The Apocalyptic Queen's Werewolf Journey (Thora and Darius) novel Chapter 471

The Golden Triad—headquarters of the counterfeit syndicate.

Soldiers clad in green-and-tan camouflage guarded every inch of the compound like a fortress, patrolling, standing watch, and pacing back and forth with submachine guns at the ready for the slightest disturbance.

Seated in a tiger-skin chair was a middle-aged man draped in a heavy overcoat, the thick stench of blood clinging to him like a second skin.

He had a square-jawed face with hard, chiseled features—one look and you knew this was not a man to be trifled with.

He was the head of the counterfeit syndicate—Marka Spark.

Marka grinned at the man in a tailored suit sitting across from him, his tone laced with a rough, outlaw edge. "I'll be straight with you. I used to think my armed forces were more than enough to handle anything on our own. But after yesterday's fight, I've gotta hand it to you—your people are something else. They're leagues above my best men."

He flashed the suited man a thumbs-up, radiating a kind of brash, unfiltered respect.

Then his tone shifted, growing heavier. "But I also know there's no such thing as a free lunch. So tell me—what's your motive? What does your side really want out of this?"

Three days ago, this suited man had shown up out of nowhere and blown straight through their armed perimeter.

The operatives he brought with him were practically human weapons—their speed and raw strength far surpassed anything an ordinary werewolf was capable of, and even after taking bullets, they refused to go down. It was as unsettling as it was unnatural.

And yet they hadn't come to wipe out the syndicate. Instead, they'd offered to help.

Right off the bat, the man had delivered a piece of intel—the counterfeit syndicate had been placed on Blue Star Military Academy's mission list.

The news left Marka caught between a rush of excitement and a wave of dread.

He had always banked on his firepower, his allied backers, and the natural fortress of the Golden Triad to keep him untouchable—even if the Astralis Empire came knocking, he wouldn't flinch. But Blue Star Military Academy was a different beast entirely. In the eyes of criminals like him, the people from Blue Star Military Academy weren't human—they were apex predators, the kind that made every outlaw on the planet lose sleep.

Still, the stubborn pride buried deep in Marka's bones wouldn't let him back down.

If Thora had been present to hear this conversation, she would have put the pieces together in an instant. The squad that had launched the assault on Marka's main base yesterday—only to be brutally beaten back by the suited man's operatives—was none other than Ryan's team. And this suited man, along with the terrifyingly powerful fighters he'd brought with him, was an agent from the Blue Star Research Institute, accompanied by their mass-produced artificial werewolves.

...

The suited man offered a faint smile, his tone calm yet carrying an authority that left no room for doubt. "Our goal is simple. Not only will it cost you nothing, it'll work in your favor."

Marka furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"

"First, we need a large supply of counterfeit bills. We'll pay your standard rates." The suited man raised two fingers and spoke in a slow, measured cadence. "Second, we'll help you deal with the people from Blue Star Military Academy. But there's one condition—we take someone with us."

"Who?" Marka leaned forward, curiosity written all over his face.

A cold, thin smile crept across the suited man's face as he let the words fall, one by one. "A woman named Thora."