Pallas dives in and devours two chunks before turning to me.
That’s all the protein he wants—he won’t eat more of that. I scoop him up gently and offer him the bottle.
A sigh of relief escapes me when I see he likes the mix.
He finishes it and eventually drifts off to sleep in my arms.
I keep petting him, running my fingers through his thick coat. Unlike Prax’s, Pallas’s fur is long and fluffy, making him look bulkier than he really is. But the gesture doesn’t soothe me—it only plunges me deeper into that ocean of grief.
My heart tightens, and tears well up again.
Damn it, Neela—get up!
You can’t just give up like this.
That’s not who you are.
I steady my breathing and try to weigh my options.
Short-term, I need to convince them I’m playing along.
Dead, I’m no use to anyone. And Do-yun seems keen on recruiting me.
But what happens next?
If it were just the colony leaders, this might be fixable. I want to believe most settlers still respect the Pact—even if the so-called dream life sold by Vassili and Do-yun has swayed some of them.
No, I think if our only enemies were a bunch of greedy colonists, we could turn things around.
But the Coalition… This twisted twin of the Confederation—if I’ve understood it right—
how do we fight that?
***
I’m still deep in thought when the light blazes on again and several men drag more captives into the room.
Suddenly, all the cubes around me turn transparent, and I can finally see inside them. I kneel and press my face to the wall of my cell, straining to make out who else has fallen into their hands.
To my horror, more unconscious people are being dragged in and locked up—just like I was.
Within minutes, a dozen of us are trapped in Do-yun’s cages.
And he dares to claim it’s for the good of the colonists?
In the farthest cage, I spot two sleeping wolf pups curled together.
Then someone steps in front of me.
I look up and meet Anatoli’s gaze.
A wave of pure hatred surges through me as I stare at the man who killed the one I loved. A mocking smirk tugs at his lips as he crouches to my level.
“Well, well, dear Neela… Unlike Do-yun, I don’t imagine you’ll be swayed by our arguments.
Not that I care. We’re loading the cages into a materials transport unit. You’re heading to the embarkation zone.
If you’re wondering, you’re going on a little trip, lucky girl.”
