Signed To Be His Wife - Chapter 39: Chapter 39
You are reading Signed To Be His Wife, Chapter 39: Chapter 39. Read more chapters of Signed To Be His Wife.
The Arctic air was thin and bitter as Amara stepped out of the station, the door slamming shut behind her with a metallic thud that echoed into the white silence. The storm had passed, but its ghost still lingered in the chill. She wrapped her arms around herself, drawing in a shaky breath as she glanced over the untouched snow. The world was too quiet.
She waited.
Dominic had gone inside to speak with Barnes. Clara stood beside her, quiet and tense, her breath rising in wisps that vanished into the cold. Amara’s fingers tingled, not from the frost, but from the weight of what they had uncovered.
Project Aurora.
The words still rang in her ears like a curse. Metal embedded beneath ancient ice. Secrets wrapped in silence. Someone — something — had planned this. Clara had confirmed it. Lena had seen it. The data was undeniable.
A soft crunch behind her pulled Amara from her thoughts. Dominic returned, his brow furrowed.
“They’re working on a plan,” he said, his voice low. “Barnes wants to move at dawn. We’ll disable the device. But we’ll be watched — we have to assume they know.”
Amara nodded slowly. “And Clara?”
Dominic glanced at Clara, who hadn’t moved. “She’s on our side. But we keep our circle tight.”
Inside, the team was busy packing gear. Lena hovered over the map spread across the main table, marking coordinates and running projections. Otis checked the weather forecast, muttering to himself about pressure drops and wind patterns. Maria loaded rifles with fresh batteries, her jaw clenched.
The mood was grim.
Barnes turned to the group. “At 0600, we hit the ice. We’ll split into two teams. One will move on foot to the ridge. The other by snowmobile along the ridge’s perimeter to scout secondary anomalies. Any tech under the ice — we shut it down.”
“What about extraction?” Otis asked.
Barnes hesitated. “Once we start, we may not have a window. If the uplink is monitored, they’ll know when we access the system.”
“So we’re going in blind?” Maria snapped.
“Not blind,” Barnes corrected. “Determined.”
Dominic looked at Amara. “You’ll be with me. Clara too. Lena leads the second team.”
Clara flinched. “I’m not sure I should go.”
Dominic’s voice was calm but firm. “You’re the only one who’s seen Aurora’s structure. We need your eyes. If we’re to dismantle it, you guide us.”
She swallowed and nodded. “Okay.”
That night, Amara barely slept. She stared at the ceiling, the hum of the heater lulling her into a shallow haze of exhaustion. Dominic lay beside her, his hand curled gently over hers.
“Scared?” he whispered.
She turned her head. “Terrified.”
His eyes searched hers. “Me too.”
They kissed softly, the world falling away. It was the kind of kiss shared before battle, when the heart knew it might not beat the same afterward.
At 0600, they launched.
The sun had barely crested the horizon, a thin orange sliver against a sky painted steel blue. The cold snapped against their faces as they mounted their snowmobiles, the engines roaring like distant thunder.
Amara sat behind Dominic, holding tight. Clara rode behind Maria, her fingers white-knuckled. Lena’s team veered west, disappearing into the pale mist.
Half an hour in, the terrain began to shift. The ridge rose like a frozen scar in the landscape. Snow gave way to jagged ice, fractured and ridged.
Dominic slowed the snowmobile and raised his hand.
“We’re close,” he said.
Clara dismounted and approached a shallow basin. She pulled out her scanner. The device beeped erratically, its screen blinking in red.
“This is it. The signal’s right beneath us.”
Amara knelt beside her, brushing snow away to reveal a metallic glint in the ice. She froze.
There — embedded in the glacier — was a smooth, dark surface, hexagonal like a honeycomb. A faint humming vibrated through the frozen ground.
Clara whispered, “It’s active.”
Maria swore softly. “What now?”
Dominic turned to Clara. “Can we shut it down?”
“I can try. But we’ll need to expose the control node.”
They worked quickly. Dominic and Maria took turns drilling, while Clara calibrated her tools. Amara cleared chunks of ice and monitored the scanner.
Suddenly, the scanner pinged.
“Movement,” Amara said sharply.
Clara looked up. “Something’s approaching.”
Far across the ice field, two black snowmobiles emerged, flanked by figures in white suits. Unmarked. Silent.
“Company,” Dominic growled. “Weapons out.”
