All Chapters of MATED TO MY BULLIES : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Maya's POV The forest welcomed me like an old friend. I moved through the darkness, my enhanced senses picking up every rustle of leaves, every snap of twigs, every breath of wind. The serum still burned in my veins, but it was different now. Controlled. Mine. Behind me, the Blackwood pack territory was chaos. I could hear the shouting, the crying, the desperate attempts to organize and rebuild. Part of me, a very small part, felt guilty for leaving them in such a state. The rest of me didn't care. I ran deeper into the forest, not really knowing where I was going, just knowing I needed distance. Distance from the brothers. Distance from Seraphina. Distance from the girl I used to be. My feet carried me to a small stream, and I finally stopped. My reflection in the water was almost unrecognizable. Silver eyes glowed back at me, alien and cold. Black veins still traced patterns under my skin, though they were fading slowly. Blood, so much blood, covered my clothes, my hands, my face

Maya's POV Three weeks. That's how long I'd been running, fighting, surviving in the wilderness between pack territories. Three weeks since I'd disappeared into the forest. Three weeks since I'd become something more than human, more than wolf. Three weeks since I'd become a legend. I crouched in the branches of an ancient oak tree, watching another tracking party pass below. Twelve wolves, mixed scents, some Blackwood, some from the pack I'd encountered that first night, and some from territories I didn't even recognize. They were all looking for me. "The Silver Death," they called me now. Whispered the name in fear around their campfires. Told stories about the girl with glowing silver eyes who could tear through a dozen warriors without breaking a sweat. Some of the stories were true. Most were exaggerated. But I didn't bother correcting them. Fear was a weapon, and right now, it was the only thing keeping me alive. "We're wasting our time," one of the trackers muttered below.

"And you exceeded every expectation," Elena said. "You survived a serum dose that should have killed you. You controlled powers that should have driven you feral. You displayed strength, speed, and healing that surpassed anything the program had ever achieved." "Because I'm their weapon," I said hollowly. "I'm exactly what they were trying to create." "No." Elena moved closer, and this time I didn't back away. "You're not a weapon, Maya. You're my daughter. You're a person with thoughts and feelings and choices. What they did to you, what they tried to make you, that doesn't define you." "Doesn't it?" I looked down at my hands. "Look at what I've become. Look at what I can do. The serum didn't create this, it just unlocked what was already there. Everything you're describing, all those experiments, all that genetic manipulation, it's in my DNA. I was born to be a monster." "You were born to be extraordinary," Elena corrected firmly. "There's a difference. The program wanted to crea

"No," she admitted. "But I can stop you from making a mistake that will get everyone here killed. These wolves followed you because they thought you'd protect them. Not throw them into a slaughter." I wanted to argue, but something in her words stopped me. I looked out the window at the training grounds, at the wolves sparring and laughing and building something that resembled hope. "Then what do you suggest?" I asked quietly. "We keep building. Keep training. We hit smaller targets, supply lines, patrol routes, isolated pack houses. We make them paranoid. Make them turn on each other." Elena's voice was patient but firm. "And when we're strong enough, when we have the numbers and resources to actually win, then we strike at the heart." "How long?" "Six months. Maybe a year." I laughed bitterly. "I don't have a year. The serum is breaking down my body. Your own medical reports say I have months at best before the cellular damage becomes irreversible." Elena's face paled. "You re

I smiled, and it wasn't pleasant. "I'm going to give them something to focus on besides fleeing refugees." Elena grabbed my arm. "Maya, you can't take on two hundred wolves alone!" "Watch me." I jumped down from the platform and started walking toward the south perimeter, where I could already hear the approaching army. Behind me, I heard Elena shouting orders, organizing the evacuation. Good. Let them escape. Let them survive to fight another day. As for me? I was done running. I reached the southern fence just as the first wave hit. Wolves in formation, professional and coordinated. Seraphina had trained them well. I vaulted over the fence and landed in the middle of their front line. "Hello, boys," I said, silver eyes blazing. "Who wants to die first?" They attacked as one, but the serum made me faster. Stronger. I moved through them like death itself, every strike precise and lethal. Bones cracked. Blood sprayed. Screams filled the air. But there were too many. For every wolf