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Chapter Seventeen

D r. Maya Sorin

“Are you sure this friend of yours can help?” I ask, stifling a yawn as we enter the Golden Birch Inn.

The restaurant’s interior is all polished wood and soft lighting, the hushed conversations of wealthy patrons creating a gentle backdrop of white noise.

“Positive.” Mathew flashes his infectious grin, purple hair catching the sunlight. “He’s been working on similar enzyme pathways for years. His insight could be exactly what we need to stabilize the secondary binding agent.”

“I would really have liked to do this at some other point, Mathew. I told you we’re working on something important. I don’t like multitasking.”

“But it’s for your project back in Seattle,” he coaxes me. “How can you let an opportunity like this pass you by? Besides, we’ve been stuck in that place for so long. We barely go out.”

I stretch my arms over my head as I look around. “What’re you complaining about? You’re the one who begged to come and help.”

He grins at me, nudging me with his elbow. “You love having me around. Admit it. We work well together, even if I am just your assistant.”

“That’s true.” I sigh, offering him a small smile.

Mathew joined GenTherapeutics just a few days after I did. While he is an established scientist, he preferred to work under me. He’s loud and cheerful and just overall chaotic, and during a time when I was grieving, he was able to drag me out of the darkness momentarily.

As a friend and as a scientist, he has proven himself invaluable—brilliant, intuitive, and somehow able to make me laugh despite everything.

“Is he waiting for us? You never mentioned his name.”

“Didn’t I?” Mathew glances at me, his expression unreadable for a fleeting moment. “Dr. Emmett. Brilliant biochemist. Worked with me on the Nexus project at my previous workplace.”

I frown. “Remind me where you worked before joining GenTherapeutics?”

“A small lab in the middle of nowhere,” Mathew answers smoothly. “We did some incredible stuff.”

A hostess in crisp, black attire greets us with a practiced smile.

“Reservation for Emmett,” Mathew says confidently. “Private dining room.”

She nods and proceeds to lead us through the main restaurant and down a hallway lined with doors. “Your party has already arrived,” she informs us, stopping at the last door. “Enjoy.”

Mathew slips the hostess some money, but I’m too distracted to think much about it. My thoughts are on Griffin.

His revelation about the prophecy still churns in my mind, muddling my thoughts whenever I try to make sense of it.

If he was telling the truth—if he pushed me away to save my life—then everything I’ve believed for the past six months has been wrong.

The idea is too painful, too overwhelming to process fully.

“Maya?” Mathew’s voice pulls me from my thoughts. He stands by the door, waiting. “You coming?”

“Yeah, sorry.” I shake my head, trying to clear it. “Just tired.”

Mathew pushes the door open, gesturing for me to enter first. I step into an elegant private dining room with a single table set for four, crystal glasses catching the light from a low-hanging chandelier.

My heart stops when I see who rises from the table.

Cassian Vayne.

His smile hasn’t changed—charming, confident, with that hint of calculated warmth that once fooled me completely. He’s dressed impeccably in a tailored suit, looking more like a successful businessman than the monster who kidnapped me.

“Dr. Sorin,” he says smoothly. “It’s been too long.”

Fear jolts through me, sharp and clarifying. I spin around, grabbing Mathew’s arm. “We need to leave. Now.”

Mathew doesn’t move. Instead, his hand closes around my wrist in a grip that is suddenly harsh and unyielding.

“I don’t think so, Maya,” he says, his voice still cheerful but edged with something cold I’ve never heard in it before. “We’ve gone to a lot of trouble to arrange this meeting.”

My mind races to catch up with what’s happening. “Mathew, you don’t understand. This man is dangerous. He’s—”

“I know exactly who he is,” Mathew interrupts, steering me fully into the room and closing the door behind us. The soft click of the lock engaging sounds like a gunshot in my ears.

I stare at him, comprehension dawning slowly. “You’re with them.”

Mathew’s smile doesn’t waver. “Since the beginning.”

Betrayal hits me like a punch to the gut, momentarily stealing my breath. “All this time...”

“Do sit down, Dr. Sorin.” Cassian gestures to the chair across from him. “We have much to discuss, and the chef has prepared a truly exceptional meal.”

“I’m not hungry,” I say, my voice steadier than I feel. Mathew has released my wrist, and I back away until I hit the wall, eyes darting between them and searching for an escape route.

“That’s a shame,” Cassian replies, retaking his seat with casual elegance. “But I’m afraid I must insist you join us.”

