66: Theodore

The screens flickered as footage rewound, then played at triple speed. Elijah and I scanned the images with desperate attention, looking for any sign of Emma or her captors.

"There!" Elijah jabbed a finger at a screen showing the service corridor behind the restaurant. "That's Bennett."

The timestamp showed just over two hours ago. Minister Bennett's tall figure moved with unusual haste, followed by a shorter man I recognized as Lord Cassius, and a third man carrying what looked like a medical bag.

"A doctor," I growled. "They brought a doctor."

We followed their progress through successive camera feeds until they reached a service door labeled "Basement Storage – Authorised Personnel Only." The three men glanced around before slipping through the door.

"That's our entry point," I said, straightening. "Christian, how many men do we have?"

"Eight on site. Another twenty can be here within fifteen minutes."

"Eight will have to do. We're not waiting."

Christian nodded, already speaking rapid orders into his communication device. Elijah's phone buzzed with incoming messages.

"I have three warriors already in the hotel," he said. "They'll meet us en route."

We moved with grim purpose through the back corridors of the hotel, gathering our forces as we went. By the time we reached the basement door, fourteen warriors—a mix of royal guards and Blood Moon pack members—had assembled behind us.

I turned to them, my voice low but carrying the full weight of royal command. "We don't know exactly what we're walking into. Our priority is Emma’s safety. Secure the hostiles but do not kill unless absolutely necessary. We need them alive to stand trial for this treason."

The door opened to a narrow stairwell, dimly lit by aging emergency lights. We descended in formation, the warriors spreading out behind us to cover our flanks.

Halfway down the stairs, it hit me. Pain lanced through my chest—not physical but something deeper, more primal. My bond with Emma, faint as it was, suddenly flared with her distress. I staggered, gripping the handrail as waves of wrongness washed over me.

"Theo?" Elijah gripped my arm.

"Benjamin," I growled, fighting to stay upright as another pulse of alien possession tried to claim what was mine. "He's doing it. He's trying to mark her."

I felt her fighting it—felt Artemis, her wolf, raging against the violation. The knowledge that she was battling even as we came for her filled me with both pride and terror.

"We need to move," I growled, forcing myself forward despite the pain. "Now."

We took the remaining stairs at a run, caution abandoned in the face of immediate threat. At the bottom, a heavy metal door stood between us and Emma. I didn't bother with subtlety—I slammed into it with my shoulder, the lock splintering under the force of my enhanced strength.

The door crashed open to reveal a large storage room, hastily converted into something far more sinister. Industrial shelving had been pushed against the walls, clearing a central space where a single chair stood under harsh fluorescent lights.

Emma was bound to that chair, her wrists and ankles secured with silver-infused restraints. Her head was wrenched sideways, exposing her neck. Blood—her blood—soaked the collar of the shirt she was wearing, streaming from wounds I could see even from the doorway. But her eyes—gods, her eyes blazed with defiance even as her body trembled with exhaustion.

Benjamin Thorne stood behind her, his mouth stained red, fingers gripping her hair to keep her head immobile. The others formed a loose circle around them: Stavros watching with cold approval, Bennett looking vaguely ill, the doctor holding some kind of syringe, Krea and Michael Barker standing guard.

They all turned at our entrance, shock registering on their faces. But I had eyes only for Emma, for the blood on her skin that wasn't supposed to be there, for the mark that monster was trying to force upon her.

Something primitive and ancient rose within me, breaking through centuries of careful control. One word tore from my throat, echoing with power that made the foundations of the building tremble:

"MINE."

I released my aura—the full, unrestrained power I'd spent a lifetime learning to contain. It exploded outward like a physical force, slamming into everyone in the room. The conspirators dropped to their knees, gasping as the weight of royal dominance pressed down on them. Even my own warriors staggered under its pressure, though I tried to shield them from the worst of it.

I stalked forward, each step deliberate as I approached Emma. Benjamin was on his knees now, hands pressed to the floor, unable to rise under the crushing weight of my rage made manifest.

"You dare," I said, voice barely recognizable even to my own ears. "You dare touch what is mine."

Emma's eyes found mine through the maelstrom of power, a small smile touching her bloodied lips. "Theo..." she whispered, before her eyes rolled back and she slumped forward in her restraints.

I was at her side instantly, lifting her head gently between my hands. Her pulse fluttered weakly against my fingers, but it was there—and beneath it, I could feel Artemis's presence, exhausted but unbroken. Relief crashed through me with such force I nearly joined our enemies on the floor.

"Secure them all," I ordered, not taking my eyes from Emma's face. "We'll deal with their punishment later."

As my guards moved to restrain the conspirators, I turned to the task that mattered most—freeing my mate and getting her somewhere safe to heal.