Chapter 5 The Fracture and the Fire

Marcus left the manila envelope. He moved quickly toward the lodge. He needed confirmation. Elara knew the clock was ticking faster now. She had destabilized the defense. The consequence would be immediate.

She walked back to the suite. She used the custom key. She locked the door behind her. She listened for sounds of alarm. She heard only the steady hum of the compound security. Marcus was cautious. He was acting alone. For now.

Elara sat on the bed. Four nights remained until the Claim. The situation was fluid.

* Asset: Proof of Lycian's guilt and Dax's lie.

* Liability: Marcus held the proof. He was unpredictable.

* Objective: Escape and exposure.

She retrieved her phone from the hidden packet. Still no external signal. She had to get past the compound walls.

A heavy pounding hit the door. It was Dax.

"Open the door, Elara," Dax commanded. His voice was low. It was dangerous.

Elara opened the door immediately. Resistance was futile. She needed information.

Dax strode into the room. He was furious. His golden eyes were blazing. His scent was heavy with adrenaline and rage.

"Marcus reported seeing you at the eastern perimeter," Dax stated. "He reported you tried to escape. He reported you attempted to bribe him with false information."

"I did not bribe him," Elara countered. "I gave him proof. I showed him the execution order. I showed him Lycian's signature."

Dax stopped. He stared at her. His fury paused. "You showed him the Lycian packet. How?"

"I opened the safe. The cadence is simple. I memorize sequences. It is my job."

Dax walked directly to the closet. He opened the safe. The manila envelope was gone. He looked at the empty space. His face was pure stone.

"You stole the proof," Dax observed.

"I gave it to your Beta. I revealed the lie. You told the pack you were the Raging Wolf. You told them you locked Lycian away to save them from your own curse."

"I did that for stability," Dax defended. "The pack respects strength. They do not respect weakness. Lycian is their revered heir. His madness would fracture them. My supposed curse unites them against me. It makes them stronger."

"It makes them blind," Elara corrected. "Marcus saw the signature. He is going to the Northern Ward. He is going to expose the real Raging Wolf."

Dax moved instantly. He walked to the communications console. He began to input commands. He was focused only on damage control.

"He will not get far," Dax said. "The perimeter is locked down. I will intercept him. This is your fault, Elara. You have accelerated the fracture."

"I exposed the truth. The pack deserves the truth."

"The pack deserves survival. Truth is a luxury we cannot afford. Lycian is attacking. He will use this instability."

The console beeped. Dax stopped his rapid input. He listened to the terse report coming from the internal speaker.

* "Alpha. Marcus is unresponsive. His tracker shows he breached the Northern Ward perimeter. He is moving toward the building."

* "He is moving to release Lycian." Dax's voice was sharp. "Code Gamma Six. Kill switch activation."

* "Alpha. Code Gamma Six requires proximity. The kill switch is on the structure's main power grid. You must be present to engage."

* "Unacceptable. Lycian must remain contained. The Raging Wolf is an extinction event."

Dax grabbed his jacket. He moved to the door. "Stay here. Do not move. If you leave this room, the pack will view you as a traitor. I will not be here to protect you."

Elara walked to the door. "I am not staying. I am coming with you. Lycian is my kin's killer. He is my enemy. I am the only leverage you have against his followers."

Dax turned. He saw the resolve in her eyes. He saw the journalist. He saw the vengeance. He saw the Lycian blood.

"You are a complication," Dax decided. "But you know the truth. You understand the risk. Come."

They left the suite. They moved quickly down the corridor. They took the service stairs. They exited the lodge.

The compound was silent. The silence was wrong. The air was charged with fear. The perimeter was still manned. But the heart of the compound was hollow.

"Lycian's attack is a diversion," Dax explained as they ran. "He knew I would intercept Marcus. The attack is on the gate. The true target is the Northern Ward. He wants the Raging Wolf free."

They reached the compound's secondary motor pool. Dax opened a sleek, black utility vehicle. He got in. Elara got in. Dax floored the accelerator.

The vehicle tore through the woods. It followed the winding maintenance path. They were heading directly for the Northern Ward.

"Tell me the kill switch sequence," Elara demanded.

"It is a retinal scan," Dax said. "It is on the main power box. It is guarded."

"Who guards it?"

