Chapter 246

Agnes

“Where?”

“By the east wall,” Elijah replied. “Older woman, gray hair in a bun, wearing a navy blue dress. James said her name is Dr. Rose.”

I looked around and instantly spotted her—a petite woman who looked to be in her sixties, sipping from a flute of champagne and nodding politely as some man in an expensive suit droned on at her.

She didn’t look like someone involved in a conspiracy to kidnap elementals. Then again, neither did my stepmother, and that bitch was apparently the mastermind of the whole operation.

After exchanging one look of understanding, Elijah grabbed two glasses of red wine from a passing server’s tray and handed one to me. Then, with easy confidence, he began weaving through the crowd toward the doctor, making it look like we were simply mingling. I followed close beside him, my arm looped through his.

As we approached, I caught snippets of her conversation—something about recent advancements in genetic research. Of course. This woman wasn’t just any doctor; she was a geneticist. She worked in the DNA testing centers for Elemental Enterprises now, from what I understood.

We positioned ourselves just to her right, pretending to be absorbed in our own conversation but edging closer. Then, when Elijah judged the timing was right, he turned suddenly, “accidentally” bumping into Dr. Rose.

Red wine splashed over the rim of his glass, landing squarely on her shoes.

“Oh!” she exclaimed, taking a step back.

“I am so sorry,” Elijah said immediately. “How clumsy of me. Please, let me help you clean that up.”

“It’s quite alright,” the doctor replied stiffly, although she was obviously annoyed. “I’m sure it will dry.”

“No, no, I insist.” Elijah was already pulling a handkerchief from his pocket. “Those look like suede. The wine will stain if we don’t clean it right away.”

I stepped in then with a practiced smile. “There’s a small sitting room just down the hall,” I offered. “We could take care of it there, away from the crowd.”

Dr. Rose looked like she wanted to refuse, but finally gave in. “Very well. But really, it’s unnecessary.”

“It’s the least we can do,” I said, looping my arm through hers.

Without delay, we ushered her out of the ballroom and down a corridor, away from prying eyes and ears. The sitting room I’d mentioned was a small space with a few armchairs and a coffee table. The furnishings had been completely replaced, but everything else was the same as I remembered—it used to be one of my mother’s favorite spots in the house.

I closed the door behind us once we were inside.

The doctor immediately bent to dab at her shoes with a napkin she’d brought from the ballroom. “Really, this will be fine. You don’t need to—”

“Actually,” Elijah cut in, “we do need to talk to you, Dr. Rose.”

She froze, then slowly straightened up. Her eyes darted between us, then to my armored gown, then to the closed door. “I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage. You know my name, but I don’t know yours.”

“I’m Elijah, Alpha of the Silvermoon Pack,” Elijah said. “And this is my mate, Agnes. Agnes Blake.”

Something flickered in her eyes at the mention of my name. Recognition. Fear. Then she was carefully neutral again. “Well, it’s been… interesting to meet you, but I should really get back to the party.”

She moved toward the door, but I stepped in front of it, blocking her path.

“We need to talk about Olivia,” I said bluntly. “About how you helped her escape from Elemental Enterprises all those years ago.”

The color drained from her face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she whispered, but the tremor in her voice gave her away.

“We’re not here to expose you,” Elijah said quickly. “We’re here because we want to stop them. We want to infiltrate Elemental Enterprises.”

The doctor laughed, but it was hollow and humorless. “You’re insane. Or you’re trying to trap me. Either way, I’m leaving.”

She tried to push past me to the door, but I held my ground. “We’re not working for them. In fact, we’re trying to protect people from them.” I paused, then decided to take a risk. “People like me.”

Her eyes narrowed in confusion. “What do you mean, people like you?”

Instead of answering with words, I held out my palm and, with a thought, summoned a small flame. It danced in my hand, perfectly controlled thanks to my wolf’s presence. I tried not to show the surprise and relief on my face. The fire flickered merrily, casting an orange glow across my skin and reflecting in the doctor’s widening eyes.

“So it’s true,” she breathed, taking a step back. “You are an elemental. Fire.” She shook her head frantically. “Do you have any idea how dangerous it is for you to be here? They’ll take you away!”

I closed my hand, extinguishing the flame. Once again, I hid my surprise. It would take some time getting used to the fact that I now had at least a vague semblance of control over my powers. “Not if I take them down first.”

