Chapter 64 The Birth Of Fire

Chapter 64 The Birth Of Fire
The "Steel-Wolf" drone didn't make a sound as it moved closer. It just floated in the air, its red eye locked onto Lila’s stomach like a laser. The "Gentle Capture" protocol was a lie; there was nothing gentle about the way the metal claws on its underside began to unfold, sharp and cold, ready to snatch the "Asset" from her.

Lila leaned against the cave wall, her breath coming in short, jagged gasps. A sharp, white-hot pain shot through her lower back, a contraction so strong it made her knees buckle.

"Not now," she whispered to her belly, her voice trembling. "Please, little one. Not right now."
But the baby didn't listen. The "Double Pulse" was screaming now, a rhythmic thumping that vibrated against the stone walls of the cave. The baby knew the enemy was close. The Thorne Gold inside her was no longer a flicker; it was becoming a storm, and Lila was just the shell holding it in.

The drone hissed. A small panel opened on its side, and a thin, silver needle popped out.
Lila didn't wait. She lunged forward with her wooden spear. She wasn't fast she was heavy and clumsy but her anger gave her a different kind of speed. She slammed the tip of the spear into the drone’s red eye.

The glass shattered. The drone let out a high-pitched electronic scream. It spun wildly, sparking and smoking, before it slammed into the cave floor.

But the silence that followed was even scarier. From the thick fog outside the cave, Lila heard a sound that made the hair on her arms stand up.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

It was the sound of heavy metal feet hitting the red dust. Not one. Not two. A whole squad.
Lila hobbled back into the shadows of the cave. She grabbed the silver-threaded baby blanket and wrapped it tightly around her waist, trying to support the weight of her belly. Another contraction hit her, harder than the last. She doubled over, her forehead pressing against the cold, damp earth.

"Kieran," she breathed.

The name felt like ash in her mouth. She wondered if he was still wearing that old leather jacket. She wondered if his fingers had found the letter she left. Or was he too far gone? Was he just a machine now, hunting her down like a dog?
A tall shadow blocked the light at the mouth of the cave.

It wasn't a drone. It was a "Mark-IV Steel-Wolf" Commando. It stood seven feet tall, its body a nightmare of grey metal and silver fur. It didn't have a face, just a black visor and a row of glowing red sensors. In its hand, it carried a heavy shock-net launcher.

"Subject 01-Lila," the commando said. Its voice was a deep, mechanical rumble. "You are experiencing Level 4 labor. Resistance is illogical. The Primary Heir must be secured for the Command Center."

Lila stood up, using the cave wall to pull herself to her feet. Her wrists were glowing so bright they looked like white fire. The amber light didn't just stay on her skin anymore; it began to swirl around her like a golden mist.

"You won't touch him," Lila growled. Her voice didn't sound like hers anymore. It sounded deep, ancient, and full of power.

The Commando moved fast. It fired the shock-net.
Lila threw her hand out. She didn't just push the Gold; she commanded it. A wall of solid amber light slammed into the net, melting the silver wires before they could touch her. The force of the blast sent the Commando flying backward, crashing into the dead trees outside.

But more shadows were moving in the fog. Three... five... ten. They were surrounding the cave.

Lila felt a sudden, sharp pop inside her. A warm liquid began to run down her legs. Her eyes went wide.

The time was up.

She collapsed onto her blankets at the back of the cave, her teeth bared in pain. The Gold in the cave was growing too bright to look at. It was pulsing in time with her contractions. Every time she felt a wave of pain, the cave floor would crack, and the red dust would dance in the air.

Outside, the Commandos were regrouping. They stopped their "gentle" approach. They raised their heavy rifles.

"Initiating Forceful Recovery," the leader barked.
Lila looked at the mouth of the cave. She was alone. She was exhausted. She was about to bring a life into a world that wanted to turn it into a weapon.

"Come on then!" she screamed at the dark. "Come and see what a Thorne Queen can do!"
As the first flash-bang grenade rolled into the cave, Lila didn't hide. She grabbed the power in her blood, the power of the mother and the power of the child and she let it all go.

The explosion wasn't made of gunpowder. It was made of Gold.

The entire mountainside roared. A pillar of amber light shot into the grey sky, visible for hundreds of miles. It cut through the fog like a sword. It was a signal. It was a warning.

And far away, in the cold halls of the Shadow Moon estate, a man in a black leather jacket suddenly stopped. He didn't look at his monitors. He didn't look at his maps.

He touched his chest, right where a hidden letter was tucked against his skin. His grey eyes flickered. For the first time in six months, a single drop of purple fire sparked in his pupils.
"Lila," he whispered.

The Dark Alpha was no longer hunting an asset. He had found his soul.