He barked toward the hallway. “Get me all Dark Guard captains—NOW!”

The Dark Guard—the Windsor family's personal Awakened legion—weren’t under official command. Thirty-two in total, divided into four elite squads. Each squad captain was a Level 5 Awakener—ruthless, loyal, and handpicked for dirty work the family couldn’t be seen doing themselves.

One word from Jamin, and they’d burn half the city to the ground.

“Mr. Jamin, please calm down.”

The measured voice came from behind him. Jamin turned to see Felix step inside.

“The fuck are you doing here?” Jamin growled. “This is a Windsor family matter. You don’t get a say.”

Though Felix held one of the highest civilian posts in Mirabelle, Jamin still saw him as nothing more than Brooks’ obedient hound.

Felix narrowed his eyes slightly at the insult but kept his voice diplomatic.

“I’m here on Governor Brooks’ orders. At the very least, you should inform me of your next steps.”

“It’s simple,” Jamin said with a sneer. “We surround the hotel and force the Whisper Syndicate to hand over the bastard who killed Jude.”

He didn’t slow his pace as he spoke—his comms were already buzzing, coordinating the Dark Guard.

“And under what pretense?”

Jamin whirled on him. “Are you seriously? Jude was murdered. This is a life for a life. Are you fucking blind?!”

Felix didn’t flinch. “You filed a suicide report. You declared Jude dead—and by his own hand.”

Jamin’s teeth ground audibly. Of course he knew that.

But logic meant nothing in the face of what he saw in that room.

He hadn't been this furious in years.

“I don’t give a damn what’s on paper,” he snapped. “Axel killed my son. He dies. End of story. Now get the hell out of my way.”

With that, Jamin shoved Felix aside and stormed off, his entourage trailing behind him like a brewing storm.

Felix instinctively reached out—but stopped himself.

There was no point trying to stop Jamin physically. But if he launched an all-out assault on the Whisper Syndicate's unit in Mirabelle?

Everton would know within the hour, and then this wouldn’t be just a family feud—it would be a political explosion.

Felix exhaled heavily, pulled out his phone, and spoke darkly into the receiver.

“Governor Brooks… we have a situation.”

......

Outside, the temperature had dropped, but Jamin’s blood was still boiling.

“Mr. Jamin!”

“Sir, all four Dark Guard captains have arrived!”

A group of vehicles pulled up, and four figures stepped forward—each radiating deadly pressure. Level 5 Awakeners. The elite enforcers of the Windsor family.

Jamin’s face finally eased, just slightly.

He glanced up toward the tall hotel in the distance, eyes burning.

The call in his pocket vibrated again. He turned it off without hesitation.

He knew Brooks would try to stop him. But he didn’t care.

All he could see was Jude’s headless body. That scene had scorched itself into his mind.

“Move out.”

More than a dozen vehicles peeled out, packed with over sixty Awakeners—Dark Guard elites, private security, retired heavy-hitters. They stormed through the streets and surrounded the hotel like a vice closing in.

......

Inside the hotel suite, Rosaline knocked on Vince’s door. Millers and Kaia stood behind her in the hallway.

“There are people outside,” Kaia said, voice edged with tension. “From the Windsor family. Four Level-5 Awakeners.”

Millers’ brow furrowed. “We haven’t even settled scores with them yet—what the hell do they want?”

Wesley had already returned to Gray Wolf Squad under emergency orders, leaving only the Obsidian team behind in Drakenfall.

Vince exchanged a glance with Rosaline. Only the two of them knew Axel's movements.

“Check on Axel,” he said quietly.

They knocked on Axel’s door. A moment later, it creaked open to reveal Axel standing calmly in the doorway.

Rosaline and Vince both exhaled slightly in relief, subtly scanning him for signs of stress or injury.

Axel shook his head, expression tightening.

“I don’t know how they found out,” he said. “I was careful. I checked everything—timing, angles, surveillance. There’s no way I was caught on camera.”

