Chapter 199
Lynette's POV
The countdown hit zero.
Silence.
For three seconds, nothing happened.
Kael's hands were still on my face. His amber eyes locked on mine.
"Trust me," he'd said. "We'll find another way."
I'd nodded. Agreed to wait.
Then I heard the metal door slam open.
Guards flooded back into the hall—more than before. They moved with purpose now. Systematic.
One of them grabbed the teenage girl by her hair.
She screamed.
And something inside me just... snapped.
I shoved Kael's hands away. Didn't look back.
"Lynette—wait—"
But I was already moving.
The guards saw me coming. Three of them broke off to intercept Kael, boxing him in before he could follow.
Smart.
They'd separated us in seconds.
Didn't matter.
The girl's scream cut through the chaos like a knife.
I saw her—maybe fifteen, sixteen at most. Thin arms. Wide terrified eyes. One of the enhanced guards had her by the hair, dragging her toward the back exit like she was nothing.
My body moved before my brain caught up.
No.
My wolf surged to the surface. Claws extended—sharp, deadly. I felt my canines lengthen. Not a full shift. Just enough.
Just enough to kill.
I launched myself across the hall. People scattered. Someone shouted. I didn't care.
The guard's neck was right there. Exposed. Vulnerable despite all that purple-mottled skin.
My claws sank deep.
Hot blood sprayed across my face. The metallic taste hit my tongue. The guard's grip on the girl loosened as he roared—a sound that was more animal than human.
Behind me, I heard Kael's voice. Sharp. Commanding.
"Stand down. Now."
He was already out there. Already exposed. The guards had formed a half-circle around him, keeping him contained but not engaging.
Not yet.
Too late for me to stop anyway.
I was already committed.
The girl stumbled free, sobbing. Good. That's all that mattered.
Then a guard shouted.
"It's her! The woman Rezar was talking about!"
Another voice joined in. "She's with the male assassin—look at those moves!"
My stomach dropped.
Fuck.
The guard beneath me twisted. His hand shot up—impossibly fast for something so massive—and caught my wrist mid-strike.
I yanked back. His grip tightened like a vice.
Shit. Shit shit shit.
His other hand came up. I barely dodged, feeling his fingers brush past my throat.
Around us, the crowd was screaming. Shouting. Some were trying to run. Others just stood frozen, staring.
The guard's eyes locked on mine. Empty. Mechanical. Like looking into the eyes of a corpse.
Then he smiled.
And that's when I realized how badly I'd miscalculated.
His neck was still bleeding. I could see the torn flesh. The exposed muscle.
But he wasn't slowing down.
A normal wolf would've been unconscious by now. Dead, even.
This thing just kept coming.
"What the hell..." someone whispered nearby.
"He should be dead—"
"How is he still moving?"
I heard it all. Processed it all.
But my focus stayed on the guard as he shoved me backward with enough force to send me flying.
I hit the ground hard. Rolled. Came up in a crouch.
Three more enhanced guards were closing in. Fast.
My mind raced through everything I knew about these things. The body they'd shown us earlier—Brendon. I'd studied those wounds while everyone else looked away.
Deep lacerations. Torn muscle. But the fatal damage had been to the spine.
Whoever killed him had known exactly where to strike.
Thick skin. Slow reaction time. But that regeneration...
Then I remembered something else.
Last night. The stairwell. When those two guards cornered me.
I'd seen one of them move—seen the way his upper body twisted faster than his legs could follow. Like the neural signals weren't reaching his lower half quite right.
The spine.
The connection between upper and lower vertebrae—that's where they were vulnerable.
If I could hit that spot...
The bleeding guard lunged again.
I didn't meet him head-on. Instead, I darted to the side, using my smaller size to slip past his reach.
His massive fist slammed into the floor where I'd been standing. The impact cracked the marble.
Holy shit.
If that had connected with my skull...
I couldn't think about that now.
I jumped onto his back, claws finding purchase in that thick, leathery skin. He bucked, trying to throw me off.
I held on.
My claws raked down his spine—once, twice—searching for that weak point.
There.
I felt it. The slight give in the tissue. The gap between vertebrae.
I drove my claws in deep.
The guard's roar turned into a shriek. His body convulsed.