"The internal security team. They will be engaged with Marcus. They will be confused by the lie."

They reached the Northern Ward perimeter. The chain-link fence was breached. The wires were severed. The gate hung open. The security shack was destroyed. Two guards lay on the ground. They were still breathing. They were unconscious.

"Lycian's scouts," Dax noted. "Precise. Efficient. They are clearing the path."

Dax stopped the vehicle. They got out. They moved quickly to the main building. The steel door was still locked.

A sound came from inside the building. Not a roar. A desperate, human shout.

"Marcus," Dax hissed. "He is inside. He is trying to reason with the Raging Wolf."

Dax tried his key card on the steel door. It flashed red. ACCESS DENIED.

"Lycian's scouts locked the door," Dax realized. "They used a secondary override. They trapped Marcus."

"The kill switch," Elara urged. "Where is the power box?"

Dax pointed to a thick concrete utility pole twenty feet from the building. A small, black box was mounted halfway up the pole.

"That is the power grid. The kill switch. I need access. I need to be five feet from the box to activate the retinal scan."

Elara looked up. The box was ten feet off the ground. No ladder.

Dax grabbed the pole. He started to climb. He was moving with animal speed and agility. He reached the box. He ripped the cover off. The retinal scanner glowed blue.

He pressed his eye to the scanner. The system whirred.

* "SCANNING. ALPHA CONFIRMED. KILL SWITCH AUTHORIZED."

* "INITIATING SHUTDOWN," Dax commanded.

Then, from the forest line, a flash of movement. A shifter. Not a wolf. A man. Lycian Thorne. He was flanked by three guards.

"Brother," Lycian shouted. His voice was smooth. It was mocking. "Always so dramatic. Always on the highest point."

Lycian was handsome. He was tall. He looked like Dax, but softer. More appealing. He was the sentimental one. The killer.

"Stop the sequence, Lycian," Dax warned. His voice was tight. He was focused on the kill switch.

"I cannot. You see, the Alpha cannot kill his own Luna. It is forbidden. But the Beta can. And the Luna is now claimed by the Beta."

Elara heard the words. Luna is claimed by the Beta.

A second Beta appeared. Not Marcus. This one was huge. He was covered in Lycian's scent. He was standing directly over the downed security guards.

"The Beta is not here," Dax realized. "This is another lie. Marcus is trapped."

Lycian smiled. "Marcus is confused. He is a liability. You, brother, are the real liability. You have locked away the rightful king. You have stolen the pack's power."

Lycian raised his hand. He gave a sharp signal.

The Beta moved. He charged the utility pole. He was not aiming for Dax. He was aiming for the power lines.

"Elara! Run!" Dax shouted.

The Beta reached the pole. He tore the thick power cables from the box. The sound was a loud, tearing rip of metal and fire. The lights inside the Northern Ward building went out. The kill switch died.

Dax dropped from the pole. He landed silently. He was enraged. He was focused.

"The Raging Wolf is free," Lycian announced. "Chaos will reign. The pack will choose the strong one."

Lycian transformed. The change was instant. It was violent. It was not the slow, painful shift Dax experienced. It was an explosion of muscle and fur. He was a massive, elegant gray wolf. He was stunning. He was lethal.

His three flanking guards transformed immediately. They were black wolves. They were disciplined.

Dax transformed. His shift was different. His body swelled. His bones cracked. His skin tore. He was a creature of immense muscle and height. His fur was a mottled, dark brown. He was not elegant. He was a battering ram. He was the heavy weapon.

The Thorne Pack and the Lycian Faction collided. It was a fight for dominance. The sound was a horrific mix of snarls, snaps, and the tear of muscle.

Elara stood frozen. She was the only human in the carnage. The combat was too fast. Too brutal. She needed to move. She needed to survive.

She ran to the steel door. She had to get Marcus out. Marcus was key to the internal pack resistance.

She tried the key card. It was useless. She saw the new keypad lock that Lycian's scouts had installed. It was electronic. She had no code.

The battle raged behind her. Dax's wolf was locked in combat with Lycian's wolf. The gray wolf was faster. The brown wolf was stronger.

Elara focused on the lock. She reached for the letter opener in her pocket. She had to bypass the mechanism.

She heard a loud crack behind her. One of Lycian's black wolves hit the concrete wall. It did not move.

