The scent surge hit like an explosion.
Not outward—
not like the blast back in the archives.
This time, it detonated inside me.
My lungs seized.
My skin burned.
My vision blurred at the edges.
It felt like my body was trying to tear itself open from the inside, like something wanted out.
I choked on air that suddenly felt too thin.
"…El… lea… nore…?"
Horace's voice—
weak, ragged, barely conscious.
I dropped to my knees with him in my arms.
"Horace—Horace, stay with me—"
My voice snapped apart, trembling uncontrollably.
His forehead pressed to my collarbone, his skin burning with fever.
Lucian lunged toward us, shouting over the tremors:
"ELLEANORE—FOCUS—DON'T LET IT SPIKE—!!"
"I can't—!" I gasped.
"I can't breathe—!"
Rowan shrieked.
Chandler grabbed him instantly, shielding him as dust rained from the ceiling.
"It's okay, sweetheart—focus on my voice—don't look—"
Chandler's voice cracked.
"Rowan—breathe for me—just breathe—"
Rowan shoved his head against Chandler's chest, sobbing through the overwhelming scent pressure.
"It hurts—Chandler—it hurts—"
"I know—I know—just hold onto me—"
The Prime Subject convulsed violently, twitching like an animal struck by lightning.
Its voice glitched:
"OVERPOWERED—
CORRUPTED—
SIGNAL… FRACTURING—"
Lucian staggered, gripping a wall panel, nearly crushed by the scent waves pouring off me.
"Elleanore—stop—your pheromone levels are exceeding safe thresholds—"
"WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO—?!" I cried, voice shaking with raw fear.
"ANYTHING but this!" Lucian yelled.
Horace's fingers dug into my shirt—weakly, desperately—trying to pull me closer as if grounding me would pull him back from unconsciousness.
His voice cracked.
"Elleanore… don't… let… it… take… you…"
I shook my head violently.
"I'm not—I'm not—Horace stay with me—"
He coughed, blood trailing from the corner of his mouth.
But he tried—
even barely conscious—
to gather my hand in his.
"Elleanore… look… at me…"
His voice…
fragile
frayed
but so full of instinct
of something deeper
that it forced my eyes onto him.
"Don't… let it… in…" he breathed.
I swallowed a sob.
"I'm not—Horace—stay awake—stay—"
He half-smiled.
It was weak.
But real.
"You… smell like… the only thing… keeping me alive…"
My eyes blurred.
And then—
the Prime Subject screamed.
A metallic, wrenching screech that cracked the walls.
Its body twisted violently, jerking across the floor like it was being pulled apart by invisible hands.
Lucian's eyes widened.
"It's destabilizing—!!"
The Prime's voice sputtered:
"WHY—
WHY DOES YOUR SCENT—
REJECT ME—
WHY—"
I curled over Horace's body, shielding him.
"Because I don't want you!" I screamed.
The Prime convulsed again, slamming against a steel support beam so hard the metal buckled.
Lucian cursed.
"Elleanore—your rejection is destabilizing it—your scent is forcing it into a feedback loop—"
"What does that mean!?"
"It means you're KILLING it!"
Chandler stared at Lucian, horrified.
"That's good, right?!"
"NO!" Lucian roared.
"If the Prototype collapses—EVERYTHING collapses with it—"
The ground shook violently.
Rowan cried out.
"Make it stop—please—make it stop—"
Chandler held him tighter, fighting to stay standing as the chamber rattled.
"I've got you—I've got you—don't look—just keep your eyes on me—"
Rowan clung to him like a drowning survivor to driftwood.
Lucian's voice sharpened, slicing through the chaos:
"Elleanore—your scent is reacting to what you FEEL—
if you lose control now—your body will think you're going into final evolution—
and you will hit STAGE FOUR—!!"
My entire world froze.
Horace's grip on me slackened.
His head dropped against my shoulder, breath slowing—
too slow.
"Lucian—HE'S FADING—!!" I cried, voice cracking.
Lucian stumbled forward.
"He's losing blood too fast—"
I held Horace tighter, my voice breaking into a scream:
"NO—HORACE—STAY WITH ME—PLEASE—DON'T—"
Lucian's gaze flicked between us.
"Elleanore—listen to me—if you spike again—he WILL die.
Your scent will drown him."
My heart plummeted.
