Breakdown
Breakdown
Chapter 159: Breakdown
A week passed in a blur, and the pack found no rest. There were still no signs of the crawlers, and even the Rogues had ceased their movements. That simple fact alone was enough to keep Andrew on edge, pacing back and forth between Frostgale and Silver Crescent Moon. He made sure his soldiers were well-rested and fit, knowing the eerie quiet was merely the prelude to a storm.
Cain, meanwhile, was too busy to sleep. He was everywhere at once—giving orders, fortifying defenses, and checking on Lena—though he never stayed long. He had begun building bunkers at the heart of the pack, indifferent to the ruined landscape or uneven floors. The bunkers were built on Orion's recommendation, constructed from stone and metal brought in through the supply routes. They had also begun preparing backup ships, stocking them with long-lasting rations, ready to sail at the slightest provocation.
No one said it aloud, but everyone—including Lena—knew they were preparing for failure more than victory. It was a strange sensation, being so ready to let everything go while struggling to imagine a future where they won.
Shayla, Vitto, and Leonard were placed in charge of the naval preparations. Using sealed letters with Orion’s signature, they sailed out to meet human merchants along the coast. They returned with crates of metal tools, medicine, fuel for the engines the humans were helping them build, and wiring. Each return brought stories of the terrifying, cramped reality of life at sea, making the pack members loathe the water even more.
Teresa spent most of her days in the pharmacy with Ashley. While Andrew handled affairs in his own pack, the two women tended to the wounded workers. Teresa did her best to provide food and help where she could. She was becoming so comfortable with the werewolves that one might mistake her for one of them, though her green eyes remained dull—a lingering shadow of her trauma.
Lena spent nearly all her time with Reah. The mobile lab was active day and night; lights stayed on even after the sun rose. Papers and books covered every surface alongside countless tools Lena didn't bother to understand. Reah had carried out multiple tests on Teresa and the infant corpse. They discovered the child had died because the serum was too potent, straining the baby’s system even before the fire took hold.
Using traces of the serum from the corpse and Teresa’s blood, Reah managed to synthesize a weaker version of Elias's formula—one capable of changing a subject for a limited time.
“It's still not perfect," Reah mumbled, staring at a syringe filled with purple liquid. “Not strong enough to produce a first-generation type."
Lena, seated on a stool with a book, looked up. “Does it work, though?"
Reah shrugged, placing the syringe in a tray. Her gaze landed on a cage containing a rat. She smiled. "Lena, do you have perfect control over your abilities yet?” Reah asked for the fifth time that day.
Lena shook her head slowly. “I told you... I don't have control. My senses are sharp, but everything else just occurs randomly.”
Reah wasn't satisfied. She placed the cage on her worktable and picked up the syringe. “I'm going to need you to try what you did with Teresa. Let’s see if that was a coincidence or if you can actually turn these things back to normal.”
Lena's eyes widened. “Wait, what? You're not going to—”
"I am,” Reah cut her off with an excited grin. Without hesitation, she injected the serum into the rat.
The change was violent and fast. The small creature’s back hunched; it screeched, struggling to breathe as fragile bones snapped, twisted, and enlarged. Its fur fell away in clumps. The creature grew to five or six times its original size, and Reah wondered if the cage would even hold it.
Lena grimaced. "It sounds so painful.”
"Of course it is,” Reah muttered, looking at her. “Doesn't shifting work that way for you?"
Lena gave a shy, uncertain smile. “I don't really know. I haven't shifted before.”
Reah stared at her, unconvinced, before scoffing. “There are so many weird things going on with your kind. Well, try to change it back."
Lena nodded, determination flashing in her eyes. She reached through a small opening in the cage. The moment her fingers touched the creature’s skin, it froze. She focused on the strange energy she felt during contact and tried to guide it through her body. As she did, her eyes began to glow faintly.
“Incredible,” Reah whispered.
For a few minutes, nothing happened. Lena frowned and pushed harder. Slowly, the creature began to shrink. But as it did, a sharp, searing pain shot through Lena's arm. She jolted but didn't let go.
Reah noticed her distress. “That’s strange. Has this happened before?" She looked at Lena, but the girl’s face had gone dangerously pale. “Lena, stop. Pull back!"
Lena looked at her, dazed. She felt lightheaded, the world beginning to tilt. “I'm... I'm fine...”
Before she could finish, her hand trembled and fell away. Her vision doubled and blurred. A sudden, overwhelming weakness crushed her. The last thing she saw was Reah’s eyes widening in horror before the ceiling of the lab vanished into blackness.