CHAPTER 9: THE BREAKING POINT
555 Words
Sienna couldn’t breathe.
The message on Kade’s phone burned into her mind. She couldn’t look away.
Hello, daughter.
Her father. Dead for fifteen years. Buried. Mourned.
No. Alive.
And tangled in all of this.
“Sienna.” Kade’s voice came from far away. “Look at me.”
She couldn’t.
“Sienna.” This time, sharper. He took her shoulders, pulled her back to him. “Breathe.”
She sucked in a ragged breath, body trembling. “He’s alive… my father is alive and he—” Her words broke apart. “He did this to me.”
“I know.” Kade wrapped his arms around her. “I know.”
“How long?”
He said nothing.
That was enough.
Sienna shoved him back. “How long, Kade?”
“Since the beginning.”
It hit her like a punch to the gut.
“You knew?” Her words came out sharp, slicing. “You didn’t say a word?”
“I was trying to protect you.”
“By lying?” Her laugh split the air, bitter and hollow. “You’re just like them.”
“No.” His calm snapped, something much darker slipping out. “You think I could let you waltz into this, not knowing? Let them drag you back to that lab?”
“Back?” The word twisted in her mouth. “What do you mean, back?”
Kade faltered.
Then, “You weren’t just experimented on, Sienna. You were designed.”
Everything paused.
“That’s not possible.”
“Isn’t it?” He didn’t move away. “Your immunity isn’t some accident. They created it. Your father wanted a breakthrough—an alpha-level consciousness that wouldn’t collapse under dominance. That was you.”
She stared at him, breath unsteady. “It’s not me.”
“It is.” His voice dropped. “When it didn’t work, they erased you.”
She felt something shift inside—not breaking, just changing shape.
Before she could answer—
The door slammed open.
Elena stumbled in, bloody and shaking.
“They found us,” she got out. “The Council knows. Kill team’s coming.”
Sirens started howling.
Kade grabbed her. “Stairs. Now.”
They ran.
Down bare concrete steps. Footsteps echoed close behind. Voices above, getting nearer.
Then—
Marcus Vane stepped onto the upper landing.
“Going somewhere?” His voice was ice.
Kade yanked Sienna behind him. “Go!”
“I’m not leaving you!”
He kissed her—hard, desperate, and final. “I’ll find you.”
Then he turned.
Charged straight at Marcus, hitting him in mid-air. The two of them smashed through the railing, chaos filling the stairwell.
Sienna screamed.
“Elena, MOVE!” Elena pulled her away.
They crashed into the parking garage.
A black car waited, engine running.
“Get in,” Elena snapped.
Sienna froze.
Behind them—glass shattered, men shouting, footsteps pounding closer.
She dove in.
Tires squealed as the car rocketed away.
Her phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
Her father.
*I’m sorry. But you were always going to come home.*
*The facility is waiting.*
*Bring Kade, and he dies.*
*Come alone… and your friend lives.*
Sienna stared at the message.
And for once, she wasn’t running away from what waited.
She was running straight at it.
- Writer
