Freya’s POV
65
s
I rushed into the militarypound, my heart hammering like a drum inside my chest.
The Iron Fang Recon Unit had summoned me here. My legs carried me faster than I realized, as though my wolf itself pushed me forward.
Five years.
Five years since my brother Eric vanished into the mes at the border. Five years since Ist heard his voice.
And now, I stood in front of the screens, clutching the edge of the desk as though it was the only thing keeping me upright.
The recovered SD card from Eric’s drone flickered to life. Static. Distorted sound. Then–his
voice.
My brother’s voice.
The moment it reached my ears, hot tears burst from my eyes, streaming down unchecked. My knees nearly gave out. The ache that had hollowed me for half a decade suddenly came alive, sharp and raw, as if no time had passed at all.
“Eric…” I whispered, choking on the sound of his name.
His voice was calm, professional, steady–the way it always was when he reported during missions. He had been part of the Iron Fang Recon Unit, a shadow in hostile territory, braver than anyone I’d ever known. Hearing him again was like feeling the moonlight after years of endless night.
Themanding officer stood at my side, his posture rigid. “Freya… some of the footage pertains to ssified missions. By regtion, we can’t let you see those segments. I hope you understand.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded. “I understand.” My voice trembled with unshed grief.
The officer went on. “But from the fragments we restored, we can confirm this much<i>–</i>your brother’s final mission was tied to the border fire five years ago. His drone captured signs of the ze before it spread out of control. He must have encountered it mid–operation. The firestorm caused the drone to lose signal… and Eric disappeared soon after.”
<b>10:16 </b><b>Tue</b><b>, </b><b>Sep 16 </b>
…
65
s
My hands curled into fists at my sides, ws threatening to pierce my palms. I had suspected this all along–that Eric’s disappearance was no ident, that the so–called ‘border fire‘ was more than what the official reports had imed. And now, their words only confirmed the shadow that had haunted me for years.
If not for that inferno, Eric would still be alive. He would still be here with me.
The officer hesitated. “We’re cross–referencing casualty records from Deepmoor City and the border region. With a fire of that scale, it’s possible some victims were unounted for. After all these years…” His gaze softened, almost pitying. “It’s likely Eric perished that day.”
My teeth ground together. No.
I refused to believe it. My brother was the fiercest wolf I had ever known. I had seen him survive bullet storms, traps set by rogues, even ambushes in contestednds. He had sworn to protect me when I was just a pup, and I could still feel the echo of his promise.
A fire could not have taken him.
Not Eric<b>. </b>
He was still alive. He had to be.
“I want to know thest recorded coordinates of his drone,” I demanded, forcing my voice steady even as my chest quivered.
The officer inclined his head. “That can be arranged.”
“And I want to see the footage again,” I pressed. “The part I was cleared to view.”
He nodded to a technician, who quickly reyed the segment. Grainy aerial shots filled the screen–the bordends stretched beneath the drone’s lens, dry scrub, jagged rocks, shadows shifting with the wind. The fire had not yet erupted.
Then I saw it.
A spark. A plume of smoke curling in the distance.
My eyes narrowed. “Stop there.”
The technician froze the frame.
“Zoom in.”
The camera strained, the image distorting as the pixels stretched. The focal point grewrger
<b>10:16 </b>Tue<b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>16 </b>
65
s
-trees ckened at the edges, smoke thickening. And there… faint, blurred, but unmistakable
–
A figure.
A silhouette right at the ignition point.
“Again,” I said, my pulse racing.
The video reyed, and once more, the shadow appeared, caught at the very heart of the spark that became the inferno.
“Enhance,” I ordered.
The technician shook his head. “This is as clear as it gets. Five years have degraded the quality. Beyond this… it can’t be improved on our end.”
But I saw enough. My instincts screamed at me. Whoever that figure was, they were no coincidence. The fire wasn’t some ident–it was lit. And Eric had been caught in its wake.
I straightened, my wolf wing inside me, snarling for answers. “Give me this video,” I said. “I’ll see if I can restore it further myself.”
The officer studied me for a moment before nodding. “Very well. But only this portion. The rest remains sealed.”
“That’s all I need,” I murmured.
When I stepped out of thepound, the autumn wind hit my damp cheeks, cooling the salt of my tears. In my hand, I clutched the small drive the officer had handed me, holding it as if it were the most precious relic in the world.
The U–disk burned against my palm like a live ember.
Because I knew.
The truth of that night–the fire, Eric’s disappearance–was buried in this footage. And I would tear through every shadow, every lie, every wall, until I dragged the truth into the light.
Eric wasn’t gone.
He couldn’t be.
And if the ze was no ident, then someone lit it.
<b>10:16 </b>Tue<b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>16 </b>
…
:
<b>65 </b>
s
Someone destroyed my brother’s life.
My wolf howled inside me, the sound vibrating through my bones. I will find them. I will find
him.
Even if I had to burn the world down to do it.
<b>10:16 </b>Tue<b>, </b><b>Sep 16 </b>