Chapter: The Calm BeforeCHAPTER 97Camryn’s POVWe spent the rest of the day making final preparations. Miranda went over the device assembly one more time, making sure we could put it back together quickly once we were inside the factory. Fabian checked weapons and made sure we all had backup armaments in case things went wrong. Whitney studied the building schematics Harriet had provided, mapping entry points and escape routes and locations where the Lamenting Mother had been spotted most frequently.And I sat with Eugene’s journals, reading his notes about the original St. Belladren mission and trying to understand exactly what we were walking into.The Lamenting Mother had been a woman once. Sara Belladren, owner of the radio factory, infected during what Eugene called “a resonance event” where parasitic entities were drawn to the electromagnetic frequencies the factory equipment generated. She’d been Class C by the time Eugene’s team captured her for testing—powerful enough to influence dozens of people
Last Updated: 2025-12-17
Chapter: Terms and ConditionsCHAPTER 96Camryn's POVMary Harriet looked exactly as I remembered—stern features that seemed permanently carved into an expression of disapproval, gray hair pulled back so tightly it had to hurt, eyes that could dissect you with a glance and find you wanting. She sat behind a desk that had probably been requisitioned from some bureaucrat’s office decades ago, its surface covered in deployment reports and casualty lists and all the paperwork that came with managing Hunters.She looked up when we entered her office, and surprise flickered across her face before her expression smoothed into professional neutrality. “Camryn Chavez. I was told you’d volunteered for the Lamenting Mother assignment, but I didn’t quite believe it.” Her gaze swept over the rest of our group. “And you’ve brought your entire team. Ambitious.”“Handler Harriet.” I kept my voice respectful but firm. “Thank you for accepting our deployment request.”“I accepted it because I’m desperate.” She gestured for us to si
Last Updated: 2025-12-16
Chapter: The Weight We CarryCHAPTER 95Camryn's POVI had to stop reading because my vision was blurring, and I didn’t want to damage the pages with tears. I hadn't realized I was crying. Amon noticed and moved closer without saying anything, his presence a quiet comfort.“He loved her,” I said quietly. “Loved her so much he sent her away to save her life, even knowing she’d grow up thinking he’d abandoned her.”“That’s what parents do,” Amon said. His voice carried old pain, old memories of his own that he rarely shared. “They make impossible choices and live with the consequences so their children don’t have to.”“The original Camryn never knew. She grew up thinking House Gold had just been destroyed by anomalies, that her father had failed to protect their family. She became a genealogist trying to piece together a history she couldn’t remember, investigating secrets that eventually got her killed.” I closed the journal carefully. “And now I’m here in her body, reading her father’s words, walking the path he
Last Updated: 2025-12-15
Chapter: Dismantling the Shutdown DeviceCHAPTER 94Camryn's POVThe journey back to Eugene’s bunker took most of the first day, and this time we traveled as a full group. We were moving slower, but it felt infinitely safer. There was something reassuring about having five people watching for threats instead of just two, even if Whitney was still limping and Fabian kept looking over his shoulder like he expected the forest itself to attack us.We reached the clearing in the late afternoon, that same perfect circle of barren soil that hid everything important beneath it. I’d been worried that maybe I’d imagined it, that the bunker and the device and Eugene’s journals had all been some kind of exhaustion-induced hallucination. But no, the clearing was exactly as I remembered, and when I pressed my palm against the hidden lock mechanism, my blood opened the door like a key designed specifically for me.“This is remarkable,” Miranda breathed as the entrance revealed itself. She was cataloging everything tactically, calculating h
Last Updated: 2025-12-14
