The attacks began at 6:42 AM on a Tuesday that had started with Seraphina testing her newly enhanced abilities over morning coffee.
She was practicing the subtle influence techniques the Byzantine queen had taught her—ways to project calm authority without supernatural coercion—when Marcus burst through the penthouse doors with an expression that meant the world was ending.
"Ma'am, we have a situation."
"Just one?" Damon looked up from financial reports, his wolf senses already picking up the stress radiating from their head of security. "That would be refreshingly simple."
"Try twelve situations, all happening simultaneously." Marcus activated the wall displays, flooding the room with feeds from news channels, stock markets, and government communications. "Someone coordinated a multi-vector assault designed to hit us from every possible angle."