"No—no—I won't—I'm trying—"
Lucian grabbed my chin, forcing my gaze onto his.
"Elleanore.
Focus on the ONE scent that calms you."
Tears slid down my cheeks.
"I don't know how—"
"Yes, you do!" Lucian snapped.
"You did it before. Instinctively."
I blinked, panting.
"What scent?"
Horace answered weakly—
barely conscious—
barely breathing—
"…mine…"
My breath caught.
He forced his hand to my cheek.
"Elleanore… breathe… me…"
Something inside me cracked open.
I leaned into him—
into his warmth
his scent
his heartbeat
the place where instinct had marked me
and my chest loosened
just a little
just enough.
Lucian exhaled in relief.
"Good. GOOD—keep going—say his name if you have to—"
I whispered it, voice trembling:
"Horace…"
His breathing stuttered—
then steadied faintly.
"More," Lucian urged.
"It's stabilizing your output—"
"Horace…" I breathed again, pressing our foreheads together.
Rowan whimpered softly, holding onto Chandler with shaking fingers.
Chandler pressed a kiss to the side of Rowan's head—gentle, grounding, protective.
"You're safe," he whispered.
"I swear to you. You're safe."
Rowan nodded weakly.
Lucian kept his voice low, urgent.
"Elleanore—your instincts recognize him.
He's your anchor.
Your stabilizer.
Push everything else out."
I lifted Horace's face with both hands, voice breaking.
"Horace—please—stay with me—"
His fingers curled around my wrist.
"Elleanore…
I'm trying…"
The Prime Subject thrashed violently, screeching:
"UNACCEPTABLE—
PAIRING ERROR—
PAIRING ERROR—
PAIRING—"
A metallic crack echoed through the chamber.
Lucian swore under his breath.
"Prototype integrity is collapsing.
It's going to SHORT OUT—!!"
"Meaning what?!" Chandler yelled.
Lucian's voice dropped.
"Meaning it's going to take the entire facility down with it!"
The Prime dug its hands into its own skull, pulling at the seams.
"MAKE IT—STOP—
YOU ARE—
YOU ARE—NOT—
MINE—"
"YOU'RE RIGHT!" I screamed back.
"BECAUSE I CHOOSE HIM!"
Horace's breath hitched.
His scent spiked—
warm
thick
steady
wrapping around my collapsing instincts like a shield.
For the first time—
my scent quieted.
Calmed.
Shifted its direction.
Toward him.
Only him.
The Prime Subject froze.
Its glowing eyes widened—
not with anger.
With recognition.
Then glitching horror.
"…Stabilizer bond…
not with me…"
Its voice cracked like shattering glass.
"With the Prince."
Lucian whispered,
"Oh god."
The Prime stumbled backward—
jerking violently
like it was being ripped away from something it thought it owned.
"NO—
NO—
THIS IS NOT—THE SEQUENCE—
NOT—THE—CORRECT—MATCH—"
Horace clung weakly to my shirt.
"Elleanore… don't… leave me…"
My heart shattered.
I held him tighter.
"I'm not leaving you."
The Prime Subject slammed a fist into the wall.
KHRAAANG—!!
Cracks split across its arm.
"CORRUPTED—
SIGNAL—FAILED—
SEQUENCE—BROKEN—"
Lucian's eyes widened.
"It's entering critical collapse—"
Chandler yelled,
"HOW DO WE STOP IT—?!"
"We CAN'T!" Lucian shouted.
The Prime staggered again.
Then—
it screamed.
The sound shattered every light in the chamber.
Rowan collapsed to his knees with a sob.
Chandler dove down beside him, shielding him with his whole body.
Lucian covered his ears.
I curled over Horace's body.
And the Prime Subject unleashed its final, broken words:
"IF I CANNOT COMPLETE YOU—
I WILL ERASE YOU."
The ground cracked.
The walls shook.
Dust rained from above.
Lucian grabbed my arm.
"We have to MOVE—NOW—GET HORACE OUT—HE WON'T SURVIVE ANOTHER BLAST—!!"
But Horace's fingers tightened weakly on my sleeve.
"Elleanore…
don't let it… take you…"
I pressed my forehead to his.
"It won't."
The Prime Subject clawed at the floor, dragging its malfunctioning body toward us.
Lucian grabbed the emergency panel.
"I FOUND THE OVERRIDE—FOLLOW ME—!!"
