The Nevada facility squatted against the desert like a concrete tumor, all sharp angles and sodium lights that turned the sand to ash. Akira crouched on the ridge, tasting copper wind and fear-sweat from the guards below. Her eyes had gone red the moment they'd confirmed children inside—alpha crimson that promised violence delivered with prejudice.
"Twelve heat signatures in the lower levels." Cooper's voice crackled through the comm. "Guards are rotating on twenty-minute cycles. Next shift change in six."
"f**k schedules." Elena checked her weapons with methodical precision. The bear shifter had armed herself for war—tactical gear bristling with knives, guns, and grenades she'd named after ex-boyfriends. "We hit them now while they're comfortable."
Through the bond, Akira felt Liam's p
