or. The medical bay's private washroom. It was a function

and carry her inside. But Enzo, returning with a sleek, metallic case, moved faste

gan to cra

ra said, her voic

ssly in the air. A flicker of hurt crossed their faces before

are in here," he said, his voice low. "And other... things

her feet. She stepped inside the washroom and, without looking back, pressed the control

possessiveness, and an unyielding determination that they would, one way or anoth

gs giving way. She slid to the floor, her breath coming in ragged gasps. The mask of the fragile, amnesiac girl

ll, and a simple sink. But it wasn't the fixtures that caught her attention. It was the medical data terminal embedded in the wall bes

ent on the cool floor. She reached out a

laying the emblem of the Aethelgard Empire and a search bar. It was co

mation was power. And s

cross the screen. She typed in the two words s

s articles detailing their heroic exploits in the Outer Rim wars. They weren't just soldiers; they were dec

She was entangled with apex predato

ological Signal". "Fe

were not just rare; they were the biological key to evolution for the male population. Their very presence could soothe the violent, energy-induce

athological reactions to her. It wasn't jus

with sweeping authority over unregistered females. Transport, registration, assignment. Her

ped her final, most critical

al signals were unreadable, unclassifiable. Each case ended the same way. The subject was transferred to a secure, off-world facility known only

erstand - to know what made her different. But the survivor in her knew better. Some questions were luxuries she couldn't afford. The only question

uchable. The thought was cold, clear - a sur

r lip, forced herself to breathe, and tried again. After two more wrong taps, she finally found the system settings. Her hands were shaking badly now. She selected what she hoped was the right option - data management - and hesitated. What if clearing the history itself triggered an alert? She had no

erfectly heated water cascaded from the ceiling. She stepped under the spray, the water washing aw

rotectors, her shield. She had to bind them to her so ti

s throat felt tight, his jaw clenched. He imagined the water sluicing over her pale skin, and a possessive heat coiled lo

could smell was the sterile air of the hospital. It was maddening. His fingers twitched at his sides - the urge

d his chronometer for the third time, a muscle ticking in his jaw. Enzo paced the corri

her time," E

ynn replied, his voice

short by the soft hiss of

ir uniforms, their expressions shifting from host

or sli

wafted out, carrying her s

unic was far too large, the wide collar dipping low to reveal the delicate, snow-white curve of her collarbone. The sleeves were rolled up, showing slend

Lost. And devast

is carefully constructed walls of self

e stared at the droplets of water clingin

azes devoured her. She tilted her head, a picture of innocence, and o

voice soft and sweet.

at each other, then back at her. In that moment, neither of them realized that they had a