Eclipse Sector (V-Clan #3)

32. Cillian

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

CILLIAN

It took physical restraint to remain quiet and let Cael talk. His abrupt arrival had set off every alarm in my head.

Power.

Obscene power.

On par with Kieran. Me. And Lorcan.

A clear rival.

A potential threat.

But as he continued to speak, my sense of alarm shifted away from Cael’s unexpected presence and toward the situation he spoke about now.

“That operation you and the X-Clan wolves took down in Bariloche Sector was just one of many,” he was saying, shocking the hell out of me.

He’d just casually mentioned our involvement in the destruction of Bariloche Sector as though it were common knowledge, when in reality, we hadn’t breathed a word of that outside of our very small circle.

We’d only been there for Quinnlynn, something Kieran, Lorcan, and I had definitely not told anyone else about.

“It was also taken down prematurely,” Cael went on. “We had an in, someone working his way through the system, but then you all stormed in and burned the sector to the ground.”

Grey grunted, his arms folded across his broad chest. He’d remained mostly silent since his abrupt arrival. However, his mind had whirred with strands of information. Internal comments regarding the Omega slave trade that he and Cael had apparently been researching for years.

“Working the system, meaning what exactly?” Kieran asked, his mind lethally quiet as he focused entirely on Grey and Cael.

“The Omega auction network,” Cael clarified, his terminology differing slightly from Grey’s internal monologue referring to it as a slave trade.

“What Omega auctions?” Kieran demanded. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“Because it’s run by a secretive collective of Alphas. We’ve been trying to infiltrate their network for years.” Cael heaved a sigh and ran his fingers through his dark hair. “We were trying to entice Tadhg into reaching out to our contact in Bariloche Sector so we could expose him.”

“To prove he’s one of the collective’s members,” Grey added in a rumble, his mind telling me it went far deeper than just establishing proof of Tadhg’s involvement in the Omega auctions.

There was some other piece of this puzzle. Something he was trying to prove Tadhg had done. But before I could discern that piece, he shut me out, his glacial gaze cutting to me.

I’ve let you poke around enough, he thought at me. I’m not here to hurt you or anyone else in Blood Sector, something you’ve already observed in your various sweeps through my head. So stop digging.

There’s more to the story than what you’re saying, I told him.

Of course there is, but my personal reasons are none of your concern.

This is personal for us, too, I pointed out.

Not in the same way, he told me, his gaze boring into mine. Aloud, he said, “I need to see Ashlyn’s journals. I can decipher them in a way none of you can.”

Kieran bristled at that. “Not until I understand what’s actually happening here.”

“What’s happening here is that a few high-ranking Sector Alphas created an Omega slave trade back when the Infected Era began,” Grey summarized flatly. “They kidnapped fleeing Omegas of all kinds, put them into auction lineups, and sold them to the highest bidders all over the globe. They’ve continued that process for decades, only with fewer auctions due to limited supplies of Omegas. And their primary customers were assholes like Carlos.”

Several other names peppered Grey’s mind, all of them ones he allowed me to hear. None of the identities he listed were surprising. There were places like Bariloche Sector all over the world, all run by Alphas who saw Omegas as commodities to be used, not treasures to be worshipped.

“Oh, and your recent reveal of the Sanctuary has very likely piqued their interest,” Grey concluded.

“Because we have no doubt that Tadhg has shared the information,” Cael added.

“Right,” Grey growled. “Hence, I need to review Ashlyn’s journals to prove he’s involved and see what she knows about it.”

“How do you even know about the journals?” Ivana interjected, her bright eyes on Grey. “We didn’t call you, and no one knew about the diaries until I told Cillian where to find them. Yet you and Prince Cael shadowed in here on a clear mission to read them. How? How did you know?”

Grey stared her down, his dominance heavy in the air and causing my wolf to stir inside. If he took a single step toward my Omega, I would be forced to intervene.

No one challenged Ivana.

No one except for me.

“Show her,” he said, not taking his attention away from my female. “Show her the letter.”

Cael slid his hand into his suit jacket and pulled out a small white envelope, then held it out toward my Omega.

I took it from him before she could move, not wanting my female anywhere near his princely touch. His lips twitched, but he didn’t say anything. Just watched as I handed the item over to my female for review.

She eyed the name scrawled across it— Grey —and the symbol in the bottom left corner. It rivaled the ones on the journal covers.

Not uttering a word, she flipped open the flap and pulled out a plain white card.

They’ll need your guidance, it read. And she needs you, too. Don’t give up, Grey. Count the days. Translate the journals. Review the visions. And remember that time is of the essence. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick…

Beneath it was a series of symbols that made no sense to my ancient eyes. Just like the others on the covers.

“It’s a primitive language,” Grey explained when Ivana glanced up at him with questions in her gaze. “Similar to hieroglyphics, only older and from a different region. My region. But that line there spells out Blood Sector, and beneath it is today’s date, along with the time—which was roughly ten minutes ago.”