Blood poured from the wound. Real blood this time. Not just surface bleeding.
His legs buckled.
I jumped clear as he collapsed face-first onto the marble.
This time, he didn't get back up.
My chest heaved. Blood covered my hands, my arms, my face. Some of it was mine—I'd taken a hit to the ribs that I was trying very hard not to think about.
But I was still standing.
The girl was safe.
That's what mattered.
Then I looked up.
And saw Dr. Glenn Domich staring at me from across the room.
Everyone was staring now. At me. At the dead guard at my feet. At the blood.
So much blood.
I forced myself to straighten. To meet Glenn's gaze without flinching.
"You want to see what else I can do?" I asked quietly.
My voice didn't shake. Good.
Glenn's smile widened.
"Oh, my dear. I think we're just getting started."
Behind him, the other three enhanced guards moved into position.
Shit.
I'd just painted a target on my back the size of Texas.
And I had a sinking feeling that was exactly what someone wanted.
---
The first guard came at me fast.
Not as fast as a normal wolf. But faster than something that size should move.
I dodged left. His fist caught the edge of my shoulder—just a glancing blow—but the impact sent pain shooting down my arm.
Jesus.
One solid hit from these things and I was done.
I couldn't match them in strength. Couldn't outlast them in endurance.
But I could be faster.
I could be smarter.
The second guard circled right, trying to flank me. The third hung back, watching.
Learning.
That was the scary part.
These things weren't just strong. They were adapting. Coordinating.
The first guard swung again. I ducked under his arm and drove my claws into his knee joint.
He howled. Stumbled.
I darted past him, heading for the second guard.
He was ready for me. His massive hand shot out.
I twisted mid-leap. His fingers closed on empty air.
My claws raked across his face. Not deep enough to kill. Just enough to make him flinch.
Just enough to create an opening.
I dropped low and swept his legs.
He crashed down like a felled tree.
I was on him in an instant, claws seeking that vulnerable point at the base of his spine.
But the first guard had recovered. His hand closed around my ankle and yanked.
I hit the ground hard. The air left my lungs in a rush.
Stars exploded across my vision.
Get up. Get up get up get up—
I rolled. Barely avoided the boot that would've caved in my ribs.
Scrambled to my feet.
Blood in my mouth now. Metallic and warm.
The third guard finally moved. All three of them were closing in, forming a triangle around me.
Nowhere to run.
Nowhere to hide.
Just me and three monsters.
Across the hall, I could see Kael. The guards had him surrounded—six of them, keeping him boxed in. His face was white. His hands clenched into fists.
He looked like he was barely holding back a full shift.
Our eyes met.
I shook my head. Tiny. Almost imperceptible.
Don't. Not like this.
If he fully shifted now—if he lost control—they'd kill him.
And those seven hostages would have no hope at all.
So I turned back to the guards.
Wiped the blood from my mouth.
And smiled.
"Alright, boys. Who's next?"
The first guard charged.
I waited until the last possible second, then dropped and rolled between his legs.
His momentum carried him forward. Straight into the second guard.
They collided with a sickening crunch.
The third guard tried to grab me from behind.
I jumped. Planted both feet on the fallen second guard's back and pushed.
The force sent me flying forward—and sent the second guard sliding across the blood-slicked floor.
Right into the third guard's path.
The third guard's fist came down.
Hit his teammate instead of me.
I heard bone crack. Saw the second guard's shoulder cave in from the impact.
The third guard froze. Stared at what he'd just done.
That half-second of hesitation was all I needed.
I landed in a crouch. Spun. Drove my claws into the back of the first guard's knee.
He went down hard.
I was already moving. Jumped onto his back. Used him as a springboard to launch myself at the third guard.
My claws found his spine. That sweet spot between vertebrae.
He collapsed.
Two down.
The second guard was struggling to stand, one arm hanging useless. The first guard was still on his knees, hamstring torn.
I stood between them. Breathing hard. Covered in blood.
But standing.
The hall had gone completely silent.
Everyone was staring.
At me. At the three enhanced guards—two incapacitated, one dead.
At what I'd just done.
I met Glenn's eyes across the room.
He was smiling.
"Magnificent," he whispered.
And I realized with cold certainty—
This was exactly what he'd wanted to see.