Chapter 180
Lynette's POV
The silence in the exhibition hall was suffocating. Nobody moved. Nobody spoke.
The researcher in the white coat stood on the center platform, microphone in hand, that practiced smile still plastered on his face. But I could see the irritation flickering in his eyes now.
"Come now," he said again, voice echoing through the speakers. "Surely someone here is brave enough to test our achievements?"
Whispers rippled through the crowd around me.
"Who would be stupid enough to go up there?"
"Did you see what that thing did to the steel bar? It bent it like paper."
"You'd have to be insane."
I stood perfectly still in the mass of bodies, my eyes tracking every detail. The modified guard on the platform hadn't moved since his demonstration. Just stood there, arms at his sides, that blank expression on his distorted face.
No consciousness behind those eyes. Just obedience.
My fingers brushed against Elara's protection charm on my wrist. The rough texture of the dried herbs grounded me for a second.
Three days. We had three days to figure out what this drug really did and how to stop it.
A commotion near the front of the crowd made me refocus.
Someone was moving through the press of people. Heading toward the platform.
The crowd parted and I got a clear view.
A man. Tall, maybe six-three. Broad shoulders, muscular build. He stripped off his jacket as he walked, revealing thick arms covered in old scars. The kind you only got from years of real combat.
"Finally!" The researcher's face lit up. "And your name, sir?"
"Harvit." The man's voice was rough, confident. "Blood Moon Pack. I specialize in wolf-form close combat."
My Alpha instincts immediately catalogued everything about him. The way he moved—balanced, controlled. The scars on his forearms—defensive wounds from blocking claws. The slight favor of his left leg—old injury, healed but not forgotten.
This was a real fighter. Someone who'd survived dozens of battles.
And he was about to get destroyed.
I felt Kael shift slightly beside me. His hand found the small of my back for just a second. A silent question.
I gave the smallest shake of my head. Not yet.
"Excellent!" The researcher gestured to the platform. "The rules are simple. This is a test of strength, not a fight to the death. You may yield at any time. If you're down for thirty seconds, the match ends. Our goal is demonstration, not casualties."
Harvit rolled his shoulders, loosening up. His eyes were already starting to glow gold.
The modified guard stood motionless on the other side of the platform, waiting.
I watched Harvit's stance shift as his wolf began to rise. Claws extended from his fingertips. Muscles rippled under his skin as the partial transformation took hold.
In my mind, I was already running through the tactical analysis. If I were up there, how would I approach this?
The guard's size was the obvious threat. But size meant weight. Weight meant momentum. Momentum could be used against an opponent if you were fast enough.
But that mottled purple-black skin... I'd seen the steel bar demonstration. Whatever that drug did, it made them nearly indestructible.
"Begin!" the researcher called out.
Harvit exploded into motion.
He was fast. Faster than most Alphas I'd fought. His clawed hand shot out toward the guard's chest—a strike that would have torn through steel plating.
The guard didn't dodge.
Didn't even flinch.
Harvit's claws raked across the purple-black skin and left nothing but faint white marks.
The crowd gasped.
The guard's hand moved. Not fast. Almost casual.
He backhanded Harvit across the face.
The sound of impact echoed through the hall like a gunshot.
Harvit's entire body lifted off the platform. He flew backward, crashed into the railing, and crumpled to the floor outside the ring.
For three seconds, nobody breathed.
Then the whispers started. Louder this time. Panicked.
"Did you see that?"
"One hit. Just one."
"That's not possible. That's not—"
I felt my jaw tighten. This was worse than I'd thought.
Harvit dragged himself to his feet, blood running from his nose. His eyes were still gold, still determined.
He charged again.
This time he didn't go for power. He went for precision. Ten strikes in rapid succession, all aimed at the exact same spot on the guard's ribcage.
The guard stood there and took every single one.
Then he moved.
One punch. Straight to Harvit's abdomen.
I heard ribs crack from where I stood.
Harvit's wolf form flickered and died. He collapsed, gasping, clutching his stomach. Blood leaked between his fingers.
The medical team rushed forward with a stretcher.
The crowd had gone completely silent now.
I looked around at their faces. Some were pale with fear. But others... others had that hungry look. That calculating gleam.
They were already thinking about what they could do with an army of these things.
Beside me, Kael was rigid. His hand had moved to my elbow, grip tight.
"Lynette," he said quietly. Voice strained. "Whatever you're thinking—"
"Thank you for that demonstration!" The researcher's voice cut through the tension. "As you can see, our enhanced subjects represent a complete revolution in—"
"I'll go."
The words came out of my mouth before I'd fully processed the decision.
But the moment I said them, I knew it was right.
Every eye in the room turned toward me.
Including, I was certain, Rezar's.
Kael's grip on my elbow tightened to the point of pain. "Lynette. No."
I looked up at him. Met those amber eyes.
"I have to," I said quietly. Only for him. "If Rezar sees me here. Sees me with you. He'll think twice about coming after my family."
"Or he'll kill you right here on that platform."
"He won't recognize me." I pulled my elbow free gently. "I'm not the same person who fought them in Canada. Different body. Different scent. But the way I move... that he'll remember."
The researcher was scanning the crowd, trying to locate who'd spoken.
I stepped forward. Let the crowd part around me.
"I volunteer," I said clearly.
The researcher's eyes found me. Traveled down from my face to take in my frame.
I saw the calculation there. Saw him dismiss me as a threat.
Good.
"Your name?" he asked, that practiced smile back in place.
I paused for just a second.
Then I said, "Lynette."
Let Rezar hear that name. Let him wonder.
Behind me, I felt Kael go absolutely still.
The researcher gestured toward the platform. "Please, join us."
I walked forward through the silent crowd. Every step measured. Controlled.
This was insane. Reckless. Dangerous.
But it was also necessary.
I needed to see what this drug really did. Needed to understand its limits.
And I needed Rezar to know that Lynette wasn't hiding anymore.