RECOVERY

The safe house was actually safe this time.

Remote cabin in the Canadian wilderness. Off-grid. No digital footprint. The kind of place you disappeared to when the world wanted you dead.

Anya watched the doctor—Dr. Sarah Chen, no relation to the psychotic therapist—work on Katya. Her sister was unconscious. Had been for six hours. Sedatives wearing off slowly. Too slowly.

"Vitals are stable," Dr. Chen said. She was former military. Owed Dimitri a favor from years back. Professional. Discrete. "But I'm concerned about these marks."

She pulled back Katya's hospital gown. Showed Anya the scars. Small. Precise. Fifteen of them. Arranged in a pattern across her sister's skull and spine.

"What are those?" Anya asked. Though she knew. Felt it in her gut.

"Surgical scars. Recent. Within the last month." Dr. Chen pulled up an X-ray on her tablet. "See these? Foreign objects embedded in the skull. Neural implants. Fifteen of them."

The room got very cold.

"Implants," Anya repeated. Her voice flat. Dead. "What kind?"

"I don't know. I've never seen this configuration. But based on placement..." Dr. Chen zoomed in. "They're connected to major neural pathways. Motor control. Sensory processing. Memory centers. And this one..." She pointed to an implant at the base of the skull. "This is connected to the brain stem. Whoever put these in wanted complete control."

Dimitri's hand found Anya's shoulder. Steadying. "Can you remove them?"

"I... I don't know. This is beyond my expertise. Neurosurgery this complex...you'd need a specialist. Maybe a team. And even then..." Dr. Chen looked at Anya. Her expression grim. "There's a risk. If these implants are connected to critical systems, removing them could cause brain damage. Paralysis. Death."

"And if we leave them in?" Anya's voice was steady. Professional. Betraying none of the terror underneath.

"Then whoever put them in can control her. Remotely. Depending on the technology..." Dr. Chen pulled up more images. "They could manipulate her movements. Her thoughts. Her memories. Turn her into a puppet."

Anya felt sick. Her sister, her baby sister, turned into a remote-controlled weapon.

"How long until they activate?" Dimitri asked.

"I don't know. Could be minutes. Could be months. Could be never if they think she's dead." Dr. Chen closed the tablet. "But if Project Seventh knows she's alive..."

"They know," Anya said quietly. "I broadcasted from their facility. They know we have her. They'll activate the implants. Try to use her as a weapon. Try to..."

She couldn't finish. The thought was too horrific.

Alexei appeared in the doorway. Bandaged. Limping. But alive. "We've got movement. Three vehicles. Coming up the access road. Fast."

"Hostiles?" Dimitri was already moving. Grabbing weapons.

"Don't think so. PMC markings. Probably our contractors. But—" Alexei looked worried. Never a good sign. "They're in a hurry. Something's wrong."

They went outside. The vehicles arrived in a cloud of dust. Armed men piling out. The SAS contractor, Marcus, the one who'd helped in Alaska, approached.

"We've got a problem," he said without preamble. "Project Seventh just put out a bounty. Ten million dollars. For the Volkov pack. Dead or alive. Every mercenary, every contractor, every desperate asshole with a gun is going to come hunting."

"Fuck," Nikolai muttered.

"It gets worse." Marcus pulled out his phone. Showed them a video. "This was posted an hour ago. On every dark web forum. Every mercenary board. Everywhere."

The video showed Eleanor Voss. Standing in what looked like a command center. Professional. Composed.

"To everyone watching," she said. "I'm offering ten million dollars for the Volkov pack. Dimitri, Alexei, and Nikolai Volkov. And their pet CIA traitor, Anya Volkov. Bring them to me alive, and you get the full amount. Dead....half."

She smiled. Cold. "And as a special bonus, anyone who brings me Anya's sister, Katya, alive and intact, gets an additional five million. The girl has valuable property that belongs to us. We want it back."

Property. She was calling Katya property.

Rage. White-hot. All-consuming.

"We need to move," Marcus said. "This location will be compromised within hours. Everyone and their mother is going to be hunting you."

"Where do we go?" Alexei asked. "Every safe house we have is known. Every contact is potentially hostile now. For ten million..."

"People will sell us out. Yes." Dimitri was thinking. Planning. "We go somewhere no one expects. Somewhere off the books."

"Nowhere is off the books anymore," Nikolai pointed out. "Project Seventh has resources. Government backing. They'll find us eventually."

"Then we don't hide." Anya's voice cut through the discussion. Cold. Final. "We attack."

Everyone turned to look at her.

