Chapter 69: Damn right

“Are you sure this is the right way?” Jack asked, staring at the old road ahead.

Maya looked at the map on her phone. “Yes. The alphas’ base is a few miles from here. It’s hidden behind the forest.”

Cole leaned against the car door. “You said hidden. How hidden are we talking about?”

Maya gave a small smile. “You’ll see.”

The car bumped along the narrow path. Trees surrounded them on both sides. The morning fog made it hard to see clearly, and the road was quiet. Too quiet.

Damien sat in the front seat beside Maya, his hands resting on his knees. He hadn’t spoken much since the night before.

Lyra sat behind him, watching him carefully. “You okay?” she asked.

“I’m fine,” Damien said softly. “Just thinking.”

“About the doctor?” Jack asked.

“About everything,” Damien said. “It feels like every time we stop one danger, another one shows up.”

Cole laughed a little. “That’s our life now, man. Welcome to the club.”

The mood in the car lightened for a moment, but it didn’t last. The forest seemed endless. The sound of the engine echoed between the trees, and the fog grew thicker.

Neo checked his watch. “We should be close by now.”

Maya nodded. “We are. The base doesn’t show up on maps. You have to know where to look.”

After another minute, the car stopped in front of a large stone gate covered in vines. Maya got out and walked toward it. She pressed her hand on a mark carved into the stone. The mark glowed faintly, and the gate opened slowly.

Cole whistled. “Now that’s cool.”

They drove inside. The fog cleared, revealing a hidden valley filled with old stone buildings and small cabins. A few wolves walked around in their human form, wearing dark jackets with a silver emblem on the shoulder.

“That’s the alphas’ symbol,” Maya explained. “The moon and the claw.”

They parked the car near a building that looked like a meeting hall. Two tall men stood outside. One of them had silver hair and sharp eyes; the other had dark brown hair and a scar near his mouth.

Maya walked up to them. “This is Damien, Lyra, Jack, Cole, Neo, and Bryce. We came because of Dr. Vale.”

The man with silver hair nodded. “I’m Alpha Ryan. This is Alpha Ethan.”

Damien stepped forward. “We fought one of his creations last night. It looked human, but it wasn’t.”

Alpha Ethan’s face hardened. “You’re lucky you survived. He’s getting stronger.”

Lyra frowned. “Who is he really? Maya said he used to work for the council.”

Alpha Ryan crossed his arms. “He did. He was a scientist, studying the bloodlines of different species. He wanted to merge them—to create a being stronger than any wolf or vampire.”

Jack frowned. “So he wanted to play god?”

“Yes,” Ryan said. “And now he’s succeeding. He’s made more than we expected. Wolves with vampire strength, humans who can shapeshift, even banshees that heal instead of scream.”

Cole shook his head. “And you can’t stop him?”

Alpha Ethan sighed. “We’ve tried. Every time we get close, he moves his lab. He’s working with something new—something darker.”

Maya’s eyes narrowed. “You mean dark magic.”

“Yes,” Ethan said. “He’s mixing science with forbidden spells. That’s what makes his creations so hard to kill.”

Damien looked at Ryan. “We want to help. Tell us what to do.”

Ryan looked at him for a long moment. “You’ve already done more than most. But if you’re sure, we could use your help.”

Neo stepped forward. “Just tell us where to start.”

Ryan nodded. “Vale’s next target is near the old riverside town. He’s been taking people from there, testing on them. We’ve sent scouts, but none returned.”

Lyra frowned. “Then we’ll go.”

Maya turned to Damien. “Are you sure? You just got your strength back.”

Damien nodded. “That’s exactly why I need to go.”

Ryan walked toward a large table covered in maps. “He hides in the tunnels below the town. You’ll need to move at night. He has guards—creatures made from his experiments.”

Jack looked uneasy. “What kind of guards?”

“Ones that don’t die easily,” Ryan said. “And some that don’t die at all.”

Cole rubbed his neck. “Great. Sounds like fun.”

Ryan gave Maya a small metal badge. “This will help you get through the barriers he set up. But it won’t protect you for long.”

Maya nodded. “We’ll find him.”

Ryan’s voice grew low. “And when you do, make sure he doesn’t escape again.”

They left the hall and went outside. The air smelled like rain, and thunder rumbled in the distance.

Neo glanced up at the sky. “A storm’s coming.”

Maya nodded. “Then we move fast.”

Lyra looked at Damien. “Do you really think we can beat him?”

Damien looked back at the forest. “We have to try.”

They packed supplies into the car again. Cole grabbed extra weapons while Bryce filled bottles with holy water and herbs Maya gave him. Jack stayed quiet, checking his phone for signals.

“Still nothing?” Neo asked.

Jack shook his head. “No service. The closer we get to the town, the weaker it gets.”

They started driving again, the storm following them.

After an hour, they reached a broken bridge that led into the abandoned town. The sky was dark now, and the wind was cold. The place looked empty, but something about it felt alive.

“Creepy,” Cole muttered.

Maya looked out the window. “This is where he’s been working.”

They got out of the car and walked through the broken streets. Old signs hung sideways, and water dripped from broken pipes.

Suddenly, a sound came from one of the buildings—a soft cry, like someone calling for help.

“Did you hear that?” Lyra asked.

“Yes,” Damien said. “Stay close.”

They followed the sound to a half-open door. The inside smelled like dust and metal. Damien pushed the door wider and stepped in.

A single light flickered in the middle of the room. A person sat in a chair, tied up, their head hanging low.

“Hello?” Damien called.

The person lifted their head slowly. Their skin was pale, and their eyes glowed bright red.

Before anyone could move, the person smiled. “He’s waiting for you.”

Then the light went out.

Everyone turned as the walls started to shake. A low growl came from the dark.

Maya grabbed Damien’s arm. “He knows we’re here.”

Damien looked around, heart pounding. “Then let’s finish this.”

A shadow moved behind them, large and fast.

Lyra whispered, “He’s here.”

And then, out of the darkness, came a voice—calm, cold, and too familiar.

“Welcome to my lab,” Dr. Vale said. “I’ve been waiting for you.”