Chapter 250 Double Shift

Chapter 250 Double Shift
"Are you with them?" I asked bluntly. "The underground organization?"

Mason's face hardened. "They didn't take me to rescue me, Elena. They took me to use me. Just like they're using you."

Before I could question him further, the heavy wooden door at the far end of the basement creaked open. Two figures stepped inside, and I instantly recognized the first one—Katherine.

My sister. My twin. My betrayer.

She wore black athletic clothes, her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. Behind her stalked a tall figure wearing a bird mask—an eagle or hawk, its beak sharp and menacing.

"Hello, sister," Katherine's voice echoed in the cold basement. "Comfortable?"

"What the fuck do you want?" I spat, gripping the iron bars.

Katherine circled our cage like a predator. "Oh, I want many things. But right now, I'm simply enjoying this little reunion."

The masked figure remained silent, standing by the door.

"Why Mason?" I demanded. "What's he got to do with any of this?"

Katherine's smile turned predatory. "His purpose is to become my husband and secure my claim to the Bear Clan throne."

Mason flinched beside me, confirming her words.

"Bear Clan throne?" I couldn't hide my confusion.

"Haven't you figured it out yet?" Katherine laughed. "I will unite wolves and bears under one ruler—me."

The masked figure finally spoke, voice distorted and raspy. "Tell her everything. She deserves to know before she dies."

Katherine shot an annoyed glance at her companion but continued, "During the border conflict, two bear princesses—twins—were kidnapped as infants. Only one showed the dual-shifting capability, the ability to become both wolf and bear." She leaned closer to the bars. "The other was merely bait."

My mind reeled with the implications. "You're saying..."

"We'll take your wolf and your bear, just like we did three years ago. Then we'll kill you." Katherine's eyes gleamed with malice. "You're the key, Elena. The true heir."

"I don't have a bear," I whispered, but even as I said it, something stirred inside me—a presence I'd always attributed to echoes of Nora, or maybe just my imagination. 'That voice... was a bear?'

Mason stared at me with wide eyes. "She doesn't know," he murmured.

Katherine laughed. "Of course she doesn't. Daddy dearest made sure of that. Separated you at birth, gave you to different families." She turned to Mason. "Perhaps you'd like another taste of torture? Feel the bear claws again?"

Mason shrank back, genuine terror flashing across his face. Katherine and the masked figure left, their footsteps fading up the stairs.

When they were gone, Mason started crying softly. Not loud sobs, but the quiet tears of someone who'd been broken. I'd never seen one of the mighty Silver Moon heirs reduced to this state.

I closed my eyes, trying to center myself. That's when I felt it—a faint pulse, a connection that stretched across miles. Kane. Somehow, I could sense him, like a tether binding us together.

'A mate bond? Is that even possible?'

I focused on the feeling, drawing strength from the steady rhythm of his heartbeat somewhere in the distance. If Kane was alive, if he was searching for me, then I couldn't give up.

I examined our cell more carefully. The bars were solid iron, the lock heavy and old-fashioned. No way to pick it without tools.

"Can you shift?" I asked Mason.

He shook his head miserably. "Not since... not since they injected me with that solution. I haven't been able to shift."

I sat back against the wall and closed my eyes again. If I had my wolf, breaking out would be easy. But Nora was gone—or was she? And what about this bear Katherine mentioned? Was there really another creature inside me, dormant all these years?

'Nora... whatever happens, I need you. And I need whatever bear might be inside us too.'

I focused inward, deeper than I'd ever gone before. Past the emptiness where Nora should be, into the darkest corners of my consciousness.

'Call to us...'

The voice wasn't Nora's. It was deeper, more primal, with a rumbling quality that vibrated through my bones.

Something shifted within me—not the familiar warmth of a wolf's presence, but something heavier, more powerful. My skin tingled, muscles expanding, bones cracking and reforming.

'Holy shit!'

I was changing, but not into a wolf. My hands grew massive, fingers extending into deadly claws. Fur—thick, brown fur—erupted across my body. My face elongated, teeth sharpening into fangs.

With a roar that shook the foundations of the building, I slammed my new bear body against the cell door. The iron bars bent, then broke under my strength. Mason scrambled back, eyes wide with disbelief.

I couldn't maintain the form for long. The energy drain was immense, like nothing I'd experienced before. I shifted back, collapsing to my knees, naked and gasping.

"How did you—" Mason whispered.

"I don't know," I panted, grabbing my torn clothes. "I've never... I didn't know I could become a bear." I quickly dressed in the shredded remains of my clothing. "We need to go. Now."

I helped Mason out of the cell, supporting his weight as we made our way to the door. The basement opened onto a dim hallway lined with doors—some kind of underground compound. We moved silently, staying in the shadows.

Voices drifted from a room ahead—Katherine and the masked figure arguing. We crept closer, and I peered through the partially open door. It looked like a library, with shelves of ancient books and maps spread across a table.

"You're just using me to gain more power, aren't you?" Katherine hissed.

The masked figure laughed coldly. "Your sister is the true princess. You're nothing unless I say so."

Katherine stood taller, chin raised defiantly. "I am the Northern Princess! When I'm queen, I can have your head with a snap of my fingers."

The figure moved so fast I barely saw it. Suddenly, Katherine was against the wall, the masked person's hand around her throat.

I felt an instinctive urge to help her—she was still my sister—but Mason gripped my arm. "She wouldn't do the same for you," he whispered.

Before I could decide, the building shook. Dust rained from the ceiling as something—or someone—impacted the structure above.

The connection in my mind grew stronger. Kane. Somehow, impossibly, Kane had found this place.

"We need to move," I whispered to Mason, pulling him away from the library door.