Chapter 94 Following the Blood Money
[Nyx]
Five forty-five PM. Moonblade military base, helicopter pad.
Sunset painted the sky blood-red.
Gamma Squad One stood assembled in full tactical gear. Lysander wore combat equipment, silver weapons at his belt. The helicopter's rotors began their slow turn.
I stood at the pad's edge, wind whipping my silver hair.
In front of his warriors, Lysander gave a formal salute. "Alpha's daughter, Nyx Verdant."
I returned it crisply. "Gamma Captain Lysander Crowley. Go defend Moonblade. Come back alive."
Professional. Distant. Appropriate for public.
But after the other warriors boarded...
Lysander stepped close and took my hand. Fingers intertwined, conveying what words couldn't.
"Seven days," he said, voice low and rough. "I swear. One week and I'm back."
"Seven days." My voice wavered slightly.
My hand moved to my abdomen—that place where life might already be taking root. "Whatever happens, you come back alive. For... for our future."
Understanding flashed in his eyes.
He pressed his forehead to mine—the most intimate werewolf farewell. "I will. For you. For our possible child. For everything."
"I promise. I'll come home."
No matter how far, I'll feel your heartbeat, I sent through the bond.
Keep the bond open, he responded. So I know you're safe.
Go. Defend our lands.
You protect yourself too. And maybe... that little life.
One last deep kiss. Then he turned and boarded without looking back—because looking back would make leaving impossible.
The helicopter lifted off, rotors drowning out everything.
I stood there, watching it disappear into the blood-red sky.
My hand stayed on my abdomen.
He was walking into danger. And I had my own battle to fight.
---
The next morning, nine o'clock sharp.
I was striding through Eclipse's glass towers in a charcoal blazer and pencil skirt, my silver hair twisted into a severe knot. The building buzzed with nervous energy—my first appearance as the new Chairman after Raymond's firing had everyone on edge.
Mia met me at the elevator with an encrypted file folder, her expression grave. "Legal marked this highest priority, Chairman. They said you needed to see it immediately."
I tore it open in my office.
Bank records. Offshore accounts. Transaction trails.
And a handwritten note from the Legal team lead:
"Chairman Verdant—we've traced Raymond's embezzled funds. Final destination: Rebirth Isle, offshore account #847-PHENX-92. Account holder: Phoenix Laboratory Ltd. Cross-reference shows payments from NorthStar Supply Co. and an individual named Patrick Raven. We don't know what Phoenix Lab does, but the money flow is massive. Recommend immediate investigation."
Phoenix Lab.
Rebirth Isle.
Patrick Raven.
I stared at the names, my mind racing. Raymond hadn't just been stealing—he'd been funding something. A laboratory on the exile islands? What the hell for?
Then it hit me.
Rebirth Isle. Lysander's mission is near there.
My pulse quickened. He'd mentioned the northern border, the attacks coming from the exile islands. If there was a secret lab operating there, funded by the same people who'd been bleeding my mother's company dry...
This couldn't be a coincidence.
I grabbed my phone and dialed his number. It rang four times before he picked up.
"Nyx?" His voice was rougher than usual, wind noise in the background. "Is everything alright?"
"Where are you right now?"
"Refueling stop. We're about an hour from the northern outpost." A pause. "What's wrong?"
"Legal just traced Raymond's stolen funds." I pulled up the report on my screen. "They went to something called Phoenix Laboratory on Rebirth Isle. Ever heard of it?"
Silence. Then: "No. But that's... Nyx, that's less than fifty kilometers from where the attacks have been originating."
"I know." I gripped the phone tighter. "Lysander, thirty-seven million dollars has been funneled to this place over the last three years. From Raymond, from NorthStar, and from someone named Patrick Raven. We don't know what they're doing there, but—"
"But it might be connected to the border situation." His voice had gone cold, tactical. "Send me everything you have. I'll see what I can find out while I'm up there."
"Be careful. If this lab is involved in whatever's happening—"
"I will." The helicopter engines roared in the background. "Nyx, don't do anything until I get back and we can go through this together. If Raymond and this Raven person are connected to something on the islands..."
"I'm calling an emergency meeting tonight. Core team only—Alexander, Dr. Mitchell, Legal, IT Security. 19:00."
"Good." A pause. "I have to go. We're about to take off."
"Lysander—" I hesitated. "Come back safe."
"Always." His voice softened for just a moment. "I love you."
The line went dead.
I sat back in my chair, staring at the report. Phoenix Lab. Rebirth Isle. The same place Lysander was heading toward.
I pulled out my notebook and began writing:
Questions:
1. What is Phoenix Lab?
2. Why Rebirth Isle? (Human exile territory—no werewolf jurisdiction)
3. Who is Patrick Raven? (Pack affiliation? Connection to NorthStar?)
4. What are they doing with $37 million?
5. Connection to border attacks?
My office door opened. Alexander stood there, glasses perched on his nose, holding a worn leather portfolio.
"I just saw Legal's report," he said quietly. "NorthStar Supply Co.—the name made me think of something."
"You know them?"
"I know their product." He stepped inside, closing the door. "NorthStar's Apex enhancer—the one that's been dominating the market and destroying our sales. When I saw the initial formula analysis weeks ago, something about it felt familiar, but I couldn't place it."
He set the portfolio on my desk carefully. "I've been organizing Diana's old research files since you took over Eclipse. Last night, I finally found what was bothering me."
Alexander opened the portfolio. Inside were pages of chemical formulas, test results, handwritten notes in my mother's precise script.
He pointed to a page. Project Lunar was written at the top in my mother's handwriting.
Compound unstable at 72 hours. Need to solve degradation problem before human trials.
Potential applications: accelerated wound healing, enhanced cellular regeneration. But side effects unknown if stability isn't achieved.
"This was the project Diana was directing before she died," Alexander said quietly. "She didn't conduct the research herself—Diana studied business, not biochemistry. But as Eclipse's CEO, she assembled a team of the world's leading experts on werewolf cellular biology. She funded the project, set the research priorities, managed the team. Project Lunar was her vision, even if the actual scientific work was done by specialists she recruited."