Chapter b571 /bbThe /bbRules /bbBreak /bbHere /b

    bMeanwhile/bb, /bEthan bhad /bsessfully captured S. But after an entire night of binterrogation/bb, /bbthe /bbman /bbha /bbsaid /ba bsingle /bwordb. /b

    Simon stood behind Ethan, sweat beading on his forehead. “Captain, the virus is still spreading. If we bcant /bbget /bthe location of the release or any clue about the antidote, more werewolves are going bto /bbdie /b

    Ethan rubbed his aching temples–he and the rest of the special ops teain hadn’t slept in three days

    bAs /bthe enforcement arm directly under the Werewolf Council, they had their own procedures bfor /binterrogations. But this time, they weren’t dealing with a normal suspect. S had resistance skills bfar /bbeyond what they’d expected–standard methods were useless.

    Just then, Landon entered with Nathaniel behind him.

    “Mr. Landon,” Ethan stood and saluted, surprise flickering in his eyes.

    The Alpha King of Montedra rarely got involved in judicial matters. What was he doing here?

    “Hand S over to me,” Landon said inly, eyes flicking to the one–way ss of the interrogation room.

    “That’s against protocol,” the deputy captain protested immediately. “Mr. Landon, we answer to the judicial branch of the Council. You’re the Alpha King of the administrative branch. We’re not supposed to interfere with each other–that’s the long–standing rule…”

    Landon didn’t even look at him. His eyes locked on Ethan. “You’ve been at this all night. What’ve you learned?”

    Ethan said nothing.

    “Rules are dead. People aren’t.” Landon’s tone dropped, cold and sharp. “By the time you finish your protocol, half of Montedra’s wolves will be dead.”

    Ethan drew a deep breath.

    He knew Landon’s reputation–and even more so, he knew the situation. The judicial and administrative arms might have been separate, but they were two pirs of the same house. At the edge of survival, there was no room for stubborn formalities.

    “You can take him. But only for eight hours,” Ethan said, turning to the deputy. “If something goes wrong, I’ll take the fall.”

    “Ethan!”

    “That’s an order,” he snapped, then turned back to Landon. “Mr. Landon, I trust you wouldn’t risk Montedra’s safety.”

    Landon gave a tight half–smile but/said nothing.

    Nathaniel moved immediately, taking S from the room without touching any of the recording equipment- a silent gesture of respect toward the Council’s authority. Both sides understood the unspoken boundary they were now crossing.

    Once S was gone, the deputy growled, “You’ve just thrown yourself into the fire! If the Council d

    answers-”

    nds

    bChapter /b57 1. Int Rules Break Her…

    bThat’s /bbetter bthan /bwatching bour /bbpeople /bdie to this bvirus/bb; /bbEthan /bbreplied/b, staring out the wintow

    bthe /bbAlpha /bbKing/b. bNo /bbone /bfears for Montedra more bthan /bhe does.

    bSimon /bbcame /bbover /bquietly. “Ethan, want us to rotate out bfor /ba few hours? We’ll be /brelieve you after the beight/b.

    “Go. Let everyone rest in shifts.” Ethan nodded. “But don’t go far. Stay reachable.”

    “What about you?”

    “I’m going to see the Council’s oversight officer,” Ethan said, grabbing his coat. “I need to cover the paperwork for this ‘transfer‘ before it officially turns into insubordination

    He had to buy Landon time while also preserving the integrity of their legal system. Bncing both? bThat /bwas on him.

    Simon watched Ethan walk away, heart heavy.

    They’d joined the special forces to protect their kind. Now all they could do was watch the virus spread band /binterrogate a prisoner who wouldn’t crack. This helplessness was worse than staying up three nights straightb. /b

    Just as Ethan stepped out of the building, Nathaniel’s call came through.

    “Come to the underground vault at Nightshade Pack. The Alpha wants you there.”

    Ethan’s pulse quickened.

    The underground vault–Nightshade Pack’s most ssified interrogation site. Only high treason or core- level threats were brought there. Most didn’t even know it existed.

    If Landon had called him there, this was no longer standard procedure.

    When he arrived at the vault’s entrance, Nathaniel was already waiting. “Go on in. Mr. Landon said to let you watch. Don’t just stand around.”

    Inside, the vault was more austere than he’d imagined. Cold lights embedded in stone walls lit the corridor. The air was heavy with the scent of disinfectant and metal–sterile, brutal, and final.

    Through the one–way ss of the interrogation chamber, Ethan saw Landon seated at the table, calmly spinning a pen between his fingers. S was strapped into a reinforced chair across from him, still wearing that smug, defiant look.

    “Don’t waste your breath,” S sneered, legs crossed, voiceced with mockery. “No matter what you ask, I won’t say a word. Your special ops guys didn’t dare touch me—what, you gonna go rogue now?”

    Landon raised his eyes, gaze sharp as ice. “In the special ops unit, you were under the Council’s rules. Here? The rules are mine.”

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