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Chapter 17 - THE FINAL HUNT

CURSED LYCAN

The Alaska facility sat in a valley surrounded by mountains. Isolated. Defensible. Perfect for hiding an army.

Sera and her team watched from a ridge two miles out. Ava's drones gave them live feed. The place was crawling with guards. All enhanced. All moving with that eerie synchronization that marked artificial bonding.

"Fifty guards visible," Marcus counted. "Probably twice that inside."

"And we're ten people," Kira muttered. "Great odds."

"We've faced worse," Sera said. She didn't sound convincing even to herself.

Through the bond, she felt Kael's hand find hers. Squeeze once.

We've got this, he thought at her.

We're going to die, she thought back.

Probably. But together.

That's supposed to be comforting?

A little.

Despite everything, Sera almost smiled.

"Ava, can you hack their systems?" Sera asked. "Give us an advantage?"

"Already working on it." Ava's fingers flew across her tablet. "Their security is good. But not perfect. I can get you thirty seconds of chaos. Lights out. Doors unlocked. Comms down. But that's it. After that, they'll be ready."

"Thirty seconds is enough," Kael said. "We hit them fast. Hard. Get to the main lab. Destroy the pods before the subjects wake up."

"And whoever's running this?" Marcus asked.

"We take them alive if possible," Sera said. "Dead if necessary."

They moved out at dusk. Using the terrain for cover. Sera's heart hammered but her hands were steady. Years of hunting had taught her how to function through fear.

The bond pulsed with Kael's presence. His strength. His absolute certainty that they'd succeed.

She wished she shared it.

They reached the outer perimeter. Ava triggered the hack.

Lights died. Alarms failed. For thirty seconds, the facility went dark.

They breached.

Sera moved like water. Muscle memory taking over. Her blade found throats. Hearts. Guards went down silent.

Kael shifted. The beast tore through three guards before they could raise weapons. Marcus and Kira flanked him. The other team members secured their route.

Thirty seconds.

They made it to the main entrance. The doors were open. Ava's hack holding.

Then the lights came back on.

And hell broke loose.

Guards converged from every direction. Enhanced humans moving with perfect coordination. They'd been ready. Waiting.

"It's a trap!" Marcus shouted.

"No kidding!" Sera cut down two guards. Three more replaced them.

They fought their way inside. Bodies falling. Blood everywhere. Sera's arms burned. Her lungs screamed. But she kept moving.

Through the bond, she felt Kael beside her. Felt his determination. His love.

They reached the main lab. The doors were sealed. Heavy steel. Reinforced.

"Ava, we need these doors open!" Sera shouted into comms.

"Working on it! Their system rebooted. I'm locked out!"

"Work faster!"

Kael slammed into the doors. His primal form erupting. Twelve feet of ancient fury. His claws carved through steel like butter.

The doors fell.

Inside, hundreds of pods lined the walls. All active. All showing subjects in various stages of transformation.

And at the far end, a figure turned to face them.

Not Helena. Helena was dead.

This was someone new. Someone Sera didn't recognize.

Male. Mid-forties. Well-dressed. He smiled like they'd just walked into his office for a meeting.

"Sera Blackwood. Kael Thorne. Right on time." His voice was smooth. Professional. "I'm Director Nathan Cross. Helena's brother."

Sera's blood went cold. "She had a brother?"

"Twin, actually. We shared everything. Including research." Nathan gestured to the pods. "Helena was brilliant. But impulsive. She rushed. Made mistakes. I've learned from those mistakes."

"These subjects—" Kael's voice was barely human through the primal form. "You're corrupting them."

"I'm perfecting them. Helena's artificial bonds were flawed. Too rigid. Too controlled. Mine are flexible. Adaptive. These subjects will retain their free will while gaining the benefits of connection." Nathan pulled out a tablet. "Want to see?"

He pressed something.

The pods opened.

All of them. Simultaneously.

Hundreds of subjects stumbled out. Their eyes were clear. Aware. Human.

But when Nathan raised his hand, they all stopped. All turned to face Sera's team.

"Free will," Nathan said, "with a slight modification. They can choose anything they want. Except to disobey me."

"That's not free will," Sera said. "That's slavery."

"It's evolution. And it's unstoppable." Nathan gestured. "Kill them."

The subjects attacked.

