The chamber's collapse didn't happen all at once.
It happened in layers.
First—the cold silence shattered.
A heavy metallic groan rolled through the walls, deep enough to shake dust loose from the ceiling panels.
Then—the suppressor vents coughed violently and died with a sputtering hiss.
Finally—the temperature in the room rose by several degrees, not from external heat…
but from me.
My own body felt too hot for my skin.
Too tight.
Too full.
I pressed my palm against the glass wall behind me.
It felt cold—refreshingly, painfully cold—
but it didn't last.
My own heat warmed the glass within seconds.
My breath trembled.
"Please… not like this…"
Another surge crashed over me—
sharp enough to bow my spine,
deep enough to force a soft sound past my clenched teeth.
The restraint overhead twitched again, then tore free entirely—
crashing onto the floor with a deafening metallic clang.
I jerked backward instinctively, hitting the wall with my shoulder.
The lights died completely.
The room fell into darkness.
Except for one thing:
The small blue light under the table pulsing in a rapid rhythm—
like a heartbeat.
Lucian.
I'm here.
Almost in.
Do NOT break.
But my body wasn't listening.
My instincts were drowning.
Horace…
His name slid through my mind like a plea, like a reflex, like something I couldn't stop.
The heat spiraled again—
raw
consuming
relentless—
pushing me toward a breaking point my mind couldn't hold steady much longer.
I crawled backward until my spine hit the cold glass.
Pressed my forehead against it.
Let the chill seep into my skin.
It helped.
Barely.
But not enough.
Tears slipped down my cheek before I could stop them.
"I'm trying… I'm trying so hard… please…"
A faint vibration trembled under the floor.
Lucian again.
Almost. Hold on.
But I was losing that hold.
CUT TO — ROWAN: BARELY STEADY ENOUGH TO FEEL HER
Rowan's breathing deepened—slowly, painfully—
as Chandler kept scenting him, grounding him with quiet, steady exhales of cedar warmth.
It took almost thirty full seconds before Rowan's fingers twitched.
Chandler froze.
"Rowan?"
Rowan's lashes fluttered.
Weak.
Barely open.
But open.
Lucian nearly sagged with relief.
"You're stabilizing. Good. Very good—"
Rowan cut him off with a whisper that broke halfway through:
"Sh-she's… she's… in pain…"
Chandler pulled him closer.
"I know. I know. We're going to her."
Rowan struggled weakly against Chandler's chest, breath shaking.
"I… I can feel her heat… rising… too fast…"
Chandler swallowed hard.
"How fast?"
Rowan's voice cracked.
"Stage… Stage-three… almost—almost shock…"
Lucian's face was drained of color.
"That's not possible—no room should push heat that far under suppression—"
Rowan pressed a palm to his sternum.
"She's alone… she's scared… she's—"
He choked on a breath.
"—she's calling for someone, Chandler. She's calling—"
He grabbed Chandler's shirt with trembling fingers.
"—she's calling him."
"Him?" Chandler breathed.
Rowan nodded weakly.
"…Horace…"
Chandler clenched his jaw.
"Good. Then he better hurry."
Lucian tapped commands on the datapad again and pointed to the door at the end of the hallway.
"Both of you. We're going now."
Chandler didn't hesitate.
He lifted Rowan into his arms again—
carefully, protectively—
and followed Lucian through the dim sub-level.
CUT TO — HORACE: THE DOOR THAT WON'T OPEN
Horace staggered down the hallway, gripping the rail to keep from falling again.
He reached the main Isolation Wing door—a thick steel monolith embedded with multiple locks, sensors, and energy seals.
Every light on its panel glowed red.
LOCKDOWN SEALED.
Horace's breath hitched painfully.
"No…"
He pressed his hand against the cold metal.
Her scent wasn't reaching him.
Not fully.
Not clearly.
But his instincts—
They screamed.
Instinct didn't lie.
She was in heat.
She was alone.
She was struggling.
She needed someone—
and the bond had chosen him.
His hand shook on the door.
"Elle… hold on…"
He braced himself.
Then—
slammed his shoulder into the steel.
Pain shot through his entire rib cage.
He gasped but pushed again.
And again.
"OPEN—!"
His voice cracked.
No give.
But he kept throwing himself at it.
His breathing grew ragged.
Blood beaded at the corner of his mouth.
Still—
He pushed.
He couldn't stop.
His body wouldn't let him.
His instincts wouldn't let him.
Finally—
A faint spark flickered along the edge of the door.
Lucian's override attempt reached this far down.
Horace pressed both hands to the door, forehead against the metal.
"Lucian… please… hurry…"
CUT TO — LUCAN: PHYSICAL OVERRIDE
Lucian reached the Isolation Wing core panel—
a wall of heavy machinery, thick cables, and live conduits.
He ripped open a panel with a tool that wasn't meant for this.
Inside—
thick wires glowed faintly.
Lucian's breath shook.
"Okay… okay… I can do this…"
Chandler shifted Rowan gently in his arms.
