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CHAPTER 20
publish date:
2026-05-26 23:50:31
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THE LAST BREEDER, CLAIMED BY FOUR CHAPTER 113
EDALThe journey back down the western ridge took three full days. The mountain trails were narrow, slick with gray shale and packed ice, forcing us to lead the mules by their headstalls at a crawl. Dr. Helena walked in the center of our formation, surrounded by Rylan’s massive frame in the front and Ezra’s sharp ears tracking the perimeter from behind. She did not complain about the freezing wind or the rough terrain, but her eyes never stopped moving, cataloging every guard post and fallback line we passed on our approach.When the rusted iron gates of Haven finally groaned open, the settlement was dead silent.Word had spread ahead of us. A crowd of baseline laborers and off-duty perimeter guards had gathered along the lower concrete tier, their faces gaunt, watching the heavy leather crates strapped to the mules. They knew what those boxes contained. But their eyes quickly shifted to the woman walking among us—her silver thermal suit clean, her skin pale, and her posture entirely
THE LAST BREEDER, CLAIMED BY FOUR CHAPTER 112
EDALWe spent the next two hours packing the heavy seed trays into the wooden supply crates.We had to be extremely careful. The glass vials were small and thin, so Sera gathered dry moss from the entrance of the mountain to pad the spaces between the trays. If even one of those vials cracked on the rough slate trails outside, we would lose years of research.Dr. Helena did not touch a single crate.She stood near the open vault door, her hands tucked deep into the pockets of her silver suit, watching us like an officer watching prisoners on a labor detail. She didn't offer to carry a bag, and she didn't help Sera gather the moss.Instead, her sharp blue eyes moved around the room until they landed on Rylan.Rylan was working near the back of the chamber, dragging a heavy iron battery pack out of the generator bay. He was wearing his dark leather vest, but he had left the front unbuttoned because of the heat from the heavy lifting. Sweat was running down his neck, cutting clean lines
THE LAST BREEDER, CLAIMED BY FOUR CHAPTER 111
EDALWe cleared a small space in the main research bay, dragging two wooden lab chairs away from a shattered glass desk so Dr. Helena could sit down.Tarek handed her a metal cup filled with warm water from his canteen. Her pale, thin fingers wrapped around the tin, her knuckles white as she took short, precise sips. The color was slowly coming back to her lips, but the wild panic in her eyes had completely vanished.In its place was something much harder. Her blue eyes were sharp, calculating, and cold as she looked at each of us in turn."Fifteen years," Helena said. Her voice was no longer a crackling whisper. It was smooth, dry, and entirely devoid of panic. She set the tin cup down on the edge of a steel counter with a small, metallic click. "Fifteen years of total collapse, and the best this mountain can produce as a rescue team is two soldiers, a doctor, a scavenger girl, and a hybrid boy."Rylan leaned against the doorframe, his heavy arms crossed over his chest. His bandaged
THE LAST BREEDER, CLAIMED BY FOUR CHAPTER 110
EDALThe air inside the Mount Avery Biosphere was cold and perfectly still. It smelled of ozone, dry concrete, and old copper."We are clear," Rylan said. He stepped over the dead bear, his boots splashing in a shallow pool of dark blood.I checked my hip. The old wound was tight, but it was holding. I picked up my flashlight and turned the beam toward the deep interior of the hallway. The white light cut through the dark, reflecting off glass doors and metal plates."The vault is further down," Ezra said, pointing down the corridor. He had a bloody scratch on his cheek from the concrete wall, but his hybrid ears were upright and quiet now. "The air gets colder that way. The smell of the bear is gone. There is only dust.""Tarek! Sera!" I called out to the entrance. "The threat is down. Get the mules inside."Within a minute, the click of hooves echoed on the concrete. Sera led the two pack mules through the steel doors, her eyes wide as she looked at the massive, dead beast lying on
THE LAST BREEDER, CLAIMED BY FOUR CHAPTER 109
EDALThe air that came out of the dark gap smelled like old potting soil and wet iron.I held my pistol with both hands. I pointed the barrel directly at the three-inch opening in the concrete wall."Rylan, step back," I said. My voice was quiet.Rylan did not move away from the door. He kept his hands on his iron pry bar, but he shifted his boots so he could turn his body toward the gap. His chest was still wrapped in bandages from his fight with the wolves, but his muscles were tight."I don't hear anything," Rylan said. He lowered his head toward the steel. "It just sounds like the wind moving through the vents.""It is not the wind," Ezra said. He was standing five feet behind us. His long hybrid ears were twitching fast, turning toward the dark seam. "The wind does not have a heartbeat, Rylan. There is something big in there. It is sitting right behind the iron plate."Tarek stepped in front of Sera and the two mules. He pulled his medical kit closer to his hip. He did not have a
THE LAST BREEDER, CLAIMED BY FOUR CHAPTER 108
EDALThe trail toward the Mount Avery Biosphere facility cut directly through the high ridge territory, where the mountain paths narrowed into jagged ledges of gray slate. The ice from the late spring freeze coated the stones, making every step a hazard for the two pack mules.Korr had remained behind at Haven to reinforce the primary gates and manage the security perimeter. The settlement could not be left without its commander, so the line fell to us.I led the detail, with Rylan walking parallel to the cliff edge to watch the lower valleys. Ezra tracked thirty yards ahead of us, his hybrid ears rotating constantly to catch the sound of shifting stone or distant movement. Tarek walked near the rear, keeping his medical pack secured high on his shoulders, while Sera managed the lead lines of the mules, her eyes scanning the sparse brush for any sign of mountain predators.The wind coming off the northern peaks was direct and freezing, carrying the sharp scent of old iron and pine rot
THE LAST BREEDER, CLAIMED BY FOUR CHAPTER 62
RYLANThe mountain trail was total hell. The convoy crawled through the jagged teeth of the Red Ridge, the heavy transport trucks spinning their tires in the loose shale and gray mud. Up here, the air was thin and bit like a knife.At the back of the convoy, Edal was asleep against my chest, wrappe
THE LAST BREEDER, CLAIMED BY FOUR CHAPTER 33
KORRThe office door didn't even finish closing before Ezra slammed me into the wall.His body was pressed flat against mine, pinning me down "You almost let her die, A second later, Korr. That’s all it would have taken. If that truck hadn't crashed the gates, she’d be dead on a rope right now.""
THE LAST BREEDER, CLAIMED BY FOUR CHAPTER 5
EDALI came with his name on my lips. My back arched off the dirt floor. My thighs shook. My breath came in ragged gasps. I saw white behind my eyes, and for a moment, I forgot he'd thrown me away.Then it was over. I lay there, sweaty and disgusting, my hand still between my legs, my chest heaving
THE LAST BREEDER, CLAIMED BY FOUR CHAPTER 64
EDALEDALI sat on the frozen floorboards, my breathing ragged, my hands trembling as I clutched the canvas blankets tighter around my shoulders. The metal beneath me vibrated as the big truck crawled over the rocks, but all I could feel was the shaking inside my own bones.Across from me, Rylan di
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