Chapter 100 Phoenix Burns
[Nyx]
The cold pre-dawn air bit through my jacket as I stood on Eclipse's rooftop, staring at the city lights below. Four AM. The recording device felt heavy in my pocket—Raymond's confession, Mother's murder, the truth about Phoenix Lab. All the evidence I needed.
But standing here in the darkness, I finally allowed myself to break.
Mother was murdered.
The thought kept circling, sharp and unrelenting. Not an accident. Not fate. Murder. Deliberate, calculated, cold-blooded murder—because she refused to exploit humans, because she chose ethics over profit, because she did what was right.
And she died for it.
My legs gave out. I sank to my knees on the concrete, hands gripping the rooftop railing so hard the metal burned into my palms. Tears came hot and fast, scattered by the wind before they could fall.
"Mom..." My voice cracked in the darkness. "You did everything right... and they killed you for it... and I... I was too late..."
Five years. Five whole years I'd believed it was an accident. Five years of grief that should have been rage.
Enough. Sylva's growl cut through my spiral. Crying changes nothing. Now we make everyone pay.
I forced myself to breathe. To stand. To feel the cold wind dry my tears.
She was right. Self-blame and grief were luxuries I couldn't afford.
Not when I had Patrick Raven to hunt down.
I pulled out my phone and called Lysander. He answered on the first ring.
"Nyx? What's wrong?" His voice was immediately alert despite the hour.
"I'm coming north," I said. "To you. To Phoenix Lab."
"What happened?"
"Raymond confessed everything. Patrick Raven murdered my mother. And I'm going to end him."
Silence. Then: "I'll be waiting."
---
The Eclipse private jet was ready within thirty minutes. I'd called ahead, and by 4:30 AM we were airborne, cutting through the predawn darkness toward the northern territories.
I spent the flight reviewing everything. The financial trails. Raymond's confession. The evidence of systematic human trafficking and exploitation. Patrick Raven's twisted obsession with creating "superior beings" through any means necessary.
And Father's signature approving eight million dollars for "human subject acquisition."
"Human resources are abundant and renewable."
The words made me sick. How had I not seen it before? How had I spent nineteen years believing he was a good man, a good Alpha, when he could approve atrocities like this?
Because you wanted to believe, Sylva said quietly. Because he's your father.
Was, I corrected. He was my father. That man on the phone... I don't know who that was.
We landed at 6:30 AM on a temporary airstrip Lysander's team had secured. He was waiting on the tarmac, Gamma Squad assembled behind him, all in combat gear.
The moment I stepped off the plane, his arms came around me. "You made it."
"I told you I would." I pulled back to look at him. "Show me everything."
He led me to the tactical tent where his team had set up surveillance on Phoenix Lab. The facility sprawled across the northern ridge—concrete buildings, high fences, guard towers. The fifteen rescued humans had already drawn detailed maps of the interior.
"These are incredibly detailed," I said, studying the hand-drawn floor plans. Their hands had clearly shaken while sketching, but every corridor, every cell, every guard post was marked with painful precision.
"They were terrified," Lysander said quietly. "But they wanted to help. Wanted to make sure no one else goes through what they did."
I traced a finger over the central laboratory building. "Patrick's office?"
"Third floor, east wing." He pointed. "According to the prisoners, he rarely leaves it. Paranoid about security."
"Good." My voice came out cold. "Makes him easier to—"
Lysander's phone rang, cutting me off. He glanced at the screen and his expression shifted immediately. "It's Alpha."
Every warrior in the tent went still.
Lysander answered, his voice professional. "Alpha."
Karl's voice came through, sharp and commanding even over the speaker. "Lysander. I'm ordering you to withdraw from the Phoenix Lab area immediately. That facility is classified military research. You are to cease all surveillance and return to base at once."
Lysander's jaw tightened. "Alpha, there are human prisoners here. Dozens of them, being held in cells and systematically drained of—"
"That is not your concern!" Karl's voice rose. "This is a direct order! The research being conducted there is vital to Moonblade's security. You will withdraw immediately and take no further action. Do I make myself clear?"
"But Alpha, these people are being tortured—"
"Immediately, Lysander!"
I reached out and took the phone from Lysander's hand. He didn't resist.
"Hello, Father," I said, my voice ice-cold.
A pause. Then: "Nyx? What are you doing there?"
"Do you know what they're doing at Phoenix Lab?" I didn't wait for an answer. "Those humans you consider 'abundant and renewable resources'? They're being kept in cells like livestock. Drained of blood like bags. For your precious Apex production."
"For Moonblade's future, certain sacrifices are necessary—"
"Raymond and Patrick Raven murdered Mother!" The words ripped out of me. "They tampered with her brakes because she wanted to destroy this research! I have Raymond's full confession on recording!"
Silence. Several seconds of nothing but my ragged breathing.
Then: "What?" His voice came out strangled, genuinely shocked. "Diana was... murdered?"
"Yes!" I was shaking now, rage and grief warring in my chest. "Patrick Raven arranged it. Raymond helped cover it up. All because Mother refused to experiment on humans. Because she had ethics. And you—you approved eight million dollars to continue the very experiments she died trying to stop!"
"I didn't know about Diana—"
"But you knew about the humans!" My voice cracked. "Your budget approval clearly stated 'human subject acquisition'! You knew they were kidnapping people! You knew what they'd be used for!"
Another silence. When he spoke again, his voice had shifted—shock giving way to something colder. More calculated.
"Raymond and Patrick will answer for what they did to Diana. But the experiments themselves... they benefit the pack. The research must continue."
I couldn't breathe. "What did you just say?"
"Diana is dead, Nyx. We can't bring her back. But Moonblade still needs to grow stronger."
"Those people are being tortured—"
"Those exiles gave up their right to protection when they lost their wolves." His tone was flat, final. "This conversation is over. Lysander, you have your orders. Withdraw immediately."
"No," I said quietly.
"Excuse me?"
"I said no." My voice was steady now, cold as winter steel. "We're not withdrawing. We're going in. And we're shutting down Phoenix Lab."
"Nyx, I am your Alpha—"
"And I am Diana's daughter." I looked at Lysander as I spoke. "The woman you claim to have loved. The woman who was murdered because she refused to torture humans for profit. I'm finishing what she started."
"If you defy this direct order—"
"Then add me to your list of disappointments, Father. You've had plenty of practice." I ended the call and handed the phone back to Lysander.
Every Gamma warrior in the tent was staring at me. The air felt charged, electric with tension.
Lysander spoke first, his voice quiet but firm. "Anyone who wants to pull out, do it now. No judgment. Alpha's given a direct order to withdraw, and defying it carries serious consequences."
Not one warrior moved.
Seth spoke up from the back. "We're with you, Captain. Both of you."
Marcus nodded. "Let's take these bastards down."
Lysander's eyes met mine, and I saw pride there. And something deeper—a commitment that went beyond pack loyalty or duty.
"All right then," he said, turning back to the maps. "Let's do this right. Three-pronged approach—main assault team hits the laboratory building here. Seth, you take your team and cut communications and power at the utility station. Marcus, you lead hostage extraction from the detention wing."
I studied the layout. "I'm going with the main assault."
"I figured you'd say that." Lysander's voice was calm. "You stick with me. We go in together."
"Agreed."
He looked at his team. "We move at 0700 hours. Use the morning fog as cover. Questions?"
Silence. Just grim determination on every face.
"Then let's get ready." Lysander's voice was hard. "Patrick Raven's still inside the facility. We've had eyes on it—no one's left since we found it."
Good. The bastard was trapped.