Maria raised her rifle. “Defensive only — until they fire.”
The figures dismounted and began advancing. Dominic waved at Clara. “Work faster.”
She nodded, hands trembling as she accessed the panel buried in the ice.
One of the figures raised a hand — signaling? Surrendering?
Then the shot rang out.
Amara ducked as snow exploded beside her. Maria fired back. Otis screamed over the comm, “We’re under fire too — on the ridge!”
“Clara, now!” Dominic shouted.
“I’m almost there!” she cried, punching in commands. “It’s encrypted — but I’m breaking it.”
Amara crawled toward Dominic, firing short bursts to cover Clara. Bullets whistled over the ice.
Then — silence. A low rumble.
The device glowed beneath the ice. Clara gasped. “I triggered a failsafe — it’s overloading!”
“Run!” Dominic shouted.
They turned and bolted, racing across the snow as the machine underfoot began to pulse. The glow spread in veins of blue and white beneath the glacier.
With a roar, the ice behind them cracked wide open.
Chunks of glacier flew skyward. The attackers were thrown back. Amara was tossed off her feet. Dominic caught her hand mid-fall, pulling her to safety.
A wave of snow engulfed them.
Then stillness.
When Amara opened her eyes, everything was white.
She coughed, lifting her head. “Dominic!”
“I’m here,” he called, crawling toward her.
Clara lay a few feet away, dazed but alive. Maria limped over, blood seeping down her coat.
The machine was gone. Buried beneath a new avalanche.
Amara stared. “Did it…?”
Clara nodded. “It’s destroyed. Completely.”
Dominic radioed Barnes. “Device neutralized. Multiple injuries. We need evac.”
Back at base, they were welcomed like survivors of war.
The mood was quiet, reverent. No cheers, no speeches — just silent relief.
Barnes looked at the group, nodding solemnly. “You saved more than you know. We’ll bury this, if we must. But you did right.”
That night, Amara sat beside Dominic beneath the stars. The Arctic sky shimmered with pale green ribbons of aurora light.
“I keep thinking about what could’ve happened,” she whispered.
He took her hand. “And what didn’t. Because of you.”
She leaned into him, eyes on the heavens. “We faced the storm. Tog
ether.”
He pressed his forehead to hers. “And we survived.”
Above them, the sky danced — but beneath the ice, the shadows had finally been silenced.
She waited.
Dominic had gone inside to speak with Barnes. Clara stood beside her, quiet and tense, her breath rising in wisps that vanished into the cold. Amara’s fingers tingled, not from the frost, but from the weight of what they had uncovered.
Project Aurora.
The words still rang in her ears like a curse. Metal embedded beneath ancient ice. Secrets wrapped in silence. Someone — something — had planned this. Clara had confirmed it. Lena had seen it. The data was undeniable.
A soft crunch behind her pulled Amara from her thoughts. Dominic returned, his brow furrowed.
“They’re working on a plan,” he said, his voice low. “Barnes wants to move at dawn. We’ll disable the device. But we’ll be watched — we have to assume they know.”
Amara nodded slowly. “And Clara?”
Dominic glanced at Clara, who hadn’t moved. “She’s on our side. But we keep our circle tight.”
Inside, the team was busy packing gear. Lena hovered over the map spread across the main table, marking coordinates and running projections. Otis checked the weather forecast, muttering to himself about pressure drops and wind patterns. Maria loaded rifles with fresh batteries, her jaw clenched.
The mood was grim.
Barnes turned to the group. “At 0600, we hit the ice. We’ll split into two teams. One will move on foot to the ridge. The other by snowmobile along the ridge’s perimeter to scout secondary anomalies. Any tech under the ice — we shut it down.”
“What about extraction?” Otis asked.
Barnes hesitated. “Once we start, we may not have a window. If the uplink is monitored, they’ll know when we access the system.”
“So we’re going in blind?” Maria snapped.
“Not blind,” Barnes corrected. “Determined.”
Dominic looked at Amara. “You’ll be with me. Clara too. Lena leads the second team.”
Clara flinched. “I’m not sure I should go.”
Dominic’s voice was calm but firm. “You’re the only one who’s seen Aurora’s structure. We need your eyes. If we’re to dismantle it, you guide us.”
She swallowed and nodded. “Okay.”
