MasukMALAKAI.I swirled the dark purple vial sitting between my fingers, letting the dim candlelight hit the glass.This was the failed batch of the lunar serum. The mistake that could turn anything into a formidable monster, instead of doing its job — healing.According to Rose, Mabel had ordered them to discard it, but she brought it straight to me.I clicked my tongue. Such loyalty was hard to come by these days.I stared down at my left hand, tracing the thick, raised scars running all the way up to my elbow.I tested a single drop of this failed serum hours ago to see what would happen.That single monster lost its mind instantly and nearly tore my arm clean off my shoulder before my men put it down.I barely survived that encounter, and I knew right then how lethal this stuff was.There was zero doubt in my mind that Mabel was dead by now.I heard footsteps echoing down the stone hallway outside my private study.The door creaked open, and Rose stepped inside, her laboratory coat cov
MABEL. I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared at the glowing screen for a second.Kyra's tiny voice was still bouncing around inside my head, making me feel warm inside. Right after hanging up with her, I dialed Evie. She answered on the second ring, sounding tired but alert.“Evie, I need you down at the underground laboratory right now,” I said, my voice leaving no room for argument.“I'm on my way, Mistress,” she replied instantly.I tapped the screen to end the call and wiped a stray bead of sweat from my forehead. That was when I noticed a notification sitting right at the top of my screen from an unknown number.I stared at it for two seconds, debating whether to open it.Honestly, I didn't have the mental energy for some random drama or a threat right now. I swiped the notification away without reading it and tossed the phone onto the desk. I caught sight of the hazmat suit, but then, remembering the hotness, I glanced away—no need to wear it. I turned back to the g
MABEL.At the underground laboratory, the sound of boiling liquid was heard.I replaced one of the regenerative enzymes with heartvine sap. According to the scrolls, Heartvine sap was once taken raw by soldiers who wanted to boost their powers, but it ultimately led to death.A few minutes of speed and strength, and the next second, your body is burning up, and then you are choked by the poison. But if I could isolate the beneficial aspects and remove the toxins, then it could match with the remaining ingredients. It would speed up healing, and boost strength as well. “Begin the mixture,” I said into the talkie, and the mixing machine rumbled to life, churning the entire content. The lab was quiet except for the loud rumble of the machines and the beeping of computers analysing everything, with the soft scribble of pen on paper.“Heartvine sap is said to be deadly; how are we sure it wouldn't just add to the dangers in this serum?” One of the scientists next to me said. I could fe
MABEL. The moment I came into the mansion, I was faced with Kyra, who was smiling from ear to ear. “Mommy, I met with Uncle Gus today.” “Mommy, did you see the ruby Uncle Gus gave me?” Evie, on the other hand, would stuff steamed buns into Kyra's mouth“Shush, eat first,” Evie said, passing Kyra a glare, which she returned with a puffed cheek.“I was talking …to my mommy,” she grumbled with her lips full of food. I decided to go upstairs first, but Kyra left her meal with Evie and ran after me, dragged me by the hands, and made me sit on the sofa. “I'm not done, mommy,” she said, and I rubbed my forehead harder than I had done in the past few days. “Why call him uncle? He's older than mommy; you should call him grandpa,” I said, trying to engage her. Perhaps she would leave me? No? She pouted, then curled onto my lap.“I called him Grandpa Gus, and he told me that he was uncle.” My jaw slackened. “Huh? He said that?” “Mhm, I'm not lying. He said calling him grandpa is old-
MABEL. “Heart rate is clashing.” “Tissues are mutating.” “Regenerative markers are excess.” “Blood pressure is rising consistently.” “Blood valves are enlarged.” Everything was fine a while ago, until the rats walked. Then suddenly, the tissues began mutating. Regenerating in excess. The rats exploded one after the other, their blood staining the glass and sliding down. Everyone went silent. I stared at the scene with horror in my eyes. They didn't mutate into something monstrous. They almost did, but then they exploded, splattering over the glass. It was like every other test. The first few minutes of taking it were the most normal, and then suddenly it went off course. “Time of death: 12:41 p.m. Fourth trial of the lunar serum: failed,” I said into the talkie, and everyone moved, scribbled down on the paper as cleaners stepped in, covered in protective suits. They carried the glass case away.“Alpha, should we proceed to the next test subject?” I dropped the talkie on t
MABEL. Every ingredient for the lunar serum had been mounted already. We needed to start the process. This would be the fourth time to test the lunar serum since I abandoned the project.But right now, my hands are on Kyra's door, wondering if I should step in or not. I could hear her plan. Have Kyran married me so that she could be real siblings with Arlan? Hah! My hands tightened on my side as the door handle grew cold by the minute, biting into my palms and spreading widely into my arms. She didn't know the truth yet. She wouldn't understand if I told her that Kyran was indeed her father, and he left her to die.I withdrew my hands from the door, stared at it for a while, before I walked away, making sure my heels didn't click too loudly. On the way to the headquarters, my mind trailed back to what Kyra had said. Have your daddy marry my mommy, and we would become real siblings. I rubbed my head faintly, wanting to focus on the experiment details on the iPad screen. But t
Mabel’s POVThe moment I heard those nurses mention a celebration at the pack house, something inside me snapped completely, and before I realized it, I was already grabbing my coat and rushing out of the hospital room.“Luna?” the nanny called after me in confusion.“Stay with her,” I said quickly
Mabel’s POV“Kyran, how could you do this to your own child?” I gritted out, my fingers tightening around the phone until my knuckles turned pale. But no matter how angry or heartbroken I felt right now, I refused to let his foolishness cost my daughter her life.The pack had always hated me since
Mabel’s POVMy child’s cry echoed in the hospital room, and she had been in this condition for the past six months, living between machines, injections, and restless nights that never seemed to end, with just one month left. The doctors said the only thing that could save her would be a heart surg
MABEL'S POV I kept running, legs quaking, as I kept turning back. My legs caught onto a stake. It slashed me. “Argh,” I groaned, secured Kyra safely, stood up, and continued again. Kyra groaned in my embrace, awoken by how fast I have been running and the sound of my ragged breathing. I slowed d







