Page 97 of Brody
“That’s the hope,” I confirmed.“The serum and the spell working together, science and magic in harmony.”
Logan’s smile was incandescent.“That’s all I’ve ever wanted.A chance to find her, whoever she is, without the fear of going feral before she arrives.”
The celebration that followed was emotional and chaotic.Logan kept staring at his steady hands in wonder.Brody called Quinn with the news, putting him on speaker so we could all hear his reaction.
“That’s incredible.”Quinn’s voice boomed through the lab.“How soon can you scale up production for the other unmated males in the Ridge?”
“We can begin immediately,” I replied, already mentally calculating quantities and processes.Brody squeezed my hand, a silent reminder that I wasn’t doing this alone anymore.“With the Brewstillery equipment, we should be able to produce enough serum for all seventeen cases within a week.”
“Make it a priority,” Quinn said, his relief evident even through the phone.“And speaking of priorities, I’ve got some news of my own.The OIA just contacted me.”There were several beats of silence.“They’ve arrested Tabia Dhahabu.”
The lab went suddenly silent.I felt Brody pull me closer, his body instinctively moving to protect me as the words sank in.My grandmother.Arrested.After all these years.
“Arrested?”I finally managed.“For what?”
“Multiple charges,” Quinn replied.“Conspiracy to commit murder—yours, specifically.Corporate espionage.Illegal experimentation on shifters without consent.The list goes on.The OIA has been building a case against her for years, but the assassination attempt on you was the final piece they needed.”
The words hit me like a physical blow, my grandmother’s betrayal a knife twisting in my gut.A bitter, metallic taste flooded my mouth as bile rose in my throat.The lab seemed to tilt beneath my feet, colors bleeding together as the edges of my vision darkened.The woman whose blood ran through my veins had deemed me disposable.
I sank onto a nearby stool, legs suddenly unable to support me.My hands went cold, fingers tingling with the onset of shock.Through the roaring in my ears, I was dimly aware of Brody kneeling beside me, his hand rubbing soothing circles on my back, his eyes never leaving my face.His warmth against my sudden chill was the only thing keeping me anchored to reality.
“I don’t know what to say,” I whispered, my voice sounding foreign to my own ears.
“There’s more,” Quinn continued.“With Tabia in custody and facing what amounts to a life sentence, control of Dhahabu Pharmaceuticals reverts to you as her only living relative.The OIA is already preparing the paperwork.Congratulations, Rozi, you’re about to become the CEO of one of the largest pharmaceutical companies specializing in Others medicine.”
The news hit me like a physical blow.Dhahabu Pharmaceuticals, the company that had profited from shifter suffering, that had built its empire on treatments that stripped away half of what made Others who they were… And now it was mine?The irony was too perfect, too terrible.
“I need time to process this,” I said, my voice sounding distant to my own ears.My grandmother’s empire.My inheritance.My burden.
“Of course,” Quinn replied.“Take all the time you need.But, Rozi?This could be an opportunity to transform something harmful into something healing.Just like you did with the serum.”
After we ended the call, the lab fell silent again.Logan excused himself, sensing the private nature of my shock.Brody stayed close, his presence a steady comfort as I tried to make sense of this unexpected turn.My head spun with possibilities, with fears, with the weight of the legacy I’d spent my life running from.
“A company with Tabia’s reputation,” I finally said, shaking my head.“How could I possibly…”
Brody tilted my chin up, making me meet his gaze.“If anyone can transform it, it’s you,” he said, his voice carrying absolute conviction.“Think about it, Rozi.You’ve spent your career fighting against what Dhahabu Pharmaceuticals represents.Now you have the power to change it from the inside out.”
I searched his face, finding nothing but unwavering belief.“It would mean restructuring everything.New research priorities, new ethical guidelines, new approaches to treatment.”
“Yes,” he agreed, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, his touch lingering on my cheek.“And who better to lead that transformation than the woman who just developed a cure that preserves shifters’ complete identities instead of stripping them away?”
“It’s too big,” I argued, panic clawing up my throat.My hands trembled as I paced the hardwood floor.“Dhahabu Pharmaceuticals has over three thousand employees, operations in twenty-seven countries, and billions in assets.Tabia built that empire on suffering and exploitation.What if—” My voice broke.“What if I can’t change it?What if it changes me instead?”
The fear I’d been running from my entire life reared its ugly head.“What if I become her?”
“You won’t,” Brody said, stepping into my path.His eyes blazed with certainty.
“You don’t know that.”I shoved against his chest, needing space, needing air.“My mother started with the best intentions too.She wanted to help people, to heal them.But her research consumed her.She chose test tubes over tucking me in at night.She chose pharmaceutical politics over being present for her own daughter.”
“I’m not letting you face this alone,” he growled, the alpha in his voice making my spine straighten despite myself.
“This isn’t your decision to make,” I snapped back, my cheetah rising to the challenge of his wolf.“I’m not some damsel who needs saving, Brody.I’ve been making my own choices for years without your input.”
His eyes flashed gold, the wolf pushing forward.“And I’ve been watching you build walls so high that no one can reach you for just as long.Running from connection doesn’t make you strong, Rozi.It makes you alone.”
His words stole the air from my lungs.Because deep down, in places I never let anyone see, I knew he was right.I’d been alone for so long, I’d convinced myself it was a choice, not a defense mechanism.
The simple truth of his words washed over me.I wasn’t alone.After years of building walls, of standing apart, of doing everything by myself, I had a partner.Someone who challenged me and supported me in equal measure.
