Chapter 88
Taya POV
The Next Morning
191
I had to sit down. Not because I was tired, please, I was practically vibrating with energy, but because I couldn’t fucking believe what I was hearing.
Ten. Thousand. Marines.
Captain Monroe stood at the head of the briefing table in her office, her arms folded across her chest, radiating the kind of badass energy that made grown ass men shut up and listen. Her eyes flicked to me and Rylen as she leaned over a thick folder of intel, plans, and signed clearance forms.
“These men and women are ready,” she said firmly. “They’ll sign the NDAS, and if needed, we’ll scrub memories clean afterward. But they’re ready to fight. They’ve trained for this level of chaos their entire careers. They just didn’t know who the enemy was.”
Rylen squeezed my hand under the table. Anton was growling low in his mind, approval, pride, protectiveness all rolled into one.
“She’s a good ally, this one. Fierce. Loyal. I like her.” He purred.
“Yeah, well, Zuki’s ready to braid her hair and call her sister, so that makes two of you.”
Monroe didn’t even flinch when I told her that out loud. She just smirked and picked up her tablet. “You two up for a call with your Alpha King?”
“You’re damn right we are,” I said, already hitting the FaceCall icon.
A moment later, Alpha Draven’s sharp, regal face filled the screen, his silver hair gleaming and his expression intense. Luna Aelira stood beside him, statuesque and glowing like a goddess as usual.
“Report,” Draven said without preamble.
I turned the camera toward Monroe, who nodded respectfully. “Alpha King Draven, I’m Captain Lya Monroe of the United States Marine Corps. I have confirmation that up to 10,000 Marines, armed, trained, and ready, will fight at your side. They’ll keep silent, and if necessary, forget everything after. You need numbers? We’ve got them.”
He blinked slowly. Just once. That was Draven’s version of a holy shit moment. Luna Aelira stepped into view. “They are welcome, but we’ll need housing.”
I grinned. “We figured that. Could your mages open portals and conjure temporary quarters? Like magically made bunkhouses?”
Draven nodded once. “I’ll have my personal circle of mages begin preparing at once. We’ll coordinate with your Captain for the portal location and arrival schedule.”
“Tomorrow morning,” Monroe added, already texting someone. “We’ll bring in the first wave. I’ll personally oversee the arrival.”
“You’ll be joining the fight?” Draven asked.
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M****
14:38 Thu, Oct 2 M
Chapter 88
Monroe smirked, cocky as hell. “Alpha, 1 didn’t survive four tours and two near death experiences to sit this one out. Besides, I owe the girl. She tilted her head toward me.
Rylen grinned. ‘We’re honored to have you.”
I was smiling too hard to speak, honestly. Zuki was practically bouncing in my chest, her tail wagging like a damn maniac, “Ten thousand humans, T! Ten thousand! This is fuckin’ brilliant!”
Monroe snapped her tablet shut. “I’ll begin assembling the first five hundred tonight. Weapons, gear, rations, mobile medical units. We’ll be ready by dawn.”
We ended the call with the Alpha and I just stared at her, adrenaline bubbling beneath my skin. “You’re insane, you know that?” I said, smirking.
She winked. “Takes one to know one.”
We stood and she pulled me into a hug, tight and brief. “Go kick some ass, Taya.”
“You too, Lya.”
Then she turned and disappeared into the hallway like a general storming a battlefield. Rylen and I headed back to our room, our hands linked and hearts racing.
We had an army now. And the fucking world didn’t even know what was coming.
Captain Monroe POV
There’s something sacred about silence. That thick, buzzing hush that rolls through a crowd right before the storm hits. I stood at the front of the formation, five hundred Marines staring back at me, their eyes sharp, bodies straight, weapons prepped. Men and women from every corner of the Corps. My best. My trusted. My ruthless.
And they had no fucking clue what was coming. I took a slow breath, boots planted, my spine straight. “At ease, warriors.”
They relaxed, but only slightly. The tension was there, humming beneath their skin, coiled in muscle and instinct. I loved them for it.
“You’re not here for a drill. This isn’t a war game. You’ve been called to serve in a conflict that’s been hidden from humanity for centuries. Until now.”
I stepped forward, letting my words cut through the fog of confusion and adrenaline.
“You’re going to meet creatures..people..who shift into wolves. Some can use moon based magic. Some can smell your emotions. Some can end you before you even reach for your weapon. And guess what?”
I let that sink in, watching a few brows twitch and jaws clench.
“They’re not the enemy.”
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14:38 Thu, Oct 2 M…
Hunted Hybrid Aegis War Saga 1
