Chapter 200
Lynette's POV
Glenn Domich stood across the hall, staring at me.
At the three enhanced guards—two incapacitated, one dead at my feet.
At the blood covering my hands, my arms, my face.
"Magnificent," he whispered.
His smile widened.
I turned back to Glenn.
He wasn't smiling anymore.
His face had gone pale. His hand fumbled at his belt, pulling out a gun—some cheap semi-automatic that looked like it had been stripped off a dead guard.
The barrel came up.
Pointed straight at my chest.
Fuck.
My body was already moving. Already calculating the distance. The angle.
But I was tired. So fucking tired.
My legs felt like lead. My ribs screamed with every breath. Blood—mine and theirs—made my hands slick.
I wasn't going to be fast enough.
Glenn's finger tightened on the trigger.
Then I heard it.
A roar that made the windows rattle.
Glenn's eyes went wide. He started to turn.
Too late.
Kael's massive black wolf form slammed into him from the side like a freight train.
Glenn hit the floor. Hard.
Kael's jaws closed around his throat.
One twist.
The crack echoed through the hall.
Glenn went limp.
Kael released him. Shifted back to human form in seconds. Completely naked. Covered in blood.
He stood over Glenn's body for a moment, chest heaving.
Then he looked at me.
His amber eyes were cold. Absolutely emotionless. The kind of look that said he'd just eliminated a threat and felt nothing about it.
But when those eyes landed on me, something shifted.
The coldness melted. Just a fraction.
Around us, the remaining guards were frozen. The enhanced ones were still down. The normal ones looked like they were trying to decide between fight or flight.
Kael didn't give them time to choose.
He crossed the distance between us in three long strides, stepping over bodies like they were furniture.
His hand closed around my wrist.
"Move. Now."
He didn't wait for an answer. Just pulled me toward the exit.
I stumbled after him.
Behind us, someone shouted. Heavy footsteps thundered across marble.
The enhanced guards. Getting back up.
Kael yanked me through a doorway and into a corridor. Plain white walls. Fluorescent lights. Institutional.
We ran.
My shoulder throbbed where the bullet had grazed it—wait, had it grazed me? I couldn't tell. Everything hurt.
But Kael's grip kept me moving. His palm was hot against my wrist. I could feel his pulse through his fingers—fast but steady.
Mine was hammering.
We rounded a corner. Then another.
The corridor seemed endless.
Behind us, the roars got louder.
Closer.
Kael pulled me to a sudden stop.
I almost crashed into his back.
"Wait," he said.
He pressed against the wall, head tilted. Listening.
I leaned against the opposite wall, trying to catch my breath. My lungs were on fire. My legs shook.
From below, I could hear screaming. Shouting. The chaos from the main hall was spreading.
Blood smell drifted up through the vents. Thick. Metallic.
Kael's jaw tightened.
He turned to look at me. "Can you keep running?"
I nodded. Didn't trust my voice.
His eyes narrowed. "Lynette."
"I'm fine."
"You're bleeding."
"So are you."
"That's not—" He stopped. Took a breath. "Can you run or not?"
I forced myself to straighten up. Forced my legs to stop shaking.
"Yes."
He stared at me for a long moment.
Then nodded.
"Stay close."
Heavy footsteps echoed from ahead of us.
We both froze.
The footsteps got louder.
Then two massive shapes appeared at the end of the corridor.
Enhanced guards. Purple-mottled skin. Dead eyes. Impossibly huge.
They saw us.
Started moving.
Kael shoved me behind him in one smooth motion.
"Stay here," he said. "I'll handle them."
"Kael—"
"I mean it, Lynette. Stay."
My wolf bristled at the command.
"Listen," I said quickly. "Their weak point. It's at the base of the spine. Where the lower vertebrae connect to the pelvis. Hit there with everything you've got."
Kael's eyes met mine.
For half a second, I saw surprise flicker across his face.
Then it was gone.
"Got it."
The guards were fifteen meters away now.
Ten.
Kael's body began to shift. Bones cracking. Muscles expanding. Black fur rippling across his skin.
The transformation completed in seconds.
The massive black wolf launched himself forward.
I pressed back against the wall.
The first guard swung a huge fist. Kael ducked under it—impossibly fast for something so large.
His jaws clamped down on the guard's thigh.
The guard roared. Tried to shake him off.
Kael held on. Then twisted hard.
I heard bone crack.
The guard's leg buckled.
Kael released. Darted around to the guard's back.
The second guard was moving in now. Trying to flank.
But Kael was faster.
He jumped. Used the first guard's back as a springboard. Launched himself at the second guard's throat.
Claws raked across purple flesh. Blood sprayed.
The second guard stumbled back, hands clutching his torn neck.
Kael didn't give him time to recover.
He dropped low. Went for the legs.
The guard crashed down.
Kael was on him instantly. Jaws closing around the base of the spine—exactly where I'd told him.
The guard's scream cut off.
His body went limp.
The first guard was still trying to stand on his ruined leg.
Kael turned.
His amber wolf eyes locked on target.
Then he moved.
It was over in seconds.
Both guards down.
Kael shifted back to human form. Blood covered his mouth and chin. His chest heaved.
He looked back at me.
"Your intel was good."
I nodded.
Couldn't speak.
My throat felt tight.
He'd listened to me. Trusted my assessment. Used it perfectly.
His fighting style wasn't as precise as mine—he relied more on raw power, on overwhelming force.
But fuck, it was effective.
Behind us, more footsteps echoed.
More guards coming.
Kael's head snapped toward the sound.
But he didn't move toward me.
Didn't try to pull me along.
He was focused on the threat. On the next wave of enemies heading our way.
His back was to me now.
Every muscle tense. Ready.
Protecting the path forward.
I looked at him.
At his broad shoulders. At the way he stood between me and danger without hesitation.
At the blood covering his skin—none of it his.
My chest did something weird.
Something I didn't want to examine.
I took a step backward.
Quiet. Careful.
Kael didn't notice. His attention was locked on the corridor ahead. On the approaching footsteps.
I took another step.
The guards were getting closer. I could hear their heavy breathing now. Their weapons clanking.
Kael's muscles coiled. Ready to shift again.
I'm sorry, I thought.
Then I turned.
And ran.
In the opposite direction.
Away from Kael.
Away from the guards.
Toward the other end of the corridor where the shadows were deeper and the air smelled like old blood and secrets.
My footsteps were soft. Barely audible over the approaching guards.
Kael didn't turn around.
Didn't call out.
He had no idea I was gone.
I kept running.
My legs burned. My ribs screamed. My shoulder throbbed.
But I didn't stop.
Couldn't stop.
Rezar was here somewhere. The person behind all of this was here.
And I was going to find them.
Even if I had to do it alone.
The corridor branched. I took the left path. Darker. Narrower.
Behind me, I heard Kael roar.
Heard the impact of bodies colliding.
He was fighting again.
And he still didn't know I'd left.
Good.
He'd be safer that way.
I turned another corner.
The sounds of battle faded behind me.
Just my footsteps now. My breathing.
And the quiet, patient dark waiting ahead.