Liam sat on the wide staircase that overlooked the large hall. From there he had a perfect view of everything that was happening below. The pack had already begun organizing themselves into groups and the once calm hall was now filled with movement, voices, and the occasional laugh that carried through the air.

Some people were checking weapons. Others were arguing over which vehicles to use. A few were pulling on jackets and tactical gear that had been brought out from storage. The entire mansion had shifted into something close to controlled chaos.

Liam rested his elbows on his knees while watching them carefully.

He was not in a rush.

Irina had told him to pick five teams, strong ones, people who would not hesitate when things got dangerous. He could have easily walked down there and chosen the biggest fighters or the loudest ones, but that was not how he wanted to do this.

Instead he watched.

He had been doing that for almost an hour now.

Watching how they talked to each other. Watching who stayed calm and who liked to show off. Watching who listened more than they spoke. Watching who kept glancing toward Irina for instructions and who already seemed to know exactly what they were doing.

Body language told a lot about a person.

One man with thick arms and a shaved head kept boasting loudly about how he would tear apart anyone who got in his way. Liam had crossed him off his mental list within seconds.

Another man, smaller and quiet, had spent ten minutes checking the same rifle slowly and carefully. Liam kept him in mind.

Across the room two women argued about which route would be safer to reach the industrial district. Their argument was sharp but intelligent. Neither of them were raising their voices.

He liked that too.

Liam leaned back slightly against the stair railing and exhaled slowly.

Five teams.

Not five people.

Five teams meant he would be responsible for a lot of lives tonight.

His eyes moved slowly across the hall again.

Footsteps approached from the side.

Irina.

She walked toward him calmly and stopped just a step away from the stairs where he sat. She looked down at him with a curious expression, but before she could say anything Liam spoke first.

"But if they have explosives," he said while still watching the pack members moving around the hall, "isn’t that something you should inform the police about?"

Irina did not answer immediately.

Liam continued.

"Why are you risking your pack’s lives over something that isn’t supernatural related?"

That question finally pulled her attention fully.

Irina shook her head slowly and leaned against the stair railing beside him.

"Who do you think they want to use the explosives on?"

Liam finally looked up at her.

His expression carried genuine confusion.

"I’m a new person in this country," he said honestly. "I have no idea about anything here."

Irina moved a little closer to him and lowered her voice slightly even though the hall was loud enough to cover their conversation.

"If what my source says is true," she said, "they will use those bombs as a distraction."

Liam watched her face carefully.

"They’ll blow up five popular places in the city," she continued. "Crowded places. Places where people gather every day. Shopping areas. Metro stations. Tourist spots."

Her tone remained calm but the meaning behind her words was heavy.

"That will throw the entire city into panic," she said. "Police, emergency services, the government, everyone will focus on controlling the chaos."

She paused for a second.

"And that window will be the perfect time to execute their real plan."

Liam slowly raised his eyebrows.

"Their plan is what?"

Irina gave a small frustrated sigh.

"I don’t know," she admitted. "My source couldn’t get that far. But we have seen their pattern before."

Her eyes hardened slightly.

"They sacrifice people."

Liam’s gaze sharpened.

"Sacrifice?"

"Yes," she said quietly. "Live people. Bound and cut open like animals. Rituals that involve blood and numbers and symbols."

For a moment Liam did not say anything.

Then he nodded slowly.

He remembered.

He had heard about things like that already.

The enemy they were dealing with did not simply kill for convenience. They killed for rituals. For power.

At that moment the mansion doors suddenly burst open and someone rushed inside, breathing heavily as if he had run the entire way.

The sudden entrance caught several people’s attention.

The young man wiped sweat from his forehead while scanning the room quickly.

"Everyone was told to come!" he said loudly while trying to catch his breath. "I just got the message!"

Liam recognized him instantly.

Purple hair.

That strange young face that somehow looked both childish and grown at the same time.

Daniil.

