Chapter Ninety-Seven: The Reckoning at Solstice Circuit

The engines roared, drowning out the crowd's cheers as the racers lined up at the Solstice Circuit starting grid. The neon-lit track stretched ahead, its sharp turns and unforgiving straights promising nothing but chaos.

Chloe adjusted her gloves, flexing her fingers against the wheel. Her helmet and sunglasses hid her identity, but nothing could mask the sheer electricity in her stance.

Beside her, Kian sat in the passenger seat, his own helmet secured, his grip tight against the roll cage.

He had sworn never to do this again.

But here he was.

Because Chloe was here.

And because if she was going to throw herself into this—

He was going to make sure she walked away from it.

The Race Begins

The lights flashed green.

The tires screamed.

And Chloe?

Chloe launched forward, her Lykan Hypersport tearing down the straight like a bullet.

The rival team—Blackthorn Syndicate—was right beside her, their cars jockeying for position, trying to force her into a bad line.

But Chloe was untouchable.

She took the first corner late, braking at the last possible second, cutting inside and stealing the lead.

Ronan Vale, furious, pushed forward, his car nearly clipping her rear bumper.

Kian gritted his teeth, his pulse hammering.

"Chloe—"

"I see him."

She downshifted, flicking the wheel, sending the car into a controlled slide through the next turn.

The crowd erupted.

Carter, standing with Damian, Mikael, and Lorence, cheered wildly, his small fists pumping in the air.

The Redgrave brothers?

They were silent.

Excited.

Worried.

But rest assured—because Kian was in the car with her.

The Provocation

The racers didn't speak.

They drove.

And that was enough.

Ronan cut in, trying to force Chloe wide.

She countered, braking just enough to let him overshoot—then accelerated past him, stealing his line.

Another driver tried to box her in, but Chloe faked a move, forcing him to react—then slipped through the gap like smoke.

Kian exhaled sharply, watching her.

Watching the way her eyes lit up, the way her body moved with the car, the way she was alive in a way he hadn't seen in years.

And for a moment—

Just a moment—

He forgot about the accident.

Forgot about the fear.

Because Chloe was meant for this.

The Finish

The final stretch.

Chloe pushed forward, her car screaming down the straight, the Syndicate racers desperate behind her.

But they couldn't catch her.

They never could.

She crossed the finish line first, the crowd exploding in cheers.

And then—

Then, the realization hit.

The bettors, the Syndicate, the audience—

They had bet against her.

They had lost everything.

Because the racer they had mocked—

The racer they had underestimated—

Was Nyx.

And Nyx had never lost.

The Aftermath

Carter cheered, waving at the crowd, his excitement uncontainable.

The Redgrave brothers exhaled, tension finally easing.

And Kian?

At the way she was grinning, at the way she was glowing, at the way she was whole.

And he knew.

Knew that no matter how much he hated it—

No matter how much he feared it—

This was hers.

It had always been hers.