Rise of the Banished She-Wolf Chapter 71

Evelyn

I winced as I applied antiseptic to the silver burns on my forearm. The medical bay was quiet except for the occasional beep from monitoring equipment.

"These burns should heal within a day," a nurse said, wrapping a clean bandage around my arm. "You're lucky the exposure was minimal."

Before I could respond, my watch vibrated with an urgent alert. The notification showed my personal computer had detected an unauthorized remote access attempt. My heart rate spiked immediately.

"I need to go back to my room," I said, standing abruptly. "There's critical equipment I need to secure after the explosion."

Dr. Anderson frowned. "You should rest. The evacuation team will handle—"

"No," I cut him off firmly. "Some of my research can't fall into the wrong hands. You should go ahead with the others. I'll catch up."

He hesitated but nodded. "Don't take too long."

I hurried down the corridor to my quarters, my mind racing. Someone was trying to hack into my system—something that should have been impossible with my security protocols.

Inside my room, a video call popped up my computer, and my heart nearly stopped when Taylor's face appeared on the screen.

"Taylor?" My voice was barely a whisper. His face was bruised, one eye swollen shut, and dried blood caked his lower lip.

"Extreme... they found me..." His voice was scratchy, breaking up through the poor connection. "They know... you're Aurora... they're coming..."

"Taylor, where are you?" I grabbed my laptop, immediately launching the tracking program to trace the signal. "Who has you?"

"I... I don't know..." His eyes widened in panic as someone yanked him away from the camera. A gloved hand covered the lens momentarily before the feed cut off.

The screen then showed a route; they were heading for the island's perimeter.

"Damn it!" I slammed my fist on the desk. I needed to move fast.

Before rushing out, I activated the GPS locator on my watch, setting it to transmit my coordinates to Edward's secure server. *Edward, I hope you get this in time,* I thought as I slipped out of my room.

---

The moonlight cast long shadows across the forest clearing as I approached the coordinates from Taylor's signal. Four black SUVs were parked in a semicircle, their headlights illuminating the edge of a cliff. I knew it was dangerous, but I kept moving forward. Taylor was in there somewhere.

"Right on time, Aurora. Or should I say... White Wolf?"

A tall man with golden hair and ice-blue eyes stepped forward from behind one of the vehicles. He held Taylor by the collar, a silver knife pressed against his throat. Taylor's eyes found mine, filled with rage and desperation.

"Let him go," I demanded, my voice steady despite the fear gnawing at my insides. "Your quarrel is with me."

"This isn't a quarrel, Ms. Gray. This is a business transaction." The hunter smiled coldly. "And yes, we know exactly who you are. Evelyn Gray, the disgraced daughter of the Gray pack, possessor of the rare white wolf gene."

Taylor struggled against his captor's grip. "Aurora, don't listen to him! Run! They know everything about you—your work with Moonlight, your white wolf blood—everything!"

The hunter pressed the silver blade closer to Taylor's neck, drawing a thin line of blood. Taylor winced, his werewolf healing immediately trying to fight the silver poisoning.

My fists clenched at my sides, a spark of killing intent flashing through me. "Release him. You want me, not him."

"A smart choice." The hunter nodded to one of his men, who opened the door to the middle SUV. "Get in. We have other guests waiting to see you."

The atmosphere in the SUV was suffocating. They'd handcuffed me to the seat, the silver lining in the cuffs burning against my skin. Taylor sat across from me, his gaze downcast.

"So," I said, trying to lighten the mood despite everything, "What happened?"

Taylor sighed. "They weren't after me—they were waiting for you." His face darkened with guilt. "I was careless. Left the hotel on business, didn't know they'd been tailing me since the competition."

"How much do they know about Moonlight?"

"Everything," he whispered. "They've been tracking our operations for months. The lab explosion wasn't an accident..."

I noticed Taylor's breathing was labored, his skin paler than usual. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Silver dust," he murmured. "They made me inhale it. It's keeping me from shifting."

"I don't blame you, Taylor." I leaned forward as much as the handcuffs would allow. "None of this is your fault."

He nodded gratefully, but I could tell he didn't believe me.

---

After an hour of driving through winding forest roads, the SUVs stopped at a remote wooden cabin. The hunters pulled us out roughly and marched us inside. The moment we entered, Taylor let out an agonized howl.

"Aileen!"

In the center of the room, tied to a chair, was Taylor's adopted sister. Her face was deathly pale, blood soaking through her shirt around her midsection.

I rushed to her side, the hunters allowing me to approach. Kneeling beside her, I quickly assessed her injuries. Multiple broken ribs, one had punctured her lung, and the wound was rimmed with silver residue.

"She won't last much longer," I said grimly, looking up at the lead hunter. "She needs immediate medical attention."

Aileen's eyes fluttered open. "Sister..." she whispered, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. "Run... while you... can..."

A cold sensation of dread washed over me. This was more than a simple capture mission. These people were willing to kill to get what they wanted from me.

I stood up slowly, facing the lead hunter. "Take me to your leader. I know what you want."

"Evelyn, no!" Taylor lunged forward, only to be restrained by two hunters. "They're going to dissect you alive! Your white wolf DNA is their ultimate goal!"

I turned to look at Taylor, determination hardening my gaze. "Taylor, we have no escape now. Our only chance is to face the enemy directly."

As the words left my mouth, slow, deliberate applause echoed through the cabin. A familiar silhouette emerged from the shadows. As his face came into clear view under the moonlight, Taylor let out a shocked scream.

"Charles?!"

The man smiled, his voice gentle yet chilling. "Aurora, it's been a long time."

"It's you!" I gasped, recognition flooding through me.