He was slightly out of breath but still chewing on another lollipop as if running across the city had not bothered him that much.

Liam could not stop a small smile from forming.

He tilted his head toward the young man.

"That will be my first team member."

Irina slowly turned her head and followed Liam’s gaze.

When she saw Daniil pushing his way further into the hall she lifted one eyebrow.

Her eyes then shifted back to Liam’s face.

He clearly knew the boy.

Which immediately made her curious.

She studied Liam carefully for a second.

He looked relaxed.

Almost amused.

Irina crossed her arms lightly.

It seemed that while she had been busy organizing the operation, Liam had already been making connections inside the pack.

Her eyebrow remained slightly raised as she glanced back at Daniil again.

Was there something she had missed?

Liam pushed himself up from the staircase slowly, stretching his shoulders a little as he rose to his full height. From the corner of the hall his eyes quickly found the purple hair again.

Daniil had already pushed deeper into the room, trying to catch his breath while also trying to figure out what exactly was going on.

Liam lifted his hand and pointed toward him.

"Come over," he said softly.

The moment Daniil noticed the gesture his eyes widened in recognition. Without hesitation he hurried over, weaving past a few pack members who were still talking among themselves.

He stopped right in front of Liam and straightened his back quickly.

"Sir, about earlier—"

Before he could finish, Liam casually gave him a quick wink.

"Now is not the time for that."

Daniil immediately understood what he meant and snapped his mouth shut. He nodded quickly, trying to act normal even though inside his chest his heart was still beating wildly from earlier.

One million dollars.

Even thinking about it made his brain spin.

Irina stood beside them watching the exchange quietly. Her eyes moved between the two of them with a faint expression of confusion. It was obvious that something had happened between them earlier but from the way Liam brushed it aside she had absolutely no interest in digging into it.

Some things were better left unexplained.

Liam turned slightly toward Daniil.

"I’m assembling a five man team," he said calmly. "You’re one of them."

Daniil blinked.

"A mission?"

His head turned around instinctively as he looked across the hall. He had only just arrived and clearly missed whatever Irina had told the pack earlier.

"I just got here," he admitted. "What’s going on?"

Liam gave him a light pat on the shoulder.

"Go ask the others," he said. "They’ll fill you in."

Daniil nodded immediately.

"Right!"

Without wasting another second he rushed into the middle of the pack members who were still organizing themselves, already shouting questions at the nearest person who would listen.

Meanwhile Liam stepped down from the staircase and moved into the crowd as well, though his purpose was entirely different.

His eyes quickly locked onto the two women he had noticed earlier.

They were standing close to one of the long tables with a small paper map spread between them. Even now they were still discussing routes, pointing at streets and intersections while quietly debating the safest path toward the industrial district.

Liam walked toward them calmly.

Neither of them noticed him at first.

Then one of them looked up.

She froze.

The other woman followed her gaze and looked up as well.

Both of them went completely silent.

Standing this close to him was different from seeing him across the hall. His height, his posture, the sharp lines of his face and the deep blue eyes that seemed to observe everything around him calmly.

For a moment both women simply stared.

One of them unconsciously whispered under her breath.

"So hot."

The words slipped out before she even realized she had said them.

Her friend turned slightly red while trying to pretend she had not heard it.

Inside, Liam felt amused.

He kept his smile gentle.

This was perfect.

People who already liked him were far less likely to argue with him later when things became dangerous. In a mission like this obedience and trust were more important than brute strength.

He stopped in front of them.

"Will you two ladies care to join my team?" he asked softly.

The question came so calmly that for a moment the women simply stared again.

Then both of them nodded almost at the same time.

"Yes."

"Of course."

Their reactions were immediate and enthusiastic.

One of them stepped forward slightly and extended her hand.

"My name is Alina."

The other woman followed.

"And I’m Tatiana."

Both of them were clearly excited now.

Liam nodded politely.

"Alina. Tatiana."

He shook their hands one after the other.

"Nice to meet you two."