Heinrich Rudolph is the man I’m falling for, and the man who promises to keep me safe, and I fully believe him.
Chapter 20 - Heinrich
The information Amos and the research team uncovered spreads through the council chamber like a slow-moving storm.
I stand at the edge of the long wooden table with my hands braced against the surface, staring down at the photographs and satellite images laid out before us. The room smells faintly like old paper and cedarwood, but beneath that familiar scent, tension hangs thick in the air.
Amos adjusts his glasses as he scrolls through the data on his tablet, the faint glow reflecting in the lenses.
“The suppressor cuffs used on Annika were manufactured with a specific alloy only produced by a handful of military contractors,” he explains, tapping the screen to enlarge a document. “Most of those companies are heavily monitored, but one of them shut down operations over a decade ago.”
Conan folds his arms beside me, leaning slightly closer to study the screen. “Meaning the materials should no longer be in circulation.”
“Exactly,” Amos replies.
Damian steps forward then, resting his knuckles on the table as he peers at the image. “So how did they end up in the hands of a group of rogue humans working with demons?”
Amos swipes the screen again, bringing up a photograph of a man whose face I recognize immediately.
Marcus Hale.
A low murmur ripples through the room.
“He’s an arms dealer,” Conan says quietly, narrowing his eyes at the image.
“Was,” Amos corrects gently. “Marcus Hale was arrested nearly eight years ago after being caught trafficking military-grade weapons to several underground organizations.”
My father, Mortimer, straightens slightly in his chair at the head of the table. “And yet his name appears here.”
Amos nods grimly. “He escaped prison six months ago.”
The room falls deadly silent, and I feel something cold settle in my chest as I stare at the photograph again. Marcus Hale has always been known for operating in the shadows of the human world, selling weapons to anyone willing to pay the price. His name is known to anyone who has ever seen the news. The idea that someone like him might be working with demons is troubling enough.
But the information Amos reveals next is worse.
“We traced the manufacturing codes on the suppressors,” he continues. “They lead to a warehouse registered under a shell company in a small town about three hours from here.”
He taps the tablet again, and a satellite image of the building appears. The warehouse sits on the outskirts of a nearly deserted industrial area, surrounded by empty lots and rusting structures that have clearly been abandoned for years.
“A perfect place to hide an operation like this,” Joel mutters.
Damian nods slowly.
“If Marcus Hale is distributing weapons to humans working with demons, then this warehouse is likely where they’re storing everything.”
I straighten, my decision already made. “Then that’s where we go. Maybe this is how we’re led to the portal as well. Tonight.”
My father studies me for a moment before giving a single approving nod.
“We end this before it spreads further,” I add, and preparation begins immediately, spreading across all three packs in the valley.
The Silver Stone Pack moves with quiet efficiency as vehicles are loaded and warriors gather in the yard outside the main hall. The cold air bites sharply against my skin as I step outside, but I barely notice it.
My thoughts are already drifting back to the cabin.
To Annika.
I haven’t left her side much since bringing her back from the cave, and even now, the memory of finding her chained to that wall burns through my chest like fire.
