Chapter 4: Forced Healing
Cold water poured over her, its sharp sting penetrating every nerve, pushing her closer to the brink of unconsciousness. The icy cascade felt like needles against her skin, drowning her senses. Her breath came in shallow gasps, her body trembling beneath the pressure of the medical restraint devices. The overwhelming pressure made her vision blur, her thoughts spiraling into confusion.
Her back still burned, the lingering aftereffects of the torture, but in the air, there was something else—something entirely different. Ice. A cold, calming presence that contrasted sharply with the fire still crawling up her spine. How could he be this cruel, this detached? Her skin, still raw from her punishment, seemed to seethe under the sterile chill. The tension in her throat tightened as if the world around her was shrinking.
The toxin removal protocol was in full operation, the medical system running diagnostics and administering cold liquid directly into her circulatory system. The sensation was more than discomfort—it was invasive, as if her body were being rewired by something far more advanced.
"Let me go," she gasped, her voice a strained whisper, raw with the effort it took to form the words. The desperation in her tone was barely concealed, but there was an undeniable defiance in the way her eyes flared, refusing to succumb to his control. Each breath she took felt like shards of ice scraping against her lungs, her body a trembling vessel caught between the instinct to survive and the weight of her prison.
Her pulse thudded painfully in her ears as she strained against the invisible force that gripped her. The medical restraint device clicked loudly, a sharp, mechanical sound that reverberated through the room like the snap of a trap. The cold, unforgiving titanium alloy rings constricted around her throat with precise efficiency, their edges digging into her skin, pressing tighter and tighter with each shallow gasp she took. They were seamless, unforgiving—gleaming in the low light like some unyielding, cold-hearted construct designed for nothing but control.
The faintest reflection of the wolf king's eyes flickered in the polished surface of the restraints. His gaze was hard, implacable—like the predator he was. The subtle gleam in his eyes betrayed nothing but the power he wielded, and that power felt suffocating. It wasn't just the pressure against her throat—it was the crushing weight of his presence, the knowledge that she was nothing more than an object for his will.
Her breath was coming in jagged, panicked bursts now, and despite the desperation clawing at her chest, she fought against the restraints, her hands instinctively trying to tear at the unyielding metal that trapped her. Her nails scraped against the smooth surface, useless, her strength faltering with every second as the air grew thinner. I will not give in, she thought, clenching her fists until her knuckles whitened, refusing to let him break her. Even in this suffocating moment, she fought to hold onto her dignity, her defiance.
But it was no use. The restraint device clicked again, reinforcing its hold on her, squeezing tighter, like a serpent wrapping its coils around its prey. She couldn't even draw a full breath now, her vision dimming as a haze of dizziness began to cloud her senses. Still, her defiance remained. She was still there, still fighting, even though her body screamed for mercy.
"Treatment requires complete cleansing," the wolf king's voice rang out, his words slicing through the thick silence. The sound of his voice was cold, detached—each syllable a verdict, a decree passed with the finality of a judgment. The words were not spoken with emotion, but with the chilling precision of a man who had long since become numb to the suffering of others. His voice, distorted by the hum of the protocol's automated systems, vibrated through the room like the growl of a beast, deep and unyielding. It was a voice that commanded obedience, that demanded submission.
His words echoed in her mind, seeping into her thoughts with an icy grip, leaving no room for resistance. "Including your filthy lies."
The venom in his voice cut through her like a blade, sharper than the cold that clung to her skin. He spoke as though her very existence—every breath she took, every thought she harbored—was a betrayal, a lie. And in that moment, it wasn't just the restraint around her throat that confined her—it was the crushing weight of his contempt, the judgment of everything she was, everything she had ever been. It pressed down on her like a physical force, making it impossible to breathe, impossible to think.
Her vision blurred, but she didn't close her eyes. She would not give him the satisfaction. She would not show weakness. Despite the suffocating grip of the restraints and the disorienting weight of his words, she kept her gaze fixed on him. The wolf king's eyes never left her, his cold, calculating stare locking onto her, measuring her every reaction. He was waiting for her to break, to beg, to accept her fate.
But she would not—could not—give him that victory.
The toxin removal protocol continued, flushing the poison from her system, but she couldn't escape the overwhelming sting. It wasn't just the physical sensation—it was the memories that flooded her mind. L-13. Her designation. Her curse. But even as her body screamed for air, her mind slipped into fragmented flashes—chaotic and desperate, like scattered shards of a broken mirror.
