Rosa’s POV Shadows Still FollowTwo weeks had passed since I left Dallas. I thought changing cities would erase the past, but memories stick like stains. I kept moving no real destination, just away from everything.I now lived in a small town called Brenton. No one knew me here. That was the point.I rented a room above an old bookstore. The owner, a woman named Maggie, barely asked questions. She only nodded when I said I needed a quiet place.I kept my head down. No makeup. No high heels. No sharp suits. I wore jeans, oversized hoodies, and walked with my hands in my pockets.But deep inside, the war hadn’t ended.It just got quieter.One afternoon, I was helping Maggie sort through old boxes in the basement when she looked at me and said, “You don’t look like someone running from bills.”I froze. “What?”“You’re not here because you can’t pay rent somewhere else,” she said. “You’re here because you’re hiding.”I didn’t answer.She chuckled softly. “Relax. I don’t care what you di
Rosa’s POV –I sat by the window of a small motel room in downtown Dallas, staring at the clouds rolling over the sky. The storm wasn’t just outside it was inside me too. My thoughts felt loud. Too loud.I once believed I was smart. Clever. Powerful.But now?I had nothing.No Lycan.No wolf spirit.No power.No plan.Only silence.Only regret.I used to say that people who did evil would never escape the consequences. That there was no peace for the wicked. And yet I chose that path myself, eyes wide open.It started with Dickson. I hated how strong he was. How people trusted him. He had something I wanted. Respect. Love. A future.Then Daisy came along. That sweet-faced little thing. Always smiling, always helping others. I thought she was weak. But she turned out stronger than I ever imagined.And then their children… Oh, those children.They were never part of the plan at first. But when I saw how Dickson would do anything to protect them, I knew their pain would be his pain. I us
Daisy's POVThe morning light came slowly. Cold air touched my face, and I opened my eyes. Dickson was still beside me, his arm around me. For a moment, I forgot the danger. For a moment, I was safe.But the moment didn’t last.Zuri was already awake, sitting on a log and looking into the woods. Her hair was a mess, her eyes far away. I got up, walked to her, and placed a hand on her shoulder."Did you sleep okay?"She shrugged. "I had dreams again. Bad ones."I knelt beside her. "About Tobi?"She nodded. "And about the place they took him. I think I saw it."My heart skipped. "What did it look like?""It was dark. Underground. I heard his voice, but I couldn’t find him. Then I saw Rosa. She was smiling. But not like before. Her face looked fake. Like she was wearing someone else’s skin."I looked over at Dickson. He was awake now, watching us."We have to move," I said.Marcus arrived ten minutes later. He had a new map and some food. He handed it to us without a word. We ate fast."
Daisy & Dickson's POVThe forest had fallen into silence.Birds were long gone. Leaves barely whispered. The dusk light cast everything in gray and gold. And even though we had made it out alive, I couldn’t stop shaking.Zuri slept beside me, curled up on the emergency blanket Marcus had left. Her breathing was slow and even, her fingers twitching now and then like she was still dreaming.I didn’t want to wake her. I didn’t want her to see the fear still dragging itself behind my ribs like a dying animal.But I couldn’t pretend. Not to him.I looked across the fire.Dickson sat against a tree, face lit by the flickering glow. His eyes weren’t on me. They were in the night sky. Thoughtful. Dark. Still carrying everything he’d seen—everything he’d done. Every part of him looked tense, as if he wasn’t sure whether to collapse or to stand and keep fighting.I rose slowly, brushing dirt from my jeans, and walked over. He didn’t flinch when I sat beside him."You okay?" I asked.He gave me
Chapter 60Dickson & Daisy's POV | Rosa & Lycan's POVDICKSON"She’s not herself," I said, backing away slowly. "Daisy, don't move too fast."Zuri stood rigid, that eerie blue glow pulsing behind her eyes. Her hands trembled at her sides, fingers twitching like she was fighting something inside her."Zuri," Daisy whispered. "It’s me. It's Mommy."She didn’t blink. "Subject 12. Parameters reinitialized. Defensive sequence: standby.""God..." Marcus muttered. "She's interfaced. He triggered the override.""Zuri!" Daisy stepped forward, but I threw my arm across her."Don’t. One wrong move could flip her into combat mode."Amara slid down the wall, blood still on her hands, sobbing silently. "I lost him... Tobi... I tried...""We’ll find him," I said tightly. "But we don’t leave her. Not like this."Marcus worked furiously on the side panel, trying to jack into the neural feedback loop. "If I can short the secondary sequence, I might give her back enough of herself to fight it."Zuri’s v
Daisy’s POVThe quiet after chaos is the loudest sound in the world.I sat on the floor of the hideout, Zuri curled beside me, her thumb in her mouth, her other hand gripping my sleeve. The place wasn’t home, not really. Just another borrowed shelter with walls too thin and shadows too thick. But for the first time in weeks, we weren’t running.Rosa was gone.That fact alone should have brought peace. But peace has always been a trickster. It whispers false hope into your ear, only to gut you with silence when you’re vulnerable.Dickson stood near the entrance, speaking quietly with Marcus. From here, I could catch phrases. “Surveillance down,” “no digital trail,” “we need a fallback.”A fallback after the fallback. How poetic.Tobi sat cross-legged with Amara on the floor across from me, flipping through a battered deck of cards. They didn’t know how to play. They just liked the colors, the rhythm, the distraction.Zuri yawned and leaned deeper into me. “Is she gone forever?”I stro