Darius's POV"Alpha, we've found something."The portal slammed up, and Captain Marcus's information-heavy steps shot him into the command center, alive with the same urgency that shot my wolf to attention. His uniform was disheveled, his face grim with news that would change everything.âReport,â I ordered, looking up from a set of maps I had been going over for the last hour.âTeam Seven found the cave where she was kept.â he continued, and placed a bloody scrap of cloth on the table. âThis matches the servant's clothing and there are signs of a vicious struggle in the main room.The first was the blue cotton fabric from the dress that Lily was wearing when she vanished. The tears and blood spoke to a torment I did not want to picture."Survivors?" I questioned, although the look on Marcus's face already answered the question.âOne body down in the cave, crushed throat. Another at the foot of a ravine half a mile away, neck broken from fall. The third one is unconscious with a menta
Lily's POVMy lungs ached as I pounded through the underbrush, branches whipping my face and arms with each desperate stride. The woodland floor was treacherous in the dying light, hidden roots and loose stones threatened to pitch me headlong with each step. I felt my pursuers behind me, at least two of them still able to move despite my assault in the cave."She can't have gone far!" the woman's voice echoed closer than I'd like. "She's hurt and doesn't know this country. We'll track her down before she gets assistance."I had to go on, despite the knife-stabbing ache in my ribs where one of the guards had kicked me during the fight. Blood coated my hands from the rope that had burned on my wrists and the skins at my bare feet were being torn by the rough forest floor. But pain was nothing to me--I had suffered much more during my two years of captivity."Think," I murmured as I came to a standstill behind a wide oak, panting to see if I could ascertain if I was being followed. "You
Lily's POVI had never realized how extensive the cave system was, it seemed to penetrate deep into the mountainside, a gullet big enough to swallow us all if some giant beast had freakishly evolved to munch on humans. They had borne me through several apartments of a very modern aspect, placed me on a wooden bedstead somewhat of the Posture of our Field beds, and left me in a large room, where a few small Stones an Inch or two in length and breadth served as windows, within the space of ordinary panes, and by them I knew when it was day or night.Theyâd taken off my gag when we were deep enough that thereâd be no one to hear my shouts, however the ropes that bound my ankles and wrists were tight enough to cut off circulation. I was sitting against the cold stone wall while they were getting ready for whatever they were going to do with me."The best site," the Girl said critically, surveying the cave. "Remote, difficult to get to, and the local fauna will dispose of any... specimens.
Darius's POVThe war room had turned into a command center within hours of finding Lily gone. A map of the terrain had consumed all available space, pinned with colored markers to show areas that had been searched, potential hideouts, and the last places where our searchers had been. In the middle was Captain Marcus standing on the table, moving the army around in the woods by directions over the air.âReport from Team Three,â he said, reading from a message that had just come in. âThey picked up the tracks of the cart for about two miles to the northeast and then lost it at Rocky Creek. The soil gets too hard to accept a wheel print beyond that.â"Agreed," I responded stoically, looking over the map and the pockets of the grid we had already checked. It was now six hours after we realized Lily was gone, and we had sent out every available guard in neatly organized search patterns, yet nothing but stone-cold trails and false leads had been found.âWhere are Teams Four and Five?â Becau
Chapter 193Siennaâs PovâHey man, can we talk?âAshton called out from a distance.Adrian was still holding onto me. He responded to him âIâll see you in a few. Just give me some timeâ.Adrian rubbed my hair and whispered into my ears âYouâre gonna be okay, alright? Go in and take a shower okay? Youâre sweating Siennaâ.The preparations continued in earnest. Just when we thought that everything was working perfectly, we woke up to a very disturbing situation. That morning, as I got out of my bed, my phone notifications beeped.. Still in my sleepy state, I yawned and sulked âWho the hell is that? Itâs too earlyâ.I struggled to get out of the bed and into a sitting position. I reached for my sidestool, accidentally knocking the phone from the stool to the floor. âFuckâ.I stood up and reached for the phone on the floor. When I successfully carried it, I raised it to my face and pressed the power button by the side. The news my eyes saw made my heart leap very fast almost out of my c
Darius's POVMargaret's frightened confession had brought to light the extent of the plot against Lily, but not its author. Was not willing to give under even the full weight of my Leading. Goodbye Ceceliaâ and that is when it happened, on her sweet lips, a mutual name was spoken. Her allegiance was as admirable as it was maddening.âPut her in the dungeons,â I'd told Captain Marcus. âNo visitors, no contact with anyone until she feels like being more open with facts.âBut by the hours after Margaret was arrested, my wolf was getting restless. The uncompleted mate bond between me and Lily was eerily silent, for once that silence was welcome; the voices in my head coming from it were a constant torment. "I need to tell her," I said out loud in my empty den, the words clawing the back of my throat like shattered glass. âWhatever Iâve done to her, I cannot stand by and let her be killed by someone else while I cower like a craven.âThe very idea of going to find her felt as if I had bee