The Prototype lunged—
The chamber exploded with sound—
And everything went white.
Stability Collapse
Everything went white.
A violent, crushing sound swallowed the chamber—
metal screaming, concrete buckling, vents collapsing like they were made of paper.
My ears rang.
My vision pulsed.
My lungs seized.
And when the brightness finally receded—
the world was falling apart.
The entire scent trial room was coming down piece by piece.
Pipes burst overhead.
Dust flooded the air.
Cracks split across the walls like lightning veins.
Lucian grabbed my arm, shouting:
"MOVE—WE HAVE SECONDS BEFORE THIS PLACE IMPLODES—!!"
I couldn't even respond.
Horace was in my arms—
cold
still
almost weightless in a way that terrified me.
"Horace—Horace, open your eyes—please—"
My voice trembled, breaking.
He didn't respond.
His head fell against my shoulder, breath thin
too thin
barely there.
Rowan screamed as a section of ceiling collapsed behind him.
Chandler lifted him instantly, hands gripping Rowan's arms.
"Hold on to me—HOLD ON—"
Rowan clung desperately, sobbing into Chandler's chest.
"Don't let it get us—don't let it get us—"
"I won't," Chandler said fiercely.
"I swear—keep your eyes on me."
Lucian shouted again:
"THE EXIT—NOW!"
He pointed toward a half-collapsed corridor at the far end of the room.
A narrow passage.
Dark.
Barely intact.
But still open.
The Prime Subject dragged itself across the floor behind us—
sparks flickering from its broken frame
its movements jerky, violent.
SCRAAAAPE—
Its hand clawed at the cracked tiles.
Its voice glitched, distorted and ragged:
"I WILL—
FINISH—
WHAT—
I STARTED."
Horace's body spasmed weakly at the sound, his fingers twitching.
I held him tighter.
"No—no—don't slip—don't fade—stay with me—"
His lips parted, trembling.
"El… lea…"
His voice cut off into a ragged exhale.
I felt something inside me tear.
Chandler shouted over the collapsing metal:
"GO—NOW—!"
THE COLLAPSE
The trial room split in half with a deafening crack.
Lucian threw his weight into the emergency door panel—
the metal groaned
and finally slid open with a screech.
"GET IN!"
I carried Horace in both arms, stumbling through the doorway.
Chandler followed close behind, carrying Rowan who clung to him like he was the only solid thing left in the world.
As soon as we crossed the threshold—
BOOM—!!
The entire chamber behind us collapsed inward, smashing into itself.
If we'd been two seconds slower—
we would've been buried alive.
Dust filled the air.
The floor shook under our feet.
Lucian slammed the door shut behind us.
His hands were bleeding.
His clothes torn.
His face pale.
But his voice was steady.
"We keep moving.
This corridor leads to the auxiliary access tunnels."
Rowan whimpered against Chandler's chest, breathing erratically.
"I… I can't feel my hands—"
Chandler cupped the back of his head gently.
"That's okay. You don't need to."
Rowan sobbed.
"Chandler—it's coming—"
Chandler held him tighter.
"I won't let it touch you. I promise."
Rowan clung to him, shaking violently.
HORACE IS FADING
I knelt, trying to check Horace's pulse.
My hands were shaking too badly.
His skin was frighteningly cold.
"Lucian—he's not—he's barely—"
Lucian dropped to his knees beside us, ripping open the remaining bandages.
"His shoulder's shredded—bleeding internally again—dammit—!"
Tears blurred my vision.
"Lucian—PLEASE—he can't—he can't die—"
"I'm TRYING," Lucian snapped, voice cracking under pressure.
He pressed his hands against the wound—
and Horace flinched violently.
"Elleanore—"
His voice was barely air.
I leaned over him, cupping his cheek with trembling fingers.
"I'm here. Stay with me. Please—please—stay—"
His eyelashes fluttered.
His body sagged.
His heartbeat—
fluttered like a dying signal.
Lucian looked up at me—
face tight
eyes full of controlled panic.
"Elleanore…
he's only holding on because of you."
"Then I'm not letting go!"
But Lucian shook his head.
"No—listen to me—
your scent is the ONLY thing keeping him conscious—
but if it spikes even a little, you'll push him into shock—"
"What do I do then?!"
Lucian swallowed hard.
"You have to stay calm."
My breath broke.
"Lucian—I CAN'T—"
"You HAVE to.
