The Apocalyptic Queen's Werewolf Journey (Thora and Darius) novel Chapter 21

**Shadows Hearts by Joseph King**
**Chapter 21: I Need Intel**

**Thora’s POV:**

As I stepped into my home, a familiar sense of urgency washed over me. I hurried to my room, the door clicking shut behind me with a soft thud, creating a sanctuary from the outside world. I flicked on my computer, the screen illuminating the dim space with a cool glow, and immediately began my search for information on “Darius Blackwood.”

However, to my dismay, the search results were alarmingly scant.

Darius Blackwood. Age: 20. Current CEO of Skybound Group.

Skybound Group?

From the fragments of Thora’s memories that lingered in my mind, I recalled that it was a titan among commercial enterprises in the Astralis Empire, a behemoth that essentially held the reins of the empire’s economy.

Yet, despite this wealth of knowledge, I found nothing about his pack affiliation, his wolf spirit rank, or even the lineage from which he hailed. It was as if he had been erased from the annals of history, leaving behind a void where vital information should have been.

A frown creased my forehead, deepening with each passing moment.

No ordinary individual would have such a pristine record, unless they were deliberately obscured from public knowledge—or, worse, their background was deemed classified as top secret.

My fingers began to tap restlessly against the edge of my chair, a rhythm of anxiety and curiosity.

Darius, what kind of secrets are you concealing?

As my mind raced, I recalled a peculiar detail from earlier that day. When I had pointed out Luke’s error, I noticed that the programming language he had used bore a striking resemblance to the foundational code from the post-apocalyptic world I had once known.

It was astonishing to realize that the code, which had become obsolete in the apocalypse, was still prevalent in this new reality.

With a renewed sense of purpose, I quickly began typing a series of characters into the keyboard, my heart racing with anticipation.

The moment I hit Enter, the computer screen transitioned to a stark black interface, lines of code cascading down like a waterfall, obscuring the secrets they held.

But then, a chilling prompt appeared—a password box, encrypted and demanding entry.

I froze, my breath catching in my throat.

The Astralis Empire’s information system was fortified with an anti-tracking firewall that was nearly impenetrable. If I entered the wrong password, an alarm would blare, and the administrators would trace my location in an instant.

The last thing I wanted was the empire’s wrath descending upon me for something so reckless.

After weighing my options, I made a decision. It was too risky to attempt this on my own. Instead, I reached for my phone and dialed Luke’s number.

“Luke,” I said, my voice steady despite the flutter of nerves in my stomach.

“Thora?” His tone was laced with surprise, clearly caught off guard by my call.

I cut straight to the chase. “I need your help to hack a system and retrieve someone’s file. Name your price.”

A pause hung between us, thick with tension, before he finally responded, “Alright. What system are we talking about?”

“The Astralis Empire’s Information Security Bureau.”

Silence stretched once more, and I could almost hear the gears turning in his mind. “That’s illegal.”

I chuckled, a sound that felt foreign in the seriousness of the moment. “You’ve taken on plenty of illegal jobs before, haven’t you? One more won’t make a difference.”

The line fell silent again, and I could sense him weighing the risks. Finally, he spoke, “A hundred thousand. Not negotiable.”

“Deal.”

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