Chapter 186
Lynette's POV
I leaned forward slightly in my chair. Keeping my voice level. Direct.
"Even in the dark world, mass human experimentation gets you spat on by other Packs."
Belser's professional smile didn't crack. He tilted his head like I'd said something amusing.
"What if dozens of Packs globally are already using it?" His fingers drummed once on the armrest. "Then it only proves you weren't careful enough. Got caught by the Council."
My stomach dropped.
He wasn't bluffing.
The demonstration downstairs. The tech showcase. Every single step tonight.
It clicked into place.
"You invited hundreds of factions here to drag everyone in." I said it flat. Statement, not question.
Belser's smile widened. Just a fraction.
"This technology will spread globally very soon. When the Council investigates..." He spread his hands. "Too many to punish. The law doesn't blame the crowd."
Collective guilt. Forced complicity.
Smart. Sick, but smart.
Beside me, Kael shifted. His voice came out cold. Cutting.
"What you've shown isn't enough to interest Pinehollow." He met Belser's eyes without blinking. "Unless you have something more valuable, we won't participate."
Belser's expression flickered. Just for a second.
Surprise. Then annoyance.
He recovered fast. That professional mask sliding back into place.
"Then please, take your time to consider." He stood smoothly. Gestured to the child robots by the door. "Escort our guests back to their rooms."
The girl robot stepped forward. Her movements fluid. Too fluid.
"This way, please."
I pushed up from my chair. Kael was already standing. His jaw tight.
We'd just refused one of the most dangerous men on this ship.
And he'd let us walk away.
That should've been reassuring.
It wasn't.
The girl robot led us back through the high-security corridor. Past the transparent labs where scientists worked behind glass. Past the sealed doors hiding whatever Belser didn't want us to see.
The boy robot walked behind us. Not threatening. Just there. A reminder that we were being watched. Monitored.
Controlled.
We reached the elevator. The girl robot pressed the button. Stood back with that same perfect posture. That same empty smile.
"Have a pleasant evening."
The doors closed between us.
Kael let out a breath. Slow. Controlled.
"He's building an army," he said quietly. "Not selling a product. Building leverage."
"Yeah." I watched the floor numbers descend. "Get enough Packs dependent on his tech, he controls them all."
"And anyone who refuses becomes a target."
The elevator slowed. Stopped.
Our floor.
The doors slid open.
The hallway stretched out ahead. Dim lighting. Thick carpet muffling sound.
I stepped out first. Kael followed half a step behind.
Something felt wrong.
I inhaled slowly through my nose. Sorting through the scents layered in the recycled air.
Salt from the ocean. Cleaning chemicals. Perfume from earlier guests walking these halls.
And underneath it all—
Wolf.
Fresh. Unfamiliar.
I stopped walking.
Kael stopped immediately. His head turned slightly toward me. He'd caught it too. I saw his shoulders tense. Saw his hand drift toward his side where a weapon would normally be.
But we had no weapons. They'd been confiscated at security.
"Careful," he said. Low. Barely audible.
I nodded once. Started moving again. Slower now. Every sense on high alert.
The stairwell door was ten feet ahead on our left. Closed. But that's where the scent was strongest.
Someone was in there. Waiting.
Or watching.
My pulse kicked up. Not panic. Just readiness. My body remembering twenty years of training. Of hunting. Of being hunted.
We were five feet from the stairwell when it happened.
The door exploded outward.
A blur of black. Fast. Aimed straight at my chest.
I saw the blade. Saw the trajectory. Silver glinting in the dim light.
Started to move—
Kael was faster.
His hand locked around my upper arm. Yanked me backward. Hard.
I stumbled into him as he pivoted. His other leg came up in a brutal kick that caught the attacker square in the chest.
The impact sounded like a car crash.
The attacker flew back. Slammed into the wall. Plaster cracked. A framed painting crashed to the floor.
But he was up in seconds. Rolling to his feet with the kind of speed that screamed trained fighter. Professional.
Black tactical gear. Face covered by a mask. Only his eyes visible.
Yellow-gold eyes.
Wild Hunt.
My heart hammered against my ribs.
Kael lunged forward. Fast. Going for the takedown.
But the attacker was already moving. Backwards. Toward the stairwell door he'd left propped open.
"Wait—" Kael started.
The attacker's hand hit the door frame. He laughed. Low and cold.
"You can't run forever." His accent was thick. Eastern European. "Even with Harrington protection, you're dead."
He yanked the door shut between them.
Kael slammed into it a second later. The lock had already engaged from the inside. He rattled the handle. Cursed.
"Rezar sends his regards." The voice came muffled through the metal door. Then footsteps. Running. Fading fast down the stairwell.
Kael hit the door once with his fist. Then stopped. Breathing hard.
He knew what I knew.
Chasing into an unknown stairwell on a hostile ship was suicide. Could be ten more waiting down there. Could be a trap.
The hallway fell silent except for our breathing. Harsh. Ragged.
My hands were shaking. Not from fear. From adrenaline. From the confirmation I'd been waiting for.
Rezar knew.
He'd recognized me. Sent someone to confirm. To deliver a message.
And now Wild Hunt would come after me. Not my family back in Oregon. Not Elara trapped in my old body somewhere in the Canadian wilderness.
Me.
Exactly what I wanted.
Kael turned. His hands came up to grip my shoulders. His eyes were wild. Scanning my face. My body. Looking for injuries. For blood.
"Are you hurt?"
I shook my head. Forced myself to focus on his face instead of the tactical calculations already running through my mind.