Chapter 38 The Price of Safety

Chapter 38 The Price of Safety
NYLA’S POV

The tunnel went dark behind us.

I kept moving, while putting one hand against the rough wall, the other I placed near my stomach. The air around was colder than the forest. And it carried the scent of stone and something metallic. But it didn't matter. 

Zane moved ahead of me. Slower and careful, not because he was weak but because he was alert. His body was calm and I could read. Ruby stayed behind mum closely, despite the fear in her body. Mum hasn't recovered fully, but she is conscious. That alone was enough to keep us moving.

“Almost there,” Reyes' voice echoed from the front. 

I didn't respond. I didn't afford to relax yet not with everything that has gone wrong. A tunnel opened as we moved closed. And that was the first mistake.

Zane stopped instantly. I felt something too before I could see anything. The shift in the air gave it away. The weight of attention pressing down on them. Not random, not desperate but prepared too.

Before anyone could react, the light came on. Very bright. And our movement was surrounded. 

Not by Helix this time around.

The people stood too still. They were armed and they didn't panic nor rush.

They were controlled, watching and waiting.

Reyes stepped forward slowly, raising his hands. “We are not here to fight,” he said calmly. “They are the ones you have been looking for.”

One of the guards stepped closer and tilted his head. 

“No.” a voice answered. Calmly. “We've been waiting for her.”

I felt Zane move instantly. His body shifted between her and the speaker, a low growl forming in his chest.

He smiled faintly.
“Easy. If we wanted her dead, she would already be dead.”

That didn't help. It even made it worse.

“Who are you?” I asked. My voice was steady even my instinct screamed.
The man stepped forward just enough for the light to catch his face. 

“You can call us the Apex.

The name meant nothing but the way he said it meant something.

They didn't attack us nor restrain us. Instead, they guided us. 

That was worse.

The facility we were taken to wasn't underground like helix, but it wasn't public either. Hidden within layers of forest and walls. It was clean, silent and observational.

Everything there was carefully designed. I hated it immediately. I looked at Zane’s face. He hated it more. 

Then the security came. They separated us not forcefully but firmly enough that we couldn't resist. I was escorted into a room that felt too much like a medical lab. It was covered with white surface, lightning and slightly hidden cameras. I could feel the emptiness of the room itself.

They knew what I saw wasn't ordinary, they just couldn't admit it openly.

A woman entered. She was not a soldier nor a researcher in the helix system. She was different.
Her gaze was sharp, but not cruel.

“You are stable.” she said.

I didn't respond.

“You don't trust us,” she continued. “Good. You shouldn't." That caught my attention.

“But you will listen.” she said.

“Try me.” I replied while crossing my arms.

The woman nodded. “You are not just a survivor of helix. You are part of something older.”

I didn't like the sound of that. 

“Your mother,” she continued, “was one of the original stabilizers. Not a victim.”

My breath tightened. “Don't.” i said quietly.

“She worked with us, before she chose to disappear.” 

“I want to see Zane.” I said.

“You will.” she replied. “But first, we need to understand your condition.”

“My condition?” I said sharply.

The woman adjusted. “You are carrying something we didn't expect.”

My stomach tightened. She didn't need to say it, I already know.

Zane was not restrained. That was intentional. They wanted him to be aware. The room he was kept in was different. It was more reinforced than medical. But he was not alone. 

Then the door opened. He turned instantly and was ready to attack but stopped. Not because of the guards but because of the man who walked in. 

“Father,” he called slowly.

Garrett nodded slowly.

Zane staggered back one step, more confused than he was in helix.

“I watched them catch you.” Zane said with a rough voice.

“Yes. Long story son.”

Zane’s chest rose and fell sharply, his wolf pressing forward

“But why didn't you come for me?” Garrett asked.

“I tried father, but i failed.” Zane said.

The silent was heavy and real.

Zane starred at him for a long time before his expression hardened again.

“Where is Nyla?” I asked.

“Safe.” Garrett said. “At least for now.” 

Zane’s eyes flickered red. “What does that mean?”

Back in Nyla’s room, the truth started to shift. The Apex didnt just want to control, they wanted to understand. But understanding always came before control.

“It seems you are changing,” the woman said.

I didn't respond.

“You feel it?” she asked me. 

My jaw tightened. 

“It is not just the bond,” she continued. “It’s something deeper.”

My voice dropped. “What does that mean?”

She studied me carefully. “You are not just human.”

The words landed harder than expected. 

“You are not just a breeder. You are a hybrid.”

My mind went blank. 

That didn't make sense. But something inside me responded. 

The woman continued. “Your mother was the first successful attempt at mixing both species. Human and something else. Something that had been hiding.”

The woman leaned towards me and said, “You were never meant to be controlled like the other,” 

My pulse rose.

“You were meant to survive it.”

The Apex made their move carefully. To me, it meant they had their plan and I didn't like plans I wasn't part of. I began watching and listening. And that was where I noticed it. Their system wasn't perfect and could break.

Zane felt it before it happened. A shift not in the room but in the system. He stood still, listening, then it came like an alarm. It was not loud nor chaotic but controlled.

“They are moving.” Garrett said quietly. Zane didn't respond. His mind was already calculating. The Apex was not stable which means they are not safe and I was still somewhere inside this place. That changed everything.

Inside my room, the light flickered. Not once but twice. The door was forced open. Not by guards and protocol but by someone else.

I turned to find out who. It was ruby. Breathing hard. Her eyes were sharp. “Dont trust them.” she said hurriedly.

“I didn't." I replied instantly.

“They are not who they say they are.” Ruby said.

“I figured that out already.” I said.

“No.” Ruby said. “You didn't."

“They are worse.”

The first shot fired not long after. Followed by the second. Then everything collapsed and scattered.

Zane moved instantly in a full shift . Garrett followed.

Ruby pulled me into motion and suddenly we were running with mom again. But this time we weren't sure who the enemy was. 

The betrayal wasn't loud, it was quiet and calculated.

Zane caught me just as the corridor collapsed behind them. Our eyes met. And for the first time since helix. There was doubt. Not between us but between the world and the truth.

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