Chapter 48: Real me

“Run.”

That was the first word Skye whispered to herself as she stood in the dark forest, barefoot on the damp ground. Her breath came out in quick clouds, and her hands trembled slightly, though her eyes burned with golden fire.

She could still hear their voices in her head Lyra, Maya, Jack, asking who she was, what she wanted. She hadn’t meant to scare them, but time was running out.

She looked down at her reflection in a pool of rainwater. For a second, her face changed, her skin rippled, her eyes widened into something sharp and glowing, and black veins crawled across her neck. Then she forced herself to breathe, and the image faded.

“I’m holding it together,” she whispered. “Just a little longer.”

A twig snapped behind her.

“Following me wasn’t smart,” she said softly.

From behind a tree, a tall shadow stepped out. It was Bryce , one of the wolves from Damien’s old pack. He looked nervous but determined. “I don’t trust you,” he said. “You show up out of nowhere, claim to know where Damien is, and vanish into the woods. Who are you, Skye?”

She turned, her gold eyes glowing faintly. “Someone trying to help.”

Bryce didn’t buy it. “Help? You lied to them.”

Skye sighed. “Would you have believed me if I told you the truth?”

“Try me.”

For a long moment, she said nothing. Then she looked up at the moonlight peeking through the trees. “I was made in a lab, Bryce. A mistake they called a miracle. I’m not a witch, not a wolf, not human. I’m something else.”

Bryce frowned. “What do you mean ‘made’?”

“They took pieces of things that were never meant to mix,” she said. “A wolf’s strength, a demon’s blood, a bit of magic that doesn’t belong anywhere. They called me a shapeshifter because I can become anything I’ve touched but each time I change, I lose a little bit of myself.”

Bryce stared at her, speechless.

She looked down at her hands again. “That’s why I came for Damien. He has something inside him ,something the scientists want back. They call it the Alpha Core. It’s power, life, rage… and without it, he’s dying.”

Bryce’s eyes widened. “You mean Damien’s missing power."

“Was taken by them,” Skye finished. “And they sent me to bring him in. But I didn’t.”

“Why?” Bryce asked quietly.

Her jaw clenched. “Because I saw what they did to the others. They turned them into monsters that couldn’t think, couldn’t feel. And I won’t let that happen to him.”

Bryce took a small step closer. “You care about him?”

She didn’t answer, but her silence was enough.

Then suddenly the air shifted. The wind turned cold, and the forest grew darker. Skye froze. “They’re here.”

“Who?” Bryce whispered.

“The Hunters,” she said. “The ones who built me.”

Before Bryce could move, a sharp whistle echoed through the trees. A dart flew past his face and hit the ground. Smoke hissed from the tip.

“Run!” Skye shouted. She grabbed his arm and pulled him into the deeper part of the forest.

The sound of footsteps followed heavy, fast, trained.

Skye’s heart raced. Her body started to shift without her meaning to, her hands grew claws, her eyes turned bright gold again, her breath coming out like fire.

Bryce looked terrified but didn’t stop running. “What are you turning into?”

“Something they can’t catch,” she said, her voice rougher now.

They burst out of the woods near an old warehouse. Skye kicked the door open and dragged Bryce inside. Dust filled the air, and sunlight streamed through broken windows.

She leaned against a wall, panting. “They won’t stop. They want Damien, and they’ll go through me to get him.”

Bryce wiped sweat off his forehead. “Then we need to warn the others.”

Skye nodded slowly. “You’ll do that. I’ll distract them.”

“No,” Bryce said. “You’ll get yourself killed.”

She smiled sadly. “I was never supposed to live this long anyway.”

Bryce looked at her, really looked at her , the fear, the strength, the sadness behind her golden eyes. “You’re not a monster,” he said softly.

She smiled again, but this time it was bitter. “Tell that to the people who made me.”

The door suddenly shook. Loud banging followed.

“They found us,” she whispered.

Bryce turned to the back exit. “We can run.”

She shook her head. “No. Go. I’ll hold them off.”

He didn’t want to leave, but one look at her told him she wasn’t asking. She was ordering.

Bryce ran toward the back, but before leaving, he turned. “I’ll tell Damien. He’ll come for you.”

Skye’s eyes softened. “He shouldn’t.”

Then the door broke open. Armed men in black masks stormed in, carrying rifles and syringes.

“Target located,” one of them said.

Skye raised her chin. “You want me? Come and get me.”

Her body rippled, her form shifting into something huge ,half wolf, half shadow. Her claws dug into the floor as she roared, the sound shaking the building.

Bullets flew, but she moved faster, grabbing one of the men and throwing him against the wall. Another shot her, and the dart hit her shoulder. She screamed but didn’t fall.

“Get her down!” someone shouted.

Skye’s eyes burned bright gold. “Not today.”

She slammed her hand into the ground, and a burst of golden energy exploded from her body. The men went flying, their weapons scattering across the floor.

When the light faded, Skye was on her knees, breathing hard. The dart had already started spreading black veins across her arm.

She looked toward the forest. “Bryce… tell them to stay away,” she whispered. “The hunters are coming.”

Her vision blurred, and she collapsed to the ground.

Back at Maya’s house, Lyra stared at the clock. Damien was still gone. Cole too.

Jack sat near the window, restless. “Something’s happening,” he said. “I can feel it.”

Maya looked at her old map on the wall. “Then we need to be ready.”

Lyra glanced outside, her chest tight. The wind howled again, carrying something faint , a whisper, almost like a voice.

She couldn’t make out the words, but one name echoed softly in her head.

Skye.

And somewhere far away, in the dark, a golden light flickered once, then went out.