Chapter 201
Lynette's POV
I moved through the dark corridor alone. My footsteps were silent on the metal floor.
The ship swayed slightly. I steadied myself against the wall.
My mind replayed the scene in the main hall. Dr. Glenn's face before Kael shot him. The way his eyes kept darting to his collar.
Not fear. Communication.
He was checking in with someone. Getting orders.
Which meant whoever controlled this operation wasn't in the main hall. They were somewhere else. Somewhere secure.
Somewhere they could watch everything.
I stopped at a junction. Three corridors branched off in different directions.
The control room. That's where Rezar would be.
I closed my eyes. Listened.
The ship's engines hummed below. Footsteps echoed from somewhere far above. And beneath it all—a faint electrical buzz.
Security systems. Cameras. The kind of surveillance equipment you'd find in a command center.
I opened my eyes and turned left. Toward the buzz.
My body felt different now. Stronger. Faster. This was my original form—the Alpha body I'd been born in.
No more wheezing. No more weakness.
Just pure predatory instinct.
I reached the end of the corridor. A service stairwell. I pulled the door open and started climbing.
Two flights up, I heard voices. Male. Speaking in low tones.
I pressed myself against the wall and peered around the corner.
Two guards. Armed. Standing outside a reinforced door.
Not regular security. Wild Hunt.
I recognized the tattoos on their necks. The way they held their weapons. The predatory stillness.
I pulled back. My heart rate stayed steady.
Okay. So I was right. Rezar was here.
But I couldn't fight through a frontal assault. Not yet. I needed another way in.
I retreated down the stairs. Moved through the lower corridors until I found what I was looking for.
The main hall. Still chaos. Still blood.
But the fighting had moved. I could hear screams and gunfire from the far side of the room. The enhanced guards were dragging survivors toward the exits.
I slipped along the wall. Kept to the shadows behind overturned tables.
Dr. Glenn's body lay near a pillar. Partially hidden by debris.
I dropped to my knees beside him. Used the pillar as cover.
My fingers found his jacket pocket. Pulled out a black keycard.
Then I looked at his hand.
Damn it.
I pulled out the small knife. Grabbed his wrist.
From across the hall—a scream. Gunshots.
I had maybe thirty seconds.
I pressed the blade against his pinky finger. Cut fast. Through flesh. Through bone.
More screams. Getting closer.
Second cut. Third cut.
The finger came free.
I wrapped it in his handkerchief. Shoved it in my jacket.
Heavy footsteps. Running toward me.
I flattened against the pillar. Didn't breathe.
Two guards ran past. Didn't look down.
I waited. Counted to five.
Then moved. Fast and low. Toward the service exit.
Behind me, the chaos continued.
The corridors blurred together as I made my way through the ship. I avoided the main routes. Stuck to service passages and crew-only areas.
The black keycard felt heavy in my pocket. The severed finger heavier.
I climbed another stairwell. This one narrower. Older.
At the top, I found another door. This one unmarked.
I swiped the keycard. The light turned green.
The door opened into a dimly lit corridor. Cleaner than the ones below. Quieter.
I stepped inside. Let the door close behind me.
The electrical buzz was louder here. I was close.
I moved forward. Passed several closed doors. At the end of the corridor, I saw it.
Another reinforced door. Another keycard reader.
And three men standing guard.
Wild Hunt. All of them.
I recognized the one in the center immediately. Scarred face. Cold eyes. The same man who'd grabbed Vivian in the alley weeks ago.
He saw me. His eyes widened.
"There!" He pointed. "Get her!"
They moved fast. Too fast.
I spun around. Ran back the way I'd come.
Behind me, their footsteps pounded. Getting closer.
I reached the stairwell door. Yanked it open.
A hand grabbed my shoulder. Pulled me back.
I twisted. Drove my elbow into someone's face. Felt bone crunch.
The grip loosened. I broke free.
Another hand caught my wrist. I kicked out. Connected with a knee. Heard a grunt.
But there were three of them. And one of me.
They surrounded me. Backed me against the wall.
The scarred one stepped forward. He was breathing hard. Blood dripped from his nose where I'd hit him.
"Rezar said you'd come," he said. His voice was rough. Amused. "Said you couldn't help yourself."
I didn't answer. Just watched. Waited.
He pulled out a knife. "Said to bring you alive. But he didn't say unharmed."
He moved toward me.
I tensed. Ready to fight.
Then a blur of motion came from the stairwell.
One of the guards went down. Hard. His head cracked against the floor.
The scarred man spun around. "What the—"
A wolf exploded into the corridor. Gray fur. Golden eyes.
Cole.
He slammed into the second guard. They went down in a tangle of limbs and teeth.
The scarred man turned back to me. Raised his knife.
I grabbed his wrist. Twisted hard. The knife clattered to the floor.
He tried to punch me. I ducked. Came up inside his guard. Drove my palm into his throat.
He choked. Staggered back.
I swept his legs. He went down.
Behind me, Cole had the second guard pinned. The man's neck was at an odd angle. Not moving.
The scarred man tried to get up. I kicked him in the ribs. Heard something crack.
He stayed down.
I stood over him. Breathing hard.
Cole shifted back to human form. Naked. Covered in blood.
"Alpha," he said. His voice was steady. Calm. "Where are we going?"
I looked at the reinforced door at the end of the corridor. "To find Rezar."
Cole nodded. Didn't ask questions. Didn't hesitate.
He picked up one of the guard's weapons. A handgun. Checked the magazine.
"I'm with you," he said simply.
I pulled out Glenn's keycard. The wrapped finger.
"Then let's go."
We moved to the door. I swiped the card.
The reader beeped. A small screen lit up.
"Fingerprint verification required."
I unwrapped the severed finger. Pressed it against the scanner.
The machine hummed. Processing.
Then the display changed.
"Welcome home, Dr. Domich."
The door clicked open.
Inside, lights blazed. Clean white walls. Pristine floors.
The complete opposite of the blood-soaked halls below.
I stepped through. Cole followed. The door sealed behind us.
We were in a wide corridor. Doors lined both sides. At the far end I could see another door. Larger. More secure.
I started forward.
Cole stayed close. Weapon ready.
We passed the first door. Through a small window, I saw lab equipment. Computers. Empty.
The second door showed the same.
The third made me stop.
Through the window, I saw a man strapped to a table. Tubes running from his arms. His skin had that same purple mottled look as the enhanced guards.
His eyes were open. Staring at nothing.
I looked away. Kept moving.
We reached the end of the corridor.
I raised the keycard.
Before I could swipe it, the door opened from inside.
A voice called out.
"Please. Come in."
Not Rezar's voice. Someone else.
I glanced at Cole. He nodded.
We stepped through into a large room. Luxurious. Like a corporate office transplanted onto a ship.
Leather furniture. Dark wood desk. Floor-to-ceiling windows showing the black ocean outside.
And standing in the center were ten men. Maybe more.
All Wild Hunt. All armed.