Chapter 39

THIRTY-NINE

E mma’s head was a heavy blur, the sharp sting of cold metal pressing into her skin. The room she found herself in was dark except for the harsh, sterile light overhead that only seemed to intensify the ache in her skull.

She groaned, straightening her back, and blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of her surroundings. Her wrists were shackled to the arms of a metal chair bolted firmly to the floor. She had no idea how long she’d been unconscious.

Across from her, Lucas groaned as well, the low sound laced with a growl of frustration. Thick metal chains were wrapped around his body. His broad chest rose and fell with each breath, his golden eyes snapping open, scanning the room with a sharpness that only his panther instincts could provide.

His gaze locked onto her, and for a moment, there was only silence as they took each other in, the palpable tension between them thickening the air.

“Emma,” he rasped, his voice hoarse as if it hadn’t been used in days. “Are you okay?”

Emma blinked, swallowing the lump in her throat. The sight of him shackled, his body tense with a barely contained fury, made her stomach twist in a knot. But she couldn’t afford to fall apart. Not now. Not when they were this close.

“I’m fine,” she said, her voice steadier than she felt. “Are you?”

Lucas didn’t immediately answer. His jaw tightened as his eyes swept over their surroundings again. The faint hum of machinery was the only sound besides their breathing, and the unmistakable smell of metal and damp concrete filled the air.

The walls were made of reinforced steel, and the low vibrations under her feet suggested they were deep underground. Whoever had taken them had clearly spared no expense in ensuring they wouldn’t escape.

His gaze flicked to the restraints holding them both, and Emma saw a glint of anger in his eyes before he turned his head to meet hers once more. “We’ll get out of this,” he said, voice soft but certain.

Before she could reply, the door slid open with a hiss, a sound sharp in the silence that had settled over them. A figure appeared in the doorway—tall, composed, and with a gleam of triumph in his dark eyes. Malcolm. The man who had orchestrated everything. The man who believed himself to be the savior of their kind.

He entered the room without hesitation, his presence commanding. Two of his enforcers flanked him, standing silent and watchful like stone statues. Malcolm’s gaze slid over Emma and Lucas, lingering on them for a long moment as if savoring their discomfort.

“Ah,” he said, his voice smooth, almost affectionate. “The mighty Alpha Lucas. The brilliant Dr. Greene. I must say, I admire your tenacity. You’re both stronger than I gave you credit for.”

Emma’s lip curled in disdain, but she kept her tone level. “Cut the pleasantries, Malcolm. You’ve been pulling the strings in this pride for years. What do you want with us?”

He smiled faintly, though there was little warmth in the expression. “I want you to understand,” he said, his gaze shifting to Lucas before returning to Emma. “I want you to see what I’m doing is necessary. The pride was dying, Dr. Greene. You came here to fix a problem you didn’t understand.”

“You don’t get to decide what’s ‘necessary,’” Lucas shot back, his voice growing colder. “You’ve turned us into your lab rats. You’ve taken families, bloodlines, and erased them like they never mattered.”

Malcolm tilted his head, unfazed. “You misunderstand. I ensured the pride’s survival.”

Emma’s heart pounded. “By manipulating people’s genetics? By controlling who mates with whom?”

He raised a finger, quieting her before she could speak further. “I’m saving the pride from extinction,” Malcolm continued, his tone deliberate. “You don’t know what it was like when we first moved down from the mountains, when our people were weakened by the human gene pool. We were fighting for our very existence. And that fight continues.”

Lucas’s breathing deepened, and his fingers clenched into fists at his sides. “You’ve poisoned everything, Malcolm. You’ve made us forget who we really are—our humanity. You took our choice, our power.”

Malcolm growled, and he shook his head slowly. “No, Lucas. I did what was necessary to save us. Our strength had to come from somewhere, and I made sure we didn’t fall to the weakness of human influence. Those who thought differently…” His voice trailed off, and he didn’t need to say more. The implication hung in the air.

Emma felt the rage surge inside her, but she kept her focus. “You’ve played god with us. You’ve stripped away everything that made your pride unique.”

Malcolm sighed as though disappointed in her lack of understanding. “I did what was needed. But maybe you’ll understand soon enough.”

He paused, his gaze flicking to the two enforcers behind him. “Leave us,” he said, his voice low but commanding.

The enforcers exchanged a glance, but after a brief moment of hesitation, they nodded and exited the room, closing the door behind them with an ominous clang. The room was still again, the only sound their breathing and the faint hum of machinery.

Malcolm took a step closer to Emma, and she could feel the heat of his gaze on her. “You’re smart, Dr. Greene. Too smart for your own good. But perhaps you’ll see things differently once you’ve heard everything. Your grandmother, Magdalena, was a valuable asset to this cause. She understood the need for control. She saw the future, and she knew we couldn’t afford weakness.”

Emma’s chest tightened at the mention of her grandmother. She knew Mags had been involved with the pride’s genetic work, but this was something else. Something darker. “I’m sure she had nothing to do with your plans.”

Malcolm met her gaze evenly. “No. She wasn’t willing. When she began questioning the methods we were using, I took matters into my own hands. I had her injected with shifter DNA to silence her doubts. It didn’t take long for her to lose her mind.”

Emma’s stomach lurched, her head spinning with disbelief. “You did this to her? You made her?—”

“She died because her body couldn’t handle it,” Malcolm interrupted, his voice flat. “But it was the only way to ensure she stayed quiet. She was a necessary casualty in the name of our future.”

Emma’s world tilted. The woman who had loved her unconditionally, who had been a mentor, a guiding force in her life, had been silenced in the cruelest possible way. And now Malcolm was standing here, justifying it as if it was an acceptable price to pay.

Her voice was tight with fury. “You killed her to protect your secrets.”

Malcolm replied as though he were stating a simple fact: “And I would do it again. There are no heroes in survival, Dr. Greene. Only those willing to make the hard choices.”

Emma could barely breathe, the weight of his words pressing down on her chest. “Your ‘hard choices’ have destroyed families. You’ve destroyed everything that makes us human. And for what? Power?”

“I’ve done what was needed to ensure the survival of our kind,” he said, his tone colder now. “And when all is said and done, history will remember me as the one who saved us.”

Emma’s voice shook with rage. “You’re nothing but a monster.”

Her heart raced, and as the crystal around her neck pulsed faintly, she could feel it stirring with an energy of its own. It was as though the crystal itself had heard the words, reacting in response. Emma didn’t know how, but she could feel the connection to it more strongly now, as if something deep within her was urging her to act.

She glanced quickly at Lucas, and their eyes locked. Without a word, she knew he could feel it too—the pull between them, the power of their bond. She could feel the connection to the crystal intensifying, and her mind sharpened with purpose.

She focused, directing the power of the crystal outward, calling on it to help her. The crystal glowed brighter, casting a soft light against the walls of the dim room.

Malcolm’s eyes narrowed. “What are you doing?” he asked, his voice sharp with suspicion.

But Emma didn’t answer. She continued to focus, pushing the energy outward, channeling it in a way she never had before. The surge was almost overwhelming, and she could feel her body trembling with the effort.

But before she could send the power, Malcolm’s hand grasped the crystal around her neck, yanking it forward.

“No!” Emma cried out, but it was too late. The crystal’s glow flickered and dimmed.

Malcolm’s voice was low and dangerous. “I wondered what had happened the last time when that incredible power flashed. Quite interesting. This could prove more interesting than genetically enhanced shifters.”

His eyes narrowed on her. “I may keep you around, after all, Dr. Greene. I’m sure you’ll be an excellent lab experiment.”