He'll die if you don't."
I leaned down, pressing my forehead to Horace's.
"Please don't go," I whispered.
"Please—please—don't leave me—"
His voice cracked—barely more than breath:
"Elleanore… don't… cry…"
That was the moment something shattered inside me.
Not violently.
Softly.
Painfully.
Like glass breaking underwater.
I choked on a sob.
"I need you," I whispered.
"You need to stay. You need to stay with me."
His fingers twitched—trying to reach me.
I took his hand, pressing it to my cheek.
"That's it—
stay—
stay—
stay—"
Horace's eyes fluttered halfway open.
And even dying—
even barely breathing—
he tried to smile.
"…You… smell… like home…"
My heart broke clean in half.
Lucian's voice cut through the moment—low and urgent.
"Elleanore.
Listen carefully.
Horace is your stabilizer."
I froze.
Lucian continued:
"You stabilized your evolution when you focused on him.
Your scent aligned with his.
You rejected the Prototype because your instincts already chose."
My pulse roared in my ears.
Lucian's voice softened.
"He's the one who can pull you back from Stage Four."
Horace's head slid against my shoulder, breath shaking.
My chest tightened painfully.
"…Horace…"
I whispered.
"I'm here. Always."
Lucian's tone sharpened.
"But that also means—
if he dies—
your evolution collapses with him."
Chandler inhaled sharply.
Rowan whimpered, clinging to him tighter.
Horace's fingers twitched in my hair.
"…Elleanore…?"
"Don't talk," I whispered, holding him close.
The corridor trembled again.
Lucian cursed.
"The Prototype is forcing its way through the collapse."
Rowan sobbed.
"Why—why won't it STOP—"
Chandler held him tighter.
"Because it's broken.
And it thinks killing her will fix it."
Lucian nodded grimly.
"It won't stop until Elleanore is neutralized—physically or instinctively."
My knees weakened.
I hugged Horace tighter to my chest.
"No. No. No—
I won't let it.
I won't let ANY of this touch him."
Lucian touched my shoulder.
"Elleanore."
I looked up—eyes burning.
Lucian's tone shifted—
quiet
serious
heavy.
"I need to tell you something.
Something about Primes."
I swallowed.
"Tell me."
Lucian exhaled slowly.
"A Prime doesn't bond the way normal people do."
I stiffened.
Lucian continued:
"A Prime chooses.
Once."
My breath hitched.
"Meaning…?"
"Meaning once you form a scent alignment—
once your instincts decide on a stabilizer—
it's irreversible."
My heart slammed against my ribs.
Lucian said it plainly:
"You have already bonded."
My breath stopped.
Chandler froze.
Rowan squeaked softly.
Horace stirred weakly in my arms.
Lucian added,
"You bonded to Horace when he scent-marked you.
And when you chose him over the Prototype—
your body sealed it."
I stared at Horace—
at his pale face
his trembling breaths
his fingers tangled in my shirt.
My voice shook.
"…You're saying I'm—
I'm bound to him?"
Lucian nodded.
"Yes."
"And if he dies…?"
Lucian's eyes softened—
with sympathy
and fear.
"Elleanore…
you'll follow."
Chandler whispered,
"Holy shit…"
Rowan whimpered.
Horace's hand tightened painfully against my chest—
and his voice cracked out:
"…Elleanore… don't… leave me…"
My tears spilled again.
"I'm not leaving," I whispered fiercely.
"Not ever."
Lucian stood abruptly.
"We move NOW.
If we don't get him to medical—or at least a stabilizing room—within the next fifteen minutes—"
"He'll die," I finished.
He nodded.
"And if he dies," Lucian said gently,
"so do you."
My heart clenched so tightly it hurt to breathe.
I lifted Horace in my arms—
even though my entire body was shaking.
Chandler lifted Rowan, who clung to him like he'd drown without that contact.
Lucian pushed open the next door.
"Stay close.
Stay quiet.
And whatever happens—
Elleanore?"
I looked at him.
"You cannot let the Prime Subject touch you."
The ground trembled again.
A faint, broken voice echoed from behind the rubble:
"ELLEANORE…"
My blood froze.
Lucian hissed,
"It's coming. GO—!!"
I ran with Horace in my arms.
And behind us—
the Prototype crawled through the collapsing ruins like something tearing through hell to reach me.