65

ALINA

I’d been dozing off when a loud explosion jolted me awake. At first, I thought I was dreaming. But even with the nightmares I’d had over the years, nothing had ever felt this real.

I shot up in bed just as the door burst open and Jane rushed in. She looked like she’d sprinted a marathon.

“You’re okay,” she breathed out, visibly relieved.

“What… what was that?” I asked, pushing off the blanket and sitting up fully, my heart still racing.

Her uniform was rumpled, her usually polished look completely gone. “The pack’s been breached. We need to leave now.” She grabbed my arm, pulling me toward the door.

I stumbled, still a little disoriented, but forced my legs to follow. The house was in chaos. I didn’t think I’d ever seen this many people inside. For a brief moment, I panicked, thinking we were surrounded by intruders. But then I noticed the uniforms. Workers. Dozens of them. That explained why the house was always so spotless.

The head housekeeper was shouting directions, her voice calm but firm. That gave me a strange sense of comfort.

“Where’s Lisa? Do you know someone named Hailey? Is she safe?” I asked, scanning the faces around me, expecting to see hers. She would have come. I knew it.

“I don’t know a Hailey but Lisa got sent on another assignment. That’s why she asked me to come get you.” Jane’s tone was clipped but reassuring.

I nodded slowly, a little relieved. “What about the Alpha?” The words slipped out before I could stop them. Part of me hated that I was even asking.

Jane’s gaze darted ahead. “Probably hunting down whoever caused the explosion.” She bounced on her toes, fidgety. It looked like nerves, but I figured it was the adrenaline. She had just run up who knows how many flights of stairs.

“This is taking too long.” She craned her neck, searching the crowded hallway.

Then she turned sharply. “Come with me. I know another way.”

She headed off in the opposite direction from the others. I hesitated. It never ends well when I go off the beaten path. I’d tried escaping James’s invasion once, only to land in Alexander’s trap.

Hailey had helped me then. I owe my life to her. Guilt clawed up my throat when I realized at that moment how long I went without checking up on her. I even stopped asking if anyone knew her. And now the sock is in trouble and I still haven’t found her.

I shook off the thought. That felt like a lifetime ago. I didn’t have time to let it haunt me now.

“Are you sure?” I asked, glancing back at the crowd.

She nodded, already parting through a small group of workers. “There’s a second exit. They like to keep everything organized here, but I’d rather get out fast.” She tugged at my arm again. “Please. I have a bad feeling.”

The urgency in her voice made me follow without more questions.

We made our way down the hallway, away from the rest, toward the side of the house where the kitchen usually was, but she turned again, veering off to a narrower path.

“There are tunnels beneath the house,” she explained as we jogged. “Not many people know about them. The Alpha uses them when he wants to move unseen.”

She pushed open an old wooden door. Dust puffed out as it creaked open.

It was pitch black inside. I paused at the threshold, waiting.

My pulse was still loud in my ears. But the dizziness from earlier had vanished. Maybe it was the adrenaline, or maybe the panic had burned the fog away.

I listened as Jane moved around in the dark, her hands brushing over something, then a small sound of triumph left her lips. A click echoed, and a small yellow bulb flickered to life overhead.

The room was a mess. Dust clung to every surface. Broken chairs, shattered lamps, cracked picture frames, it looked like the graveyard of old furniture.

“This is the old storage,” she said, stepping further in. “They don’t throw things away here. Just hide them.”

I blinked at the number of broken lamps. “Who smashes this many lights?”

She laughed. “The Alpha. He has a bit of a temper.” Then she quickly slapped a hand over her mouth. “Don’t tell him I said that. He’ll kill me.”

I smiled at her horror. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

It was strange how feared Alexander was. I knew he wasn’t exactly warm to me either, but I’d seen sides of him others probably hadn’t. Softer moments. Rare, but real.

“And mine?” Jane asked, her tone light, but there was an edge underneath. “Can you keep my knowledge of this place a secret too?”

“Of course,” I said. “Where do we go next?”

The silence around us was unsettling. No footsteps. No voices. I mentioned it to Jane, but she didn’t seem as concerned.

“They were probably ordered to shut up,” she said with a small laugh. “The guards aren’t known for their patience. Anyway, we’re going this way.”

She stepped over a collapsed chair and more broken junk, then began tapping her fingers along one side of the wallpapered wall.

I watched her, skepticism creeping in. But just as I was about to say something, the wall shifted, creaking open like a secret door in an old movie.

She turned to me with a grin. “Told you.”

I was about to follow when I heard a loud thud then more, like a cascade of things falling. Then her groan.

“Shit,” she cursed under her breath.

“You okay?” I moved closer, squinting into the shadows.

“I think I broke my backbone,” she said dramatically.

“What?!”

She heard the panic in my voice and started laughing, though it sounded strained. “No, I’m being dramatic. I hit my back, but it’s not serious.”

“It better not be.”

“Just be careful. There are a few steps down before the floor.” I could hear her shifting. “I’ll find the light switch.”

I glanced back at the door we’d entered through. Then down at the darkness below.

A smarter voice in my head told me to turn back, rejoin the others, and leave Jane to figure her way out.

But I sighed, ignoring the voice of reason.

I couldn’t leave her behind.

Even if it might end up being another stupid decision on my part.