"Hurry."
"I know," Lucian snapped—then softened.
"I know. I'm trying."
Rowan whispered weakly:
"H… hurry… p-please…"
Chandler's arms tightened around him.
Lucian reached into the nest of wiring.
"This will trigger a manual override for the entire sub-level. It'll cut power to the containment grid for—maybe—fifteen seconds."
Chandler's voice dropped.
"Fifteen seconds is enough."
Lucian didn't look at him.
"If I get electrocuted, take the tool and cut the blue wire that splits off into three branches."
Chandler's jaw clenched.
"You're not dying."
Lucian didn't argue.
He grabbed the main line and twisted.
Sparks exploded from the panel.
The lights overhead flickered violently.
Rowan flinched.
Chandler held him tighter.
Lucian shouted over the electric crackling:
"GET READY!"
He twisted again—
The power core groaned—
And the entire hallway shook.
BACK IN ISOLATION — THE FIRST BREATH OF FREEDOM
The chamber lights died completely.
Then—
a breeze swept across the floor.
Warm.
Real.
Not suppressant.
Not artificial.
Air from outside.
The suppression grid had dropped—
if only for a moment.
My breath caught in my throat.
Heat slammed into me—
unfiltered—
raw—
so powerful I cried out softly before I could bite it back.
I covered my mouth with my hand, curling into myself as instinct overwhelmed thought.
My body trembled violently.
Pressure spiraled through me—
aching
pulling
seeking.
I whispered a single word into the dark:
"Horace…"
The blue light blinked again.
Lucian's frantic code.
The door opens soon. Hold.
I shook my head, tears spilling freely.
"I—I can't—Lucian I can't—please—hurry—"
But heat spilled through me uncontrollably.
My breath came sharp and uneven.
My legs trembled so hard I slid down onto the floor.
I pressed my forehead to the glass again.
My voice cracked in a barely audible whisper:
"I don't want to be alone…"
The chamber hummed sharply—
shuddering—
Then—
a deafening metallic BOOM echoed from outside the door.
Someone had hit it with full force.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
"ELLEANORE!
ANSWER ME—
ELLE—!"
Horace.
My chest caved.
My breath broke.
And something deep inside me answered him—
my instincts were flaring so hot I had to bite down a cry.
The glass heated beneath my palm.
He was right behind it.
When the Door Finally Gives
The chamber vibrated again—
a deep, rumbling shake that rattled the cot legs and sent dust falling from the ceiling.
The glass behind me trembled under my cheek.
I pressed my palm to it.
It felt warm.
Not from my own body—
a different warmth.
Like someone on the other side was touching it too.
"Horace…?"
My whisper cracked.
The chamber lights flickered erratically, then died entirely.
The blue light under the table pulsed again—rapid, frantic.
Lucian.
Heat-shock imminent.
Door override now. HOLD ON.
But I couldn't hold much longer.
Another wave of heat—Stage-3 intensity—crashed through me like molten metal poured into my veins.
My breath seized in my throat.
My fingers clawed weakly at the floor.
Not sexual.
Not lust.
Not desire.
Instinct.
Pure, overwhelming, biological instinct screaming for an anchor.
For someone.
For safety.
For scent.
For grounding.
For… him.
I curled forward, arms wrapped around my abdomen.
A helpless sound slipped out of me before I could choke it back.
"Horace… please…"
The chamber's system panicked in response.
"PRIME HEAT-SHOCK RISK HIGH."
"OVERRIDE FAILURE—OVERRIDE FAILURE—"
Sparks burst from the ceiling.
The entire left wall flickered with faint blue static.
Everything was failing at once.
I dug my nails into the floor tile, chest heaving, vision swimming.
My body felt too hot for my skin.
My scent—barely able to escape the suppression—spiked sharp and distressed.
The kind of scent that would send any Alpha sprinting across continents.
The kind of scent that was supposed to be soothed, calmed, held.
Instead it filled a sealed cage.
A trembling whisper escaped my lips:
"I don't want to be alone… I don't—"
Another surge ripped through me—
sharp enough to make my thighs tremble
deep enough to force my back to arch.
I bit down a cry that still broke free anyway.
My voice shook.
"Please…"
The glass wall behind me thrummed—
once.
Then again.
Then harder.
A fist.
A hand.
A body.
Someone was hitting it from the other side.
CUT TO — HORACE: RIPPING HIS BODY APART TO REACH HER
Horace slammed both fists against the sealed chamber door so hard that blood smeared across the metal.
He barely noticed.
His breath came in ragged, pained bursts.
His ribs screamed every time he moved.
His legs buckled under him, but he forced them up again.
The heat pulling at his instincts wasn't his—
but it felt close.
Close enough to suffocate him.
"Elleanore!"
His voice cracked.
"ELLE—ANSWER ME—!"
He pressed his forehead against the door, chest heaving.
On the other side—
a faint, broken sound.
Her.
He jerked upright.
He slammed his shoulder against the door, ignoring the ripping pain along his side.
