MasukThe compound was quiet at 2 AM.Anya couldn't sleep. Restless. The pack meeting, the confrontation with Boris, Alexei's public defense, all of it churning in her head. So she walked. Through empty corridors. Through the compound that was slowly becoming home.She heard voices as she passed the old storage room. Low. Conspiratorial. The kind of voices that meant secrets. Meant danger.She should have kept walking. Should have reported it to Dimitri. Should have...But old habits were hard to break. And CIA training said: when you hear plotting, you listen.She pressed herself against the wall. Just out of sight. Just close enough to hear."...can't wait anymore." Boris's voice. Angry. Desperate. "Every day she's alive, she gets stronger. More protected. More... entrenched.""Alexei declared her under his protection." Different voice. Male. One of Boris's supporters. "We can't touch her without going through him.""Then we go through him. Or around him. Or..." Boris stopped. "Or we make
The bar was neutral territory.Not Volkov. Not affiliated. Just a place where pack members gathered after hard days. Where alliances formed over vodka and lies were exposed under pressure.Anya shouldn't have come. Knew it was dangerous. Knew Boris and his faction frequented this place. But she was tired of hiding. Tired of being afraid. Tired of letting enemies control her movements.So she came. With Alexei. Just the two of them. Making a statement."This is stupid," Alexei said. But he was grinning. "Brave. But stupid.""Story of my life."They found a table in the corner. Good sight lines. Backs to the wall. Old habits. They ordered vodka. Good stuff. Russian. The kind that burned going down and left clarity in its wake."You know they're here," Alexei said. Not looking. But aware. Always aware. "Boris. Six of his people. Northeast corner. They've been watching since we walked in.""I know.""You're okay with that?""I'm okay with making them uncomfortable. Showing them I'm not af
The warehouse was packed.Anya stood beside Dimitri, feeling every pair of eyes on her. Sixty Volkov pack members. Enforcers, soldiers, associates. All gathered because word had spread. Word about what she'd been. Who she'd been sent to destroy.CIA operative. Infiltrator. Enemy."This is a mistake," she said quietly. "I should wait outside. Let you handle...""You're Luna. You stand beside me. Always." Dimitri's voice was firm. But she felt his tension through the bond. Felt his worry. "They need to see you're pack now. That you chose us.""Some of them want me dead.""I know. That's why you're standing here. Showing you're not afraid. That you have every right to be here."Viktor stepped forward. The enforcer she'd trained with. His expression was carefully neutral. "Pakhan. The pack is assembled. They're... restless. Angry. They want answers.""They'll get them." Dimitri squeezed Anya's hand once. Brief. Then stepped forward. Alpha posture. Command presence. "Listen up. I know you
Three days of silence.Katya hadn't left her room except for bathroom breaks. Hadn't spoken except for one-word answers. Hadn't eaten more than necessary to keep Dr. Chen from force-feeding her.She was thinking. Processing. Deciding.Anya had given her space. Time. Patience. But watching her sister disappear into herself, watching her shrink and fade, was torture.On the third night, Anya knocked. "Katya. I'm coming in. You can tell me to leave, but I'm coming in first."She opened the door. Found Katya sitting by the window. Staring at nothing. Looking like a ghost of herself."Hey," Anya said softly. Sat on the bed. Not crowding. Just... present. "You've been quiet.""I've been thinking.""About what the witch said? About choosing to forget?""About everything." Katya turned. Her face was hollow. Exhausted. "About whether I want to remember. About whether..." Her voice cracked. "About whether ignorance really is bliss.""Is it?""I don't know. Right now, I don't remember being tort
Baba Konstantine appeared three days after the attack.No warning. No phone call. Just, there. Standing in the cabin living room like she'd always been there. Like physics and locked doors were suggestions rather than rules."The girl," the witch said without preamble. "She is unwell."Anya jumped. Hand going to where her gun should be, except she'd left it upstairs. "How did you get in?""I walk where I please, little Luna. Doors are for people who cannot see sideways through the world." Baba Konstantine moved closer. Studying Anya with eyes too old, too knowing. "The magic. It has consequences. Always consequences. I came to check.""Check what?""If the price was worth paying. If my spell did what was needed. If..." She stopped. Tilted her head. "The sister. She attacked you. I smell the violence. See the echoes of fear.""How could you possibly...""I am old, girl. Old enough to see things invisible to young eyes. Old enough to know magic leaves marks. Scars on souls." The witch m
The screaming woke Anya at 2 AM.She was moving before consciousness fully returned, years of training kicking in. Out of bed. Down the hall. Toward Katya's room where the screaming continued. Raw. Terrified. The sound of someone trapped in nightmare."Katya!" Anya burst through the door. "Katya, wake up! You're..."Her sister moved like lightning. Off the bed. Hands finding Anya's throat. Squeezing. The grip professional. Precise. The hold of someone trained to kill.Anya couldn't breathe. Couldn't speak. She grabbed Katya's wrists, tried to break the grip, but her sister was stronger than she looked. Stronger than she should be.The hybrid program. They'd trained her. Even without memories, the muscle memory remained.Black spots danced in Anya's vision. She had seconds. Maybe less.Training overrode panic. She brought her knee up, hard, precise, into Katya's stomach. Her sister gasped, grip loosening. Anya twisted, broke free, put distance between them."Katya! It's me! It's Anya!







