Page 52 of Pawsitive Data

“Zayne,” she called over her shoulder. “Cover me for just a little longer!”

“Do what you need to do!” Zayne called back, his voice a growl as he knocked another enforcer to the ground.

Emma’s hands were moving as quickly as they could, the weight of their mission pressing on her chest. The data was all here—records of genetic manipulation, breeding schedules, and hidden experiments on the pride’s most vulnerable members. The depth of the conspiracy was horrifying, and she knew that once this data was out in the open, there would be no going back for Malcolm or his followers.

Just as she hit the button to transmit all the data to the pride’s main server, a soft beep from the control panel echoed through the room. Emma’s eyes widened in realization.

“Malcolm,” she whispered, her heart sinking. “He’s triggering the lab’s self-destruct sequence.”

A sudden rush of panic surged through her chest as the countdown began. Malcolm had set this place up to take down everyone with him.

“Shit,” Lucas snarled. “We need to get out, now.”

Emma hadn’t even noticed that he’d shifted back into human form. But she didn’t miss the fact he was as naked as the day he was born.

Lucas grabbed her hand and led her toward the door.

Zayne and Victor had cleared most of the enforcers, but the lab was still on the verge of total collapse. Emma glanced back at the monitors, her eyes darting to the rapidly escalating countdown on the display.

“Move,” she shouted, her voice steady despite the chaos. “We need to get out?—”

Then Malcolm’s voice rang out over the intercom system, this time cold and triumphant. “If I can’t save the pride my way, then no one will.”

A final surge of energy exploded from the lab’s control center. The countdown hit zero.

And then—everything went black.

FORTY-THREE

The world was swallowed by darkness. Emma’s last thought, a frantic prayer to survive, was dashed as the explosion’s shockwave consumed the lab.

But it wasn’t the end. Emma could feel a strange warmth, an undeniable presence anchoring her to life. The crystal. It pulsedinsideher chest, as if it were alive, a powerful, tethering force wrapping around her. Her mind raced through a haze, fighting to comprehend what had happened, where she was, and whether they’d survived.

She forced her eyes open, the world slowly coming into focus—shattered glass, jagged edges of concrete, and the distant echoes of collapsing metal. The air was thick with smoke, and the ground trembled beneath her.

“Lucas?” Her voice was a hoarse whisper.

She felt him before she saw him, his presence solidifying through their bond. He was close. She could hear his breathing, shallow but steady, and then the comforting sound of his voice. “I’m here.”

His hands found hers in the darkness, rough but gentle. There was a reassuring warmth to his touch, and his pantherstrength held her steady as they both tried to make sense of the destruction surrounding them.

“How...” Emma started, her voice faltering as she struggled to push herself upright.

Lucas’s grip tightened on her hand. “The crystal. It protected us.” He sounded as dazed as she felt. “I felt it, Emma. It shielded us all from the worst of it. Even as dust, it’s powerful.”

One of the enforcers stood, debris falling off him like an avalanche down a mountain. Another climbed from beneath crumbled concrete, then another and another. The entire force emerged from the ruins.

The crystal—her brilliant grandmother’s crystal—had saved them.

Slowly, they staggered to their feet, digging their way out of the wreckage of the collapsing lab. The ground beneath them still trembled, but the immediate danger had passed.

Zayne and Victor emerged from the smoke, both bloodied but alive. Zayne’s face was grim, his sharp gaze scanning the surroundings. “We need to get out. This place is still coming down.”

Victor let out a sigh when he saw Emma and Lucas. “You two all right?”

Emma nodded, though she could still feel the pounding in her skull. “We’re alive.”

Lucas moved them through the rubble as best as he could.

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