(Nyx POV)
I needed space. I needed to think.
The council chamber still echoed in my head—Liana's voice, the Queen's measured calm, the way Dorian hadn't met my eyes when the guards escorted us out. Everyone was playing politics—everyone except me.
I left our quarters in my workout clothes before I could talk myself out of it. No guards. No entourage. No Dorian. The Queen had "requested his presence" for further questions and diplomatic cleanup, which was just code for stay here, smile for the cameras, pretend everything's under control.
Nothing was under control.
The palace halls were silent except for the echo of my sneakers on marble. I didn't stop until I reached the eastern gate, where the torches burned low and the guards didn't ask questions.
Tamsin appeared seconds later, jogging up behind me. "You really think you're leaving without backup?"
"Don't worry," I said, tying my hair into a knot. "Just going for a midnight run. Clear my head."
She arched a brow. "Good try. Let's go, girl. Cassian would have my ass if I let you out alone."
I didn't argue.
The night air hit cold and sharp, biting against my arms as we crossed the ridge. Far below us, the human city glowed faintly—a halo of electric light where wolves were nothing but rumors.
The scent here was different.Fewer laws. More lies.
We stripped fast, tied our clothes into leather bundles, and looped them around our necks before shifting. It wasn't elegant, but it kept us from running home naked.
We ran in wolf form, side by side, for miles. The rhythm helped—breath, heartbeat, dirt underfoot. For a while, I could almost forget the chaos waiting behind palace walls.
Two hours passed before Tamsin slowed and shifted, her breath misting in the cold. "Okay, warrior princess. Enough. We head back."
"Just a little longer," I said. "Please."
She sighed, rolling her eyes. "You're impossible. You know that?"
Kelly sniffed at the air, uneasy. We should go back, she warned, her voice rough with instinct. They'll come after us.
I shifted back too, skin prickling as the night wind hit me.
That's when I heard it—metal grinding softly against metal.
My body froze before my mind caught up.
Tamsin stopped beside me, scanning the trees.
Instinct took over. I crouched low, blade drawn from my pack, the faint hum of danger vibrating through my bones.
The forest went quiet.Too quiet.
Even the wind held its breath.
Then a voice drifted from the dark—smooth, taunting, wrong.
"I know you're near," it sang. "I can smell you. Come out, come out, little wolfies. I want to play."
The tone shifted—childish, then cruel.
"And after," the voice cooed, "maybe I'll skin you alive and hang you on my mantel."
I glanced at Tamsin. Ew, I mouthed.
Her glare said Focus.
We crouched lower, hands signaling silently.How many?She raised three fingers—then hesitated, four.
Plan?You wait. I distract.
I shook my head. No.
Her look hardened. Go.
Before I could argue, she darted left, crashing through the underbrush—intentionally noisy, like a spark in dry grass. Two figures broke from the shadows and chased her instantly.
"Tamsin!" I shouted, opening the link. Sounds of static. Nothing.
Kelly snarled. Somehow, they are blocking us.
I spun toward the trees—and that's when the first dart hissed past my shoulder.
Adrenaline hit. I dropped low and rolled. Another dart sliced through the air, embedding in a tree trunk. The metal tip gleamed faintly with green light.
Tranquilizer.
"Cowards!" I shouted into the dark.
No answer. Just another scrape of metal—then movement.
I slashed out at the sound—steel met steel, sparks bursting. The shadow lunged. I caught a glimpse of black armor, a mask, and an insignia scorched across the chestplate.
The Human Justice League—HJL.
Kelly roared through me, and I let her power surge. My eyes burned gold. My muscles tensed. I struck—elbow to the jaw, kick to the ribs. The masked figure went down with a grunt, but another stepped out from behind the trees, then another.
I slashed the next one across the thigh. He staggered, cursed, and dropped his weapon. I kicked it away, pivoted to block the third. My blade met his—metal screamed, sparks flew.
A sharp sting hit my neck.
I stumbled.
Another dart.
My vision flickered.
"Not yet," I growled, forcing my body to move. I swung again, caught one across the faceplate, spun, ducked—every motion slower than the last.
The forest blurred. The air thickened.
Kelly howled inside me, but her voice was fading. Nyx—move!
I tried. My knees buckled. I hit the ground hard, palms scraping rock and dirt.
A hand caught my hair, yanking my head back. I slashed upward blindly, blade connecting with something soft—a throat. The grip released. Blood sprayed. I dropped to one knee.
"Run," I gasped, though I didn't know who I was talking to anymore.
My limbs were ice. My vision stuttered.
The world spun in flashes—faces, masks, insignias blurring together.
Kelly was screaming, but I couldn't understand her.
I crawled toward the trees, dragging myself forward. My fingers found bark, rough and real. I clung to it like an anchor.
Boots crunched behind me.
A shadow loomed. "That's enough," a voice said softly. "Don't damage the merchandise."
A gloved hand flipped me over. I tried to strike, but my arms wouldn't move. The tranquilizer turned my blood to stone.
Through the blur, I saw their insignia again—stylized scales over a burning sun. Justice. Humanity.
Monsters.
The leader crouched beside me, voice distorted by the mask. "You should've stayed in your cage, Princess."
My throat burned, but I managed a whisper. "Go to hell."
He chuckled. "Already there sweatheart."
The world narrowed to a tunnel of light and sound. My heart thundered. My lungs refused to fill.
Kelly's voice reached me one last time, faint and far away. Survive. Don't give them anything.
Then the world went black.