting for us to lower our guard," Jethro countered.
Hart studied Jasmine through the camera, watching the way she moved, the tension in her shoulders, the exhaustion on her face.
She looked like someone who'd been running for too long and had finally run out of places to hide.
"Let me talk to her," Hart said, and both Cole and Jethro turned to stare at him like he'd suggested jumping off a cliff. "Alone."
"Absolutely not," Cole said immediately. "She's dangerous, she worked with Liam, and you're exactly what Liam wants. Putting you in a room with her unsupervised is asking for disaster."
"She's not going to trust us if we keep treating her like a prisoner," Hart argued. "And if she's really here because her pack turned on her, she's scared and desperate. I know what that feels like."
Cole's jaw tightened, and Hart felt his resistance through the bond, but after a long moment, Cole nodded once.
"Ten minutes, I'm watching on camera, and if she makes one wrong move, I'm coming in."
The door opened with a heavy click, and Hart walked into the room, very aware that Jasmine could probably kill him in about five different ways before he could even call for help.
She turned when she heard him enter, and her expression shifted from hostile to calculating in a heartbeat.
"Hart Santino," Jasmine said, and her voice carried a rough edge that spoke to exhaustion and possibly injury. "The famous Original Bloodline heir. You look less impressive in person."
"Thanks, I get that a lot," Hart said, staying near the door because he wasn't stupid. "Cole says you have information about Liam."
"I have information about a lot of things," Jasmine said, moving to the table and spreading out a hand-drawn map that looked like it had been sketched in a hurry.
"The question is whether your mate is actually going to listen or if he's already decided I'm disposable."
"He's listening," Hart said, stepping closer to examine the map. "That's why you're still alive."
The map showed the Borderlands in detail, marked with locations and notes in tight handwriting. Jasmine's finger tapped one area circled in red.
"Liam survived the factory collapse. He's hiding here, in an abandoned mining complex about forty miles from the nearest pack territory. He's got maybe sixty wolves still loyal to him, most of them rogues who don't care about pack law."
"How do you know this?"
"Because I was there three days ago," Jasmine said flatly. "Before my own pack decided I was a liability and tried to kill me. Liam's planning something big, and he's not doing it alone."
Hart's stomach dropped. "What do you mean not alone?"
Jasmine pulled out a crumpled photograph, the image grainy but clear enough to make Hart's blood run cold.
It showed Liam in human form, standing next to a middle-aged man in tactical gear, both of them examining what looked like weapons in a warehouse.
"That's Marcus Veil," Jasmine said, watching Hart's reaction. "Leader of the wolf hunter organization. Liam's been working with him for at least six months, maybe longer. They're planning coordinated attacks on multiple pack territories simultaneously."
"Why would Liam work with hunters?" Hart demanded. "They want to exterminate all werewolves."
"Liam doesn't care about werewolf survival," Jasmine said with a bitter laugh. "He cares about power and revenge. The hunters have weapons, funding, and human government connections. Liam has inside knowledge of pack territories and security weaknesses. They're using each other."
Hart grabbed the photograph, his hands shaking. "When are they planning to attack?"
"I don't know exactly, but soon. Within the next two weeks." Jasmine's expression was grim. "Liam's targeting packs aligned with Cole first. He wants to isolate Haanshil Bloodlines, make Cole look weak and unable to protect his allies. Once enough packs withdraw their support, Liam challenges for Alpha position and claims you in the process."
"That's insane."
"That's Liam," Jasmine corrected. "He's been planning this since before you even touched the totem. You were always part of his strategy, Hart. The prophecy about the Original Bloodline heir, the mate bond, all of it. Liam studied everything, and he built his entire plan around controlling you."
Hart felt sick. The door opened behind him, and Cole walked in, his expression dangerous.
"You're telling me my brother is coordinating with wolf hunters to attack our allies?"
"I'm telling you it's already started," Jasmine said, pulling out her phone and showing them news alerts. "Three small packs were hit last night. Two in the southern territories, one near the coast. The hunters came in with silver bullets and dark magic weapons. Thirty-two wolves dead, both Alphas killed, territories left defenseless."
Cole's hands clenched into fists. "Why should I believe any of this? You worked with Liam. You helped him kidnap Hart's sister."
"I worked with Liam because he had my younger brother and three of my packmates hostage," Jasmine said, and her voice cracked slightly. "He told me if I didn't cooperate, he'd kill them slowly and make me watch. I did what I had to do to keep them alive."
"Where are they now?"
"Dead," Jasmine said flatly. "Liam killed them anyway after the factory fire because I failed to secure Hart. That's when my pack decided I was too much of a liability and tried to execute me for treason. I barely escaped with the wolves who are still loyal to me."
The silence that followed was heavy. Hart could feel Cole's rage and suspicion through the bond, could sense him trying to decide if Jasmine was telling the truth or playing them.
"You said Liam has a weapons cache," Cole said finally. "Where?"
Jasmine pointed to another location on the map. "Abandoned shipping facility, fifteen miles from here. That's where he's storing the silver bullets and dark magic artifacts the hunters provided. If you hit it now, you destroy his ammunition supply before the next attack."
"And if this is a trap?"
"Then I die too," Jasmine said, meeting Cole's eyes without flinching. "Because I'm going with you to prove I'm telling the truth. If it's a trap, you can kill me yourself."
Cole studied her for a long moment, then turned to Jethro who had appeared in the doorway.
"Mobilize a strike team. We hit the weapons cache in two hours. Jasmine leads, but she's under guard the entire time."
"And if she's lying?" Jethro asked.
"Then she doesn't leave that facility alive," Cole said coldly.
Jasmine smiled without any humor. "Fair enough."
Hart looked at the map again, at the locations marked for attacks, at the photograph of Liam and Marcus Veil working together.
The Council had given him one week to prove he could control his powers, but the war was already happening, and they were running out of time.
"I'm coming with you," Hart said.
"No," Cole said immediately.
"Cole, Liam's entire plan revolves around capturing me. If he's at this facility, we need to be ready for that. And maybe having me there will draw him out so we can end this."
Cole's expression was torn between protection and strategy, and Hart could feel the internal war through their bond.
Finally, Cole nodded once, though his voice was tight with stress.
"You stay with me at all times, you follow every order without question, and if I tell you to run, you run. Understood?"
"Understood," Hart lied, because they both knew if it came down to it, he'd do whatever it took to protect Cole and the pack.
Even if that meant walking straight into Liam's trap.