The roar shook the entire facility.
Not distant this time.
Closer.
Closer than it should be.
Vivian turned sharply toward the corridor just as the metal walls trembled again. Dust fell from the ceiling. Lights flickered violently.
Jamo.
He was tearing his way through.
The man behind her smiled faintly.
"Perfect timing."
Vivian spun back toward him.
"Stop the machine."
"No."
Lucas's body jerked again in the chair, a sharp, unnatural movement. The machines surrounding him hummed louder, lights flashing in rapid sequence.
Vivian's chest tightened.
"You said he'd live."
"He will," the man replied calmly. "Just not as you remember him."
Vivian's hands curled into fists.
"That's not living."
The man tilted his head.
"Perspective."
A loud crash echoed from the corridor.
Metal screamed.
Then
Footsteps.
Heavy.
Fast.
Unstoppable.
Vivian's heart pounded harder.
The door behind her exploded inward.
Jamo stepped through.
Half-shifted.
Blood streaked across his skin. His eyes burned gold, wild and furious.
He took in the scene in a single glance.
Vivian.
The machine.
Lucas strapped to the chair.
And the man standing between them.
Jamo's voice came out low.
"Move."
The man didn't.
"Not yet."
Jamo didn't hesitate.
He attacked.
Fast. Brutal. Direct.
The man blocked him.
Easily.
The impact cracked the floor beneath them.
Vivian's breath caught.
They were evenly matched.
No
The man wasn't even trying.
Jamo struck again, harder this time.
The man caught his wrist mid-swing.
"You're strong," he said calmly.
Then he twisted.
Jamo was thrown across the room, slamming into the wall hard enough to dent the concrete.
Vivian rushed toward him.
"Jamo!"
He pushed himself up instantly, shaking it off like it was nothing.
But his eyes never left the man.
"What is he?" Jamo growled.
Vivian answered quietly,
"Not human. Not wolf."
The man smiled.
"Better."
Lucas's body jerked again.
The machine let out a sharp warning sound.
Vivian turned back toward it.
Time was running out.
Jamo stepped beside her now.
"We end this."
Vivian shook her head.
"If we destroy it, he might die."
Jamo's voice hardened.
"And if we don't, we lose him anyway."
The man watched them, almost curious.
"Such a difficult choice."
Another crash echoed from deeper in the facility.
More fighting.
Lucas.
The real one.
He was running out of time.
Vivian's chest tightened painfully.
Jamo stepped closer to her.
"Vivian."
She looked at him.
For a moment, everything else faded.
The chaos.
The noise.
The war.
Just him.
"You don't hesitate," he said quietly.
Vivian swallowed hard.
"I already did."
Jamo's voice softened, just slightly.
"Then don't do it again."
The machine beeped faster.
Lucas's breathing became uneven.
The man stepped closer.
"If you destroy it now, you risk killing him."
Vivian looked at him.
"And if I don't?"
"He becomes something greater."
Vivian's voice turned sharp.
"Stop saying that like it's a good thing."
The man smiled faintly.
"It is."
Jamo moved.
Not toward the man.
Toward the machine.
Vivian grabbed his arm.
"Wait."
Jamo didn't look at her.
"We're out of time."
Lucas's body convulsed again.
A sharp, painful sound escaped him.
Vivian's heart cracked.
"Lucas…"
The man watched closely.
"Choose."
Jamo reached for the control panel.
Vivian stepped in front of him.
"No."
His eyes snapped to hers.
"Move."
Vivian shook her head.
"I won't let you kill him."
Jamo's voice dropped.
"And I won't let him become that."
The tension between them snapped tight.
For the first time—
They stood on opposite sides.
The man smiled slowly.
"Yes," he murmured. "This is the moment."
Vivian looked at Jamo.
"You trust me?"
Jamo didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
Her voice softened.
"Then let me handle this."
Jamo hesitated.
That hesitation cost them.
The man moved.
Fast.
He grabbed Vivian and pulled her away from the machine.
Jamo lunged
Too late.
The man pressed a button on the control panel.
The machine surged violently.
Alarms screamed.
Lucas's body arched as electricity shot through him.
Vivian struggled against the man's grip.
"STOP!"
Jamo roared and slammed into him again.
This tim
Something changed.
The man staggered back slightly.
Just enough.
Jamo hit harder.
Again.
Again.
Cracks formed in the wall behind the man.
Vivian broke free.
She ran for the machine.
Jamo shouted behind her.
"Now!"
Vivian reached the control panel.
Her hands hovered over it.
One move.
One choice.
Destroy it
Lucas might die.
Leave it—
He becomes something else.
Her heart pounded violently.
Lucas's head lifted slightly.
For a brief second
His eyes opened.
They found hers.
Barely conscious.
Barely there.
But still him.
And he whispered one word.
"End…"
Vivian's breath caught.
Jamo roared again behind her.
The man recovered.
Reaching for her.
Time snapped.
Vivian made her choice.
She slammed her hand down
And destroyed the machine.
The room exploded with sparks.
Lights shattered.
The system collapsed.
Lucas's body went still.
Completely still.
Silence.
Heavy.
Terrifying.
Vivian's heart stopped.
"Lucas…?"
No response.
The man looked at the broken system.
Then at Vivian.
For the first time
His expression changed.
Not anger.
Not surprise.
Something worse.
Interest.
"Now that," he said softly,
"was a real choice."
Behind Vivian
Jamo froze.
Because Lucas's body…
didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
Didn't react.
Vivian slowly stepped closer.
Her hands trembling.
"Lucas…"
Nothing.
And then
A low sound echoed through the room.
Not from Lucas.
From behind them.
The man smiled.
"Too late."
Vivian turned.
The door they came through
Was sealing shut.
Locking them inside.
With him.
And something else.
Because from the shadows behind the man…
More figures stepped forward.
Not soldiers.
Not wolves.
Something far worse.
And all of them were looking at Vivian.