Mira’s POV

We reached the old sector by nightfall.

The facility was hidden beneath collapsed ruins. No wards on the surface. They weren’t expecting visitors. Kael stayed with Lyra and Elen above ground. Cyrus flanked me as Kessen led us through the underpass.

No one spoke. I turned and stared at them, but no one said a word. After a couple of minutes, Kessen said, “I remember this place.”

“How old were you?”

“Ten. Maybe younger.”

“Were you marked here?”

“No,” he said. “Conditioned.”

The first door opened without resistance. The air shifted. Energy lines under the floor hummed. I stepped inside. Cyrus scanned the left chamber. “No movement.” Kessen pointed ahead. “That’s where they kept the half-bonded.” The second hallway pulsed. Half-marks activated faintly as we passed. My wolf twitched.

“They built this on resonance,” I said. “To keep the wolves asleep,” I added, watching their faces. “They told us it was healing,” Kessen said. “We believed them.” We reached the inner chamber. Eight stasis pods. All occupied.

Lyra’s voice came through the link. “We see you. Shielding from above.” Kael added, “Be careful. There’s more energy under the floor.” We approached the pods. Each one contained a wolf, barely alive. Each had the same inverted mark Kessen once bore.

Cyrus read the tag. “All are 80% tethered. Suppression field on loop.” Kessen stepped back. “These were my class, do you recognize any?” I asked. “One,” he said. “A girl named Ilia. She used to draw wolves in the dirt.” I looked closer. Her body twitched beneath the containment. “She’s still in there.”

He nodded. “But the wolf isn’t.” A monitor blinked. Cyrus frowned. “They’re watching us.” I pretended I never heard him, but after a few minutes, retorted. “No,” I said. “They’re listening.”

A voice came through the speakers. Female. Soft. Cold. “I see you, Mira.” I froze. “You've come back to your roots.”

“Who is that?” Cyrus asked. Kessen answered. “The Handler.” The voice continued. “You were always our most promising seed.”

“Stop talking through machines,” I said. “Face me.”

“You’re not ready for that.”

Cyrus disabled the speaker. The feed shut off. Lyra linked in again. “We traced the signal. It’s not from that facility. It’s remote-fed. Masked through your old frequency, Mira.” Kael added, “Someone gave them your original bond code.”

Cyrus looked at me and said, ‘’only a handful had access.” I nodded. “Or someone closer.” Solana,” I said. Kessen whispered, “My mother.” I turned. “She was involved?”

“She vanished after I was taken. Everyone said she was dead. But her voice, it was like that.” I stepped toward Ilia’s pod. “We take her,” I said. “We take them all.” Cyrus checked the locks. “They’re linked. If one disconnects, the rest destabilize.”

Lyra’s voice: “I can rewrite that. Give me four minutes.” Kael: “You don’t have four. Movement outside. Two signals are approaching fast.” Cyrus raised his head. “Hollow Claw?”

“No,” Kael said. “Council Rangers.” I hissed. “They’re watching the same feed.” Cyrus asked, “What’s the call?”

“Lyra, give us a breach line. Priority on Ilia.” I said. Kessen stepped forward. “I’ll help.”

“No,” I said. “If they sense your energy, they’ll trigger the failsafe.” Cyrus cut the primary cord. The pod screamed. Ilia thrashed inside. I laid a hand on the seal. “Ilia. Listen to me.” Her eyes flicked open. The bond surged. She didn’t speak, but the howl echoed in our heads.

Cyrus yelled, “We have thirty seconds before this place goes dark.” Lyra’s voice cracked. “I’ve got the chain line. Severing now.” The rest of the pods shut down. Still breathing, unmarked and unbound.

Kael, is coming!” I turned to Cyrus. “You hold them off.” He nodded. “You get her out.” Kessen lifted Ilia’s body. She stirred. Looked at him. Said one word. “Home.” He blinked. “Yeah,” he said. “We’re going.”

We escaped through the lower tunnel. The rear walls collapsed behind us, triggered failsafe. Cyrus rejoined later, limping, blood on his shoulder. “I held them,” he said. “But they’ll follow.”

“Let them,” I said. “They’ll find nothing but dust.” That night, Ilia woke fully. Her wolf was there, quiet and shaking. She said, “You pulled me out.” Kessen replied, “We pull each other.” Ilia touched the scar on her chest.

“They carved obedience into us.” I nodded. “But they forgot what happens when wolves disobey.” Lyra checked the stasis codes. “The entire facility is offline. But they’ll replicate it elsewhere.” Kael said, “We need to destroy the design, not just the sites.”

Cyrus asked, “Where’s the original blueprint?” I already knew the answer. “The Core Vault,” I said. “Inside Council territory.” Kael looked at me. “That’s a suicide run.” I said, “Only if we go in as wolves.”

“Then how?” I turned to Kessen. “We go in as ghosts.” Cyrus opened the last drive we pulled from the site. A message played. “Mira, your blood unlocked us. Your defiance will bury us. But the last key was never yours to carry.”

“He has it now.”

“Who?” Kael asked.

I whispered, “My brother.”