Page 39 of Stripe Theory

“Right now?”

“Right now, I really want a piece of that cake Maya saved. For scientific purposes, of course. Sugar helps with shock and all that.”

His expression softened into something that made her heart skip. “Of course. Purely scientific.”

THIRTY

The steady beep of medical monitors pierced through the chaos in Rehan’s head as he watched Sierra’s chest rise and fall. Emergency lighting cast an eerie red glow across the medical wing, a reminder of how the EMP blast had knocked out their main power. His sister’s face looked too pale against the stark white sheets, but her breathing remained steady.

“BP is stabilizing,” Dr. Roberts announced, adjusting an IV line. “The virus acceleration seems to be slowing.”

Sierra’s eyes fluttered open, her gaze finding Rehan’s. “Damian... he said something about the virus. About using my data...”

Rehan’s tiger snarled inside him, claws itching to emerge. The betrayal cut deep – Damian using Sierra’s illness as a test case, deliberately infecting her to study the results.

“Save your strength,” he murmured, but Sierra shook her head.

“Listen. The virus... it responds to stress. When we were under attack, I could feel it changing, adapting faster.”

Movement at the door drew Rehan’s attention. Alora entered, her lab coat singed and shoulder bandaged, but her eyesbright with determination. Something in his chest unclenched at the sight of her.

“Sierra’s right,” Alora said, moving to check the monitors. “The acceleration pattern matches what we’ve seen in other cases, but the timing... Maya, can you pull up the data from the last hour?”

Maya came over from where she’d been treating another injured shifter. “Already on it.” She winced as she settled into a chair, but her fingers tapped over the tablet. “Though I’ve got to say, next time we throw a party, maybe less explosions?”

Despite everything, Rehan grinned. The easy banter between the two women had become familiar over the past weeks, a counterpoint to the serious nature of their work.

Emergency lights flickered, drawing his attention to the security feeds. For a split second, the camera angle shifted, then corrected itself. If he hadn’t been watching...

“Hunter.” He didn’t raise his voice, knowing his second would hear. “Full security sweep. Something’s not right with the video system.”

“On it.” Hunter materialized from the shadows, though not before shooting Maya a concerned look that Rehan filed away for later analysis.

The medical wing doors swung open again, admitting Jewel Kedi. His mother moved with characteristic grace, medical supplies in one hand and a tablet displaying urgent messages in the other.

“The MacAllister pride in Boston was hit an hour ago,” she announced without preamble. “Same tactical approach, same targeting pattern. Their research facility is in lockdown.”

Rehan’s mind raced through implications. “Coordinated attacks?”

“Three facilities in the last six hours.” Jewel set down her supplies, then did something that surprised him – she turnedto Alora. “Dr. Sky, I brought the traditional healing compounds you asked about. The molecular structure theory is fascinating.”

“The anti-inflammatory properties could help manage Sierra’s symptoms,” Alora explained, accepting the supplies. “If we combine them with modern immunosuppressants...”

The two women fell into rapid discussion of medical theory, shifter biology weaving seamlessly with human science. Rehan watched in quiet amazement. His mother had always been... particular about human involvement in shifter medicine.

Their collaboration was interrupted by Hunter’s return. “Boss, we need you in the main conference room. Council members are gathering.”

THIRTY-ONE

The pride leaders had responded quickly to his alert. The primary gathering room now buzzed with tense energy as shifters arrived through various security checkpoints.

Maya’s security analysis painted a disturbing picture. “The attack patterns suggest intimate knowledge of our protocols,” she explained, indicating mapped breach points. “They knew exactly when to hit and where we’d be vulnerable.”

“A leak?” Councilman Williams frowned. “Impossible. Our security?—”

“Got compromised somehow,” Hunter cut in, tapping his tablet. “Look at these access logs. Someone’s been making copies of restricted files at odd hours.”

Rehan leaned forward, studying the data. His tiger’s instincts prickled – there was something here, something they were missing...

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