Chapter 184

KAELOS Thursday morning arrived with deceptive calm. Clear sky, mild temperature, birds singing. Perfect day for an abduction attempt. Seraphina stood in our bedroom, dressed casually in jeans and a simple sweater—normal attire for an orphanage visit. But underneath, she wore a bulletproof vest. And hidden in her purse was a silver knife and an emergency beacon. “You don't have to do this,” I told her for the tenth time. “We can find another way to catch Viktor.” “Kaelos.” She cupped my face with both hands. “If we don't end this now, I'll spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder, wondering when he'll strike. Our children will grow up in fear. I won't live like that. This ends today.” God, she was brave. Braver than most Alphas I knew. “Archer will be in the lead vehicle,” I reviewed the plan again. “Callista and Alex in the follow vehicle. I'll be tracking from the command center here with direct communication. At the first sign of trouble, you signal and we flood the area w