Page 29

T he sterile white light burns my eyes immediately I open them, making me squint against the pain. I jerk against the restraints to test their strength. They don't budge.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," Axl's voice cuts through the fog in my brain. "You missed all the fun."

I blink hard, forcing my vision to clear. We're in a stark white room with a one-way mirror. Axl and Leo are secured to metal chairs identical to mine, their limbs bound with the same heavy-duty restraints.

"Where the fuck are we?" I growl, pulling against the metal cuffs again. The chair creaks, but it holds firm.

"Hammond's secret facility, I guess," Leo answers, "The one Evan so helpfully delivered us to."

"That backstabbing piece of shit," Axl spits, His face is no longer bruised from the earlier attack, but there is still dried blood crusting at his hairline. "I'm going to rip his throat out when I get my hands on him."

Leo shifts in his chair, leaning forward as much as his restraints allow. "Listen," he says, voice dropping. "Evan has a plan."

Axl barks out a harsh laugh. "A plan? Are you fucking kidding me? The asshole tranquilized us and handed us over to a psychopath."

"It's not what you think," Leo insists. "He sent a message to my phone before he darted us."

"Message saying what exactly?" I ask, not ready to believe Evan hasn't betrayed us completely.

"That he's playing along to get inside," Leo explains. "He needed Hammond to trust him."

Axl rolls his eyes. "Great plan. And now we're chained up like animals waiting for slaughter. Brilliant fucking strategy."

"So, what's the grand plan?" Axl asks, still skeptical. "We just sit here with our thumbs up our asses while Evan does what exactly?"

"He said he'd give us a signal," Leo says. "Some kind of beeping."

I strain against my restraints again, feeling the metal dig into my skin. "How long have we been out?"

Leo glances at the observation window. "If I'm right, the dart kept us down for about fifty-five minutes."

"How the hell do you know that?" Axl asks.

"The tranquilizer they used would keep an average human down for about three hours," Leo explains. "I've been darted with something similar before during a raid. It only took me about an hour to shake it off."

Axl raises his eyebrows, looking almost impressed. "Huh. I can't believe I am learning something new even today."

"This isn't the time for a fucking chemistry lesson," I snap. "We need to get out of here and find Dahlia."

"Agreed," Leo says. "If we don't get Evan's signal in the next ten minutes, we assume he betrayed us, and we do this the hard way."

"And what's the hard way?" Axl asks.

Leo's smile is all teeth. "We break these chains and tear this place apart until we find her."

"Can we even break these?" Axl tugs at his restraints. "They feel pretty solid."

"They're strong and designed for shifters," I say. "Not for us."

"If we shift partially, we should have enough strength," Leo adds. "The trick is timing it right."

I close my eyes, reaching for my wolf. He's there, pacing just beneath my skin, and his rage makes him stronger than usual. "I'm ready whenever you are."

"If Evan has betrayed us..." Axl begins.

"Then I'll rip his throat out myself," Leo finishes.

We fall silent, waiting. The seconds tick by like hours. Sweat beads on my forehead as I fight to keep my wolf in check. He wants out. He wants blood. He wants to find our Omega.

Just as I'm about to suggest we stop waiting and break free, a high-pitched beeping fills the room. It's coming from somewhere in the ceiling, a rapid pulse that makes my ears twitch.

Leo's head snaps up. "That's it. That's the signal."

"Now!" I roar, no longer holding back my wolf.

The change ripples through me like fire. My muscles swell and shift, bones cracking as they thicken. My hands transform partially into claws, fur sprouting along my arms. Beside me, Leo and Axl undergo similar partial transformations.

I strain against the restraints with everything I have. The metal groans, then snaps, pieces flying across the room. Leo breaks free next, tearing through the cuffs like they're made of paper.

The moment we're all loose, the door slides open with a soft hiss. We exchange glances, wary of a trap.

"Is this part of the plan?" Axl asks, rubbing his wrists where the metal cut into his skin.

"Only one way to find out," Leo says, already moving toward the door.

We step into a sterile white corridor that branches in two directions. There's no sign of guards or personnel.

"Which way?" Axl asks, looking between the two identical hallways.

I close my eyes and inhale deeply, sorting through the antiseptic smells of the facility. "Left," I say with certainty. "I can smell Dahlia."

"You sure?" Leo asks, already moving.

"I'd know her scent anywhere," I growl. "She's close."

We move quickly down the corridor, staying alert for any sign of resistance. The lack of guards makes me nervous. Either Evan's plan is working perfectly, or we're walking into a trap.

"Anyone else think this is too easy?" Axl mutters, echoing my thoughts.

"Definitely," Leo agrees. "Stay sharp."

We reach a junction where the corridor splits again. I pause, sniffing the air.

"She's that way," I point to the right. "And she's not alone."

"Hammond?" Leo asks.

I shake my head. "Evan. And someone else…"

"That would be Hammond," Leo confirms. "What's our play here?"

"We go in hard and fast," I say. "Grab Dahlia and get out."

"And Evan?" Axl asks.

I bare my teeth. "If he's helping us, then great. If not, he dies with Hammond."

We move silently down the corridor; our footsteps are barely audible on the polished floor. The sterile hallways all look the same with white walls, bright lights, and locked doors with small windows. This place feels more like a prison than a research facility.

"I don't like this," Leo mutters, his eyes constantly scanning our surroundings. "Where is everyone?"

He's right. We've encountered no resistance since breaking free, which makes no sense for a high-security facility.

"Maybe Evan cleared the way," Axl suggests, though he doesn't sound convinced.

