Se connecterElena’s POVJulian still had his dagger pressed against Fisher’s chest, but Fisher’s face had changed. The terror in his eyes had turned into something sinister."You think you’ve won because you broke my door," Fisher muttered, his teeth clicking together from the cold water. "You think you can just take him.""Quiet," Julian warned, pressing the point of the blade into Fisher's chest.But Fisher didn't seem affected by the threat. He looked past Julian, as his eyes locked onto a heavy, steel-covered box on the pillar behind us. It had a thick, red handle marked with yellow hazard paint. Before Julian could react, Fisher threw himself backward.He didn't try to run. He just let himself fall into the water, as his heavy leather boot swung upward in a wild, desperate kick. The heel of his shoe slammed directly into the red handle, tearing the safety glass off and driving the lever down into the floor.A loud, heavy clunk echoed through the pipes."Julian!" I screamed.The red emergenc
Elena’s POV"Julian, did you find the override?" I demanded, as my hand trembled slightly as I kept the scalpel pressed against Fisher’s throat."The firewall is too thick," Julian muttered, his fingers flying across the glass keyboard. "It’s a corporate lock. They have a physical switch in the basement, but we can't get there. Fisher, what is the master bypass code? Speak, or I swear to God I’ll let her cut you."Fisher’s eyes darted to the computer screen. On the monitor, the water in the basement room was rising rapidly. My children were drowning. Colin was half-submerged, his head tilted back to keep his nose out of the dark water, and his arms still holding the massive steel door."It's... it's the Alpha's sequence," Fisher choked out."The code is the frequency of the mountain. We... we programmed the system to recognize the resonance of the North Ridge. It’s the only thing that can bypass the lock during a containment failure.""The frequency of the mountain," I repeated, my mi
Elena’s POVThe glass in Director Fisher’s office didn't just let the light in; it felt like it was holding the entire city hostage. Outside, the sky was a bruised, dusty orange as the sun crawled down toward the crooked line of skyscrapers.Two hours. That was all the time Zack’s body had left before the petrification took over his heart. And here I was, standing on the eighty-second floor, staring at a computer screen that showed my children trapped in the dark."They're very resilient," Fisher said, as his finger tapped his polished mahogany desk with his eyes fixed on the security feed. "But five tons of reinforced titanium is a mathematical certainty, Elena. Your boy's bones will crack in about four minutes. The human body wasn't designed to be a pillar."My hand was still in my coat pocket. My fingers were wrapped around my leather medical roll. Inside were the tools of Dr. Willow: silver-tipped needles, local anesthetics, scalpels, and three vials of concentrated paralytic sed
Elena’s POVThe elevator ride to the top floor was too quiet. The glass walls showed the city shrinking below us, which was a massive grid of stone and steel. Julian stood still, his hand resting near his coat pocket where his blade was hidden.Ding.The doors slid open to a sleek, white hallway. A man in a tailored charcoal suit stood waiting for us. He wasn't old, but his hair was shaved close, and his eyes had the flat, dead look of a shark."Dr. Willow," he said, offering a hand I did not take. "I am Director Fisher. We have been waiting a very long time for your call.""Let's skip the small talk, Fisher," I said, keeping my voice low behind my silver mask. "You want the biological sequence to stabilize your synthetic projects, and I want to talk about Zack."Fisher smiled, it was a slow, empty stretch of his lips. He turned and gestured for us to follow him into a massive office with floor-to-ceiling windows."Zack is no longer a man, Doctor. He is a very expensive piece of hardw
Elena’s POVThe thought of going back to the human city where we just fled from… where our safe place used to be made something shift inside of me.“Elena,” Julian called out as he tapped me.“Are you okay?” he asked, looking concerned and a little worried.“Yes, yes, why?” I asked as I turned back to face the road.“Are you sure? You seem buried in your thoughts.”“I can't help it, Julian. Our lives have been a mess since Zack came along, it’s annoying, but I’d rather have him around than miss him everyday. I’m scared of what those people have done to him. What if we don't get there in time to save him?” I said, trying to steady my breath.Julian remained quiet for a moment, staring at the small, dark stone tracking relic in his lap. It was still pulsing with a faint, steady light, pointing us straight north."We'll get him back," Julian said softly. "Zack is tough. He survived the mountain, and he survived losing his wolf. He won't let some corporate scientists break him."“How did
Elena’s POVThe room was splitting apart. Black, oily swamp water was bubbling up through the floorboards, soaking into the moth-eaten rug under our feet.Caleb was still on his knees, his face was white and slick with sweat. His silver light was fading fast under the Shaman's heavy green glare. The Shaman tapped his iron staff, and each click sent a sickening wave of rot through the air."Help him!" I yelled to Colin and Cindy.They didn't need to be told twice. Colin lunged forward, his copper-veined arms glowed so bright they looked like hot coals. He grabbed Caleb’s shoulders, letting his own raw strength flow directly into his brother. Beside them, Cindy let out a sharp, high whistle. The air in the parlor began to spin, and a localized gale of wind caught the Shaman’s green smoke and whipped it back toward him.For a second, the triplets were perfectly synced, and the silver slammed into the Shaman’s staff all at once."Now!" Julian whispered in my ear.Kael was completely focu
Elena’s POVEven though my children were grown and almost my height, I instinctively shielded them from my uncle, pulling them together behind me. My hand pressed back against Colin’s chest, feeling the heat radiating from him, while my other arm kept Cindy and Caleb pinned close."Uncle Kael, ple
Elena’s POVSoon enough, we arrived at Rashford territory; my childhood cage."Mom?" Cindy’s voice came from the back of the car seat. She had her knees pulled to her chest, her nose-canceling headphones resting around her neck. "The air... it feels thick. Like I’m breathing water.""It’s the swamp
Elena’s POVSix Years Later…“Mommy, wake up! It’s past 8!”A chorus of chattering voices broke through the fog of my sleep, followed by a shower of soft kisses and tiny, energetic hands.“Let’s go for the tickle, it always works,” Caleb’s mischievous voice commanded.I cracked my eyes open, giggli
Elena’s POVI could only stand there and watch as my partner marked another, and there was nothing I could do.***The hall fell unnaturally silent. Even the elders straightened as the Alpha stepped forward.“Now,” the Alpha’s voice rang out, vibrating with authority that jolted me back to reality.