The doctor looked between us, her mouth opening and closing several times like a fish out of water. “Y-You don’t understand what you’re up against,” she finally stammered. “These people… what they’re doing…”

“Then enlighten us,” Elijah said. “Because if you don’t, we’ll have to let Agnes’s stepmother know who helped Olivia escape all those years ago. I’m sure she’d be very interested in that information.”

It was a bluff—we would never actually expose her to my stepmother—but Dr. Rose didn’t know that. Her face crumpled slightly, and she sank into one of the armchairs.

“You’re making a terrible mistake,” she said softly. “But I suppose I’ve made plenty of my own.”

I sat down opposite her. Elijah remained by the door.

“Tell us everything,” I demanded. “Starting with what exactly Elemental Enterprises is doing.”

Dr. Rose rubbed her temples, as if trying to fend off a headache. “I don’t even know where to begin.”

“The beginning would be good,” I suggested tightly.

She sighed. “I joined Elemental Enterprises as a geneticist twenty years ago. Back then, it was just a research facility. We were studying the genetic markers that indicate elemental abilities. It was fascinating work, completely ethical. Or so I thought.”

“What changed?” Elijah asked.

“Your stepmother took control,” she said, looking at me. “She shifted the focus from research to… breeding. The facility—it’s all underground—is where they’ve been taking elementals and trying to breed them. They particularly target elementals with the strongest abilities, and they’ve been trying to crossbreed them with powerful Alphas.”

“Why?” Elijah growled.

“To produce an army,” she said simply. “A highly powerful army of elemental-wolf hybrids that they can use to take over all the packs. Your stepmother intends to make herself the supreme ruler, abolishing the individual packs and ruling with an iron fist.”

“That’s fucking insane,” I spat. “Even with an army, she couldn’t possibly think she could control all the packs.”

“She could with the artifact,” Dr. Rose said quietly.

I stilled. “What artifact?”

“There’s an ancient artifact she’s been searching for, for years now. Without it, she can’t fully accomplish her goals. The artifact contains a special magic that can grant immortality to its holder under the right circumstances. But more importantly, it gives its holder the ability to enthrall elementals, forcing them to obey every command no matter how deranged. Until she gets that artifact, she can’t fully control her army.”

I felt a chill run down my spine, and Elijah’s voice slipped into my mind through our bond. “The Lunaris Stone. She’s describing the Lunaris Stone, isn’t she?”

I swallowed hard. If the artifact the doctor was describing was indeed the Lunaris Stone, and it was in our possession, that meant we had the power to prevent my stepmother from realizing her evil dreams. All we had to do was keep it away from her.

“Where is this underground facility located?” Elijah asked the doctor.

She shook her head. “I don’t know, not anymore. It used to be nearby, but they moved it a few years ago. I left before the move, after helping Olivia escape. I couldn’t stomach what they were doing anymore.” She hesitated, then added, “I work at one of the DNA testing centers now—they form the front of Elemental Enterprises. But the real operations, the facility where they keep the elementals, I have no idea where that is now. I suspect it’s still underground, likely in the wilderness somewhere far from people.”

“How many elementals do they have?” I asked. I dreaded the answer.

“At last count, when I was still there? About thirty. But that was years ago. I have no idea how many they might have now.” Her hands were trembling slightly. “Look, I’ve told you what I know. You have to promise not to tell anyone about this conversation.”

“We won’t,” Elijah assured her. “We’re grateful for your help.”

“You should be careful,” she warned, looking at me. “Especially you. If they find out what you are…”

“They won’t,” I said firmly, although I wasn’t sure how true that promise was.

The doctor stood abruptly. “I need to go. I’ve already stayed too long.” Elijah glared at her for a moment, but at a nod from me, he stepped aside and let her pass. “I should have remained on sabbatical overseas rather than returning here,” she muttered as she hurried out. “Coming back was a mistake.”

With that, she slipped out the door, leaving Elijah and me alone in the sitting room.

For a long moment, we just stared at each other, processing what we’d just learned.

“If my stepmother gets her hands on the Lunaris Stone,” I finally said, “she’ll be able to take over the territories. The continent will essentially belong to her.”

“And she’d potentially be immortal,” Elijah added grimly. “Completely unstoppable.”

The implications were staggering. If what the doctor said was true, my stepmother wasn’t just experimenting on elementals—she was trying to build an army of powerful thralls. And the only thing standing between her and that goal was a small, blue-green stone currently hidden in our house.

We both knew what we had to do. We had to protect that stone. At all costs.