CHAPTER 30
The weeks following the sand drum punishment were a grueling blur of pain, recovery, and absolute internal reorganization for Lauren. The punishment had done what Thorne intended, but not in the waythat he expected. It hadn’t broken her spirit; it had simply burned away her weakness, her shame and her humanity.
When Finn found her hours later, slumped against the drum, he rushed her to the clinic. She spent days recovering from severe dehydration and muscle trauma. Thorne received a mild reprimand from Volkov—not for the cruelty, but for causing an unnecessary loss of human resources.
Recruits must be treated as precious assets until they reach legal age for deployment, ensuring their skills are perfectly honed and their killing intent is sharp.
But the most profound shift o