"You want to attack Project Seventh," Alexei said slowly. "The shadow organization with unlimited resources and government backing. You want to attack them."

"Yes."

"That's suicide."

"Probably. But it's also the last thing they'll expect." Anya pulled out her phone. Started pulling up files. "I have intelligence. Years of it. Operations I've run. People I've worked with. I know Project Seventh's structure. Their weak points. And I know..." She looked at Dimitri. "I know how to hurt them."

"How?" he asked.

"We expose them. Completely. Every operation. Every name. Every dirty secret. We leak it all. Make it so public, so viral, so undeniable that they can't hide anymore."

"They'll kill us before we can..." Alexei started.

"Not if we move first. Not if we hit them where they're vulnerable." Anya was already typing.

Sending messages. "I have a contact. Former NSA. The hacker who helped us before. He can weaponize this data. Turn it into something that spreads faster than they can contain."

"And when they come for us?" Nikolai asked. "When every operative they have descends on our position?"

"Then we're ready." Anya looked at each of them. "We've been running. Hiding. Reacting. Time to be proactive. Time to make them afraid of us."

Silence. Then Dimitri smiled. Feral. Proud.

"My Luna," he said. "Always choosing the most violent option."

"You love it."

"I really do."

They started planning. Hours of it. Marcus and his contractors providing tactical input. Alexei handling logistics. Nikolai checking weapons. Dimitri coordinating everything.

Anya worked with her hacker contact. Packaging the intelligence. Making it downloadable.

Shareable. Viral.

Every name. Every operation. Every crime Project Seventh had committed in the name of national security.

It would destroy them. Or it would destroy the pack.

Fifty-fifty odds.

She'd worked with worse.

They were two hours into planning when Dr. Chen appeared in the doorway.

"Anya," she said. Her voice urgent. Scared. "You need to come. Now."

Anya ran. Into the bedroom where Katya lay. Her sister was convulsing. Seizing. Eyes rolled back.

"What's happening?" Anya grabbed her sister's hand. "Katya! Katya, can you hear me?"

"The implants," Dr. Chen was checking monitors. "They're activating. Sending signals. I'm seeing massive neural activity. Abnormal patterns.

They're..." She stopped. Stared at the screen. "Oh god."

"What?"

"They're not controlling her. They're killing her." Dr. Chen showed Anya the readout. "See this? These signals are overloading her neural pathways. Causing micro-seizures throughout her brain. In seventy-two hours, maybe less, the damage will be permanent. She'll be brain dead."

No. No no no no...

"Can you stop it?" Dimitri demanded. He'd followed Anya in. "Can you turn off the implants?"

"Not without surgery. And even then..." Dr. Chen looked helpless. "I'm not qualified. This is beyond anything I've done. You need a neurosurgeon. A specialist."

"We don't have time to find a specialist," Alexei said from the doorway. "Every hospital is compromised. We can't take her anywhere without Project Seventh finding us."

"Then we remove them here," Anya said. Desperate. "You do the surgery. We talk you through it. Whatever it takes."

"I could kill her. One wrong move and..."

"She'll die anyway if we don't try!"

Silence. Katya's body still seizing. The machines beeping urgently.

"There might be another way," a new voice said.

Everyone turned. Marcus stood in the doorway. Behind him, an old woman. Ancient. Wrinkled face. Eyes too knowing. Dressed in layers of scarves and shawls.

"This is Baba Konstantine," Marcus said. "She's a witch. A real one. Not the Halloween kind. The old kind. The kind that deals with blood and bone and things that shouldn't exist."

The old woman smiled. Showing too many teeth. "I hear you have need of my services."

"You're a witch," Alexei said flatly. "Marcus brought us a witch."

"Witches aren't real," Dr. Chen said.

"Neither are white wolves the size of bears," Anya pointed out. "But I've seen one. Multiple times."

Baba Konstantine moved closer. Studied Katya. Her eyes narrowed. "Hmm. Neural implants. Technological. But also..." She touched Katya's forehead. "Blood magic. They bound these implants with ritual. Made them part of her. Clever. Very clever. Very evil."

"Can you remove them?" Anya asked.

"Maybe. Maybe not. Magic is not precise like surgery. It is wild. Unpredictable." The witch looked at Anya. "And it requires payment. Always payment."

"Name your price."

"Not money. Magic requires sacrifice. Something valuable. Something meaningful." Baba Konstantine's eyes gleamed. "What are you willing to give up, little Luna?"

Anya didn't hesitate. "Anything. Everything. Take whatever you need."

