(Nyx POV)
I woke to light that cut through my skull and the sharp sting of iron cuffs around my wrists. The air smelled of bleach and blood. A low hum rattled through the floor—machinery, constant and cold.
The Human Justice League didn't do dungeons.They did laboratories.
My body throbbed where the tranquilizers had burned through my veins. My head swam. I tugged at the restraints once, twice. Nothing.
Kelly stirred faintly inside me—weak but there.Stay awake, she whispered. Stay alive.
The door hissed open. Boots scraped against metal. A woman in a white coat entered, clipboard in hand, followed by two guards. She didn't even look at me when she spoke.
"Subject 17. Hybrid sample. Accelerated cellular regeneration confirmed."
Her tone was casual—like she was ordering coffee.
"Where is my friend?" I rasped.
The woman didn't answer. She nodded to the guards instead. One pressed a button.
Electricity tore through me. My spine arched, a strangled sound ripped from my throat.
"Where is she?" I shouted again.
"Test parameters," the woman said coolly. "Lycan endurance. Neural resistance."
The next shock hit harder. My vision went white.
Hold, Kelly urged, her voice distant but steady. They want you to break.
I bit down until I tasted blood. "You'll have to try harder," I hissed.
The woman gave a small, clinical sigh. "We will."
When they left, I slumped forward, wrists blistered where the cuffs had burned. My throat was raw. Kelly hummed faintly in the back of my mind—a heartbeat against the dark.
Then—soft, different—footsteps. Not soldiers.
"Princess," a whisper came.
I lifted my head. A girl slipped through the half-open door—young, sharp-eyed, her dark hair matted to her cheeks. The hybrid from the woods.
She moved fast, checking the corners, then the hall. When her eyes met mine, they filled with tears.
"I know you," I breathed. "In the woods. We fought."
She flinched but didn't deny it. Her hands trembled as she reached for the cuffs. A hidden blade flashed from her sleeve; the locks clicked open one by one.
"Why?" I croaked. "Why help me?"
She didn't answer—just shook her head.
I caught her wrist. "Where's Tamsin?"
The question froze her. Her throat worked around the words. Tears spilled before she could stop them. She shook her head once—sharp, final.
The room tilted. I caught her face in my hands, our foreheads touching. "No. Please—say it's not true." My voice trembled. "I'm so sorry. She was your mate."
Her breath hitched. "She told me to tell you to live." Her voice cracked. "She… she fought until they couldn't take her alive. She drew them away so I could get in."
"You loved her."
"She was my mate," she whispered. "She was all I had left."
I swallowed hard, forcing grief into purpose. "Then help me make it mean something. Come with me. I can keep you safe."
She shook her head. "I can't. They'd find me. But you—you still have a chance."
"Tell me your name," I said softly. "Tell me what to remember."
She blinked away tears. "Willow."
"Willow," I echoed. "Please… come find me. When this is over, come find me."
She hesitated, then nodded once. "Go—follow the yellow line," she said, her tone shifting to command. "Before they reset the grid."
I pushed to my feet, dizzy but standing. "Why risk this?"
Her eyes lingered on me—something like reverence, or maybe resignation."Because she believed in you. And she told me you carry something the world can't afford to lose."
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
Willow's gaze dropped to my stomach. "Congratulations, Princess," she said softly. "You're pregnant."
The words hit like a blow. "That's not possible."
She gave a small, sad smile. "It's already begun—the prophecy. The life inside you is proof."
I stared at her, heart pounding. "How do you know?"
"Because they scanned you," she whispered. "They wanted to know if the bond made you fertile—if the union of wolf and Lycan could create what they fear most."
Her eyes darted toward the door, panic rising.
"What do they fear?"
"You," Willow said simply. "A child who can end their bloodline war."
I stood frozen, the words falling like stones.
Willow grabbed my hand. "Tamsin died to keep you breathing. Don't waste it."
My throat tightened. "She—she died for me."
"No," Willow said, eyes wet but steady. "She died for hope. Take care of the prophecy. She lives through you. Make it count."
The alarms blared outside—flashing red lights painting our faces in pulses.
Willow shoved a data drive into my palm and turned toward the door. "That's all their files on you. Now go."
"Willow—"
She cut me off with a hard shove. "Run, Princess. And listen—you can't go home. There are too many targets on your back now. They can't keep you safe."
Her words followed me into the corridor—through the gunfire, through the blinding lights, through the chaos of escape.
And somewhere deep inside, Kelly's voice rose again—fierce, alive.Run, Nyx. We're not done