Lunara moved first.
In a blink she was in front of Eliot, fingers fisted in his jacket, slamming him back against a metal table. The clang rang through the warehouse.
"You knew," she snapped.
Blue light flared faintly along her amulet, her eyes burning. "You knew this place existed."
Eliot didn't fight her.
Didn't even flinch.
He just looked… tired.
"I didn't know where," he said quietly. "Not at first."
Theo stepped forward. "Eliot—"
"You lied to us," Lunara growled, teeth flashing just a little. "You let us walk into this blind."
Leon's hand came up, firm but calm. "Lunara."
She hesitated.
Not because she wasn't angry—but because Leon rarely used that tone.
Slowly, she released Eliot and stepped back, chest rising and falling.
Eliot straightened his glasses.
His hands were shaking now that she'd let go.
"I found out weeks ago," he said. "Bits and pieces. Old research files. A network that shouldn't exist anymore."
Rex frowned. "You mean them."
Eliot nodded.
"They were experimenting on wolves. Containment. Forced bonding. Energy extraction." His voice tightened. "This was one of their sites."
Theo looked around again, horrified. "Was."
"They moved everyone," Eliot said. "All the wolves. Cleared the warehouse a few hours ago."
The silence that followed was heavy.
"Where?" Lunara asked.
Eliot shook his head. "I don't know. But it's not the forest. Somewhere mobile. Somewhere hidden."
Leon's jaw clenched. "Then why leave the power running?"
Eliot met his eyes.
"They wanted us to find it."
Rex swore under his breath.
Theo whispered, "Why?"
Eliot swallowed. "Because they know about Leon."
The name landed like a gunshot.
Leon didn't move.
"They said," Eliot continued, voice low, "that Leon's bond signature is… rare. Stable. Powerful."
Lunara stiffened. "They're coming for him."
"For us," Theo corrected grimly.
Leon let out a short breath, almost a laugh. "Figures."
Then Eliot stepped closer—too close—and grabbed Leon's sleeve.
"But listen to me," Eliot said urgently. "They don't care about me. They don't care if I'm collateral."
Leon frowned. "Eliot—"
"They said they'll come for you," Eliot repeated. "And if I'm in the way—"
Leon's hand closed over Eliot's wrist, firm.
"Stop."
Everyone looked at him now.
Leon's voice was steady—but his eyes were fierce. "They can come for me all they want."
He pulled Eliot slightly behind him without even realizing it.
"But they're not touching you."
Rex blinked. "Wow. Okay. Protective mode activated."
Theo didn't smile. "This isn't a joke."
Leon nodded. "I know."
He looked at all of them, then back at Eliot.
"Guys," he said quietly, "we really need to be careful now."
The blue lights flickered again—longer this time.
Somewhere deep in the warehouse, something powered on.
---
The door clicked shut behind them.
Eliot barely breathed as he eased Lunara inside, guiding her toward the hallway shadows.
"Just—stay here," he whispered. "I'll grab your coat."
Lunara nodded.
Too late.
The light snapped on.
Maris stood near the couch, eyes tired, shoulders tense. In her hand—soft, unmistakable blue—glowed the crystal.
Eliot's chest tightened. "Mom—"
"It's a bonding crystal," she said before he could finish.
Her voice wasn't loud. It was steady.
Too steady.
Elara stepped out from the kitchen, instantly alert. "Mom?"
Maris swallowed, turning the crystal slowly between her fingers.
"They resonate with wolves. With bonds. With tracking systems." She looked at Eliot. "This one's active. Not fully—but enough."
Eliot took a step toward her. "I was going to tell you."
"When?" Maris asked quietly.
Silence.
She sighed—not angry.
Just… tired. "These crystals are how they find us. How they catalog us. They call it safety. It's not."
Elara moved closer to Maris, one arm subtly angling in front of her. Protective.
Automatic. "You didn't say you knew this much."
"I didn't want to," Maris replied. "Knowing means remembering."
The air shifted.
Maris frowned slightly. "…There's someone else here."
Eliot hesitated—then nodded. "Yeah."
Lunara stepped forward.
Not fast. Not dramatic. She let herself be seen.
Maris stiffened—but she didn't scream.
She didn't run.
She just closed her eyes for a second… and exhaled.
"So," she said softly. "That explains the pull."
Lunara inclined her head. "I didn't mean for you to find out like this."
Elara immediately stepped between them, chin lifted, eyes sharp.
"She's not a threat," she said—firm, protective. "Either of you."
Maris blinked, surprised, looking at Elara. "You're… not scared?"
"I am," Elara admitted. "But fear doesn't mean attack."
Lunara stayed still. Respectful. "I won't come closer."
Maris studied her for a long moment—ears straining for lies that didn't come.
Then she sighed again.
Longer this time.
"…I don't like wolves," Maris said honestly. "What they did. What they let happen."
"I know," Lunara replied.
"But," Maris continued, glancing at Eliot—then at Elara standing like a shield—"I can tell when someone isn't hunting me."
Her fingers loosened around the crystal.
It dimmed slightly.
"I'm still scared," she said. "Just… not panicking."
Eliot finally breathed.
The house was quiet—but not broken.
Not yet.
Maris clutched the crystal a moment longer, staring at it as if it whispered secrets only she could hear.
Then she spoke, voice low, steady—but heavy with a weight Eliot hadn't heard before.
"I know about wolves," she said, eyes flicking to Eliot. "Not just what they are… but what they can do. I've been obsessed—studying them, tracing them. I even tried to bring one into the world."
Her words hung. Her hands tightened for a brief moment.
"They caught me," she continued, gaze dropping.
"Caged me… like one of them." She glanced at Lunara, tone sharpening.
"I barely escaped. That's why…" Her voice softened, bitter now. "…I don't like them. Not anymore."
Lunara's ears twitched. Tail flicked once. She didn't move.
Maris exhaled, straightening.
"But I am not cruel." Her eyes assessed Lunara carefully.
"You can stay here. But no one—no one—must know." She squared her shoulders, voice firm.
"I'll tell your dad Eliot."
She turned and walked away, deliberate, silent, like the night itself couldn't follow her.
Eliot sank deeper into the chair, letting his shoulders loosen, finally allowing himself a fraction of relief.
He looked at Elara.
She nodded at him, small, knowing.
"It's okay," she said softly. "Go to bed."
Her hand ruffled his hair gently.
Then her gaze flicked to Lunara. "You too."
Lunara lowered her head slightly, tail brushing the floor. Quiet, alert, aware.
Eliot exhaled slowly, sinking further into the chair. The weight of the night pressed down—but for the first time, it felt like it might be… bearable.
The house was quiet.
The crystal pulsed faintly in the corner, a soft, steady heartbeat—an echo of the world outside, and the danger that still waited.