Chapter: No Ordinary Necklace CHAPTER 93Camryn’s PovWe spent the rest of that day planning. Miranda had managed to acquire copies of mission reports from previous attempts against the Lamenting Mother, and reading through them was like watching a parade of failures. Teams went in confident and came out broken, if they came out at all. The anomaly’s power worked through sound, through grief, through some kind of emotional manipulation that could make experienced Hunters curl up and wait for death.“Eugene’s notes mention this,” I said, cross-referencing the journal entries with the mission reports. “The Lamenting Mother feeds on sorrow. She pulls memories of loss from her victims and amplifies them until the grief becomes physically debilitating. That’s how she kills, not through violence but through breaking people from the inside.”“How did Eugene’s device counter that?” Whitney asked.“It didn’t, not directly. The shutdown protocol kills parasites by disrupting their molecular structure. But the host’s emotion
Last Updated: 2025-12-13
Chapter: ConvergenceCHAPTER 92Camryn's POVWe reached the camp at dawn on the third day. We were exhausted and covered in the kind of grime that came from two days of traveling through corrupted wilderness without proper rest. My legs felt like they might give out at any moment, and my shoulder wound had started bleeding again at some point during the night, leaving dark stains on the bandages. Each one drew a concerned look from Amon, which I pretended not to notice.But none of that mattered when I saw the others waiting for us in the clearing, exactly where we’d agreed to meet. Whitney was sitting on a fallen log, her injured leg propped up and looking less swollen than before. Fabian stood nearby sharpening his sword with a focus that meant he was either very calm or extremely anxious, and I’d known him long enough to guess which. Miranda was organizing supplies with the efficiency of someone who’d spent the last three days preparing for war.“You're late," Whitney called out when she spotted us. "W
Last Updated: 2025-12-12
Chapter: Their Happily Ever AfterCHAPTER 196ZYLIAH'S POV"You think you can ask Sayge to marry me?" She looked hopeful."I'm here, Claire." Sayge stepped forward. "I'll marry you."She faced him. "Really?"He nodded. "Yes." He extended a hand to her.Giggling, she ran into his hands. The gun was then snatched from her by Kevin, who quickly disarmed it."The cops are already on their way," Oslaz announced."W-what?" She looked confused for a moment, then realized what had truly happened. "You tricked me!" She hit Sayge. "I'll kill you. I'll kill all of you the same way I killed her."My brows furrowed. "Killed who?" Was that human blood on her dress?Kevin had Marvin tie Claire while we waited for the police, who arrived fifteen minutes later."We just received a call that a gunshot was heard in the home of Danielle Holly Bermout, the Hollywood actress. She was found dead in her home." One of the cops relayed, taking in the scene. "One of the neighbors said Miss Bermout and her daughter were always quarreling.""The
Last Updated: 2025-12-01
Chapter: One Last DramaCHAPTER 195ZYLIAH'S POVIt was the twins' birthday today.But all three of them were celebrating it. It turned out Alexa shared the same birth month with them but different dates.She was tenth. The boys were twenty-fifth. Two weeks older than them. But she had insisted on celebrating her birthday with the boys. It was a welcome idea.With my dad, Martino, and Sabrina in prison, life was perfect once again. No more drama.After trial, Dad received a life sentence without parole for murder.Martino had many charges to his name, including bribing a judge to evade justice. He was also given life without parole.The judge who had received the bribe was stripped of his legal robe and status; he was also spending time in jail, but his wasn't as much as Martino's.Sabrina, for kidnapping and attempted murder—which was how the judge saw the torture she put me through to get me to miscarry—plus other charges I couldn't remember, was given forty years with the possibility of parole after thirt
Last Updated: 2025-12-01
Chapter: Birds Of A Feather Arrested TogetherCHAPTER 194ANTHONY'S POV"A-Anthony?" I saw the flicker of fear in her eyes.Martino was with him. He had helped me lure her here with that text message."Happy to see me?" My mouth was spread in a thin, mean smile.She swallowed. "I thought..." Her eyes nervously glanced over Martino, who was quietly watching the drama."You thought what? That your boy toy is going to give you money gotten from selling my company?"She went ashen with shock and disbelief. "How did...""How did I know? Okay, I'll tell you." My tone was scathingly bitter. "Two guys came into my home and robbed me of my valuables, including my documents. They shot my legs and killed one of my maids, but not before she had alerted the cops. They came, and I explained all that had happened. Alas, the thieves were nowhere to be found."I got up from the bed of the motel room I'd come to visit Martino in, approaching her. Anger and vengeance are swirling inside of me."But something happened. The guys were caught by Zyliah
