Rise Of A Shattered Luna (Natalie) by Kave Derry novel Chapter 349

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Chapter 349 The Strategic Pivot

Chapter 349 The Strategic Pivot

Natalie’s POV

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The digital matrix screen embedded into the dashboard–terminal flickered beneath my fingertips, as columns of data scroll endlessly across the glass and reflecting faintly in my eyes.

The interceptor gunboat continued carving through the Atlantic at eighty knots, its carbon–fiber hull slicing across black swells as we cut a direct path toward the southern river channels.

The storm still raged around us, but my attention wasn’t on the weather.

Neither was it on the comforting weight of Baron’s arm wrapped securely around my waist.

My focus remained fixed on the encrypted data drive he had stripped from Captain Vance’s corpse.

My fingers moved rapidly across the interface.

Every ledger contained patterns. Every transaction left fingerprints. Every network possessed structural weaknesses hidden beneath the surface.

The deeper I dug into Vance’s private registries, the more those patterns began revealing themselves.

And what I found made the blood inside my veins turn cold.

“Baron.”

My voice emerged rough from the lingering damage caused by the silver gas, but the sharp edge beneath it immediately drew his attention.

“Drop the throttle.”

His arm tightened fractionally around me.

“We cannot cross the estate gravel lines tonight.”

Baron didn’t look away from the water ahead.

His molten gaze remained locked on the dark horizon, but I felt the subtle shift inside him immediately.

The deep vibration in his chest lowered.

“The children are safe,” he rumbled. “Sean and Susie are beneath the blankets. Flynn has the perimeter secured, the den is protected.”

“The den is protected for twenty–four hours.”

I swiped my palm across the screen, opening a logistics map that spread across the dashboard.

Dozens of shipping routes illuminated the display.

Trade corridors, transit lanes, International waters.

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Chapter 349 The Strategic Pivot

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And buried among them…

A predator.

“Look at this.”

I pointed toward a blinking amber marker positioned four leagues beyond territorial waters.

“Jensen was never the real objective.”

Baron’s eyes finally shifted.

“Captain Vance wasn’t operating independently. His entire trafficking network belongs to a shell corporation.”

I enlarged the data packet.

“The shell corporation answers to a northern syndicate.”

The name appeared across the screen.

Sovereign Leviathan.

Even Baron went still.

“It’s their flagship.”

I continued scrolling.

“Before you killed Vance, he uploaded my transit contract directly into their central ledger.”

The information expanded before us.

Wire transfers, asset acquisitions, buyer approvals, even bid confirmations.

Everything already processed.

“The purchase has already been authorized,” I said quietly. “Which means if we return home now, we accomplish nothing.”

Baron’s jaw tightened.

I continued before he could argue.

“The Leviathan simply sends another team.”

I pointed toward the contracts.

“They won’t stop.”

A heavy silence filled the cabin.

“They’ll come for Sean and Susie next.”

The effect of those words was immediate.

୮

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Chapter 349 The Strategic Plvot

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Across from us, Jensen let out a broken wheeze.

The former southern prince lay crumpled against the floor, blood staining his lips as he struggled to breathe through damaged ribs.

For the first time since his capture, genuine terror overtook his expression.

“She’s right.”

His voice shook.

“Your bitchy stepmother signed permanent treaties with the international syndicates.”

Blood coated his teeth as he forced the words out.

“They don’t abandon active contracts.”

His gaze darted toward Baron.

“If they don’t get her, they’ll come for your children.”

The confession settled heavily inside the room.

Flynn stepped forward from the rear hatch.

His expression darkened as he studied the tactical display.

“The Leviathan is massive,” he said.

“Thirty thousand tons.”

His finger tapped the screen.

“Military–grade suppression systems.”

Another tap.

“Layered defenses.”

A third.

“Internal silver grids.”

His eyes lifted toward me.

“If Natalie boards that vessel under a standard extraction scenario, her frequency disappears completely.”

“We lose her.”

I nodded.

“Which is why this can’t be a rescue.”

Both men looked at me.

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Chapter 349 The Strategic Pivot

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+turned toward Baron completely.

His golden eyes locked onto mine.

“We make it a trap.”

Silence.

I reached for his hand.

His fingers were still raw from battle.

Mine closed around them.

“Let them believe Vance succeeded.”

The words settled between us.

“Let them intercept us.”

Baron’s expression immediately hardened.

“No.”