I'm about to respond when a door at the end of the hallway bursts open. Six men pour through, weapons raised.

"Contact!" Leo shouts, immediately dropping into a fighting stance.

The men rush toward us, and I feel my wolf surge forward. I let the partial shift take over, my nails lengthening into claws, my teeth sharpening to points. The first man reaches me, swinging a stun baton. I catch his wrist, crushing it in my grip. He screams as bones crack beneath my fingers.

Beside me, Leo has fully embraced his bear. His massive form tears through his shirt as he roars, the sound echoing through the corridor. He grabs one of the attackers and throws him against the wall with enough force to crack the plaster.

Axl moves with surprising speed for someone who isn't fully shifted. He ducks under a swing, delivering a brutal uppercut that sends his opponent sprawling.

"Behind you!" I shout as another guard rushes Axl from behind.

Axl spins, but not fast enough. The guard slams his baton into Axl's side. Electricity crackles, and Axl drops to one knee with a grunt of pain.

I leap over a fallen guard, tackling Axl's attacker before he can strike again. We crash to the floor, and I pin him with my weight, my clawed hand at his throat.

"Where is she?" I growl, pressing just hard enough to draw blood. "Where's the woman?"

"Fuck you," he spits.

I tighten my grip. "Wrong answer."

"Onyx!" Leo calls. "We need to move!"

I glance up to see more guards pouring in from both ends of the corridor. We're about to be surrounded.

"This way!" Axl shouts, kicking open a side door. He's recovered quickly from the stun baton, his eyes glowing with a golden light I haven't seen before.

We rush through the door into what looks like a laboratory. Glass cabinets line the walls, filled with vials of amber liquid. In the center of the room sits an examination table with restraints.

"They were going to keep her here," I growl, rage building in my chest.

"Save it," Leo says, barricading the door with a heavy cabinet. "We need to find another way out."

Axl is already at the far door, peering through the small window. "Clear on this side. Let's go."

We move quickly through a series of interconnected labs, each more disturbing than the last. One contains cages large enough for humans. Another has walls lined with medical equipment that looks more like torture devices.

"What the fuck were they doing here?" Axl mutters as we pass through a room filled with screens displaying genetic sequences.

"Creating monsters," Leo answers grimly.

We encounter more resistance as we push deeper into the facility. Guards appear in groups of two or three, but they're no match for three enraged Alphas. We leave a trail of unconscious bodies behind us, not killing unless necessary. These men are just following orders. Hammond is the real target.

After what feels like hours but is probably only minutes, we arrive at a larger room that appears to be the central hub. Multiple corridors branch off from it, and screens on the walls display different areas of the facility.

"Look," Leo points to one of the screens showing a loading dock. "That must be the way out."

Before we can move toward it, the main doors burst open. A dozen men in black flood in. But these aren't Hammond's security; their uniforms bear a different insignia, something I don't recognize.

"Down on the ground!" one of them shouts. "Hands where we can see them!"

"Fuck that," I snarl, ready to fight.

"Stand down,"

The men part, and Evan Blackthorn walks through, immaculate in his tailored suit. Only a small cut on his cheek shows he's been in any kind of struggle.

"Took you long enough to show your face," Leo says.

Evan's expression remains neutral. "Did you really think I would betray Dahlia like that?"

"Yes," Axl answers without hesitation. "We absolutely did."

Evan scowls, genuine hurt flashing across his face before his mask slips back into place. "I needed Hammond to trust me completely. It was the only way to get inside his operation."

"So, who are these guys?" Leo asks, nodding toward the team still aiming weapons at us.

"Government Special Security Division," Evan explains. "I've been working with them for weeks to bring him down."

"And you couldn't have told us this before drugging us and handing us over to a psychopath?" Axl demands.

"Hammond has spies everywhere. I couldn't risk it." Evan turns to the team leader. "Secure the facility. I want every piece of evidence cataloged and every person in this lab rounded up for questioning."

The man nods and begins issuing orders to his team. They spread out, moving with practiced efficiency.

"Hammond escaped," Evan says, turning back to us. "He slipped away during the initial breach. We need to find him before he disappears completely."

"Where's Dahlia?" I demand, growing impatient with this conversation.

Evan's expression darkens. "She was in a medical room when I last saw her. Hammond was preparing to move her to a specialized containment area."

I don't wait to hear more. I close my eyes and inhale deeply, sorting through the scents of blood, sweat, fear, chemicals, until I catch it. Dahlia. Her scent is stronger now, tinged with something that makes my wolf howl in rage.

"I've got her," I say, already moving. "I'll follow her scent."

"Onyx, wait!" Evan calls after me. "We should go together!"

I ignore him, breaking into a run. The corridor blurs around me as I follow my nose, taking turns without hesitation. Her scent grows stronger with each step, pulling me forward like a physical force.

I burst through a set of double doors into a medical wing. The scent of antiseptic burns my nostrils, but underneath it, Dahlia's unique fragrance calls to me. And there's something else, though, the sweetness of her hormones. Fuck! They've triggered her heat.

My wolf rages against my control, desperate to find her, to protect her.

I let him guide me now, racing down the hallway until I reach a heavy security door.

It's locked, but that doesn't stop me. I slam my shoulder against it once, twice, and on the third try, the frame splinters and the door crashes open.

The room beyond is dimly lit, with medical equipment lining the walls. And there, in the center, is Dahlia.

Hammond is standing behind her, one arm wrapped around her waist, the other holding a syringe to her neck. The needle presses against her skin, a bead of blood already forming where it's punctured the surface.

"One more step," Hammond says calmly, "and I push this plunger."