Last Updated: 2025-12-01
Chapter: Sabrina In Trouble (II)CHAPTER 193SABRINA'S POVA guy with wild red hair and an inked drawing around his neck came in."Marvin?" Fynn was surprised."Let her go, Fynn, or I'll follow my boss's second order if you refuse to comply.""Which is?" Fynn didn't sound too happy."Shoot you dead." He produced a gun from his back in a swift, smooth motion.There were two other guys behind him."What business does he have with her?" Fynn all but spat."His special someone needs her alive, and that's all I'm saying. Now, let her go." He cocked the gun.A whimper left my lips. I didn't know whether to be relieved or be even more scared. How were these people finding me?Fynn let go of me, raising his hands in surrender. "You know, Kevin is really beginning to piss me off. How did he know where I'd be? Were you both tailing me?"This Marvin dude chuckled. "Tail you? You must think I don't do my job well if I followed you down here. You, come here." He pointed the gun at me.With tears falling furiously and my stomach c
Last Updated: 2025-12-01
Chapter: Sabrina In Trouble (I)CHAPTER 192SABRINA'S POVThat little bitch! I had no idea how she had gotten hold of that sex tape and escaped. How had she even known where it was?But by God, I blamed myself for trusting her enough to tell her personal stuff about me. I'd done everything to make sure she was well taken care of, and now she had ruined my plan.How was I supposed to find a pregnant girl who didn't want to be a mother? Since my mother had left without a word to me, and Courtney was doing the same to me, I knew I had to leave that motel.There was this apartment I've been checking out for a while now, thinking it would be suitable for me and Courtney.I was scared Fynn might come find me at the motel. Although I'd been expecting his call, nothing yet.Maybe Courtney hadn't been able to get through to him. Maybe. I hoped.I have tried searching for her, to no avail. She had even stolen a few cashes from me, nothing too much. Some change she had probably found in my purse.I have also tried the number o
Last Updated: 2025-12-01
Chapter: Deception And BetrayalCHAPTER 191VICTORIA'S POVI stood by on the bridge, waiting. It was night. Cars were still on the road, probably on their way home. Buses were fewer by this time.Those on foot walked either leisurely or urgently. The former were having night strolls, while the latter were running errands or racing home.And there was me.Waiting for someone to show up.I wouldn't feel bad for doing this. She had betrayed me and showed she was ungrateful.My own daughter had refused to help me get vengeance. All she was more concerned with was getting money to sponsor the plan I—emphasis on that word—brought up.Suddenly, the money was suddenly too small, but she was buying all kinds of food and even making plans to get an apartment.I'd left the place for almost a week now, and I hadn't looked back.I wouldn't stay and watch my own daughter ignore me like I was some trash.Everything I'd ever done was for that bitch. I killed and left her father just to ensure she had a good home, and what did I get
Last Updated: 2025-12-01
Chapter: Epilogue Rose’s POVThe waves had a rhythm I didn’t know I needed until now.A full week had passed since everything. Helixis, Victor, the gunfire, the blood, the panic, and the impossible relief of surviving it all. Now I sat on the balcony of our suite on Santorini, legs curled beneath me, the sun warming my shoulders as I flipped through the latest Westmore Herald Damien had brought from the concierge desk downstairs.Helixis filled the entire front page.Their logo, their crimes, and their history.They included exposés, names, timelines, and investigations. Below it was the name: Rose Sinclair.It was like the world had suddenly woken up to a nightmare we had lived inside for months.“Deadliest organization of the century,” the headline screamed.I closed the paper and let it fall on my lap. For a moment, I just breathed and existed.Lily’s funeral had been small and quiet, just like the way she lived. There had been no fanfare or unnecessary drama. My dad was there, along with Damien's s
Last Updated: 2025-12-02
Chapter: The CostChapter 149Third-Person POVShe froze on instinct—one she immediately regretted. A guard sprinted toward her.“You…you aren’t supposed to be out,” he said, reaching for her arm.“One of the guards let me go,” she lied quickly. “I—I’m lost. Please, I need to get outside…”He narrowed his eyes, suspicious.He reached for his radio. Her hand moved before her fear could stop it. The knife slashed across his throat. He choked, collapsing in his own blood.Rose stood there for half a second, shaking uncontrollably, before she forced herself forward again.She ran until the hallway opened into a wide lobby, bright lights spilling across the polished floor.She didn’t know where she was. She didn’t know if she was running toward danger or away from it.Then, a gunshot cracked through the building.Rose gasped, ducking instinctively. And everything went silent.Layla was lounging in Victor’s office like she owned the place. She had her legs crossed, her nails tapping rhythmically against the