The sharp sound of rushing water filled her ears, drowning out her thoughts. Her body trembled, but it wasn't just from the cold now—it was the realization of what she was: a weapon, a product of the lab. The experiment. Subject. L-13. She didn't know if she was fighting to survive or simply trying to remember who she was beneath all of it. Beneath the name. Beneath the scars.
The toxin removal protocol beeped a warning, but it was too late. She reached out blindly, her fingers brushing against something cold, something metallic. The touch felt too familiar, too wrong. Her heart raced as the memories began to flood in. The cold, sterile walls of the lab. The hum of machinery. Faces that didn't care about her, only her blood. Pain. Blood.
The touch of the cold metal in her hand jolted her back to the present, but she could barely understand what was happening. The hum of the automated medical system in the room was overpowering, but there was something else—a humming that felt far more dangerous, far more real. She looked up. Another figure stood at the threshold, their presence like a shadow in the dim light.
The medical system's soft buzz filled the silence, its continuous hum interspersed with the harsh sound of her own breathing. But the figure approaching was no longer the wolf king. This was someone new—someone with a mechanical arm that gleamed in the dim, oppressive light.
The wolf king tensed immediately, his eyes narrowing in recognition. The atmosphere grew heavier, suffocating under the weight of their presence.
But the stranger didn't move immediately. They simply stood, their mechanical arm humming softly, radiating an unsettling energy. The wolf king's gaze shifted between the stranger and her, his posture shifting with unease. The medical system hummed around them, its sterile, clinical atmosphere amplifying the tension.
"What do you want?" The wolf king's voice was low, almost a growl, as his hands gripped tighter around her, though there was no physical contact now. It was the restraint system that held her. She couldn't move, couldn't break free. Only breathe and wait.
The stranger stepped forward, and for the first time, she saw it clearly—the mark etched into the metal arm. Three claws, curved like fangs, glinting coldly. Her pulse quickened, the truth dawning on her.
This was Lena's symbol.
Lena—the wolf king's sister. The one he had feared, the one he had never spoken of. The one whose mark was still present, even in the most unexpected of places. The figure stepped closer, their eyes hidden behind a mask, but their intent was unmistakable.
"I've come for her," the stranger said, their voice colder than the metal arm they wielded.
Before the wolf king could react, the environment erupted with a violent crack. The water pipes overhead burst, the hiss of escaping steam mixing with the sudden sound of water spraying in every direction. The medical restraint system's hum became a low, pulsing vibration. The sound of water spraying echoed in the sterile chamber, turning the already cold air into something sharper, more suffocating.
Her fingers clenched around the cold metal of the device, feeling the steady hum beneath her fingertips. There was a buzzing, almost as if the metal itself were alive. The hum of the mechanical arm mixed with the sound of the pipes, turning the environment into a twisted symphony of tension. The protocol's beeping grew louder as the system tried to compensate for the chaotic disruptions, but the sense of powerlessness only grew. The medical system's protocols could not stop what was coming.
The stranger's voice cut through the chaos. "She's mine."
The wolf king's grip tightened, but his hesitation was undeniable. He looked down at the device holding her, his gaze flicking to the symbol on the mechanical arm again. Lena. His sister's mark. His family. His curse.
But before he could act, something else caught his eye—the journal, hidden behind the cracked mirror. She hadn't meant for it to be discovered, but now it was in his hands. The journal was stained, its pages smeared with blood, some sections barely legible. But she could still make out part of it, the fragments that made her stomach drop.
L-13 is the only compatible carrier for the wolf king's genes.
Her blood. Her existence. She was nothing more than a tool. But she had never felt more alive.
The wolf king's face paled as he stared at the journal. Recognition hit him like a physical blow, and his body went rigid, his hands shaking with the weight of it. This wasn't just about control. This wasn't just about survival. It was about lineage, about family. L-13. His sister's blood. His voice cracked, barely audible.
"No… Not again."
The stranger's mask moved ever so slightly, their words cutting through the tension. "Her blood is the only thing that can save us."
The sound of the protocol continuing its diagnostic routine was lost beneath the growing tension. Her mind raced, but before she could process any of it, a cracking noise split the room. The mirror, the one she had hidden behind, fractured—its reflection no longer hers alone. In the shattered glass, she saw two faces staring back at her.
Monstrous. Both of them. One by choice. The other by design.
The stranger's mask moved ever so slightly, their words cutting through the tension. "Her blood is the only thing that can save us."
The sound of the protocol continuing its diagnostic routine was lost beneath the growing tension. Her mind raced, but before she could process any of it, a cracking noise split the room. The mirror, the one she had hidden behind, fractured—its reflection no longer hers alone. In the shattered glass, she saw two faces staring back at her.
Monstrous. Both of them. One by choice. The other by design.