로그인Fern Kilpatrick locks her office at nine PM, exhausted from another sixteen-hour day. Jamie's disappearance has left her drowning in paperwork and angry investors.She's halfway to her car when she notices the van.It's parked in the shadows, engine running. Nothing unusual. Except every instinct she has is screaming danger.She walks faster.The van's side door slides open.Fern runs.She makes it ten feet before someone tackles her from behind. Her head hits concrete and stars explode across her vision."Got her."Rough hands zip-tie her wrists. A hood goes over her head. She's dragged into the van and they're moving before she can scream."Please, I don't have money. My purse is in my office…""We don't want your money." A man's voice. Cultured. Educated. "We want your business partner."Fern's blood runs cold. "Jamie? I don't know where she is. I swear, she hasn't contacted me in days…""We know. That's about to change." Something sharp pricks her arm. "Sleep now. When you wake up
Kade's compound looks like a war zone. Briton counts at least fifteen bikes outside and twice as many wolves patrolling the perimeter.The guards recognize him immediately. One reaches for his weapon."Easy." Kade appears in the doorway. "He's expected.""Boss, you sure about this?""No. But let him in anyway." Kade turns and walks inside.Briton follows him into a conference room where Saskia Redmond sits with three other Iron Wolves officers. They all look hostile."You've got five minutes," Saskia says. "Then you're leaving in pieces.""Saskia," Kade warns."No. He doesn't get to walk in here like he owns the place." She stands. "You rejected her. You threw her away. Now you want her back because she's inconvenient to ignore?""I was manipulated.""So you claim. Funny how that excuse only appeared after she became powerful." Saskia's eyes flash gold. "You had five years to find her. Five years to make it right. You did nothing.""I didn't know where she was.""You didn't look!" Sas
Jamie wakes to sunlight streaming through crystal formations. For a moment, she forgets where she is. Then everything crashes back.The sanctuary. Her grandmother. Dragon blood.She checks on the twins first. Hemston is curled up in the cave-shaped bed, still sleeping. Herston's spot is empty.Jamie's out the door in seconds.She finds her daughter in the main cavern, sitting on a bridge with her legs dangling over the edge. A silver-scaled woman sits beside her, talking quietly."Herston!"Her daughter turns. "Mama! Look!" She holds up her hand and small silver sparks dance across her palm. "Miss Celeste is teaching me!"Jamie's heart stops. "Teaching you what?"The woman, Celeste, stands. "How to channel instead of explode, Alpha. The child has power but no control. If we don't teach her, she'll hurt herself.""She's four years old.""And already manifested. We can't unring that bell." Celeste's expression is kind but firm. "Would you rather she learn control or have another episode
The world snaps back into focus and Jamie's knees go weak. Meredith catches her before she hits the ground."Easy. Teleportation takes getting used to."Jamie looks up and her breath catches. They're standing in a massive cavern carved into the mountain itself. Crystal formations glow with soft blue light, illuminating stone bridges and carved dwellings that climb the walls like a vertical city. Water cascades down the far wall, the sound echoing through the space.And there are people. Dozens of them. Maybe hundreds."What is this place?" Jamie whispers."Home." Meredith gestures at the cavern. "For everyone the Dragon Council tried to erase."A woman with silver scales running down her arms approaches. "My Queen. The child?"Meredith nods toward Herston, still limp in Jamie's arms. "Healing chamber. Now."The woman takes Herston gently. Jamie's instinct is to refuse, to hold her daughter closer, but Herston's skin is burning and the scales haven't fully receded."She'll be safe," Me
A wall of silver light came out from Herston's small body, spreading outward like a shield. The rounds fire hit the barrier and fell harmlessly to the ground, flattened and smoking. Leanora used her hand ordering the guards to stop. "Impossible. She's too young to manifest that kind of power." But Herston's eyes was glowing with pure silver, no white visible. She wasn't convulsing anymore. She sat perfectly still in her mother's arms, scales covering half her body, staring at the Dragon Council guards with an expression far too old for a four-year-old. "Herston?" Jamie called shaking. "Baby, can you hear me?" The little girl didn't respond. The silver light intensified. "Everyone down!" Kade tackled Jamie and both children to the ground as the light exploded outward. The force hit the guards and their bodies flew backward hitting the walls and equipment. Leanora managed to stay on her feet but barely, her silver blade raised in a defensive position. When the light faded, H
"Why do they look like me?" Briton asked again, but louder. Jamie didn't answer. She was too focused on Hemston, whose body convulsed in her arms. The scales kept spreading, each one appearing with a sound like glass breaking. "We need to get her out of here." Kade shifted back to human and grabbed the attackers' clothes and wore them. "She's going into shock." "She's four years old! This shouldn't be happening!" Jamie's hands shook as she tried to hold her daughter still. "Baby, look at me. Look at Mama." Herston's eyes rolled back. Her small body arched, as they tried to reshape themselves. Then she started crying. Briton moved toward them. "Let me help." "Stay back!" Jamie's wolf surfaced, her eyes glowing gold. "You've done enough." "I haven't done anything except try to save your children." Briton crouched anyway, close enough to see the scales up close. They weren't like anything he'd seen before. "What is she?" "She's my daughter." "That's not what I asked." Kade a