It wasn't like fighting the bonded pairs. These people were individuals. Different skills. Different approaches. But all coordinated. All working together with terrifying efficiency.

Sera's team was overwhelmed in seconds.

Kira went down first. Three subjects dogpiled her. She fought but there were too many.

Marcus lasted longer. Took down seven before they subdued him.

The others fell one by one.

Until it was just Sera and Kael. Back to back. Surrounded by hundreds of enhanced subjects.

"Last chance," Nathan called. "Join me. Help me perfect the process. Or die here."

"How about option three?" Sera said.

"Which is?"

"We burn it all down and you with it."

She pulled the detonator from her jacket. The one Ava had given them. The failsafe.

Nathan's smile faded. "You're bluffing."

"Try me."

Through the bond, Sera felt Kael's understanding. His approval. His love.

You sure about this? he thought.

No. But it's the only way.

Then we do it together.

Always together.

Sera pressed the button.

Nothing happened.

Nathan laughed. "Did you really think I wouldn't scan you for explosives? Your detonator was disabled the moment you entered the facility."

Despair clawed at Sera's chest. They'd failed. After everything, they'd failed.

Then Ava's voice crackled through comms. "Boss. The detonator was a decoy. The real charges are in the support columns. And I just activated them remotely."

Nathan's face went pale. "What—"

The facility shook. Explosions rocked the foundation. Support columns crumbled.

"Everyone out!" Sera screamed. "Now!"

Her team scrambled. The subjects scattered, their connection to Nathan disrupted by chaos.

Nathan ran for a back exit. Sera chased. Caught him at the door.

"It's over," she said.

"It's never over. Someone will always continue the work. Someone will always push for progress." Nathan's eyes were wild. "You can't stop evolution!"

"Watch me."

She hit him. Hard. He went down.

The facility was collapsing. Walls cracking. Ceiling falling. Sera grabbed Nathan. Dragged him toward the exit.

Kael appeared beside her. Shifted back to human. "The team?"

"Out. I saw them clear the perimeter."

"The subjects?"

"Most ran. Some didn't make it."

Kael grabbed Nathan's other arm. Together, they hauled him out of the collapsing facility.

They cleared the perimeter just as the entire structure imploded. Collapsing into the valley. Taking the pods. The equipment. The research.

All of it. Gone.

Sera collapsed in the snow. Breathing hard. Alive. Barely.

Kael fell beside her. The bond pulsed between them. Exhausted but whole.

"We did it," he said.

"We destroyed a building. That's not winning."

"It's not losing."

Fair point.

Their team gathered. Battered. Bleeding. But alive. All of them. Even Kira, who had a broken arm but was grinning.

"That," she said, "was insane."

"That was Tuesday," Marcus corrected.

Nathan Cross was secured. Restrained. The council would take custody. Put him on trial. Make sure he couldn't continue Helena's work.

But Sera knew. The way she always knew.

There would be others. There were always others.

People who wanted power. Who wanted to play god. Who thought they could improve on nature.

The fight would never truly end.

But for today, they'd won. And that was enough.

Three months later, the council held a ceremony.

Commendations for Sera's team. Recognition for their service. Speeches about bravery and sacrifice.

Sera stood on stage beside Kael. Uncomfortable in formal clothes. Wishing she was anywhere else.

Victor Steele presented them with medals. Official recognition from the council.

"Your actions saved countless lives," Victor said. "Stopped a threat that could have destabilized everything we've built. The council thanks you."

Applause filled the chamber. Humans and lycans together. Progress in action.

After the ceremony, Emma found them. She'd flown in for the event. Looked older. More mature. College was changing her.

"Proud of you," Emma said. Hugged them both. "Even if you're reckless idiots who almost died."

"We didn't die," Sera pointed out.

"This time."

"This time counts."

Emma laughed. Then got serious. "I've been thinking. About my future. What I want to do."

"And?" Kael asked.

"I want to join your team. After college. Help you fight these facilities." Emma's jaw was set. That Blackwood stubbornness. "I want to finish what Mom started."

Sera's chest tightened. She wanted to say no. To keep Emma safe. To protect her from this life.

But she saw the determination in Emma's eyes. The fire. The absolute certainty.

Riley's daughter. Through and through.

"After college," Sera said finally. "You finish your degree first. Get proper training. Then we'll talk."

