Ex-Alpha's Regret: Siren's Comeback novel Chapter 9

POV: Seraphina

For twenty-four agonizing hours, there was silence. I checked the encrypted email account every half hour, my stomach twisting into tighter knots with each empty inbox. My mind was a whirlwind of catastrophic possibilities. Maybe the address was defunct. Maybe he thought it was a trap from a rival. Maybe my desperate gamble had failed before it had even begun, and Kael's death would be followed by others. I was starting to lose hope, the icy despair creeping back into my veins, making my limbs feel heavy and useless.

Then, on the evening of the seventh day before my escape, as I was about to close the laptop in defeat, a notification pinged.

A new message. From K. Vance.

My heart leaped into my throat so violently I almost choked. With trembling hands, I clicked it open. It wasn't a negotiation or a refusal. It was a file attachment, protected by a simple but elegant cypher. The body of the email contained the key, followed by a message that was shockingly brief.

To the Director of North Star Logistics,

An interesting query. The requested data is attached. Your proposed route is risky, bordering on suicidal, but it shows a remarkable understanding of geopolitical nuance. Impressive.

As for payment, consider this an investment. I have a feeling an operator with your strategic mind is a contact worth cultivating. No charge.

After years of being treated as an emotional, irrational accessory by Damian, this simple, detached message from a complete stranger felt like a drink of cool water in a scorching desert. It was a validation of a part of myself I thought I had buried and mourned long ago.

I quickly downloaded the data package, my fingers fumbling on the keys. It was more comprehensive than I could have ever imagined. It contained patrol schedules for three different rogue factions, geological instability reports for the mountain passes, notes on which river crossings were secretly taxed by neutral clans, and even the personal allegiances and known weaknesses of two key rogue leaders. It was the key. It was everything I needed and more.

This man, this Killian Vance, had just handed me the weapon I needed to fight back. He had opened the first window in the prison Damian had built around me. A glimmer of light from the outside world, proving that I wasn't as alone or as powerless as my husband wanted me to believe.

For the first time in a long, long time, a genuine, unforced smile touched my lips. I ran my finger over his name on the screen, a silent thank you to the ghost in the machine.