Chapter 83 Training for War
Three days weren’t enough time to prepare anyone for what was coming. But it was all we had.
The adolescent wolves stood in the training yard. Nervous. Excited. Too young to fully understand what they were volunteering for.
Maya. Fourteen. Fast. Clever. Daughter of a pack warrior who’d died fighting the Collective.
Jason. Thirteen. Small even for his age. But it could fit through spaces others couldn’t. His mother watched from the sidelines, face pale.
Kira. Fifteen. The oldest. The leader. She’d already shifted three times. Already proven herself capable. Her father stood beside her, pride and terror warring on his face.
“You don’t have to do this,” I told them. Voice soft. Serious. “This is dangerous. Possibly deadly. No one will think less of you if you walk away.”
“My dad died fighting them,” Maya said. Chin up. Defiant. “I want to help finish what he started.”
“My mom says the Collective took my older brother years ago. Experimented on him. Killed him.” Jason’s voice shook but held steady. “If there’s a chance to stop them from taking more kids, I want to help.”
“I’m the fastest, the smallest, the quietest,” Kira said. “You need someone who can infiltrate undetected. That’s me. I’m going.”
Through the bond, I felt Lycian’s conflicted emotions. Pride in their bravery. Horror at what we were asking. Determination to protect them at all costs.
“Okay. Let’s begin.” I shifted to my silver wolf. “First lesson: move silently. Avoid detection. Become invisible.”
We trained twelve hours straight. Stealth. Evasion. Disabling security. Communicating through pack bonds. Escaping if caught.
They were good. Natural talents honed by necessity. But still children. Still breakable.
On day two, we practiced the route. Underground pipes. Tight spaces. Claustrophobic darkness. Jason got stuck halfway. “I can’t. It’s too tight.”
“Yes, you can,” Kira’s calm voice guided him. He exhaled, squeezed through, shaking but proud.
“Good,” I said. “Tight spaces, dark passages, panic—push through. Trust each other.”
“What if we encounter guards?” Maya asked.
“You hide. Wait. Don’t engage,” Lycian said. “Your job is reconnaissance, sabotage. Survive. That’s the only job.”
“But if someone’s in danger?” Kira said stubbornly.
“Yes, you can,” Elena said. “If you die trying to save someone, you accomplish nothing. Complete the mission, you save everyone. Strategy, not cowardice.”
Day three: full mission simulation. Entry, objective, extraction. Timing, weak points, adjustments. They completed it in twenty-eight minutes.
“You’re ready,” I said. “The real facility will have surprises. Stay flexible. Stay alert. Stay alive.”
“We will,” Kira promised. The others nodded. “We won’t let you down.”
“You could never let me down. By volunteering, you’ve already done more than anyone should ask.” I hugged them. “I’m proud of you.”
That night, the pack gathered for a final meal. Clara cooked comfort food. Lycian sat beside me. Hands intertwined. Neither eating much. Just existing together.
“I’m terrified,” he admitted. “I can’t protect you. You’re walking in alone.”
“You’re not letting me. I’m choosing this. You’ll be there through the bond. Always with me.”
“The bond isn’t a shield. I’ll feel every moment of your pain.”
“Maybe saving me isn’t your job. Maybe it’s mine. I’ve been saved enough. Now it’s my turn to be strong enough, brave enough, to save us both.”
“You’ve always been strong enough. Always brave enough,” he said, touching my face.
“You do. By being here. Loving me. Trusting me.” I kissed him. “I love you. More than words. More than anything.”
“I love you too. Come back to me. No matter what.”
“I promise. Always. Forever. I’ll find my way back. You’re my home. My anchor. My reason.”
Around us, the pack ate, talked, laughed. Pretending tomorrow wasn’t the day everything changed.
Elena raised her glass. Silent toast. To survive. To family. To the impossible hope we’d make it through. I raised mine back. To a sister, an ally, a friend, and the bond we’d built despite everything.
After dinner, Lycian and I escaped to our room. Away from the crowd. Away from expectations. Just us. Just this moment.