“We guessed that you all would be here,” Cael added. “But we weren’t positive. Hence, we arrived a few minutes earlier than the time stamp on her card.”

“How long have you had this?” I asked, gesturing to Ashlyn’s cryptic note.

“Since this morning,” Grey muttered, tugging on the lapels of his leather coat. “I found it tucked into my jacket pocket, one I haven’t worn since I was here last week.”

Because the clever Omega must have seen that I wouldn’t wear this coat again until today, he thought, the words seeming to be for himself. However, he didn’t try to block me from overhearing these inner musings. Not even when he added, And she must have done it after distracting me with that bloody kiss.

My eyebrow rose. Kiss? I wondered.

But I didn’t ask because Kieran was already speaking.

“This has all been very interesting, but where do you think Ashlyn is?” Kieran looked between Grey and Cael. “And why are you so sure that Tadhg is involved?”

Grey’s jaw clenched, his mind shutting down once more.

There was definitely something there.

Some sort of history he didn’t want me to hear.

Which only had me narrowing my gaze at him. The more you hide, the more suspicious you appear.

I’m not afraid of you, Elite, he returned, his gaze locking on mine. I’m not afraid of anyone. So accuse me all you like. But you’ll only be wasting your time.

The door slammed between us again, almost sending me backward a step.

He’s very powerful , Ivana whispered to me. I… I can feel his energy wrapping around all of us, similar to when you leash the Alphas. But this… this is even more intense. Like he’s doing something to us that none of us can feel.

I didn’t like the way that sounded, and I quickly relayed Ivana’s findings to Kieran.

However, he was too busy listening to Cael’s explanation—one I’d missed while talking to Grey.

Fortunately, I could catch up by listening to my best friend’s mind.

Unfortunately, I didn’t like what I heard there.

They’re using fallen sectors as their trading playgrounds—fallen sectors like Eclipse Sector.

There is no tangible proof of Tadhg’s involvement, but we know a powerful V-Clan Alpha is a member of this organization, and Tadhg’s scent has lingered in several locations associated with the black market auctions.

Kieran glanced at his mate. “Is Tadhg the Alpha you scented in Bariloche Sector?”

She frowned. “No. I’ve seen him enough times lately that I can say with certainty it wasn’t him.”

“Correct. Tadhg never visited Bariloche Sector. Only my brother did.” The unexpected comment caused Kieran’s focus to instantly return to Cael. “Dixon was the one I mentioned who had infiltrated Bariloche Sector, our informant whose job was nullified when you and the X-Clan wolves took down Carlos’s operation.”

“Your brother visited Bariloche Sector? To rape Omegas?” Kieran asked, his quiet tone edged with simmering violence.

“He didn’t rape anyone,” Cael growled. “But he was forced to play some of Carlos’s games. It wasn’t a role he enjoyed.”

Quinnlynn snorted.

As did Kyra.

Earning them both a sigh from Cael. “You don’t know my brother like I do, but he values consent. Any of the Omegas he played with will tell you the same. I believe all three of them are in Andorra Sector now, if you would like to call them for a follow-up.”

The fact that he knew their locations confirmed how much he’d been paying attention to the incident in Bariloche Sector.

An incident that shouldn’t have concerned him at all.

Yet he’d felt the need to follow up on where the Omegas were taken afterward. Interesting .

“I healed some of those Omegas,” Quinnlynn said through her teeth. “I know what was done to them.”

“But not by him. You ran every time he came near Bariloche Sector. He felt you leave.” Cael stared at Kieran. “Which is how I know you helped the X-Clan Alphas take down Bariloche Sector—you went there for Quinnlynn. Took you long enough to find her, by the way.”

Kieran took a step forward. “Careful, Prince Cael. I don’t care for the accusation underlining your tone.”

Cael narrowed his gaze. “We can posture if you want, King Kieran , but we’re wasting precious time. If Ashlyn is where we think she is, then she’s going up for auction soon. And once that happens, getting her back will be much more difficult.”

“Look,” Grey said, stepping forward and dropping his hands to his sides. “I get that a lot of this seems unbelievable. That’s why we’ve been working for decades to try to catch Tadhg in the act. We need tangible proof of what he’s done so we can hold him accountable.”

“Which is what Dixon was attempting to do in Bariloche Sector. He was trying to get put on Tadhg’s radar as an interested party so he could potentially be invited to a seat at the table,” Cael added.

“Yes, Dixon and Cael assumed that if Tadhg found out another V-Clan Alpha was interested in Carlos’s way of life, he would reach out and set a playdate.” Grey sounded bored. “That didn’t happen.”

“You don’t seem all that surprised by that outcome,” Kieran noted, his observation rivaling my own.

