All Chapters of By Shadowlight Lake: Chapter 121 - Chapter 130

The first Pure Blood Order operative stepped into the tunnel, weapon raised.Carson moved faster than I could track, tackling the man before he could fire a shot."Go!" Carson snarled, his voice already more growl than human speech.I grabbed Dr. Ramona's arm, pulling her deeper into the tunnel as Jason covered our retreat. More shadows poured through the entrance."How many?" I shouted over the sounds of fighting."Too fucking many," Jason replied, firing his dart gun at an approaching figure.The confined space worked both for and against us, they couldn't surround us, but we had nowhere to run. Carson had shifted partially, claws and teeth extended, tearing through the first wave of attackers with brutal efficiency."Astraia!" Dr. Ramona pointed to one of the fallen men. "He's still moving."I looked closer. The man Carson had taken down was getting back up, eyes vacant, moving with that unnatural stillness of the mind-contr

"No." Carson's voice was flat, absolute."Not happening, not even an option" He continued."Think about it," I pressed. "They want me alive to help with the signal. That gives us leverage.""Astraia, no—""I'll be wired, armed, and have backup standing by," I continued. "But I go in alone, meet with them, and try to negotiate for Troy.""While we hit the facility from the outside," Hunter said, understanding my plan.Carson stepped closer to me, his eyes blazing. "Astraia, do you have any idea what you're suggesting?""I'm suggesting we save your Beta's brother and stop the signal," I shot back."You're suggesting you walk into the hands of people who have been planning to use you for years!" His voice rose. "People who just tried to kidnap you less than twelve hours ago!""And I'm the only one they want alive!" I countered, matching his intensity. "That makes me the only one who can get close enough!""No,

"Bought time," I said, already moving toward Troy.Red emergency lights kicked in. Guards rushed at me, but I was ready.I cut Troy's restraints with my knife. "Are you okay? Can you fight?""Try to stop me," he said, rubbing his wrists."Backup power in sixty seconds!" someone yelled."Carson, any time now," I said into my comm."Thirty seconds out," his voice replied.The building shook as explosions went off upstairs. But then I heard gunfire and growling from above, lots of it."Contact!" Carson's voice crackled through static. "Heavy resistance on the ground floor. Multiple hostiles."Shit. They'd walked into more than we expected."Kill them both!" Mitchell screamed, pulling out a gun.Troy and I dove behind the signal equipment as bullets started flying. I pulled out blocker darts, aiming for the controlled guards."Three o'clock," Troy warned.I shot a guy in the shoulder. He stopped m

"Hunter! Wait!" I screamed, looking desperately at the setup. "Carson, the support beams! If we bring down that section of ceiling instead of the overload..."Carson's eyes immediately found the structural weak points. "It'll crush the array without needing anyone to stay!""Tactical charges!" I yelled to the team pouring in behind Carson. "Controlled demolition!""Can we get clear in time?" Hunter asked, stepping back from the override."If we move fast," Carson said, his team already placing explosives on the support columns.Mitchell's hand hit the activation switch just as the charges detonated. But instead of the signal firing, the ceiling collapsed, crushing the array under tons of concrete and steel.The activation failed. The signal died before it could start."Signal array destroyed," someone called through the comms. "All other facilities report successful shutdowns. Network is down."The building shook again, harder this time."Structural charges," Carson said. "They're dro

Carson was up immediately, carefully pulling on clothes. I followed, my heart pounding. Something in Jason's tone had set off every alarm bell I had."What happened?" I asked as we hurried down the corridor, but Jason's grim expression told me everything I needed to know.Dr. Martinez was waiting for us in the medical wing, still in his surgical scrubs. Blood stained his sleeves, and exhaustion lined his face. He'd been operating for hours."How is he?" Carson asked immediately, his Alpha voice barely controlled.Dr. Martinez hesitated for just a moment too long. "Stable," he finally replied. "But it was touch and go for a while there."My stomach dropped. "What do you mean, touch and go?""The leg was more complicated than we initially thought. We had to repair several torn ligaments, reset the bone, and there was significant nerve damage. We managed to save the function, but..." He paused, choosing his words carefully. "He'll walk fine onc