"Anya..." Dimitri started.

"She's my sister. My blood. I'll pay whatever price."

The witch smiled. "Good. Good. You understand. Love requires sacrifice. Always." She pulled out a bag. Started removing items. Candles. Herbs. Things Anya didn't recognize. "We perform the ritual at midnight. Three hours from now. Everyone leaves except the Luna. This is women's magic. Old magic. Men will only corrupt it."

"I'm not leaving," Dimitri said.

"You will. Or your mate's sister dies. Your choice, alpha."

Dimitri looked at Anya. The bond pulled. She felt his fear. His hatred of being helpless. His desperation to protect.

"Go," she said. "I'll be fine. I trust her."

"You just met her."

"I trust Marcus. And Marcus trusts her. That's enough."

It wasn't. But they didn't have options.

Dimitri left. Reluctantly. Taking his brothers. Taking Dr. Chen. Leaving Anya alone with Katya and the witch.

Baba Konstantine worked in silence. Setting up candles. Drawing symbols on the floor in something that looked like blood. Muttering in a language Anya didn't recognize.

"The magic will take what it takes," the witch said finally. "I cannot control what it chooses. You may lose memories. Abilities. Pieces of yourself. Are you willing?"

"Yes."

"Good. Then we begin."

The ritual started at midnight. Baba Konstantine chanting. The candles flickering despite no wind. The temperature dropping until Anya could see her breath.

Magic. Real magic. Not metaphor. Not illusion.

Real.

The witch placed her hands on Katya's head. The chanting intensified. Anya felt it, something pulling at her. At her connection to Katya. At the bond they shared as sisters.

Pain. Searing. Like something was being ripped from her chest.

She gasped. Fell to her knees. But didn't look away. Didn't stop.

Take whatever you need. Just save her.

The chanting reached a crescendo. The candles flared. Katya screamed, awake suddenly, eyes open, back arching.

Then silence.

The implants pushed through Katya's skin. One by one. Expelled by magic. By blood. By sacrifice.

Fifteen pieces of metal and silicon. Clinking onto the floor. Covered in blood and tissue.

Deactivated. Destroyed. Gone.

Katya collapsed. Unconscious again. But breathing. Stable.

Anya tried to stand. Couldn't. Everything hurt. Everything felt wrong.

"What did you take?" she whispered. "What did I lose?"

Baba Konstantine was packing her things. Not looking at Anya. "The magic took what it wanted. You will discover the price in time. But your sister lives. That was the bargain."

She left. Just walked out. Leaving Anya on the floor. Leaving her sister alive but changed.

Dimitri burst in. Dropped beside Anya. "Are you hurt? What happened?"

"I don't know. I feel.." Strange. Different. Like pieces of her had been rearranged. "I don't know."

He held her. The bond sang, still there, still strong. Whatever she'd lost, it wasn't that.

Dr. Chen checked Katya. "Vitals are good. Strong. The implants are gone. Completely. It's..." She looked at where they'd been expelled. "It's impossible. But it worked."

"Is she okay?" Anya asked.

"Physically? Yes. The brain activity is normal. Healthy. She should wake up soon."

"And mentally?"

Dr. Chen hesitated. "I don't know. We won't know until she wakes up. But..." She looked at Anya. "Whatever that witch did, it saved her life. Magic or not, it worked."

They waited. Hours. Anya refusing to leave her sister's side. Dimitri beside her. Supporting. Present.

Dawn came. Light through the windows. A new day.

Katya's eyes opened.

"Anya?" she whispered.

"I'm here. I'm right here."

Katya blinked. Looked around. Confused. "Where...where am I? What happened?"

"You're safe. We got you out. The implants are gone. You're free."

"Implants?" Katya's face was blank. "What implants? I don't..." She stopped. Stared at Anya. "Who are you?"

The world stopped.

"Katya?" Anya's voice broke. "It's me. It's Anya. Your sister."

"I don't have a sister." Katya was scared now. Pulling away. "I don't know you. Where am I? What's happening?"

Dr. Chen was checking monitors. "Oh no. Oh god."

"What?" Dimitri demanded.

"Memory centers. The implants were connected to memory centers. When they were expelled..." She looked at Anya. Horror in her eyes. "She's lost her memories. All of them. She doesn't remember anything."

Katya didn't remember her.

Anya's sister, the one she'd crossed the world to save, the one she'd declared war for, didn't remember her.

The price. The sacrifice. The magic had taken their shared memories. Their bond. Their sisterhood.

Anya had saved her sister's life.

And lost her completely.