The night settled heavily over Bayou Mounds as Derek pulled into the underground parking of his condo, the adrenaline from the roadside ambush still humming beneath his skin. He killed the engine and sat for a moment, breathing slowly, reminding himself to stay human. The scent of blood, metal, and burnt rubber clung to him like smoke.

  In the bed of the truck sat the ripped-out communications equipment he had salvaged from the wrecked Suburban. He hauled each piece into the garage, setting them on a workbench under the cold white light. Every console, transmitter, and encrypted headset was photographed, cataloged, and arranged with military precision.

  Only then did Derek pull out his phone.

  Olivia picked up on the first ring.

  “What’s up, partner?” she said, her tone casual, but the instinctual alertness of a detective pulsed beneath it.

  “Listen,” Derek said. “We have a new situation on our hands. A bad one.”

  He could hear her shift in her chair. “Alright. I am listening.”

  “A black ops unit captured my mother.” Derek’s voice hardened. “This happened a few days ago. She was supposed to leave for Cabo with Karen. They never made it.”

  “When did you find this out?” Olivia asked.

  “Tonight.” Derek rubbed his forehead. “And it came straight from the men who tried to take me too.”

  “Hold on, Derek,” Olivia said. “How do you know she was kidnapped. Where is the evidence?”

  “Because they told me.”

  There was silence on the line.

  Derek continued. “I was on the way to my storage unit and two black Suburbans boxed me in at a light. Everyone is in black. Masked. Except for two who looked like they were in charge.”

  “I take it you did not go quietly,” Olivia said.

  “No. They tried to tase me. I fought back. I had to shift. It got ugly.” Derek exhaled sharply. “Most of them did not walk away.”

  “And the survivors talked,” Olivia said quietly.

  “Yeah. One of them told me they work for a company called Dairfax. He said they took my mother to make more werewolves. Experimentation. And that Dr Marsh is probably with her. He also mentioned that I was supposed to be their third target. Lucas knows the rest.”

  “Dairfax?” Olivia whispered. “You do not know who they are.”

  “You do?”

  “Oh yes,” Olivia said. “They were in the news for corruption, illegal contracting, and off-the-books operations. The government severed ties with them following an internal investigation. They disappeared from the public eye after that. Now it sounds like they have resurfaced.”

  Derek looked at the pile of equipment in front of him. “I know it is late. But I need you to come over. I have data to pull. Better with two sets of eyes.”

  “I am on the way,” Olivia said. “Do not touch anything else until I get there.”

  Olivia arrived twenty minutes later. Together they stood in Derek’s garage, staring at the gear pulled from the Suburban. Derek led her inside to the room he had converted into a miniature operations center. The walls were lined with monitors, maps, digital feeds, and encrypted servers he had built over the last year.

  They began their search.

  They pulled up everything they could find on Dairfax. Court records. Defense contracts. Classified leaks. Congressional inquiries. Blocked procurement lists. A pattern began to emerge.

  Dairfax had once been partnered with the government on clandestine biological and tactical enhancement research. The relationship was severed for several reasons.

  Unauthorized human testing

  Illegal procurement of classified materials

  Missing shipments of biological samples

  Suspected involvement in international arms funnels

  A covert program involving genetically altered subjects

  Every accusation matched the nightmare Derek was living.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  Next, they searched for names.

  Lucas Kain

  Former special operations. Discharged after an internal investigation.

  Known for unauthorized field experiments.

  Dick Rose

  Retired Colonel. Former Infantry Brigade commander.

  Rumored to have ties to black budget research divisions.

  Dr. Victoria Cunningham

  Biotech researcher. Specialized in genomic weaponization.

  Terminated from a federal research lab for ethical violations.

  Every line of text made Derek’s jaw tighten.

  When they finished compiling the files, Derek closed the final window. “You know what comes next.”

  Olivia leaned back in her chair. “Yeah. You are going after them.”

  Derek nodded.

  “And this is where I say I am going with you,” she said.

  He frowned. “Olivia, this is going to be dangerous.”

  “I know,” she said. “And I care about you too much to let you go alone.”

  They sat in silence for a moment, their decision sealed.

  “We are going to have to plan this carefully,” Olivia said. “This is a rescue mission. The odds are bad. The risk is worse.”

  Derek nodded again. “But we are doing it.”

  “We are,” Olivia said.

  They worked through the night, planning every angle of their next move. By dawn, Derek Brown and Detective Olivia Hale had become something more than partners.

  They had become a strike team.

  And together, they were about to bring a war to Dairfax.