"DON'T BE SCARED—
I'M RIGHT HERE—"
Another muffled, choked noise came from inside.
Horace's entire body shook.
He hit the door again—
again—
again—
each strike harder than his injuries should've allowed.
But the door barely dented.
He was weakening.
His vision blurred.
Pain shot through his abdomen.
His knees buckled—
but he caught himself on the wall, panting.
He whispered her name like a prayer.
"Elle…
please…
stay awake…"
He braced his legs.
And hit the door with everything he had left.
CUT TO — ROWAN: TRYING TO STAND
Rowan's eyes fluttered weakly open.
The scent of cedar—Chandler's scent—kept him anchored.
Kept him breathing.
Kept the collapse from sinking him into darkness.
His voice was barely a whisper:
"She's… she's in heat-shock… she's slipping… Horace—he's breaking himself—Chandler… we need to go…"
Chandler tightened his grip around Rowan's shoulders.
"No. You're not standing yet—"
Rowan shook his head, a tremor running down his spine.
"I can't—feel her for long… if she loses consciousness… her body will—will collapse…"
Chandler went still.
Lucian looked up sharply from the core grid wires.
"What do you mean collapse?"
Rowan swallowed.
His voice cracked.
"She'll stop breathing."
Chandler's entire body snapped into a different state—
a cold, focused, Alpha stillness.
Lucian didn't waste a second.
He grabbed Rowan's other arm.
"Chandler—help him up."
Chandler's voice was low and raw.
"He can't walk."
Rowan whispered:
"I… can…"
Chandler didn't argue.
He hooked Rowan's arm around his shoulders and lifted him carefully.
Rowan's legs shook violently.
But he stayed upright.
Barely.
"Lead," Chandler ordered.
Lucian nodded.
"Stay behind me. The moment the grid crashes, the entire sub-level will short."
They moved.
Rowan clung to Chandler.
Chandler braced every step.
Lucian ran ahead, searching for the final switch that would kill the lock on her door.
CUT TO — LUCAN: THE FINAL OVERRIDE
The Isolation Wing's main control panel was massive.
Thick cables.
Layered locks.
A physical override mechanism behind bulletproof casing.
Lucian ripped the casing apart using a metal bar he'd grabbed from the maintenance wall.
Screws snapped.
Glass shattered.
He reached into the exposed wires, ignoring the sparks that bit into his skin.
Chandler heard Rowan whimper softly and held him closer.
Lucian twisted two thick cables together.
A jolt shot up his arms.
The lights went white-hot.
He screamed.
Chandler shouted:
"LUCIAN—!"
Lucian gritted his teeth, forcing the cables together even as electricity crawled up his spine.
He hissed through clenched teeth:
"Come on—
COME ON—
OPEN—THE—DOOR—!"
The system finally responded.
Alarms blared.
The corridor shook.
And the panel flashed:
FULL OVERRIDE ACCEPTED
ISOLATION CHAMBER A-01 — UNLOCKING
Chandler's grip tightened around Rowan.
Lucian sagged backward, gasping.
"GO—!" he yelled hoarsely.
"GO TO HER—NOW!"
BACK IN ISOLATION — HEAT-SHOCK
The chamber's mechanical voice sputtered:
"LOCKDOWN—DISENGAGE—"
"GRID FAILURE—IMMINENT—"
"CONTAINMENT—OPENING—"
Then—
click.
A lock unlatched.
Another.
Another.
My breath seized.
I lifted my head, vision blurry, chest heaving.
A final lock clanked.
The door groaned.
Lights flickered behind the seal.
I reached a hand toward it—
fingers trembling uncontrollably.
"…Horace…"
Another surge crashed through me so strong my body jerked.
My hand smacked against the glass.
Heat-shock.
My instincts spiraled so violently I couldn't keep my thoughts straight.
My body was shaking—
too hot
too tight
too overwhelmed—
and I couldn't breathe.
I pressed my forehead to the cold glass, panting.
"I—I need—someone—
please—"
My voice cracked into a soft, breaking plea.
The glass vibrated.
Hard.
Then—
with a deafening BOOM—
the outer door slammed open.
Air rushed inward.
Voices—
familiar
desperate
terrified—
shouted my name.
"Elleanore!"
"Elle!"
"We're here—!"
I gasped.
My head shot up.
The inner chamber door shuddered—
once.
Twice.
Then—
HORACE'S VOICE—ragged, trembling—right against the seal:
"Elle—
I'm right here—
open your eyes—"
Something inside me broke at the sound.
A sob tore out of me—raw, helpless, instinctual.
I pressed my hand harder to the glass.
"Horace—
I can't—
please—help—"
The door buckled.
My vision swam.
The chamber spun around me.
I slid sideways, collapsing onto the floor as heat-shock stole my balance.
The last thing I felt was my cheek against the cold tile—
And the door groaning under the force of someone who refused to stop.
Someone who wouldn't leave me alone.
Someone breaking himself open to reach me.