We made love slowly. Tenderly. Like we had all the time in the world. Like tomorrow wasn’t coming. Like this wasn’t goodbye just in case.
His hands memorized every curve. Every scar. Every place that made me gasp. My hands did the same. Learning him. Keeping him. Making memories that would survive whatever came next.
Afterward, we lay tangled together. Skin against skin. Hearts beating in sync. The bond humming between us. Alive. Present. Unbreakable.
“Whatever happens tomorrow,” he said into the darkness. “Whatever Nightshade does. However, this ends. Know that these moments. These memories. They’re real. They’re ours. They’re forever.”
“I know.” I pressed my face against his chest. Breathed him in. “And when it’s over. When we’ve won. When everyone’s safe. We’re taking that vacation. Somewhere far away. Somewhere peaceful. Somewhere with no Collective. No threats. No impossible choices.”
“Deal. Where do you want to go?”
“I don’t care. As long as you’re there. As long as we’re together. That’s all that matters.” I tilted my head up. Kissed him. “Maybe an island. Somewhere warm. Somewhere we can just exist. No responsibilities. No pack duties. Just us.”
“An island sounds perfect.” He kissed me back. “I’ll book it. The second this is over. We disappear for a month. Let everyone else handle things. We rest. We heal. We remember what it’s like to just be.”
“A month sounds perfect.”
We fell asleep wrapped around each other. The bond is a living thing between us. Connecting us. Completing us. Proving that some things were stronger than fear. Stronger than danger. Stronger than anything the Collective could throw at us.
I woke before dawn. Lycian is still sleeping. His face is peaceful. Younger without the weight of responsibility.
I memorized his features. The line of his jaw. The curve of his lips. The small scar above his left eyebrow. Every detail filed away. Kept safe. Protected.
Then I slipped out of bed. Dressed quietly. Grabbed the bag I’d packed. Everything I’d need for what came next.
A note sat on the nightstand. For him. For when he woke and found me gone.
I know you’ll be angry. Know you’ll want to follow immediately. But please. Give me this head start. Let me walk in alone as I promised. Like Nightshade expects. Then come for me. Save me when the time is right. I trust you. I love you. See you soon. Always yours, Elowen.
I left the note. Left the room. Left the estate before anyone could wake. Before anyone could stop me.
The facility coordinates were burned into my memory. Three hours north. Deep in mountain territory. Remote. Isolated. Perfect for hiding an army.
I drove alone. Following the roads I’d memorized. Taking routes the freed prisoners had scouted. Making sure I wasn’t followed. Making sure this was really me. Really alone. Really surrendering.
The sun rose as I approached. Pink and gold light paint the mountains. Beautiful. Peaceful. Completely at odds with what waited ahead.
The facility appeared around a bend. Massive. Modern. Nothing like the old abandoned buildings we’d raided before. This was Nightshade’s headquarters. Her fortress. Her final stand.
Guards stood at the entrance. Weapons visible. Waiting.
For me.
I parked a hundred yards out. Stepped from the car. Hands visible. Unarmed. Exactly as Nightshade demanded.
Walked toward them. Each step is measured. Deliberate. Final.
One guard spoke into a radio. Listened. Then nodded.
“She’s been expecting you. This way.”
They led me inside. Through corridors. Past security checkpoints. Deeper and deeper into the facility. Into the heart of Nightshade’s operation.
Into the trap I was walking into the trap willingly. Knowingly. Hoping I was strong enough to survive what came next.
The corridor ended at a massive door. Reinforced steel. Biometric locks. The kind designed to keep things in. Or out.
It opened.
Inside, a vast room. Filled with glass chambers. Hundreds of them. All occupied. All labeled with names and dates. All are waiting for Project Genesis to launch.
And in the center, standing between two specific chambers, Tessa. Nightshade. My former best friend turned ultimate enemy.
She smiled. “Welcome home, bestie. We have so much to catch up on.”
Behind her, in the chambers, my parents. Alive. Real. Exactly as she’d promised.
And beside them, another chamber. Empty. Waiting. With my name already engraved on the glass.