"Deal."

They spent the evening celebrating. The team gathered at a restaurant. Drinking. Laughing. Telling stories about the mission that got more exaggerated with each retelling.

Sera watched them. These warriors who'd become family. Who'd fought beside her. Who'd chosen this impossible fight.

Through the bond, she felt Kael's contentment. His love. His certainty that they'd made the right choices.

"Happy?" he asked quietly.

"Getting there," she admitted. "You?"

"With you? Always."

Later, back home, they sat on their porch. The bond hummed between them. Steady. Eternal.

"Nathan said something that's been bothering me," Sera said. "About how someone will always continue the work. Always push for progress."

"He was right. There will always be another Helena. Another Valeria. Another Nathan." Kael squeezed her hand. "But there will also always be people like us. People willing to fight them."

"For how long? How long do we keep doing this?"

"As long as it takes. As long as people need protecting." He looked at her. "Or until we physically can't anymore."

"That's a long time."

"Good. I wasn't planning on going anywhere."

Sera leaned against him. Felt the bond pulse. Felt his heartbeat matching hers.

They'd fought monsters. Stopped conspiracies. Saved countless lives.

And they'd do it again tomorrow if they had to.

Because that's what warriors did. That's what protectors did.

They fought. They bled. They survived.

Together. Always together.

"I love you," Sera said quietly.

"I know." Kael kissed her forehead. "I love you too."

They sat in comfortable silence. Watching stars. Planning for tomorrow. Living in this moment.

Because moments were all anyone really had.

And these moments? With him? With their family?

These were worth fighting for.

Worth dying for.

Worth everything.

The bond pulsed. Warm. Alive. Unbreakable.

And Sera knew, with absolute certainty, that whatever came next—whatever threats emerged, whatever challenges they faced—they'd handle it.

Together. Always together.

Because some bonds weren't just magic.

They were destiny.

And destiny was forever.

THREE YEARS LATER

Emma graduated college with honors. Joined the team officially. Proved herself in her first mission by outsmarting a facility's security system using biology instead of tech.

Riley would've been so proud.

Marcus completed his community service. Stayed with the team. Became the uncle Emma never knew she needed.

Kira became second-in-command. Led missions when Sera and Kael needed breaks. Proved that lycans could lead with wisdom instead of just strength.

Ava expanded the intelligence network. Created systems that predicted facility locations before they became fully operational. Saved countless lives through prevention instead of reaction.

The team grew. New members. New skills. New perspectives.

The council's map went from dozens of red dots to just a handful.

The war wasn't over. But they were winning.

And Sera. Sera finally let herself believe in happy endings.

Not the fairy tale kind. The real kind. Where people fought and bled and survived. Where love wasn't easy but it was worth it. Where family wasn't just blood but choice.

She stood in the training yard watching Emma spar with Kael. The girl—no, the woman—moved with deadly grace. Combining Sera's technique with Kael's power. Creating something uniquely her own.

"She's good," Marcus said, appearing beside Sera.

"She's better than good. She's incredible."

"Like her aunt."

"Like her mother."

They watched in comfortable silence. Two people who'd once been enemies. Who'd become family through fire and forgiveness.

"You ever regret it?" Marcus asked quietly. "Everything that happened? The life you gave up?"

Sera thought about it. Really thought.

About the simple life she could've had. The peace. The normalcy.

About everything she'd gained instead. Kael. Emma. This family. This purpose.

"No," she said finally. "No regrets."

"Good. Because I'm pretty sure we've got another facility to hit next week."

"Can't we get like a vacation first?"

"We just had three days off."

"That's not a vacation. That's a long weekend."

Marcus laughed. "Tell you what. We hit this facility, shut it down clean, and I'll personally arrange a real vacation. Two weeks. Tropical beach. No emergencies."

"You swear?"

"Scout's honor."

"You were never a scout."

"Details."

Sera smiled. Watched Emma pin Kael in an impressive takedown. Heard his proud laugh. Felt the bond pulse with contentment.

This was her life now. Chaos and combat and constant vigilance.

But also love. Family. Purpose.

And honestly? She wouldn't trade it for anything.

The sun set over the training yard, painting the sky in shades of gold and red.

Tomorrow would bring new challenges. New threats. New battles.

But tonight? Tonight was theirs.

And that was more than enough.

It was everything.

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