CURSED LYCAN
Kael's body tensed beside her. Sera could feel it through the blood bond—his exhaustion warring with rage. The drugs were wearing off, but he was still weak. Still recovering from the extraction.
They couldn't fight. Not like this.
"Let us go," Sera said. "You already have what you need. His blood. The research. Just let us walk away."
Valeria laughed. "Oh, Sera. You think this is about blood? About research?" She stepped forward. The corrupted lycans moved with her, synchronized. "This is about legacy. About proving that the old ways are dead. And to do that, I need Kael to die here. Tonight. In front of everyone who still believes in the Bloodmoon name."
"You're insane," Kael said.
"I'm pragmatic. As long as you're alive, lycans will hope. Will resist. Will cling to the fantasy that the old packs can return." Valeria's golden eyes gleamed. "But if the last Bloodmoon alpha dies broken and defeated, that hope dies with him."
Sera's mind raced. They needed a way out. But the gates were sealed. Guards were pouring out of the facility behind them. Corrupted lycans blocked the front.
They were trapped.
Unless.
"The files," Sera said quietly to Kael. "I took files from Marcus's office. Evidence of everything they've done."
"So?"
"So if we don't make it out, someone needs to know the truth."
She pulled the papers from her jacket. Looked around desperately. There—a drainage grate near the wall. She ran for it.
"Stop her!" Valeria shouted.
A corrupted lycan lunged. Kael intercepted it despite his weakness. They crashed to the ground, thrashing.
Sera reached the grate. Pried it open. Shoved the files inside. Into the darkness where the water flowed. Away from here. Away from Valeria's reach.
Maybe they'd be found. Maybe they wouldn't. But it was a chance.
Hands grabbed her from behind. She fought. Kicked. Bit. Got thrown ten feet. Hit the ground hard. Her vision blurred.
When it cleared, Valeria stood over her.
"Foolish." She crouched down. "Those files mean nothing. Who would believe them? A rogue hunter and a cursed lycan making wild accusations?"
"People believed my sister."
"And look where that got her."
Sera spit blood. "Riley was right about you. About all of this. And eventually, someone will listen. Someone will investigate. And when they do, your whole operation burns."
"Maybe." Valeria stood. "But you won't be alive to see it."
She raised her hand. The corrupted lycans moved in.
Then the air changed.
It got heavier. Charged. Like electricity before lightning.
Kael was standing now. But something was different. His eyes were flickering—silver to gold to black. His breathing had changed. And his body. It was shaking. Changing. But not into the beast.
Into something else.
"No," Valeria whispered. "That's impossible."
Kael threw his head back and screamed.
The sound wasn't human. Wasn't lycan. It was something primal. Ancient. The kind of sound that made every instinct scream run.
Then the transformation happened.
His body exploded outward. Bones cracking and reforming. Fur rippling across skin that glowed faintly silver. He grew. Eight feet. Ten. Twelve. Muscles bulging. Claws like knives. And his eyes.
His eyes stayed silver. But they burned now. Bright enough to hurt looking at them.
"The true form," Valeria breathed. "The first transformation. How—"
Kael roared.
The corrupted lycans charged. He met them head-on.
It wasn't a fight. It was a massacre.
He moved like liquid death. Faster than anything that size should move. His claws tore through corrupted flesh like it was paper. His jaws crushed bone. In thirty seconds, ten corrupted lycans were dead.
The rest hesitated.
Kael turned to face Valeria. Took one step toward her.
She ran.
The remaining corrupted lycans scattered. Even they knew when they were outmatched.
Sera pushed herself up. Stared at Kael's new form. He was massive. Terrifying. Beautiful in a way that made her chest ache.
"Kael?" she called.
He turned. Those burning silver eyes locked on her.
For a moment, she thought he wouldn't recognize her. Thought whatever this transformation was had taken his mind.
Then he lowered his head. A gesture of recognition. Of protection.
"We need to go," she said. "Before reinforcements come."
He nodded. Moved to the gate. Grabbed the metal bars with both hands and pulled.
The gate tore apart like tin foil.
Sera ran through. Kael followed. Behind them, the facility erupted with activity. Guards shouting. Alarms blaring. But no one followed.
They couldn't. Not against whatever Kael had become.
They ran for hours. Deep into the forest. Kael stayed in his new form, moving on all fours, faster than Sera could run. He'd stop periodically. Wait for her to catch up. Then continue.
Finally, when dawn started breaking, he stopped at a river.
Sera collapsed on the bank. Gasping. Her legs felt like jelly. Her lungs burned.
Kael's transformation reversed. Slowly. Painfully. Until he was human again. He fell to his knees in the water. Breathing hard.
"What was that?" Sera asked when she could speak. "That form. I've never seen anything like it."
"The curse." His voice was rough. Raw. "It's not just killing me. It's changing me. Turning me into what Bloodmoon alphas used to be. Before we evolved. Before we learned to control the shift."
"That thing back there. That wasn't evolution?"
"That was regression. To the first lycans. The ones who hunted gods." He looked at his hands. They were shaking. "That form takes everything. Every bit of strength. Every bit of will. I can't hold it for long."
"But you held it long enough to save us."
"Barely." Kael cupped water in his hands. Drank. "I could feel myself slipping. If the fight had lasted another minute, I would've lost control completely. Killed everything. Including you."
Sera moved beside him. Sat in the shallow water. "But you didn't."
"This time."
"Then we make sure there isn't a next time. We find the cure. Break the curse before you have to shift like that again."
