Chapter 24
593words
Derek joined me as I flipped through the pages. The journal contained detailed notes on experiments, formulas, and observations—all in Victor's handwriting.
"This is dated fifteen years ago," I said, pointing to an entry. "Listen: 'G. Grey's healing formula shows promise, but he refuses to test it on live subjects. His moral objections are becoming problematic.'"
Derek's jaw tightened. "G. Grey—your father?"
I nodded, turning more pages. "Here—three days before my father died: 'Grey discovered my modifications to the formula. Threatens to expose everything. Must be dealt with immediately.'"
"And here," Derek said, pointing to another entry. "The same day my father died: 'S. Sterling becoming suspicious. Connected Grey's death to the missing research. Too dangerous to leave alive.'"
My hands trembled with rage. "He killed them both."
"And planned to use your abilities to perfect his formula," Derek added, finding a more recent entry. "Look—he wanted to create an army of enhanced werewolves that only respond to his commands."
I closed the journal, clutching it to my chest. "We have everything we need. Let's get out of here."
As we turned to leave, a soft click came from behind the desk. A hidden door slid open in the wall, revealing a laboratory beyond. And there, standing in the doorway with a syringe in his hand, was Victor.
"Going somewhere?" he asked, his voice eerily calm.
Derek pushed me behind him, a growl rumbling in his chest. "It's over, Victor. We have proof of everything—the murders, the stolen research, all of it."
Victor laughed, injecting the contents of the syringe into his arm. "You think I care about that now? I've spent decades perfecting this formula. Your fathers were merely obstacles."
His body began to convulse, muscles bulging grotesquely beneath his skin. Bones cracked and reformed as he fell to his knees, his face contorting in pain and ecstasy.
"What is he doing?" I whispered, horrified.
"The formula," Derek realized. "He's using it on himself."
Victor's body continued to transform, growing larger, his skin darkening to a mottled gray. His face elongated into something between wolf and human, with rows of jagged teeth protruding from his jaws. When he stood, he towered over us, nearly eight feet tall, with massive claws extending from his fingertips.
"You see?" his voice was deeper, distorted. "This is true power. Not your precious Mate bond."
He lunged forward with impossible speed, slamming Derek into the wall with enough force to crack the plaster. I screamed, feeling Derek's pain through our bond.
"Now," Victor growled, turning his grotesque face toward me, "let's see what your silver wolf can really do."
Victor's transformed body moved with unnatural speed, his massive claws slashing through the air. The office walls cracked under the impact of his strength as he lunged at us.
"We need to get out of here," Derek growled, pulling me toward the door.
Victor laughed, the sound distorted and inhuman. "You won't be leaving with anything, least of all your lives."
He charged again, smashing through the heavy oak desk as if it were cardboard. Derek shifted partially, his hands becoming claws, his teeth elongating into fangs. Through our bond, I could feel his strategy forming—keep Victor distracted while I escaped with the journal.
*Go for the door,* Derek's thoughts reached me. *I'll hold him off.*
I nodded, clutching the precious evidence to my chest. But as I moved toward the exit, Victor suddenly twisted, moving faster than before, and blocked my path.