Elara ignored the fight. She examined the keypad. She saw the faint wires connecting it to the main door.

She used the letter opener. She scraped away the plastic casing. She exposed the wiring. She identified the power circuit. She identified the bypass circuit.

She had two seconds. She touched the letter opener to the power wire. A blue spark jumped. She felt a sharp shock. The keypad died. The backup lock engaged. She was locked out.

The roar from inside the building was immense. The Raging Wolf was loose. He had broken the internal chains. The steel door buckled inward.

Elara stumbled back. The door burst open. Splinters flew. The Raging Wolf emerged.

He was larger than she remembered. He was terrifying. His eyes were milky white. He was madness unbound.

He ignored the fighting wolves. He ignored the carnage. He smelled one scent. His sister's daughter. Lycian blood.

He focused on Elara. His attention was absolute. He lunged toward her.

"Elara! Get down!" Dax shouted. His voice was a mixture of man and beast.

Dax broke free from the fight. He intercepted the Raging Wolf. The two monstrous forms collided. The force of the impact was like a car crash.

Elara was thrown back. She hit the ground. Her head snapped back. She was momentarily stunned.

She looked up. Dax was holding the Raging Wolf. They were locked in a desperate stalemate.

Lycian, the gray wolf, saw his chance. He charged Elara. She was exposed. She was the Luna. She was the key.

Lycian lunged. Elara rolled. She avoided the bite by inches. Lycian missed. He hit the ground.

Elara was on her feet. She had no time to run. She faced the massive gray wolf.

Lycian snarled. He was faster than Dax. He was the alpha of the next generation. He was the killer.

Elara reached into her pocket. She pulled out the manila envelope. She had the execution order. She had the proof. She did not need to run. She needed to distract.

She threw the envelope directly into Lycian's eyes. The paper exploded into his face. He flinched. The momentary blindness was her chance.

She charged past him. She ran to the wreckage of the steel door. She ran inside the Northern Ward building.

Marcus was lying on the concrete floor. He was alive. He was badly injured. He looked up at her.

"Elara," Marcus gasped. "The truth. I saw the mark. The Raging Wolf is Lycian."

"We are trapped," Elara said. "We need to get out. The fighting is too close."

"The maintenance tunnel," Marcus rasped. He pointed a shaking hand to a small floor grate in the corner. "It leads out. It bypasses the fence."

Elara ran to the grate. It was heavy iron. It was rusted. She pulled. She lifted. The grate was immovable.

The roar outside was immense. Dax's wolf was losing ground. He was overwhelmed by the Raging Wolf.

Elara ran back to Marcus. She grabbed him under the arms. He was too heavy.

"The letter opener," Elara instructed. "In my pocket. Get it."

Marcus fumbled with her pocket. He pulled out the small, sharp tool.

"The grate," Elara ordered. "Use it. Cut the rusted hinge."

Marcus dragged himself to the grate. He began to scrape the rusted hinge.

Outside, Lycian's wolf was at the doorway. He was snarling. He was ready to attack. He was moving in for the kill.

Dax's wolf was down. He was pinned by the Raging Wolf. Dax was losing the fight.

Elara grabbed a heavy steel beam from the wreckage of the door. She swung it with all her strength. She hit Lycian in the side.

The gray wolf yelped. He was surprised. He was angry. He turned his attention from Marcus to Elara.

"I am the key, Lycian," Elara shouted. "Come get me."

Lycian lunged. Elara did not run. She stood her ground. She knew the truth. She knew the weakness.

She held her wrist out. The faint crescent mark. The Lycian blood.

Lycian stopped. He sniffed the air. He smelled the scent. His sister's scent. His kin. His weakness.

The pause was long enough. Marcus ripped the rusted hinge. The grate swung open.

"Go! Elara! Now!" Marcus screamed.

Elara sprinted to the hole. She jumped down into the darkness. She was in the tunnel. Marcus followed her.

Lycian roared. He was enraged. He was confused. The Raging Wolf was also roaring. He had broken free from Dax.

The sounds of carnage and pursuit faded quickly. Elara and Marcus were crawling through the cold, dark maintenance tunnel. The tunnel led out. They had escaped the compound. They had created the fracture. The war had begun. Four nights remained.