Last Updated: 2025-12-02
Chapter: No One's ComingChapter 148Third Person POVRose had lost all sense of time inside that place.Two days, maybe more, and everything blurred together. The crying, the hunger, and the fear that settled deep in her chest like a cold stone she couldn’t spit out had stopped. She spent most hours with her knees pulled to her chest, face buried, trying not to hear the muffled footsteps outside her door.Victor’s men brought her food she wouldn’t touch. She let the meals sit, untouched, watching them grow cold.On the second day they moved her. When the guards unlocked her cell and escorted her to a different room, a large, well-furnished one that looked wildly out of place in the middle of a hideout, for a moment she felt dizzy with relief, until the truth crashed right back. She was still trapped. The room was only a prettier cage.The door opened minutes later, and Layla stepped inside like someone arriving at a spa, her arms folded, chin raised, and her eyes sparkling with a cruel, satisfied amusement.
Last Updated: 2025-12-02
Chapter: The Sound of a SnapChapter 147Damien’s POV“That doesn’t make me feel better.”“It should,” he said. “It means we still have time.”I stared at the dark doorway, imagining her somewhere in a room just like that. Cold, afraid, and alone.“I’m going to get her back, Jonas,” I whispered. “I don’t care what I have to burn down to do it. I’m going to get her back.”Jonas didn’t look up, but I heard the certainty in his voice when he answered.“We will.”And God help whoever took her when we do.Jonas was still working, fingers flying over his laptop, eyes narrowed in that way that meant he was getting close to something, but not close enough for me.“I’ll be back,” I said, grabbing my jacket.Jonas didn’t even look up. “Where are you going?”“To the Al-Mansoor's.”He cursed under his breath. “Damien!”“I won't touch her," I snapped. "I just need to look her in the eye.”And I left before he could talk me down.Night had settled deep by the time I reached the mansion. The entire place looked cold and hollow,
Last Updated: 2025-12-02
Chapter: Trace the SignalChapter 146Damien’s POVEverything inside me detonated the second I stepped into the house and saw the front door wide open, the living room a mess, and—God—two of my guards lying on the floor, dead.I didn’t even let myself react. I couldn’t. If I did, I’d break something or someone.“Where’s Rose?” I demanded, my voice already shaking with something that felt like rage swallowing me alive.My head of staff was trembling, wringing her hands. “S-sir… she… the power went out, and the technicians from the power company came and—”“That wasn’t the damn power company,” I snapped. I could feel the fury rising fast, like heat under my skin. “Tell me exactly what happened.”She spilled the details in a frantic rush: Rose's call, the van, the uniforms, and the request for the backyard panel. The gunshots that followed.How the gunshots followed minutes later.I already knew the second she said “power company” that these weren’t random criminals. This was Helixis. And someone made sure they g
Last Updated: 2025-12-02
Chapter: ConsequencesCHAPTER 145Rose’s POVI woke up with my head spinning violently, a dizzying tilt as if the room had been turned on its axis. The floor under me was cold concrete, rough and dusty. My wrists hurt. My throat felt like I’d swallowed sand.It was pitch black except for a sliver of light slicing in from under a door somewhere to my right.“Hello?” My voice cracked painfully. “HELLO? Somebody help—”I could make out two, maybe three, distinct voices. They were talking fast, but I couldn’t make out the words. Just that the tone was rough, clipped, and irritated.“Please!” I pushed myself up, legs shaking beneath me. “Please, I need help—”The voices stopped, and the door creaked open. A silhouette blocked the light, but it wasn't Damien or anyone I recognized.“Shut up,” the man snapped and swung his hand.Pain exploded across the side of my head, and I crumpled sideways, dizzy.“You yell again, you won’t like what happens next.”The door slammed shut, and silence wrapped around me again.T
Last Updated: 2025-12-02
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