I ignored him.

“I allow them to take me aboard.”

“No.”

“I map the vessel.”

“Absolutely not.”

“I locate the ledger vault.”

His dominance exploded outward.

The entire cabin shook.

“I am not putting you back inside another silver cage.”

Every word sounded dragged directly from the beast beneath his skin.

“Baron.”

His claws extended against the leather steering wrap.

“I will burn every coastline between here and the northern territories before I allow another hand to touch you.”

Foi a moment, Raze completely eclipsed Baron.

The protective fury pouring through our mate bond was almost unbearable.

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Chapter 349 The Strategic Plyot

But Theld my ground.

“Baron.”

The command left my mouth before I could soften it.

His gaze snapped back to mine./

“This is how we end it.”

My voice lowered.

Not softer.

Stronger.

“If we run home, we’re reacting.”

I pointed toward the blinking marker.

“If I board that ship, we control the battlefield.”

The bond pulsed between us.

“I find the choke point.”

I leaned closer.

“I find the syndicate leadership.”

Closer.

“You destroy them.”

The silence that followed stretched endlessly.

Baron stared at me.

His chest rose.

Fell.

Rose again.

The war raging inside him was visible.

Raze demanded protection and Baron demanded victory.

For ten long seconds, neither side yielded.

Then his eyes drifted downward.

Toward the burns on my wrist.

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Chapter 349 The Strategic Plvot

The marks left by the silver restraints.

His expression shifted.

His forehead pressed against mine.

When he finally spoke, his voice cracked.

“Three leagues.”

The words barely escaped him.

I closed my eyes.

“The moment your signal disappears…”

His hand tightened around mine.

“My fleet will be five hundred meters behind their stern.”

The promise settled like iron between us.

“If anyone touches you without authorization…”

His eyes opened.

“I won’t sink the ship.”

A pause.

“I’ll tear it apart.”

I smiled.

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BARON’S POV

The transfer vessel emerged from the Atlantic fog like a shadow rising from the depths.

A few seconds later, the heavy rubber fenders slammed against our gunwale with enough force to send greasy saltwater spraying across the deck plates.

I stood at the helm without moving.

My hands were locked around the iron rail so tightly that the metal groaned beneath my grip.

To anyone watching, I looked calm.

But beneath my skin, Raze was trying to tear his way free.

The beast had not accepted Natalie’s plan.

He had submitted to it.

There was a difference… A dangerous one.

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Chapter 349 The Strategic Pivot

Freezing rain struck my shoulders and evaporated instantly from the heat rolling off my body.

The cabin hatch opened

Six syndicate enforcers stepped inside.

Automatic weapons hung across their chests.

Dark respirators concealed their faces.

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Their signatures carried the scent of deep–water trafficking routes and lawless waters. These weren’t political operatives or corporate negotiators.

They were predators.

The kind that mistook silence for weakness.

The lead tracker approached the navigation console.

A biometric scanner appeared in his gloved hand.

He swiped it across the terminal screen.

The display flashed green.

“The contract is active.”

His voice emerged distorted through the respirator filter.

“Captain Vance’s transit authorization has been verified.”

The scanner chimed again.

“The Frost female now belongs to the registry of the Sovereign Leviathan.”

I said nothing.

The silence stretched.

The man shifted uneasily.

୮

Good.

Let him wonder.

Two guards moved toward Natalie.

Every instinct inside me screamed to break their arms.

Neither guard understood how close they were standing to death.

Natalie remained seated on the navigation bench.

Calm.

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Chapter 349 The Strategic Pivot

She didn’t resist when they reached for her wrist.

Didn’t flinch when they lacked the heavy suppression band around her arm.

Silver energy flashed across the restraint

White sparks danced over her skin.

The device attempted to suppress Nyx.

Attempted.

The operative word being attempted.

Because despite the restraints, despite the situation, despite the danger…

Natalie Frost looked completely unimpressed.

Her gold eyes followed every movement they made.

Studied them.

Even the lead guard noticed.

He took a small step backward and somewhere deep inside his gut, he knew something wasn’t right.

Natalie rose without argument.

The guards guided her toward the hatch.

Just before disappearing through the doorway, she turned her/head.

Our eyes met.

No words passed between us.

None were needed.

The bond carried everything.

Her frequency brushed mine one final time before the hatch closed behind her.

Then she was gone.

The silence that followed lasted exactly three seconds.