That night, Amara barely slept. She stared at the ceiling, the hum of the heater lulling her into a shallow haze of exhaustion. Dominic lay beside her, his hand curled gently over hers.
“Scared?” he whispered.
She turned her head. “Terrified.”
His eyes searched hers. “Me too.”
They kissed softly, the world falling away. It was the kind of kiss shared before battle, when the heart knew it might not beat the same afterward.
At 0600, they launched.
The sun had barely crested the horizon, a thin orange sliver against a sky painted steel blue. The cold snapped against their faces as they mounted their snowmobiles, the engines roaring like distant thunder.
Amara sat behind Dominic, holding tight. Clara rode behind Maria, her fingers white-knuckled. Lena’s team veered west, disappearing into the pale mist.
Half an hour in, the terrain began to shift. The ridge rose like a frozen scar in the landscape. Snow gave way to jagged ice, fractured and ridged.
Dominic slowed the snowmobile and raised his hand.
“We’re close,” he said.
Clara dismounted and approached a shallow basin. She pulled out her scanner. The device beeped erratically, its screen blinking in red.
“This is it. The signal’s right beneath us.”
Amara knelt beside her, brushing snow away to reveal a metallic glint in the ice. She froze.
There — embedded in the glacier — was a smooth, dark surface, hexagonal like a honeycomb. A faint humming vibrated through the frozen ground.
Clara whispered, “It’s active.”
Maria swore softly. “What now?”
Dominic turned to Clara. “Can we shut it down?”
“I can try. But we’ll need to expose the control node.”
They worked quickly. Dominic and Maria took turns drilling, while Clara calibrated her tools. Amara cleared chunks of ice and monitored the scanner.
Suddenly, the scanner pinged.
“Movement,” Amara said sharply.
Clara looked up. “Something’s approaching.”
Far across the ice field, two black snowmobiles emerged, flanked by figures in white suits. Unmarked. Silent.
“Company,” Dominic growled. “Weapons out.”
Maria raised her rifle. “Defensive only — until they fire.”
The figures dismounted and began advancing. Dominic waved at Clara. “Work faster.”
She nodded, hands trembling as she accessed the panel buried in the ice.
One of the figures raised a hand — signaling? Surrendering?
Then the shot rang out.
Amara ducked as snow exploded beside her. Maria fired back. Otis screamed over the comm, “We’re under fire too — on the ridge!”
“Clara, now!” Dominic shouted.
“I’m almost there!” she cried, punching in commands. “It’s encrypted — but I’m breaking it.”
Amara crawled toward Dominic, firing short bursts to cover Clara. Bullets whistled over the ice.
Then — silence. A low rumble.
The device glowed beneath the ice. Clara gasped. “I triggered a failsafe — it’s overloading!”
“Run!” Dominic shouted.
They turned and bolted, racing across the snow as the machine underfoot began to pulse. The glow spread in veins of blue and white beneath the glacier.
With a roar, the ice behind them cracked wide open.
Chunks of glacier flew skyward. The attackers were thrown back. Amara was tossed off her feet. Dominic caught her hand mid-fall, pulling her to safety.
A wave of snow engulfed them.
Then stillness.
When Amara opened her eyes, everything was white.
She coughed, lifting her head. “Dominic!”
“I’m here,” he called, crawling toward her.
Clara lay a few feet away, dazed but alive. Maria limped over, blood seeping down her coat.
The machine was gone. Buried beneath a new avalanche.
Amara stared. “Did it…?”
Clara nodded. “It’s destroyed. Completely.”
Dominic radioed Barnes. “Device neutralized. Multiple injuries. We need evac.”
Back at base, they were welcomed like survivors of war.
The mood was quiet, reverent. No cheers, no speeches — just silent relief.
Barnes looked at the group, nodding solemnly. “You saved more than you know. We’ll bury this, if we must. But you did right.”
That night, Amara sat beside Dominic beneath the stars. The Arctic sky shimmered with pale green ribbons of aurora light.
“I keep thinking about what could’ve happened,” she whispered.
He took her hand. “And what didn’t. Because of you.”
She leaned into him, eyes on the heavens. “We faced the storm. Tog
ether.”
He pressed his forehead to hers. “And we survived.”
Above them, the sky danced — but beneath the ice, the shadows had finally been silenced.
End of Signed To Be His Wife Chapter 39. Continue reading Chapter 40 or return to Signed To Be His Wife book page.