  __________________________________________________________________________

  The conference room inside Dairfax Laboratory Three was cold, bright, and unforgiving. A long metal table stretched beneath the harsh fluorescent lights, and the air carried the tension of an execution chamber.

  Lucas Kain stood at the head of the table, jaw clenched, fingers tapping once against the polished steel before he unleashed his fury.

  “How did you let this happen, Michael?”

  Michael Sorrenson, still bruised from Derek’s attack, shifted in his seat. “Sir, we tried to tase him. He fought us until the end.”

  Lucas slammed his palm against the table. “Tase him? He tore through an entire team.”

  “That’s exactly what I am saying.” Michael’s voice trembled. “He turned into a giant black lion standing on two feet. He killed most of our men. Sir, we stood no chance.”

  The room fell silent.

  “Listen to me,” Michael continued. “This man knows how to fight. And the fact that he is part werecreature makes him even more dangerous. He will come for us. We have his mother.”

  Lucas stepped forward slowly, expression hardening into stone. “I am not worried. He may fight like a lion, but we have more firepower.”

  Michael swallowed. “Are you sure about that? We opened fire on him after he transformed. The rounds bounced off. Nothing worked.”

  “Let him come,” Lucas said. “We will be ready.”

  He looked down at Michael with cold finality. “Do not return to Bayou Mounds until I say so. Let him come to us. My men will be prepared, and I will make sure of that.”

  “Yes, sir,” Michael whispered.

  Lucas dismissed the team with a final warning. “Do not let this happen again, Michael. I placed a great deal of faith in you.”

  Michael nodded, shame carving lines into his face. “Understood, sir.”

  The operatives left the room in near silence.

  Lucas stepped into the next chamber where Dr. Marsh sat in a chair beside the wall, wrists bound, face tight with exhaustion. Breakfast lay untouched on a tray in front of him.

  “Good morning, Dr. Marsh,” Lucas said. “How’s breakfast?”

  “Go to hell,” Marsh growled.

  Before Lucas could respond, a sharp heel cracked into Marsh’s ribs. He folded forward with a groan as Milina, the operative assigned to his supervision, withdrew her foot.

  “That is enough, Milina,” Lucas said without looking at her. “Get him up.”

  The operatives forced Marsh upright. He wheezed, fighting for breath.

  “You know why we captured you, correct?” Lucas asked.

  “Yes. And I am not helping you,” Marsh replied.

  “Oh, but you are,” Lucas said, leaning close. “If you refuse, we will kill you. Then we will kill your family. One by one.”

  Marsh’s face paled. He knew Lucas was not bluffing.

  “You will work with our scientists to develop the super soldier formula,” Lucas continued. “The same project you and that idiot Bill Carroll failed to finish.”

  Marsh shook his head. “Listen to me. You do not want to do this. Sheryl Brown is dangerous in the wrong hands.”

  Lucas smiled. “Yes. That is why we have developed a device that will wipe her memories and replace them with our directives.”

  “And if it wears off?” Marsh asked. “You know what they did three years ago. They tore through an entire city. They developed a mind of their own and created their own agenda.”

  He leaned forward despite the pain. “The same Sheryl you captured is the one who hunted me down in my own home. Their pack leader, Monica Scales, wanted a serum that would tighten the hive and speed transformation. They wanted dominance.”

  Marsh’s voice rose in warning. “If you force this, they will kill all of you. Then they will return to Bayou Mounds and finish what they started.”

  Lucas chuckled. “If that happens, we will hit them with Compound 47.”

  Marsh froze. “Excuse me?”

  “You will create it,” Lucas said. “We know everything about you. Dr. Cunningham estimates it will take twenty-four hours to test Sheryl’s blood and confirm compatibility. You will be present for every step.”

  Marsh did not answer.

  Lucas slammed both hands onto the table. “Is that clear?”

  Marsh exhaled in defeat. “Yes, sir.”

  “Good. Your work begins now.”

  Moments later, Sheryl was removed from her holding cell. Two operatives held her steady as a syringe plunged into her arm, delivering a sedative strong enough to smother her Lycan instincts. Her eyes flickered once, then closed.

  They placed her on a gurney and secured the straps across her wrists and ankles.

  Dr. Cunningham led the way into the operating chamber. Dr. Marsh followed reluctantly, flanked by armed guards. Lucas watched from the observation deck above, his presence looming like a shadow across the room.

  The scientists moved with cold precision. Instruments hummed. Monitors beeped. The smell of antiseptic filled the air.

  Five vials of Sheryl’s blood were drawn under sterile lights.

  This was the moment Dairfax had been waiting for.

  The next twenty-four hours would determine everything.

  Whether Project Death Claw remained a buried failure…

  or rose again under a new master.