The sun was beginning to tint the metropolis's horizon with orange and purple hues, but William remained motionless, an imposing silhouette against the immensity of his window.
The fury Veronica's visit had left him with still burned within him, or rather, he kept it alive on his own to use as a reminder and fuel.
Democles was no longer just a threat to his empire, his business interests, his position in the hierarchy; he was an insolent predator who dared to set his eyes on what William, with almost animal certainty, already considered irrevocably his. And that, for an Alpha Gamma of his lineage and level of obsession, was a declaration of personal war, a direct affront that demanded a brutal and definitive response.
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Minutes after his office door closed behind his aunt's resolute figure, a discreet notification on his private tablet confirmed the arrival of the promised report. It was a massive file, its digital weight almost palpable, encrypted with the highest security standards, sealed with the distinctive mark of Veronica's intelligence network.
William opened it. His eyes moved swiftly, devouring every line, every piece of information. It wasn't a simple summary; it was a meticulous dossier, a work of art in information gathering that only an operation like his aunts could produce.
The report contained the identity of the mysterious contact, a Beta genius in computing and cryptography, whose personal history was marked by a murky family betrayal in occult circles and a deep, deep-rooted resentment against Democles himself. He moved among the digital shadows, a cybernetic ghost capable of infiltrating the most secure networks, decrypting communications that others considered impenetrable.
His knowledge was vast, his access almost unlimited. The dossier detailed his motivations: a relentless desire for revenge against those who had betrayed him, and a desperate need for protection. His interest in "The Oracle" wasn't merely a technological acquisition; it was a need for survival, an essential tool to avoid being annihilated by the very force he was trying to dismantle.
William read that Democles, with his growing power and his network of influence spreading like a plague, was closing in even on those operating in the digital depths, leaving the Beta dangerously exposed. The information provided by this contact to Veronica for months had been vital, operating under almost absolute anonymity until now.
As William continued reading, the pieces of the puzzle began to fit together with terrifying precision. The Beta had discovered that Democles was not only seeking pure-essence Omegas for his macabre purposes but was establishing a network of hidden nodes within the metropolis. These weren't simple hideouts; they were clandestine meeting points, unholy sanctuaries where minor rituals were performed, and, most alarmingly, where the process of "molding" captured Omegas began.
The report described these locations as discreet, often under the guise of legitimate businesses, abandoned warehouses, or uninhabited properties, but charged with latent energy, a dark resonance that only a high-ranking Alpha like himself could perceive, and which he now understood he'd been intermittently sensing in the city's currents.
One of these nodes, according to the report, was located in an abandoned warehouse near the old port district, a place William's network had already been tracking for other reasons related to Democles's activity.
The confirmation of this kind of activity and the direct, undeniable connection to Erika Belion's name made him smile, albeit briefly and icily. It was the missing piece to grasp the true magnitude of the threat. Democles didn't just want Erika's purity; he wanted her essence to enhance his pheromone cocktail and make it more potent, to turn her into another cog in his dark machinery.
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William rose from his chair, the movement as fluid as that of a predator on the prowl. His mind was already plotting the next steps. The Beta's information was invaluable, yes, but the price of the "Oracle" was considerable.
It wasn't just a device; it was a priceless strategic asset, a tool that could give him a crucial advantage in the war brewing before them. William Aballay didn't hand over assets without a fair return, without a show of power that reaffirmed his position. His mind leaned toward a strategy that would satisfy his aunt and the contact, but would also give him an additional advantage, a demonstration of his own strength and dominance.
He decided he wouldn't hand over "The Oracle" immediately. First, he would verify the Beta's information firsthand. Reconnaissance was needed, a raid that would not only confirm the data but send a message. But not simple reconnaissance; It would be a veiled show of force, a silent warning to Democles that his movements were not going unnoticed, and definitive proof of the informant's reliability.
With a swift movement, William activated his secure communication with Bentral. Alpha Gamma's voice resonated with undeniable authority that brooked no question.
"Prepare a team," he ordered. "I want my Delta team ready for a reconnaissance operation. The target is the abandoned warehouse in the port district. Don't arouse suspicion, but I want you to penetrate the area, confirm the presence of activity, and, if possible, obtain samples of any pheromonal or energetic residue. No direct contact unless absolutely necessary. I want you to move like shadows as if you were never there."
Bentral, seasoned under William's orders and familiar with the nature of his most delicate operations, didn't ask any more questions than necessary. "Understood, sir. Any primary objectives that should be prioritized?"
"Confirm the presence of Omegas," William replied, his voice darker, a tinge of coldness and controlled fury, "and look for any hint of Democles's essence, any trace of his energetic manipulations. But most importantly," he added, his eyes flashing with a dangerous light that wasn't entirely human, "bring back any information on his rituals or—and this is crucial—specific manipulation of the Omegas' will. I want to understand how he shapes them."
As Bentral confirmed the order, William was already opening another tab on his tablet. Surveillance over Erika, though, has proven useful and thus far invaluable, enveloping her in a layer of subtle, ever-present protection.
But now, with direct confirmation that Democles had marked her as his primary target, William knew the protection he had provided was insufficient. He needed a much deeper, more intrusive layer of security, one that his very Alpha Gamma nature demanded to protect what he considered his.
He activated a higher-level surveillance protocol of constant proximity for Erika, a level of security he reserved only for targets of total and absolute protection.
This didn't mean just observing; it meant a network of undercover Alpha agents, chosen for their ability to blend seamlessly into their surroundings, who would create an invisible perimeter around her, blending in with everyday life.
They would act as guardian shadows, ready to intervene and annihilate any threat at the slightest hint of danger. No one would approach his Omega without his knowledge and explicit permission.
If what he had previously erected was a gilded cage, invisible to all but him, now he would place layer upon layer of protection between the bars.