Kael laughed. It was bitter. "The cure. Right. We just broke out of Valeria's main facility. She knows we're coming for her now. She'll be ready."
"Good. Let her be ready." Sera grabbed his face. Made him look at her. "I am done running. Done hiding. Done watching people I care about get hurt by monsters like her and Marcus. We end this. Together."
His silver eyes searched hers. "You care about me?"
"Don't let it go to your head."
This time his smile was real. "Too late."
They sat in the river as dawn broke around them. Two warriors. Both damaged. Both fighting battles they couldn't win.
But fighting together.
"The files I hid," Sera said. "If they make it downstream to the next town, someone will find them. Report them."
"Maybe. If Valeria doesn't retrieve them first."
"She won't. The drainage system feeds into the public water supply. She can't search every outlet without raising suspicions." Sera pulled her knees to her chest. "It's a small victory. But it's something."
"Your sister would be proud."
"My sister would tell me I'm an idiot for not running when I had the chance."
"Probably." Kael stood. Offered his hand. "But she'd also tell you that doing the right thing isn't about being smart. It's about being brave."
Sera took his hand. Let him pull her up. "When did you get so wise?"
"Two years of impending death gives you perspective."
They made camp in a cave near the river. Kael started a fire while Sera foraged for anything edible. She found berries. Some roots that looked safe. Not much, but enough.
They ate in silence. Both lost in thought.
"What you said earlier," Kael said finally. "About people you care about. Did you mean it?"
Sera looked at him. At this lycan who'd saved her life. Who'd fought beside her. Who'd become something she never expected.
"Yes," she said simply.
"Even knowing what I am? What I'll become?"
"Especially knowing that."
Kael was quiet for a long moment. Then he said, "The blood bond. When we formed it, I felt something. Something I haven't felt since my pack died."
"What?"
"Connection. Like I wasn't alone anymore." He met her eyes. "You make me want to keep fighting. Not just to survive. But to actually live."
Sera's throat tightened. "Kael—"
"I know. Wrong time. Wrong circumstances. We're probably both going to die in the next few days." He smiled sadly. "But I wanted you to know. Before it's too late."
She crossed to him. Sat close enough that their shoulders touched. "It's not too late. Not yet."
They sat like that. Watching the fire. Feeling the blood bond pulse between them. A connection that went deeper than words.
Outside, the sun climbed higher. A new day. Maybe one of their last.
But for now, they had this moment.
And sometimes, moments were enough.
Kael's breathing evened out. He'd fallen asleep sitting up. Exhaustion finally catching him.
Sera stayed awake. Kept watch. Thought about everything that had happened.
Marcus. Valeria. The corruption. Riley's death.
And Kael. This cursed lycan who'd become the most important person in her world.
Through the blood bond, she felt his heartbeat. Steady. Strong. Alive.
She'd keep it that way. No matter what.
A sound outside the cave. Sera was on her feet instantly. Hand going to the dagger she'd stolen from a guard during their escape.
But it wasn't a threat.
It was Thomas.
The massive corrupted lycan stood at the cave entrance. His ice-blue eyes were clearer now. More aware. He looked at Sera. Then at Kael sleeping by the fire.
Then he did something impossible.
He spoke.
"Help." The word was garbled. Broken. Like he'd forgotten how language worked. "Please. Help us."
Sera stared. "You can talk?"
"Some. Not much." Thomas's body shook. Fighting something inside. "Others. Like me. Still aware. Still fighting. Trapped."
"How many?"
"Dozen. Maybe more. Valeria keeps us. For experiments. For shows of power." His claws dug into the ground. "We want to die. But can't. She won't let us."
"Why did you help us? At the facility?"
"Saw hope. In you. In him." Thomas looked at Kael again. "Bloodmoon pack. Always helped others. Always fought for weak. I remember. Still remember."
Sera's heart broke. This creature—this corrupted, broken thing—was still trying to be who he used to be. Still fighting.
"Riley," she said quietly. "You knew Riley Blackwood?"
Thomas's eyes brightened. "Riley. Yes. She tried. Tried to save us. Tried to stop them. Good person. Strong heart."
"She was my sister."
"I'm sorry." The words came easier now. Like talking was helping him remember. "She fought hard. Made Valeria fear her. That's why they killed her."
"I know." Sera stepped closer. "Thomas. If we could stop this. Stop Valeria. Stop the corruption. Would you help us?"
"Yes. But we're dying. All of us. The corruption eats us from inside. Have weeks. Maybe less."
"Then we use those weeks." An idea was forming. Dangerous. Probably insane. But possible. "You said there are others like you. Still aware. Still fighting."
"Yes."
"Can you reach them? Organize them?"
Thomas tilted his head. "Maybe. What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking Valeria has an army of corrupted lycans. But if we can turn some of them. Get them to fight for us instead of her. We might have a chance."
"It's risky."
"Everything about this is risky."
Thomas was quiet. Then he nodded. "I'll try. But need something. To convince others."
"What?"
"Hope. Real hope. That we can be free. Even if only in death."
Sera looked at Kael. Still sleeping. Still cursed. Still fighting his own battle.
"I'll give you hope," she said. "Help us stop Valeria. And I promise you'll get the ending you deserve. All of you."
Thomas stared at her with those ice-blue eyes. Searching for truth.
He must have found it.
"Deal," he said. Then he turned and disappeared into the forest.
Sera stood at the cave entrance. Watching dawn paint the sky in shades of gold and red.
Everything had changed.
They weren't alone anymore.
They had allies. Broken. Dying. But allies.
And sometimes, that was all you needed to start a revolution.