The Apocalyptic Queen's Werewolf Journey (Thora and Darius) novel Chapter 488

This time, it wasn't just Harvey and Ashton who were stunned—even Sierra froze for a second.

The group immediately followed Thora inside, and Sierra, brow furrowed, fell in step behind them.

"Starting today, for the next month, Sierra stays with you." Thora's voice was firm and direct. "Think of her as your subordinate. She's at your disposal. Are we clear?"

It was a straight order from Thora. No one dared to push back.

"Got it!" The response came in unison.

Thora turned her gaze to Sierra. Just one word. "You?"

Sierra's voice was low and steady. "Yes." She had no choice but to comply.

Ashton's hand shot up immediately. "Permission to ask a question!"

"Go ahead."

"Boss, can I make her do my laundry?" Ashton's face was dead serious.

The moment the words left his mouth, Harvey, Dominic, Alger, and the rest all nodded vigorously—leave it to Ashton to ask the one thing they all cared about most. A bunch of guys living rough in the field, and what they needed more than anything was someone to handle the chores. The boss had hand-delivered one, so naturally, that was priority number one.

Thora raised an eyebrow. "That's the kind of thing you can ask her directly."

Every head in the room swiveled toward Sierra in perfect unison.

But the instant they met her ice-cold stare, they all swiveled right back.

Yeah, no. This woman looked like she'd gut someone for looking at her wrong. They collectively abandoned that idea on the spot.

With Sierra's situation settled, Thora finally asked about their progress.

They'd been staking out a drug lord in the Golden Triad, and the operation was about to enter its final phase.

Thora listened to their tactical plan and gave a nod. She didn't offer a single correction.

Over the past year, they'd actually stayed in regular contact.

Every time Thora left the military academy on a mission, she'd switch over to the Ashwolf channel to check on their status and condition.

The growth was obvious. She could feel it in every single one of them—just like they'd promised when they'd parted ways, they'd never stopped fighting, never stopped pushing, and none of them wanted to be the one dragging Ashwolf down.

Getting Thora's approval lit them up like schoolkids earning gold stars from their teacher, every trace of their tough-guy personas completely gone.

Harvey leaned in close and lowered his voice. "Boss, about Sierra..."

Thora glanced at Sierra in the distance, quietly cleaning her weapons. Dominic, Alger, and a few others would occasionally toss a word her way, though their tone was anything but friendly. Sierra, for her part, clearly had zero interest in engaging.

The two sides were at a grand total of zero interaction.

Thora looked away, her voice flat. "Just be smart about what you say and what you don't. Beyond that, handle her however you see fit."

Harvey nodded. "Understood."

The boss's meaning was crystal clear—all classified information regarding Astralis Military operations and Ashwolf was strictly off-limits to Sierra.

"Tomorrow," Harvey replied.

"I've got some time today. Why not just do it now?" Thora said it like it was nothing, the way someone might suggest grabbing lunch.

Harvey went blank for a second. It took a few beats before the words fully registered, and when they did, disbelief flooded his voice. "Boss, are you saying ... you're coming with us?"

Holy crap!

It had been a full year. An entire year since the boss had run an operation with them.

The solo missions over the past year had made them stronger, no question. But having the boss there versus not having her there were two completely different things.

"While I still have the time." Thora's reply was light and offhand.

"Holy crap!" Harvey couldn't hold back the outburst. He immediately raised his voice to a full shout. "All units! Fall in!"

"Gear up! We're moving out!"

The squad received the order and, just like Harvey a moment ago, went momentarily blank. Wasn't the plan set for tomorrow? Since when did the timeline move up?

"What are you standing around for? The boss actually has time today!"

One sentence from Harvey, and the light bulbs went on simultaneously. They geared up at a speed that made their earlier assembly look like slow motion.

Every face was lit up with barely contained excitement, looking like they wanted nothing more than to charge into battle right then and there.