“What are you talking about?” Millers asked.

Axel turned to Vince. “Captain, I told you, right?”

He wasn’t trying to hide it. Vince nodded.

“Jude’s body was a fake,” Axel said flatly. “I went out and killed the real one tonight.”

Millers, Kaia, and Phoenix froze, their eyes widening in shock.

“You mean—right now?” Millers asked.

Axel nodded. “So if someone’s here to make noise, they’re here for me.”

No one accused him of acting alone. Instead, their surprise turned into a quiet understanding. But all of them were taken aback by Vince’s silent approval.

“I wasn’t exposed,” Axel added. “Which is why I don’t get how they tracked me down.”

There was a flicker of guilt in his voice—brief, but genuine.

Phoenix rubbed his head. “Axel, come on, we’re family. If something goes wrong, we all take care of it.”

After days of healing, Phoenix had finally recovered. The Obsidian squad’s combat effectiveness was back to about 80% of its peak.

Even with four Level-5 Awakeners outside, Vince and Rosaline were among the elite of their rank.

Vince turned to the others. “Let’s go downstairs. Let’s hear what they have to say.”

The Obsidian team walked out through the hotel lobby, the light glinting off the marble as they approached the central fountain.

Jamin stepped out of a black car the moment he saw them.

“Mr. Vince,” he called, his tone cold and forceful. “I don’t want to make this messy. Hand over Axel, and we’ll walk away. He murdered someone—he pays with his life. That’s the bottom line of the Windsor family.”

His eyes locked onto Axel’s face—calm and composed—and Jamin’s fury surged. It was the same face he’d seen in Jude’s final moments, burned into memory by that soul trace.

As Jamin finished speaking, awakened fighters began stepping out of vehicles all around them. Dozens of men and women—all members of the Windsor family's private forces—circled the area, surrounding the Obsidian team.

The streets were deserted. Lights in nearby shops had been shut off. The area had been cleared.

The Windsor family had come prepared—for a fight.

Axel stepped forward, but Vince and Rosaline moved in front of him.

Vince met Jamin’s glare head-on. “Mr. Jamin, every action has consequences. Start with a reason.”

One side stood for the military. The other for Mirabelle’s government elite. Even if a fight broke out, it would need to be justified.

Vince noted the absence of Felix. This wasn’t an official move. It was personal.

Jamin’s voice turned hoarse. “You kill, you pay. What, he had the balls to do it, but not to take responsibility?”

Rosaline folded her arms. “And who did he kill, exactly?”

Jamin’s face twitched. “You know damn well. Jude.”

He added quickly, “I’m not here for the rest of you. Just give me Axel. Stay out of it and no one else gets hurt.”

Millers and Kaia exchanged looks, then scoffed in unison.

“Didn’t Jude commit suicide?” Millers said mockingly. “Axel would’ve had to climb into hell to kill him again.”

Kaia added coldly, “Unless someone faked a death, dodged a court martial.”

Jamin’s jaw clenched as the mockery hit home.

“Enough with the bullshit,” he snapped. “I’m not here to argue. I want the bastard—now.”

It was obvious. Jamin hadn’t cleared this with Brooks. He wasn’t acting under orders—he was raging, blinded by grief and pride, and hell-bent on blood.

He wasn’t leaving without a fight.

“Mr. Jamin, the Windsor family’s about to launch an assault on the military?”

When the Windsor forces surrounded the hotel, Vince had already reported the situation to headquarters. But Whisper Syndicate had no other squads in Drakenfall—help was too far away. So Vince was trying to stall, hoping Jamin would come to his senses before things got out of hand.

But the moment Jamin saw hesitation in Vince’s eyes, he felt a satisfaction surge through his chest.

“Oh, now you realize this is serious?” he sneered. “I’ll give you three minutes. Hand him over—or I’ll take him by force.”