The chamber did not calm after the last pulse. It grew louder.
Not in sound. In presence.
The walls brightened with crawling spirals of silver light, each one twisting and shifting like a living script written in a language older than wolves. The pedestal in the center hummed with a deep, rising undertone that made my bones vibrate. The air felt thick, charged, expectant.
The system was not done with me.
Jack moved first.
He stepped directly between me and the spiraling light, his chest rising with slow, deliberate breaths. His aura spread wide, thick and protective, cutting off the system’s line of sight as if he could physically block ancient machinery with his body alone.
His voice came out low. “You are not touching her again.”
Beau grabbed a damaged console lying half overturne
