The Severance Clause

The Attack

~Sloane~

"They are not Council enforcers," I said, typing rapidly on my keyboard to zoom in on the camera feed. "They are wearing the Varkov family crest on their tactical vests. They are mercenaries."

Dominic leaned over my desk, looking at the monitors. "Elena did not just figure this out. She planned an assault. She brought her father's kill squad with her."

"Victor," I ordered, turning away from the screens. "Take Marcus to the secure vault."

Victor picked up Marcus immediately. He walked toward the hidden reinforced door behind my bookshelf.

"I want to stay with Mommy," Marcus said, his voice shaking slightly.

"Mommy will be right there," I promised. "Go with Victor."

Victor carried him into the vault and sealed the heavy steel door. The locking mechanism clicked loudly.

I hit the emergency lockdown button on my desk. Thick blast shields slammed down over the exterior windows. The building's main power cut off, switching to the emergency generators. The elevators stopped moving entirely.

"They will use the emergency stairwell," Dominic stated. He took off his suit jacket and dropped it on the floor. "How many floors up are we?"

"Forty," I answered. "They have breaching charges. They will blow the stairwell doors and swarm this level in less than five minutes."

"I will hold the corridor," Dominic said.

"You don't work for my security team," I reminded him. "I have armed guards in the building."

"Your guards are human," Dominic argued. "Varkov mercenaries are fully trained combat shifters. They will s*******r human security in seconds. I am a True Alpha, and they are hunting my son. I am going to kill them."

I didn't argue with him. I opened the bottom drawer of my desk, pulled out a loaded handgun, and chambered a round. I walked toward the office door.

"Stay behind me," Dominic ordered.

"I don't take orders from you anymore," I replied. I stepped out into the hallway.

The corridor remained completely quiet for two minutes. Then, a massive explosion rocked the building. The reinforced door at the end of the hallway blew outward, ripping off its hinges and crashing onto the floor.

Smoke poured into the corridor. Over a dozen mercenaries rushed through the opening, holding automatic weapons.

Dominic lunged forward. He shifted into his wolf form mid-stride. He hit the ground as a large wolf, charging directly into the line of mercenaries. He collided with the first two men, knocking them backward and snapping their necks before they could raise their guns.

Gunfire erupted in the tight space. Bullets hit the walls and shattered the light fixtures.

Dominic tore through the attackers relentlessly. He grabbed a mercenary by the tactical vest, throwing him across the hallway. He didn't hesitate. He fought with the brutal efficiency of a pack leader defending his territory.

I raised my gun and fired. I hit a mercenary aiming a rifle at Dominic's blind spot. The man dropped to the floor.

More attackers flooded through the stairwell. They realized physical combat against a True Alpha was failing. They fell back and raised their weapons simultaneously.

"Silver rounds!" one of the mercenaries yelled.

They fired a volley of specialized bullets directly at Dominic.

Dominic dodged the first wave, but the hallway offered no cover. He lunged at the shooter, crushing the man to the ground. Another mercenary stepped around the fight, raising his weapon and aiming directly at my office door. He realized the target was inside the room behind me.

He pulled the trigger.

Dominic saw the gun aiming at me. He abandoned his attack, launching himself across the corridor. He threw his body directly in the path of the gunfire.

Three bullets hit him in the chest and shoulder.

Dominic hit the ground hard, shifting back into his human form immediately. The silver in the bullets burned through his system, paralyzing his muscles and stopping his healing process entirely. He collapsed onto his back, bleeding heavily onto the floor.

I raised my gun and shot the mercenary twice in the chest. He fell backward and did not move.

The door to the secure vault opened. Victor rushed out of my office, shifting into his wolf form instantly. He charged down the hallway, tearing into the remaining mercenaries. The attackers panicked. Without their numbers advantage, they broke formation and fled back down the stairwell. Victor chased them, ensuring the floor was completely clear.

I dropped my gun and dropped to my knees next to Dominic.

He gasped for air. Blood soaked through his white shirt. He gripped his shoulder, his face turning pale rapidly.

"Dominic," I said, pressing my hands hard against his chest wounds to stop the bleeding.

"Is he safe?" Dominic choked out. He coughed, blood spilling from his lips. "Is Marcus safe?"

"He is in the vault," I answered, keeping the pressure steady. "You need to stop talking. The silver is spreading through your bloodstream."

"I couldn't protect you four years ago," Dominic whispered, his eyes losing focus. "I let the Council force you out. I let them threaten you."

"Stop talking," I repeated.

"I am not going to fail him," Dominic said. "I am not going to fail my son."

His eyes rolled back. His head fell to the side, and his body went completely limp. His breathing slowed to a ragged, uneven halt.

"Victor!" I screamed down the hallway.

Victor ran back up the corridor, shifting into his human form. He stopped next to me, looking at Dominic's unconscious body.

"He took three silver rounds," I said quickly. "He is going into cardiac arrest."

Victor checked Dominic's pulse. "He is an Alpha, but the silver is directly over his heart. He will die before a medical team gets up here."

I looked at the man bleeding out on my floor. I spent four years hating him. I spent four years building an empire specifically to crush his legacy and leave him with nothing. He discarded me in front of the press. He humiliated me and forced me to sever our bond in an underground clinic. I had every reason to let him die right now. It would solve all my problems. The Varkov alliance would shatter, his pack would fall, and Marcus would remain entirely mine.

But Dominic just took three bullets to keep those men away from my son. He threw away his life without hesitating.

"Victor, carry him into my office," I ordered.

"Ms. Mercer," Victor warned. "If I move him, the bullets might shift."

"Bring him inside right now," I commanded.

Victor picked Dominic up and carried him into the office, laying him flat on the rug.

I walked in and locked the door behind us. I knelt beside Dominic. The severance ritual I performed four years ago cauterized our connection, leaving a dead, empty scar in my chest. I knew exactly how to rip that scar open. If I forced the magic to reverse, I could push my own life force into his body, burn the silver out of his veins, and force his heart to keep beating.

It would bind us together again permanently. I would feel him in my mind. He would feel me in his. The absolute independence I fought so hard to build would vanish instantly.

I looked at his pale face. I remembered the way he looked at Marcus.

I placed both of my hands firmly over his bleeding chest and closed my eyes.