LOGINLucas POVI could not sleep at all that night, even after Emily finally drifted off beside me. While her breathing grew steady, I stayed wide awake, my mind refusing to quiet down. Every time I tried to close my eyes, the same terrifying images returned — that creature rising from the ground, the way it moved with hunger, and especially the way it reached out for her. Most disturbing of all was how it reacted when she pushed it back; I saw a flash of recognition, as if it already knew her or at least understood exactly what she had become.I turned my head slightly and looked at Emily lying next to me. She appeared peaceful in her sleep, her face calm as though nothing unusual had happened earlier. Yet I knew better than to believe that surface calm. I could still sense the faint energy around her body, it was not as wild or dangerous as before, but still present now, like a current that never fully switched off. She was changing and I realized I had to change with her if I wanted to
Emily POVMy hands would not stop shaking. Even after we got back inside the house, even after Lucas closed the door behind us, even after everything became quiet again… my body still felt like something was wrong.Like something had brushed against me and left a mark I could not see.I sat on the edge of the bed and stared at my palms.They looked normal.Just hands.But I knew they were not the same anymore.Nothing about me was the same anymore.“Emily,” Lucas said softly.I didn’t look at him.“I didn’t imagine it,” I whispered.“You didn’t.”“It was real.”“Yes.”I finally looked up at him.His face was serious.Calm, but serious.That scared me.Because Lucas only looked like that when something was truly bad.“It felt empty,” I said.He stepped closer.“What do you mean?”I struggled to find the right words.“It wasn’t like the ground… or the building before. When I touched those, I could feel something. Weight. Pressure. Life. Even if it was not alive like us… it still felt li
Lucas POVFor a moment, no one moved.The crack in the ground stretched wide across the field, like the earth itself had been torn open. Dust floated in the air, and the night suddenly felt colder.I stood in front of Emily without thinking.My body reacted before my mind could catch up.I had to protect her. That was all that mattered.“What is that?” one of the guards whispered.No one answered him because no one knew.The ground trembled again.Not like before.This was not Emily.I knew the difference now.What I felt earlier in the facility… that had been her power. Wild, but still connected to her.This—This felt foreign.Wrong.“Everyone, step back,” I ordered.The guards obeyed quickly, spreading out but keeping their eyes fixed on the crack.Emily’s hand gripped my arm tightly.“It’s still there,” she whispered.“What do you feel?” I asked quietly.She swallowed.“It’s moving… slowly… like it’s searching.”My jaw tightened.Searching.“For what?” I asked.She didn’t answer i
Emily POVI did not sleep that night. Even when I closed my eyes, my mind did not rest.Every time I tried, I saw the building again.I saw the walls breaking. I heard the loud cracking sound.I felt the force leave my body like something alive.It did not feel like me.That was what scared me the most.I lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Lucas was beside me, but I could tell he was not asleep either. His breathing was too steady, too careful. He was pretending, just like I was.I turned my head slowly and looked at him.His eyes were closed, but his hand was still holding mine.Tight.Like if he let go, I would disappear again.My chest hurt.“Lucas,” I whispered.His eyes opened immediately.“I’m here,” he said.Of course he was.He had always been there.Even when I didn’t deserve it.“I don’t think I can sleep,” I said.He shifted slightly and turned to face me.“You don’t have to,” he replied softly.There was a small silence between us.“I felt everything,” I said quietly.
Lucas POVThe ride back was silent.Emily sat beside me in the back seat, wrapped in my jacket. Her head rested against the window, but I knew she wasn’t sleeping. Her eyes were open, staring at the passing darkness.The forest blurred by.The world looked the same.But nothing was the same.Chris drove. The others followed behind us in the second vehicle.No one spoke for the first hour.I kept my hand over hers.She didn’t pull away.But she didn’t squeeze back either.Her fingers were cold.Not physically cold.Just distant.Finally, she spoke.“Did anyone die?”Her voice was small. Careful.I answered honestly.“Not that we saw.”She swallowed.“That building…”“It was going to collapse anyway,” I said gently. “Joe designed it that way.”She turned slightly toward me.“I felt it fighting me.”I didn’t interrupt.“It was like… like the walls were alive. Like they were holding something down. And when I pushed back…” She trailed off.“You survived,” I said.She closed her eyes.“Tha
Lucas POVThe steel doors slammed shut with a sound that echoed through the corridor.For half a second, no one moved.The alarms screamed overhead. Red lights flashed across the concrete walls. Dust rained down from the ceiling as the building trembled again, deeper this time.Emily’s hand tightened around mine.I felt it.The energy inside her was still there.Quieter than before, but not gone.Joe stood several feet behind us, calm as ever, like he was watching a carefully planned experiment reach its final stage.“You were never meant to leave so easily,” he repeated.I stepped in front of Emily instinctively.“You’re insane,” I said.“No,” he replied. “I’m prepared.”The corridor ahead of us was blocked by heavy steel doors. The way we came in was closing too — another set sliding down slowly from the ceiling.Chris swore under his breath.“We’ve got less than a minute before both sides seal completely.”The team further down the hall shouted as more doors began locking in sequen
Lucas POV It was one of the happiest moments of my life. After all the chaos, the schemes, the threats, and the pain, I finally got to see Emily as my bride. She looked breathtaking, more beautiful than I had ever imagined. Her gown flowed perfectly, her hair glimmered under the soft lights, and t
Lucas POV I had never felt this kind of shame before. Not the loud kind that comes with being defeated in battle, but the quiet, heavy kind that sits in your chest and refuses to move. Joe had won again. Not because he was stronger, but because he was always one step ahead. And this time, the pric
Lucas POV The moment I realized Emily wasn’t by my side, a cold rush of panic hit me like a punch to the chest. One second I was holding her hand, smiling and laughing as the music played, and the next, I was alone in the middle of the hall, scanning the crowd, calling her name, hearing only the m
Emily's POV When I opened my eyes again, the first thing I noticed was light. Not bright sunlight, but a dull yellow light hanging from the ceiling. It hurt my eyes at first, and I blinked several times, trying to adjust. My head was heavy, my body sore, and my mouth felt dry like I had swallowed







