Page 17 of Rebel for Claws (Rebellious Mates #4)
TWELVE
ALARIC
D awn broke crisp and clear over Alaric's estate.
Alaric stood in his grand foyer, watching the final preparations of their mission unfold with the methodical precision of a military operation.
Two days of relentless planning had led to this moment, every contingency mapped and every variable accounted for.
Yet the knot in his stomach tightened as Vivian descended the marble staircase, fully geared for battle.
Christ, she's breathtaking.
His fated mate moved with lethal grace in her black tactical gear, the fitted clothing accentuating every dangerous curve while showcasing the arsenal strapped to her body.
Twin handcrafted swords crossed her back in an X formation, their silver hilts catching the December morning light.
Throwing knives lined her hip holsters, and he knew from their training sessions the past two days that she could place each blade with surgical precision.
Her blonde hair was braided back and her violet eyes burned with anticipation.
She's going to be walking into the most dangerous situation of her life.
"Final gear check," Kieran announced, his tone commanding the room as he stood near the weapons cache they'd assembled. His dark tactical clothing and the array of concealed weapons made him look every inch the deadly force he'd become.
Alaric made himself focus on the plan rather than the primal urge to lock Vivian away somewhere safe.
As the Alpha representative of the Silvercrest pack, he couldn't carry weapons into Moon Hollow's sacred meeting ground—a frustrating limitation that left him feeling exposed and useless for this mission.
"Communications?" Logan called out, his auburn hair gleaming in the light as he checked his earpiece. The former enforcer, now current Beta of Silvercrest pack, moved with the controlled precision of a predator, his green eyes missing nothing as he surveyed their tactical setup.
"Clear channels established," Damon replied, his tactical vest loaded with enough firepower to level a small building. "Elena's team will be positioned at the secondary extraction point."
My former Beta has become one of the most dangerous men I know. And I'm grateful for it.
"Perimeter routes memorized?" Malcolm asked, adjusting the strap of his rifle. Despite his charming exterior, Alaric's younger son had proven himself a master strategist and deadly accurate marksman.
"Every entrance, every exit, and every guard rotation," Vivian confirmed, her voice steady and professional. "If this goes sideways, we have five different escape scenarios."
Five scenarios that all end with her in mortal danger.
Alaric stepped closer to her, unable to resist the magnetic pull of the mate bond. "And if you sense even a hint of trouble?—"
"I extract immediately," she finished, but her violet eyes held the same stubborn determination that had drawn him to her from the beginning. "We've been over this many times, Alaric."
The unspoken tension between them crackled like electricity.
For two days, he'd tried to convince her to complete their mate bond and to unlock the secondary prophecy's power before facing Thorne.
The ancient texts were clear—once he claimed and marked her officially then his dormant abilities would awaken, making him the most powerful Alpha ever.
But she'd said she needed more time. Time we don't really have.
"Sunrise positioning in thirty minutes," Kieran announced, his eyes meeting his father's with understanding. "Everyone ready?"
Alaric caught Vivian's arm gently as the others moved toward the door. "A moment?"
She nodded, and they stepped into his study while the tactical team made last minute preparations.
"I know what you're going to say," she said softly, her eyes reflecting the same frustration he felt.
"And I know you're right about the completed mate bond unlocking your powerful abilities.
But Alaric, what we're asking ourselves to become. .. it's permanent. Forever."
Forever. With the most incredible woman I've ever met. How is that a problem?
He cupped her face gently, his thumbs tracing her cheeks. "I understand you need time to be certain. But if something happens today?—"
"Nothing's going to happen," she interrupted, leaning into his touch despite her words. "We have contingencies. We have backup. We have?—"
"We have Thorne, who's had four centuries to perfect the art of corruption and murder," Alaric said quietly. "And you're walking into his domain with nothing but weapons and courage."
And I can't protect you the way I need to.
The mate bond pulsated, stronger than ever after a week of growing intimacy and trust. He'd seen her train, watched her deadly precision with those handcrafted blades, and witnessed her tactical brilliance. She was formidable enough to take on a small army alone.
But Thorne wasn't just any enemy.
