Page 58 of Stripe Theory

Rehan’s world narrowed to Alora’s location.

I’m fine,her thoughts reached him. Their ability to communicate silently had strengthened rapidly.Stay focused.

Easier said than done when every instinct screamed to get to her. He forced himself to maintain his position, tracking Leeta’s scent as it moved through the crowd.

A flash of golden hair caught his attention – Leeta, sliding between delegates with practiced ease. Their eyes met across the room. Her smile held nothing but cold amusement.

“She’s heading toward the main ventilation control room,” Hunter reported.

Maya’s voice followed quickly. “Those maintenance workers we’re watching? They’ve been installing something in the air system. Timer components.”

Ice shot through Rehan’s veins. They’d known Leeta planned to release the virus here, but the reality of it...

“Everyone meet in the first-floor control room,” Rehan said, making his way to his mate.

FORTY-THREE

“We have to separate,” Alora insisted, gripping Rehan’s hand as they huddled in the conference center’s control command room. Screens covered every wall, showing camera feeds of Genesis Corp mercenaries taking up positions throughout the building. “You know I’m right.”

Rehan growled low in his throat, his tiger close to the surface.

“And you’re the only one who can coordinate all the pride defense teams.” Alora squeezed his fingers. “The others will follow Hunter, but they need their alpha.”

Maya cleared her throat from her position by the monitors. “Not to interrupt this touching moment, but we’ve got incoming. Multiple teams, heavily armed. They’re heading for both the environmental controls and the main security hub.”

“They’re trying to split our forces.” Hunter’s expression remained neutral, but his eyes tracked Maya’s movements with growing concern. “Clever.”

Alora’s tablet chimed with an incoming analysis. “The virus dispersal units are already in place. If we don’t reach those controls in the next few minutes...” She let the implications hang in the air. The data scrolling across her screen painted a grimpicture – Leeta had modified the virus far beyond their original predictions.

“I’ll get her there.” Maya’s voice held steel beneath its usual humor. “You focus on keeping the ground teams from becoming cat chow.”

He pulled her into a shadowed alcove near the command center’s exit, one hand curved around her waist while the other traced her jaw. His touch sparked electricity along her nerve endings.

“The environmental controls,” she reminded him, even as her fingers curled into his shirt. “We need to?—”

“One more minute.” His voice rumbled through her body like distant thunder. “Just need to hold you.”

His lips found that sensitive spot below her ear, drawing a soft gasp.

“You know,” she murmured against his throat, “for someone who claimed humans were too fragile for shifter mates, you’re doing an awful lot of manhandling.”

His low chuckle vibrated through her. “I stand corrected. Though you’re still the most accident-prone scientist I’ve ever met.”

An explosion cut off her protest.

The blast rocked the building’s foundation. Emergency lights strobed to life, painting the corridor in pulses of red. Alora’s scientific mind automatically cataloged the blast pattern – multiple detonation points, synchronized timing. She sensed Rehan’s tactical assessment overlapping her own.

“Three charges,” he confirmed, already receiving reports through his earpiece. “They’ve cut off the main exits.”

“Time for Plan B.” Maya appeared beside them, checking her weapons with efficient movements. “You boys hold the fort. We’ve got a date with some environmental controls.”

Hunter stepped forward, his usual stoic expression cracking slightly. “Maya?—”

“Don’t you dare get mushy on me now, Carver.” But Maya’s smile softened as she met his eyes. “Save it for when I get back.”

Alora felt Rehan’s arms tighten around her waist, his tiger pushing closer to the surface.

Be safe. Come back to me. I can’t lose you.

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