Mathew takes my arm and guides me forcibly to the table. “Don’t make a scene, Maya. There are hardly any staff members within earshot, and those that are have been paid off. No one’s coming to save you.”

“What do you want from me?” I demand, trying to pull away. “I’ve already completed the antidote. It’s at the palace, being tested as we speak.”

“Yes, we know.” Cassian smiles. “Your breakthrough this morning was quite timely. Perfect, really, for our plans.”

My blood runs cold as I look toward Mathew. “That’s why you were so insistent on coming with me—”

“You didn’t think the Silver Ring would let you go so easily, did you?” Mathew asks, finally releasing my arm as he takes the seat beside me. “It wasn’t easy to infiltrate the palace again, especially with the increased security, but all we had to do was wait for you to leave—”

“You killed my mother.” The accusation tears from my throat.

A flicker of genuine surprise crosses Mathew’s face. “That wasn’t us, actually. Though it proved quite convenient.”

“Then who—”

“Irrelevant,” Cassian interrupts. “The past is immaterial. We’re focused on the future now.”

“And what future is that?” I ask as dread settles in my stomach. “Killing shifters?”

“Equalizing the playing field,” Cassian corrects me. “For too long, shifters have lived among us secretly, infiltrating governments, controlling economies, manipulating human society from the shadows.”

Mathew nods enthusiastically. “They believe themselves superior. We’re simply...disarming them.”

I stare at Cassian. “What the hell are you talking about? You’re a shifter.” He’s silent, and I narrow my eyes. “What is this really about?”

Mathew laughs, delighted. “I told you she was clever. Very clever. It’s no wonder that wolf king is pining over her.”

I ignore him, focusing on Cassian. He glances at the door before turning his attention back to me. “The royal families.”

For a moment, I give him a stunned look. “What?”

Mathew rolls his eyes. “I don’t much care about his motivation, but the work is groundbreaking.

An altogether different species. Their kind has similar organs to us, but they function at different speeds.

And those of royal blood? Everything about them is enhanced.

Their blood could provide cures for illnesses that have been unbeatable so far.

I was planning to keep that wolf for more experimentation, till you stole him from me.

But we’ll get him back. I’m not done with him yet. ”

My blood goes cold. “Griffin is a person. He’s not an animal. I won’t let you treat him like one.”

“Why do you care?” Mathew laughs. “You hate him, remember? I’ve seen the way you avoid him. Besides, you’re human. You should be fucking your own kind, not animals.”

“Mathew.” There is an angry edge to Cassian’s voice, and Mathew falls silent, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest.

“The royal families have controlled the three kingdoms for far too long,” Cassian tells me. “They claim that the land won’t thrive without them, but if we engineer a special kind of wolf, we could break their power.”

“Engineer a wolf?” I ask dazedly. “You want to create a shifter? How?”

The smile on Cassian’s face is chilling.

“In humans. That’s what Mathew has been working on.

For so long, my kind believed only in wolf spirits, magic, and the Goddess.

” He gestures widely with his arms. “But science…Science is a kind of magic. We can create the existence of a wolf inside of a human. It will take a few sacrifices, but it’s all for the greater good.

How has your current specimen been reacting? ”

He’s talking to Mathew, who grins. “Quite well. I’ve been monitoring her for months now. It’s been working nicely.”

Horror pierces me. “Me? You’ve been experimenting with this drug on me?!”

“And it’s working,” Mathew reminds me proudly. “I gave you the last dose in your coffee today.”

“You’re crazy!” I try to scramble away from them, but Cassian is behind me in an instant, forcing me back into my chair.

“Sit down.”

“The disease,” I whisper, comprehension dawning. “You’re trying to target the royal family and the nobles.”

“Well, we can’t really pick and choose who it affects. It’s airborne, and it seems some shifters are immune to it. We’re currently working on a third version, one that will be able to target the rest.”

“Phase one was a test,” Cassian explains, returning to his seat. “Separating shifters from their wolves, leaving them weakened but alive. Phase two is more permanent. Phase three will be the final one.”

My stomach drops. “You’re going to kill them.”

“Not all at once,” Mathew says, as if this is somehow merciful.

“The disease will spread slowly, allowing time for us to collapse the royal families. Once that happens, only shifters who are willing to follow the new leaders will be allowed to retain their wolves. You’ve been very helpful in creating the antidotes for us, Maya. And you’re going to keep helping us.”

My mind races, searching for a way out of this nightmare. “What makes you think I would ever help you?”