Page 41 of Stripe for the Picking
She deserves to hear every word of this. She deserves to know how extraordinary she is.
But not everyone shared the congratulatory mood. Prince Zarik, the wolf shifter from the Ice Mountains, lounged against the lockers with calculated indifference, his pale eyes tracking Rylan's every movement with predatory intensity. The bastard had harbored a grudge since their academy days, when Rylan had consistently outperformed him in almost every area.
Still bitter after all these years. How pathetic.
Rylan stripped off his sweat-dampened uniform and stepped into the shower, letting the scalding water wash away the arena's grime while his mind replayed Wren's voice guiding him through impossible challenges. The way she'd noticed threats he couldn't even see, and the calm confidence in her tone when lesser minds would have cracked under pressure?—
My mate is perfect in every way.
Steam billowed around him as he reached for his towel, already planning how they'd celebrate their victory. Maybe dinner at that rooftop restaurant overlooking the pink ocean, followed by?—
WAAAHHHH! WAAAHHHH!
The Defense Nexus emergency alarms shrieked through the building with ear-splitting intensity, their red strobing lights painting the locker room in hellish hues. Every muscle in Rylan's body coiled with instant alertness as his tiger roared to life beneath his skin.
Breach.
"Son of a bitch," he snarled, yanking on his clothes and boots with military speed. His wet hair dripped onto his shoulders as he grabbed his comm unit, but the device crackled with static interference.
This timing is too convenient. Arvox's little tantrum just escalated.
He burst through the locker room doors and sprinted toward the elevators. His heart hammered, but not from physical exertion this time—raw fury burned through his veins like molten steel.
If that manipulative snake thinks he can threaten my mate or my territory while I'm not there...
As he rounded the corner to the elevator bank, he saw Wren standing there waiting for him.
Thank God, she's alright.
"Rylan!" She stepped toward him, her green eyes bright with urgency. "We need to get to our workstations now."
"What's the situation?" he demanded, his commander instincts taking over as they stepped into the elevator.
"I think Arvox is up to no good again," she whispered, moving closer until her scent filled his senses. "He left the observation deck pretty pissed off after our dominant performance today."
Rage and irritation burned in Rylan's chest, his tiger clawing for release.
Of course that bastard would want to ruin our celebration tonight. Of course he'd put the entire planet at risk because his fragile ego can't handle us succeeding.
"That piece of work," he growled. "I should have seen this coming today."
The elevator doors opened onto chaos. Officers rushed between workstations while holographic displays flashed critical warnings in angry red text. The familiar hum of their securitysystems had been replaced by an ominous silence that made Rylan's skin crawl with dread.
They reached their adjacent workstations and Wren's fingers frantically maneuvered over her interface, her mind processing data that would overwhelm normal intellects. Her face went pale as the scope of the cyber attack became clear.
"This isn't good," she said, her voice tight with controlled urgency. "The cyber attack has completely locked up our defense security grids. The hackers have basically overridden our control and blocked our attempts to regain access."
They're not just attacking us—they're trying to leave us utterly defenseless.
"How bad is it?" Rylan asked, though he already knew the answer would make him want to shift and hunt down every threat to his planet.
"If we don't regain control soon, they could completely inactivate our security systems and defense grids," Wren continued, her fingers never stopping their dance across the holographic interface. "Everyone at Defense Nexus would be vulnerable, and we'd lose our ability to protect Nova Aurora. The whole planet could be at risk shortly."
What the hell is Arvox trying to accomplish besides chaos?
Around them, other cybersecurity specialists worked frantically at their stations, their faces grim with the knowledge that conventional countermeasures had already failed. The cyber attack was too sophisticated and too precisely targeted this time.
For six agonizing minutes, Rylan watched his mate work with the focused intensity of a surgeon performing life-saving surgery. Her brilliant mind raced through possibilities that others couldn't even comprehend, her green eyes reflecting the holographic displays as she searched for the one solution that could save them all.
