<h4>Chapter 146: Three months earlier II</h4>


    <strong>Charis</strong>


    "That thews had changed, but not in the way that mattered. Yes, human-werewolf unions were now officially eptable, but somews were still the same. Female werewolves were still being forced into marriages and alliances for pack politics. The mate bond—that sacred connection our ancestors revered—had be useless.


    Her voice grew more bitter.


    "Fathers were still mistreating their daughters, still raising them to believe their only valuey in bing perfect Lunas for powerful Alphas. I couldn’t stand it anymore. Training women to have no identity beyond their reproductive capabilities is not just stupid—it’s evil."


    I was beginning to understand where this was leading, but I let her continue.


    "I aim to change that narrativepletely. I’ve spent fifteen years building wealth and influence in the human world, establishing connections with politicians and business leaders who can help reshape supernatural society from the outside."


    "That’s why you’re investing in Ravenshore?"


    "Not just investing. I’m joining the board of directors, and I’m going to use my money to change policies from within. I’m going to fight thews and rules that allow ces like Ravenshore to exist."


    She paused, meeting my eyes directly.


    "But first, I need to conquer Ravenshore itself. And there’s no one better suited to help me do that than you."


    "Me?" My voice was still weak, but disbelief made it stronger. "I’m nobody. I’m the girl who got expelled and nearly sent to prison for crimes I didn’tmit."


    "You’re the girl who survived being framed by a conspiracy that reaches the highest levels of your government. You’re the girl who created an entirely new identity and lived it convincingly for months. You’re the daughter of one of the most powerful Alphas in this world, which gives you political leverage whether you want it or not."


    She leaned closer, her voice dropping to a whisper.


    "Most importantly, you’re someone who understands what it means to be powerless, to be at the mercy of systems that don’t care about your survival. I want you to turn that pain into a weapon."


    "I don’t know how—"


    "Listen to me," she interrupted. "You think you’re lucky to have escaped with your life, and you are. But what about the millions of girls who aren’t as fortunate? What about the ones still trapped in Ravenshore’sboratories?"


    "Laboratories?"


    Her expression darkened, "Did you think the missing students were just disappearing into thin air? Did you think Vale took you to the club that day for fun?"


    I stared at her, feeling dread growing in my chest.


    "What are you talking about?"


    "They’re using all the girls in Ebonvale as breeding machines, and of course, all the boys in Ravenshore and breeders too. You remember what happened during the orientation program?"


    I nodded my head.


    "Ever heard of Lupin Euphoria?" she asked me.


    I shook my head.


    "Well, they were dosed with that. It makes them horny, plus it also stimtes heat in the girls. I don’t need to paint what can happen with that."


    I stared at her in shock, hoping she wouldugh and say it was all a joke.


    "You’re lying?" I murmured.


    "I wish I were!" she chuckled. "They’re currently in liaison with a lot of human governments, indeed, of supernatural babies and adults. Every single boy that’s ever disappeared from Ravenshore is a soldier in the human world. Not an ordinary soldier, though, high-level assassins with no collection of who they once were."


    I covered my mouth. "But why are they forcing the girls to get pregnant. Isn’t that illegal?"


    "Baby-making factories," she said bluntly. "They’re creating enabling conditions for these girls to be pregnant, then selling the children to human government agencies as ’superhumans’ for military and intelligence programs."


    "The humans want more advanced specimens now," Isolde continued relentlessly. "So Ravenshore’sboratories are experimenting with mixing different supernatural genes. They’re trying to create hybrid children with multiple abilities."


    "What happens to the failures?"


    "They be something else entirely. Blue creatures that look like ice wraiths but aren’t wraiths. They’re kept in underground tunnels beneath the school, used for further experimentation or disposed of when they be too unstable."


    Horror and rage warred in my chest, making it hard to breathe despite the oxygen tubes.


    "How many girls?" I whispered.


    "Hundreds over the past three years. Since Vale became headmistress, the records we’ve managed to ess are deliberately iplete."


    I closed my eyes, trying to process the scope of what she was telling me. All those students who’d supposedlymitted suicide or run away or simply vanished—they were still alive somewhere, trapped in a nightmare beyond imagination.


    "What do you want me to do?" I asked finally.


    Isolde smiled, and for the first time since I’d awakened, the expression reached her eyes.


    "First," she said, "you be my ward. My legally adopted daughter with all the protections and resources that entail."


    "And then?"


    "Then we go back to Ravenshore Academy. But this time, you won’t be hiding who you are. You’ll be Charis Greye, heir to Alpha Ss Greye, daughter of one of the wealthiest women in the world and the most dangerous student that school has ever seen."


    She reached out and took my hand.


    "We’re going to tear down their operation from the inside, free every girl they’ve imprisoned, and make sure the people responsible pay for what they’ve done. But I can’t do it alone. I need someone who understands the system, someone with legitimate reasons to be there, someone they’ll underestimate until it’s toote."


    I thought about all the girls who were suffering while Iy in this clean, safe hospital room. I thought about Eamon’s "death" and how easily the world had epted that narrative. I thought about the boys I’d left behind, probably still grieving for someone who’d never really existed.


    "Tell me," I said, my voice growing stronger with each word. "What do I do first?"


    She smiled broadly.


    "First, you be my daughter in every legal sense. Then we begin your real education—not just academics, butbat training, political strategy, financial maniption, everything you’ll need to take down an empire built on the suffering of innocent girls."


    She squeezed my hand.


    "Are you ready to stop being a victim and start being a weapon?"


    I looked into her scarred face and saw my own future reflected there.


    "Yes," I nodded.