The signal arrived not as a sound but as a sharp, agonizing pulse of violet light in the back of my skull. It was the twins. They had reached the central hub.
“We’re in, Mama,” Leo’s voice echoed through the bond, sounding small but terrifyingly resolute. “The wires... they’re everywhere. They’re crying. They’re so sad and cold. We’re going to give them the song now. We’re going to make them go to sleep.”
I didn’t wait for a second signal. I turned to Killian and gave him a single, sharp nod. The time for pretension was over.
Killian didn’t shift—he didn't need to surrender to the beast to be lethal. He lunged at the nearest Aegis guard, his movements a blur of human speed and Alpha precision. He caught the man by the throat before he could even unholster his pulse-pistol, the sound