“Because I’m not. Tadhg has spent a century, perhaps longer, hiding who he is from everyone in our world. He probably saw right through Dixon’s intentions.”

Cael blew out a breath and shook his head, his posture and expression suggesting this wasn’t the first time he and Grey had exchanged these words. “We had to try.”

“Sure,” Grey drawled. “And now Ashlyn has taken fate into her own hands by offering herself up as bait. She’s seen what’s going to happen to those Sanctuary Omegas, and she’s trying to stop it. Which is why I need to see those diaries. Now. ”

“Shit,” Kyra cursed. “Shit, shit, shit .”

“I know,” Quinnlynn muttered.

Ivana frowned. “What?”

“This is just like Ashlyn,” Kyra hissed, her catlike eyes flashing with annoyance. “Always putting herself in danger to protect others. We knew she didn’t join the mating program to find an Alpha. We knew, and we didn’t press the issue.”

“It wouldn’t have mattered,” Quinnlynn argued. “You know how stubborn she can be.”

Kyra shook her head. “I really am going to kill her when we find her.”

This time, Lorcan didn’t utter a response to Kyra’s repeated threat. He just studied his mate intently, no doubt hearing a string of words through their mate bond. Or perhaps he was just sensing her mood.

Ignoring all that, I focused on Cael and Grey. “So you think she allowed herself to be captured, to try to stop the other Omegas from being hurt,” I reiterated.

“Yes,” Grey replied. “And it makes perfect sense, too. Tadhg would have learned about her prophetic abilities from Hawk or one of the other Alpha candidates from his sector. Or he likely knew because she’s a Z-Clan Omega. Regardless, he would have seen her as a threat he needed to dispose of. And she placed herself in a position to be taken.”

“By volunteering to come back to Blood Sector to help those who stayed here during their heats,” Kyra muttered, shaking her head again and chastising herself mentally for not seeing it.

“She was one of the few who didn’t go into heat, too, and had said it was probably because her kind didn’t react to the serum,” Quinnlynn grumbled. “But I bet she didn’t imbibe the drink at all.”

“Assuming a drink is how it was introduced,” Kyra returned. “We still don’t know how that happened.”

“It was definitely the estrus party serum. I recognized it while trying to heal some of the Omegas.” Quinnlynn’s eyes narrowed at Cael. “A serum your brother would have had access to.”

“True, if Bariloche Sector still existed,” he replied, arching a brow. “I can bring him here for Cillian to interrogate if that would help the situation.”

“He has a natural block in his mind, making that rather difficult,” I pointed out. “Something I think you already know.”

“It’s a barrier he can remove.” Cael proceeded to do just that, opening his mind to me so I could see the truth. “It’s not difficult to do.”

I didn’t reply, instead poking around his thoughts and hearing the sincerity inside them.

As well as a worry for Ashlyn.

Because he knew all too well what was about to happen to her. So well, in fact, that it told me this had happened before.

To someone close to him.

No. Not to him.

To Grey , I realized.

Grey was the one who had exposure to this organization’s auctions.

He’d experienced the pain of betrayal. The pain of loss .

All of this, the accusations surrounding Tadhg, the need to bring him down, was because of Grey. He somehow knew the Alpha Prince was responsible for whatever had happened in his past.

Tadhg kidnapped and sold Grey’s sister into the slave trade, Cael thought at me, his turquoise irises swirling with barely restrained fury. And he’s been trying to prove it for over a hundred years. I only recently joined the fight in the last few decades.

Why didn’t you tell us? I asked, astounded by his reveal.

For the same reason you didn’t tell us about Bariloche Sector, he fired back. For the same reason you didn’t inform us of the Sanctuary until recently. Trust takes time, Cillian. I think you know that lesson better than anyone.

Hmm, I hummed, neither confirming nor denying that point. Because we both knew I understood it on a multitude of levels.

There is more we can share, he went on. More we’ve discovered in our pursuit of Tadhg, specifically about this shadow organization known for their Omega auctions. But there’s no point in continuing this conversation if you think we’re lying.

“Cillian?” Kieran prompted, causing me to glance at him. “Do we need Dixon?”

I returned my attention to Cael. This was the moment of no return. We either worked with Grey and Cael, or we chose to go against them.

Right now, I didn’t see any obvious reason for the latter.

Because in Cael’s mind, all I found was the desire for a new alliance. A respect for Kieran. Acknowledgment of our mutual powers.

And an acceptance that Ivana chose me.

That last realization hung between Cael and me, the genuine thought lingering on the cusp of his mind, ensuring I heard it.

You’d just better prove yourself worthy of her , he added. Because she deserves the best. Not subpar. Not mediocre. Not even good. The best .

I know , I telepathically replied. Then I looked at Kieran and answered his question. “No, we don’t need Dixon. But we do need to give the journals to Grey. Because I think they’re telling the truth. And as they’ve already mentioned, time isn’t on our side.”