"Time to move," Logan called from the foyer.
Vivian stepped back, her expression shifting into the focused mask of a warrior. "This is our chance to end his reign of terror. To expose everything he's done to our people."
They joined the others outside, where two black SUVs waited in the circular drive. Steam rose from their exhausts in the cold morning air, and Alaric could see Elena, Maya, and Zoe already seated in the second vehicle.
"Kieran drives, I'll take the passenger seat," Alaric announced, falling into Alpha mode despite the turmoil in his chest. "Vivian and Malcolm can hop in the back."
As they settled into the leather seats, Alaric caught Kieran's concerned glance. His son had grown into a leader worthy of the Silvercrest name, but the worry in his silver-blue eyes reflected Alaric's own fears.
He knows I'm sending my mate straight into danger. He knows I'm barely holding it together.
The SUV pulled away from the estate, and Alaric felt the weight of the moment settling over them. In the backseat, Vivian checked her weapons one final time—a ritual he'd watched her perform countless times during their training sessions these past few days.
"You know," Malcolm said conversationally, "when I imagined my stepmother-to-be, I pictured someone who'd keep my father calm, not someone who'd make him more reckless."
"Your father was already reckless," Vivian replied with a small smile. "I just gave him something worth being reckless for."
The simple words hit him hard. Through the mate bond, he felt her absolute conviction and her unwavering determination to see this through regardless of the personal cost.
She's right. She's given me something worth fighting for. Worth dying for.
"Radio check," Logan's voice came through their earpieces as they approached the forest road leading to Moon Hollow.
"Alpha team clear," Kieran responded.
"Perimeter team preparing to get to position," Damon's voice followed.
"Extraction team ready to position as well," Elena confirmed.
Everyone's ready except me. Everyone's prepared except the one person who has to sit in that meeting and pretend everything's normal while his mate walks into the line of fire.
As they wound through the ancient forest roads, Alaric watched Vivian's profile in his peripheral vision. Her violet eyes were calm and focused, showing none of the nervousness he felt through their bond.
"Five minutes out," Kieran announced.
Alaric turned to face Vivian fully. "Promise me something."
"Anything."
"Promise me that when this whole nightmare is over, we'll finish what we started."
Her violet eyes softened, and for a moment, the warrior mask slipped away. "I promise. When Thorne is defeated and our people are free, we'll claim each other properly."
When, not if. She believes we'll succeed.
The SUV slowed as they approached a hidden entrance to Moon Hollow. Ancient trees created a natural cathedral around them, their bare branches forming intricate patterns against the winter sky. Sacred ground stretched ahead—neutral territory where universal pack law demanded peace.
Too bad Thorne has never respected universal pack law.
"This is where we separate," Alaric said, his Alpha authority masking the emotional turmoil beneath. "Kieran, Malcolm—you know your positions. Vivian..."
She leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. "I'll see you on the other side."
God, I hope so.
As they stepped out of the SUVs, Alaric straightened his formal jacket and assumed the role he'd perfected over thirty years—the traditional Alpha attending a High Council quarterly meeting.
But inside, his wolf snarled with the need to protect his mate and to stand beside her in the coming mission.
As Alaric took his seat beside the other three Alphas in the open-air pavilion that crisp December morning, seven pairs of ancient eyes bore into him from their elevated semicircular table.
The weight of their collective gaze felt like physical pressure against his shoulders, but it was Thorne's piercing stare that made his wolf growl beneath his carefully controlled exterior.
The bastard is displeased that I escaped his little medical facility. Good.
Sunlight filtered through the canopy of ancient trees surrounding Moon Hollow's sacred meeting ground, dappling the stone floor with shifting patterns that seemed to mirror the restless energy thrumming through every wolf shifter gathered there.
Elder Callum, representing Silvercrest pack as head elder, sat with perfect posture despite his advanced age.
Elder Isolde from Shadow pack, her silver-streaked hair cascading over narrow shoulders, maintained her typical serene expression.
Elder Merrick of Tidewater pack drummed his fingers against the stone table—a nervous habit Alaric had noted over decades of these quarterly meetings.