Chapter 21

TWENTY-ONE

L ucas’s panther screamed. A trap. They’d been herded there deliberately, away from the main security systems. He immediately spun them around and headed toward the front lobby which was safe from the growing fire. And with windows where he could see anyone coming.

Damn it! Why wasn’t he prepared for this? Because he never thought an elder, someone he’d known his entire life, would turn on him.

They ducked inside, followed by a group of guards. Lucas placed Emma behind a sturdy desk where she would be safe.

Then the lights went out.

Emergency generators hummed to life, casting everything in that eerie red glow.

The first attacker burst through the door in a shower of glass and metal. Lucas moved on instinct, keeping Emma behind him.

He had just enough control to keep from shifting. But not enough to hide the way his eyes blazed gold or his growl resonated with supernatural power.

More attackers poured in. Lucas’s security team engaged with practiced efficiency.

She hollered over the chaos, “The energy signature variations suggest the beginning of a biological transformation process,” Emma continued, documenting everything despite the madness. “The resonance patterns between your power output and my crystal’s response indicate an alteration of cellular structure that?—”

Lucas caught the first attacker’s throat. “Emma. Run.”

“But the readings?—”

“Now!”

She didn’t move. Of course, she didn’t move. His mate was too fascinated by the ‘unprecedented energy patterns’ to react to the danger.

The attacker lunged. Lucas met him with carefully controlled power, enough to demonstrate superiority without fully revealing his nature. But others were coming. Too many to fight while maintaining human appearance.

“The physical transformation patterns appear to be triggered by elevated threat responses,” Emma narrated, still taking readings.

His mate was documenting a supernatural battle like it was a fascinating experiment. Malcolm’s people were forcing him to choose between showing his altered self to his mate and defeat. Every protective instinct he possessed was screaming to shift and defend.

A familiar laugh cut through the chaos. Zayne launched through the busted window into the fray.

“Having fun?” he asked Lucas, casually tossing an attacker through the nearest wall. “Because you look like you could use a hand. Or a paw. You know, depending on how much longer you’re planning to pretend you’re not about to shift in front of your very observant mate.”

Lucas could only growl at him.

Zayne moved to guard Emma, his own supernatural nature barely contained. “Have to admit, her running commentary on our ‘fascinating physiological responses’ really adds something to the fight scene.”

Another crash. More attackers. Malcolm’s people were desperate to keep their secrets from the pride. Their deliberate destruction of their survival.

Lucas’s control slipped. Just for a moment. But long enough for Emma’s crystal to flare like a supernova, responding to power he couldn’t fully hide.

“The resonance patterns just shifted again!” She adjusted her sensors with unwavering focus.

“Emma.” Lucas caught another attacker without looking, his attention split between threats and his mate’s unstoppable scientific curiosity. “Perhaps this isn’t the best time for research?”

“The way your energy signature interfaces with my crystal--Oh, shit. Are those real claws?”

“Just wait until she sees the tail,” Zayne muttered, earning a snarl from Lucas. “What? It’s not like she’s not going to notice when you finally?—”

The wall exploded.

Lucas moved on pure instinct, wrapping Emma in his power as debris rained down. Her crystal flared in response, creating a harmonic resonance that made his cat take notice.

“Incoming!” Zayne’s warning came with another surge of power that sent Emma’s sensors into chaos.

The smoke cleared to reveal Malcolm himself, flanked by shifted enforcers. His smile was pure predator.

“Hello, Lucas,” he drawled. “Glad to see you little fragile mate is still around. I need to have a chat with her.”

Lucas’s growl shook the building.

“Fascinating harmonic resonance!” Emma noted.

“Emma.” Lucas didn’t take his eyes off Malcolm. “I need you to trust me.”

“Always! Though technically?—”

The enforcers attacked.

What followed would later be described in Emma’s notes as “a remarkable display of enhanced biological capabilities requiring thorough scientific investigation under controlled conditions.”

In the moment, it was pure anarchy.