Chapter 206
Chapter 206
-Ava’s POV-
My wolf growled then, and it was the loudest I had ever heard.
3
61%
(+23)
The shift happened. It wasn’t gradual. It wasn’t controlled. It ripped through me like a tidal wave, and I barely had time to brace myself before it consumed me.
A pulse–strong, wild, ancient–shot through my bones. Heat erupted in my veins, fire licking at my skin, but there was no pain. Only raw, unfiltered power surging through every inch of me.
I let it take me.
With a snarl, I lunged at the vault door. My claws–sharper, deadlier than before–sank into the metal like it was nothing. The thick steel groaned, the vibrations rattling through the ground.
I felt the power twist through me, a force beyond just my wolf, something deeper–something other.
The vault shattered.
A deafening boom tore through the chamber as the reinforced steel crumpled under my strength, folding inward like A shockwave blasted outward, sending debris flying. Dust and smoke clouded the air, choking the dim light from the overhead bulbs.
Then, as suddenly as it had come–the power
vanished.
paper.
The force drained out of me like water slipping through my fingers. My body buckled under the sudden loss, muscles seizing, bones snapping back. My claws retracted, my skin burned as fur receded, my limbs shaking violently as I was forced back into my human form.
I barely caught myself before I hit the ground.
I gasped, my vision spinning. My lungs felt hollow, my limbs like dead weight. The loss of that power left a gaping void inside me, but I didn’t let it consume me. Not now.
I pushed myself up on trembling arms, my mind already shifting back to the only thing that mattered–my father.
Through the settling dust, I saw him, slumped against my mother, his skin ashen, his breathing weak. His body sagged in the restraints, the cursed silver still eating at him.
I forced myself to my feet, ignoring the way my legs nearly gave but beneath me. “Father-”
I stumbled forward, reaching him as my mother struggled to keep him upright. Blood streaked his shirt, the dark stains growing.
My mother turned to me, her own eyes still wide, but she said nothing–just stripped off her suit jacket and thrust it toward
- me.
“Put this on,” She said quickly, her voice leaving no room for argument.
I barely registered the fabric as I slipped my arms through the sleeves, the warmth of it grounding me just enough to push forward.
12:02 Thu, Feb 13
Chapter 206
“We need to get him up,” I said, already shifting to grab his other arm.
.
My father groaned, his head lolling forward as he tried to focus on me. “Ava…” His voice was barely above a whisper.
61%1
(+23)
“I’m here,” I said firmly, wrapping his arm around my shoulders, bearing as much of his weight as I could. “We’re getting you out of here.”
My mother moved quickly, taking his other side. “We need to move fast. That poison is still spreading.”
He let out a rough cough, but I could feel him trying to push through the pain, trying to stay conscious.
“We need a counter,” I said, breathless, adjusting my grip. “Nightshade and wolfsbane. You said it could neutralize the poison.”
My father barely nodded, his breathing labored. “Damien… he wouldn’t have left me here without making sure…” He winced. “There might be… something. Hidden. Close.”
My mother and I exchanged a look.
“He wouldn’t have taken the risk,” she murmured. “If the poison was his failsafe, he would have ensured it couldn’t be reversed. But if Luther’s right…”
“Then there’s an antidote somewhere,” I finished, “But we don’t have time to search the entire compound. Grayson’s friend is a witch. She can do a spell to stop the spread and then we can find it and Damien said we have only twenty minutes. This place is probably going to blow up. We need to get out of here.”
My mother nodded, tightening her grip on my father as we moved, dragging his weight between us. My legs trembled, my breath came in sharp gasps, but we pushed forward.
The hallway stretched ahead, dim and eerily silent except for the low hum of the factory machines. The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood. Bodies littered the floor–wolves and men alike, their lifeless forms sprawled in unnatural angles.
No survivors.
Only our ragged breathing and the relentless drone of the machines filled the void.
I swallowed down the nausea clawing at my throat and kept moving. We had no time to grieve, no time to think about the carnage. The only thing that mattered was getting my father out of here.
Finally, we reached an exit.
I felt the surge of relief first–then dread.
The door was locked.
I turned to my mother, chest heaving. “I don’t have the strength break this one down.”
She didn’t hesitate.
With a swift movement, she unhooked my father from her side, supporting his weight just long enough for me to lower him gently to the ground. His body sagged against the cold floor, his breathing shallow, but his eyes–still filled with pain, still heavy with something unspoken–locked onto mine.
My mother stepped forward, inspecting the lock. “It’s a padlock she muttered. Her claws extended, gleaming in the dim
(423)
12:02 Thu, Feb 13 B tia.
Chapter 206
light. “I can break it.”
She struck hard.
3
Metal groaned under her blows as she slashed and hammered at it, the sound echoing through the empty hallway.
Behind me, my father let out a ragged breath. “Ava…”
I turned to him quickly, shaking my head. “Don’t talk. We’re getting you out of here.”
He coughed, his body shuddering. “I’m sorry,” he rasped. “For everything… I—”
I clenched my jaw, eyes burning. “Stop,” I whispered. “Not now. Just hold on.”
But he only shook his head weakly, his hand twitching as if he wanted to reach for me. “I—”
A sharp whirring noise cut through the air.
I whipped around, my heart lurching as the machines deeper in the factory hummed louder, the sound rising, vibrating through the walls.
“What’s going on?” I asked, my voice barely above a breath.
My father swallowed hard, his gaze flickering toward the heavy pipes lining the walls. “We’re out of time,” he rasped. “This place is about to erupt.”
Panic shot through me like ice.
I turned back to my mother. “Hurry!”
“I’m hitting it as fast as I can!” She shouted, her claws slamming into the lock again and again. Sparks flew, metal screeched -but it wasn’t giving way fast enough.
I clenched my fists, forcing down the rising fear.
We had minutes–maybe seconds–before everything went up in flames and we were still trapped inside.
My mother’s claws struck the padlock again, harder this time, and the lock snapped open with a sharp crack. She pulled it off with one powerful tug, throwing it aside like it was nothing.
Without hesitation, she shoved the door open, the screech of metal on metal echoing through the hallway.
“Get him on his feet!” My mother’s voice was tight with urgency her eyes wild as she rushed back to us.
I knelt beside my father, my heart racing as I helped him push himself up, his body trembling with exhaustion and pain. “Come on. Just a little more,” I whispered, my breath ragged.
My father’s face twisted in agony as he struggled, but he leaned on me, pushing through the pain. The heat from the factory was unbearable now, licking at our skin, hot enough to scorch. I could feel the pressure building, the air around us thick with the promise of destruction.
The walls groaned–louder now. The foundation of the building trembled beneath our feet.
“We have to move faster,” My mother said, voice low and frantic as she dragged us toward the door.
12:02 Thu, Feb 13 ti.
Chapter 206
61%
(+23)
With every step, 1 felt the air growing hotter, the ground shaking more violently beneath us. I was barely holding my father up, my strength failing with each step, but we had no choice but to keep going.
We were almost there.
I could feel the weight of the factory behind us, the air thick with the scent of gasoline, metal, and blood. My father’s breathing was shallow, weak, but he was still alive, still fighting.
That was when it happened.
A deafening roar shook the very air around us, followed by a violent tremor that sent me stumbling forward.
Then the world around us exploded.
