Briar’s POV
The decision to extract from the base the previous night had been necessary. Shifting in front of everyone in the barracks would have sealed my death warrant imdiately.
Blackwood finally pivoted toward us, giving Corbin a curt nod. Corbin moved to unlock the door with practiced efficiency.
Two ard guards escorted Elena into the room. Battle-worn and bloodied, she still carried herself with fierce determination. Her clothes were torn and dirt streaked her face, but her eyes blazed with unbroken spirit.
She scanned every face in the room with withering contempt before her gaze found mine. Only then did her expression soften slightly.
"I believe introductions are unnecessary," Blackwood announced coldly.
"Luna Elena," I stated flatly. "The one who interfered with my artifact retrieval mission at her pack territory."
"You realize that entire mission was fabricated nonsense, don’t you? The orb they sent you after wasn’t their real objective," Elena shot back, her voice cutting through the tension.
"Explain yourself," I demanded, feigning confusion.
"They orchestrated the whole charade to put you in my path. A distraction tactic while they launched their real assault on my pack during my absence. They knew I’d abandon everything to track you down," Elena revealed.
Her voice suddenly echoed in my mind. "Play along. Act like we’re strangers."
"What possible significance could our eting have?" I asked aloud, maintaining my bewildered facade.
Elena’s eyes held mine with intensity that made my chest tighten.
"Your ignorance about your own identity shouldn’t shock . After all, what weapon is more effective than a wolf trained to hunt other wolves?" Her words carried layers of aning I pretended not to understand.
"Wolf?" I repeated, letting genuine confusion color my voice.
Nyx’s encouraging whisper filled my thoughts. "Perfect performance. Keep going."
"These two were discovered in a remote cabin nearby. Apparently plotting your extraction," Blackwood interjected, studying our interaction carefully.
"Why would I accompany strangers?" I challenged, injecting skepticism into my tone.
Elena gave an almost imperceptible nod of approval that went unnoticed by our captors.
They were clearly fishing for so slip-up, so crack in my performance, but I wouldn’t give them satisfaction. Not with Elena and Nyx silently coaching my every word.
Maintaining this charade ant survival. Any deviation would land in a cell beside Elena or worse.
"You know exactly who we are, Briar. They’ve simply brainwashed you into forgetting," Elena declared boldly.
"My designation is Dawn," I corrected firmly.
"That’s their fabrication. Nothing these manipulative bastards have told you contains truth. They’ve built your entire existence on lies," Elena’s voice cracked with emotion.
"What is she implying?" I asked Blackwood, turning away from Elena’s penetrating stare.
"Enough of this circus. Return Elena to her cell. And rember what leverage we maintain over her cooperation," Blackwood commanded, his aning crystal clear as he gestured toward .
Corbin roughly seized Elena’s arm and dragged her from the room. Her eyes never left mine until the door slamd shut.
"I genuinely don’t comprehend any of this, sir," I said once we were alone.
"Clarity will co soon enough," Blackwood replied with a chilling smile.
My escort guided from Blackwood’ office, but our route took us past another room that made my blood freeze. Through the glass window, dozens of children sat in organized rows. No parents anywhere, just small faces staring blankly ahead.
Won moved between them, the sa won who had raised during my earliest years on various military installations. Their faces triggered mories I’d buried deep.
Recognition hit like a physical blow. These children were being grood for the sa fate I’d endured. Transford into Hunters, programd to destroy their own species without question or rcy.
The sight paralyzed until my guard shoved forward impatiently.
Outside the facility, Asher waited beside a military vehicle. His expression shifted the mont he saw my face, noting how the color had drained from my skin.
"What happened in there?" he asked as we began walking toward base housing.
"They captured Elena," I said simply, but my voice carried the weight of everything I couldn’t yet reveal.
The implications crashed over like waves. Elena risked everything to reach , and now she was imprisoned because of my false identity. anwhile, innocent children faced the sa psychological warfare that had shaped my entire existence.
The ga had grown more dangerous than I’d imagined, but backing down wasn’t an option anymore.
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