THE LUNA WHO CONQUERED DEATH novel Chapter 72

Episode 39–T

THE LUNA WHO CONQUERED DEATH

Chapter 39: The List

I made my decision about the Covenant sympathizer list at dawn.

Luna woke me at five AM, not crying but cooing softly, her silver eyes glowing faintly in the darkness. I fed her while watching the sunrise through the nursery window, thinking about three thousand people who’d supported our genocide.

“Your father wants to destroy them,” I whispered to her. “Expose every name, let human society tear them apart. And part of me agrees. They deserve it.”

Luna’s tiny hand gripped my finger, her awareness focused entirely on me.

“But your grandmother’s journal talked about cycles of violence. How revenge breeds more revenge, how destruction creates

not continues them.”

By the time Adrian

truction.” I touched

her soft hair. “I want to be the Alpha who breaks cycles,

had my answer.

“We will release some of the names. Not all of them,” I said before he could ask. “The active operatives,

the people directly involved in kidnappings and experiments. Those people face full exposure.”

“And the others?”

“The donors, the sympathizers, the people who attended meetings but didn’t actively harm anyone?” I pulled up the list, highlighting categories. “We sent them a message. Private, untraceable. Let them know we have their names. That we’re watching. That if they ever support anti–supernatural activity again, we

release everything.”

Adrian studied the screen. “You’re giving them a chance to walk away.”

さい

“I’m giving them a reason to stay silent and inactive. Fear works better than destruction sometimes.” I looked at him. “The ones who ignored the warning, who continue supporting the Covenant? Those names

we release immediately.”

“That’s… actually brilliant. We get compliance through threat without creating three thousand enemies actively working against us.” He smiled. “You’re getting scared good at this political strategy thing.”

“I hate that I’m getting good at it. I’d rather just fight honestly.” I stood, stretching. “But we’re not fighting warriors anymore. We’re fighting ideology. That requires different tactics.”

Marcus entered without knocking, his expression urgent. “Alpha, we have a situation. One of the enhanced soldiers tried to escape last night.”

“Tried?”

Episode 39-4.

“Lucas stopped him. But during the attempt, the soldier exhibited abilities we didn’t know he had. He shifted into wolf form.”

I stared at him. “That’s impossible. The enhanced soldiers are human.”

“Not anymore.” Marcus pulled up security footage. “See for yourself.”

The video showed a man in a cell, his body convulsing. Then, horrifyingly, he began to shift. Not smoothly like a werewolf, but violently, bones breaking and reforming, skin tearing. The wolf form that emerged was wrong, twisted, clearly in agony.

Then it shifted back, just as violently.

“How many times has this happened?” I asked.

“Three times last night. Katherine sedated him, but she was concerned about the others. If one can shift, maybe they all can.”

“Get Katherine, Elena, and meet me in medical. Now.” I looked your judgment on the details.”

“On it.”

Adrian. “Handle the list release. I trust

I headed for a medical, Luna still in my arms. I wasn’t ready to leave her yet, and bringing her to a meeting

about enhanced soldiers probably said something about

mying priorities, but I didn’t care.

Katherine was already examining the soldier who’d shifted, running scans and taking samples. The man was strapped to a reinforced bed, unconscious but twitching.

“His DNA is rewriting itself,” Katherine said, without preamble. “The genetic modifications Pierce made are unstable. They’re trying to complete the transformation.”

“Into what?”

“Something between human and werewolf. A hybrid, but artificial. Forced.” She pulled up cellular scans. “It’s killing him. His body can’t handle the strain.”

“Can we stop it?”

“Maybe. If we can stabilize the DNA, prevent further mutations.” She looked at Luna in my arms. “Or if your daughter healed him again. Her power might be able to reverse the modifications entirely.”

“No.” My voice was firm. “I’m not using my infant daughter as a cure for people who volunteered to become supernatural–hunting weapons.”

“Even if they’re suffering?”

“Even then. Luna’s power is not a tool for us to deploy.” I moved closer to the restrained soldier. “Is he

conscious? Can we talk to him?”

Episode 12,4

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