4

We didn't have to look for long, we found a map showing a tunnel that ran from the consulate to the old airport road. From there, it would take five minutes to the airport, more than enough time for us to escape.

"By the time you get to the end of the tunnel, there will be a car waiting for you. The driver's name is Ebenezer," Magnus explained. "He will take you directly to the tarmac where the plane will be waiting."

"Alright, thank you very much, your loyalty and efforts will be well rewarded."

"Serving you is a reward in itself," he said, bowing his head. He led us down to the basement. His men had moved several items aside to reveal the opening of a tunnel.

"Here, these are supplies you may need."

"Thank you, you can close the entrance once we're inside." Liam replied, taking the bag from him. He opened it and brought out two flashlights. He handed me one, and I flicked it on, illuminating the dark tunnel.

I looked over at Liam, who had done the same. He glanced at me.

"Ready?" I whispered.

"As ready as I'll ever be," he replied. I took a deep breath and stepped into the tunnel. Liam followed suit as we walked deeper into the tunnel. Darkness engulfed us and I turned around to see Magnus and his men had closed off the entrance.

"The map?" I inquired. He took it out, and I flashed my light over it.

"So we're here… we have to keep to the route, and we'll be on the old road in a matter of minutes."

He tucked the map into the bag, and we continued on. I shone the torch around the tunnel as we walked. It reminded me of an old mine shaft, dusty and filled with cobwebs.

"How old do you think these tunnels are?" I whispered, stepping away from a large cobweb.

"Ebenezer said the first Alpha Prime instructed for this to be built, so I'll say… maybe 1000 years old." He answered.

"It certainly smells old," I mumbled, wrinkling my nose.

"How's your leg?" he asked.

"Much better, still hurts like a bitch," I replied. We walked in silence though it was heavy. We both knew there were a lot of unsaid issues between us, but this was not the time to talk about them. Our safety was a priority.

"There, the exit." Liam pointed out a short flight of crude stone stairs. There was a hatchway above it which had been secured by a massive chain and padlock. I hurried on, using my hand to crush the chain.

It fell to the ground. I brushed the dirt away, pushing the hatch doors open. I grunted under the heavy doors, Liam came over and helped me. The doors creaked and fell open. Liam climbed out, looking around before helping me out. We were surrounded by trees and dead leaves.

"What way to the old road?" I asked. He took the map out, glancing around.

"That way." He pointed north. We made our way, moving quietly through the trees.

"I can see the road from here."

We headed to the road.

"Where's the car? Magnus said it would be here," I whispered, looking around. The sound of a car reached my ears.

"Can you hear that?" I asked. He frowned, tilting his head to the side.

"Yeah… I can."

I walked to the middle of the road, peering into the distance.

"A car's coming!!"

"We should stay hidden, there's a possibility that's not the car," Liam advised, so we headed back to the trees. A few minutes later, the car came to a stop and a man came out.

"Hello, I'm Ebenezer, I was sent here by Magnus." He called out. Liam and I glanced at each other, still unsure if he had really been the one sent by Magnus.

"No one knows about the old tunnels except people serving the Silverstone Alpha Prime."

His words rang true and from his heart rate, I could tell he wasn't lying. I got up from my hiding spot, Liam did the same. We approached him. His eyes widened at the sight of me and he bowed.

"Prime." He greeted.

"Adelaide, and please you don't have to bow," I replied; uncomfortable, he nodded, straightening up.

"We have to hurry, the plane Magnus arranged is already on the tarmac," he informed us.

"Alright then, let's get going," Liam said. We got into the back of the van. The man used the several stacks of hay to keep us hidden from view before closing the door. I hissed a bit, sitting on a bundle of hay.

"Are you okay? Should I check your leg again?" Liam asked.

"It's fine, I'll be fine." I assured him as the car roared to life and we started moving. We sat in silence, leaning against Liam. After a while, I peered through the window, we were en route to the airport.

"How much longer?" Liam asked.

"I can see the planes from here, so I guess we are close." I replied, sitting back and resting my head back on his shoulder. Some minutes later, the car came to a stop and the doors opened. He moved the hay aside and helped us out.

"Thank you," I said, smiling at the driver.

"It's the least I could do," he replied. Liam and I made our way to the plane. The air host welcomed us.

"We will be in the air in a couple of minutes," she said. I nodded and sat, looking through the window.

"Can we speed that up? We really need to get out of here," Liam asked her.

"Do you have any idea what airport we are heading to?" I inquired.

"Yes, the East Midlands Airport." She replied, walking to the cockpit. Liam came over and sat next to me. He slipped his hand into my trembling one.

"It's going to be fine, everything is going to be fine." He assured "I'll arrange for a car when we get to the airport."

"That's a good idea" I whispered, forcing a smile. The air host came back, shutting and securing the aircraft's door.

"We are about to leave."

Relief filled me and I let out a sigh, sagging back into my seat.

Finally.

The plane taxied down the runway, and we were up in the air. A few seconds later, the plane leveled and I unbuckled my seat belt.

"Well, that was a total bust," he muttered, rubbing his hand over his face.

"You have no idea," I mumbled.

"And whose fault is that?" he demanded. I sighed, knowing everything was about to go to sh.it.

"Mine," I replied.

"We planned this together, and you iced me out!!!" He snapped, getting to his feet. I pulled my legs to my chest, wrapping my arms around them.

"I didn't want you to get hurt," I explained. He scoffed, shaking his head.

"Look where your decision got us: Mont Blanc is still alive, and he knows you are not dead!!! Unbelievable."

I got to my feet, glaring at him.

"If you expect me to apologize for not taking you with me, then you must not know me well, Liam. I will continue to stand by my decision of not letting you go with me. You can be angry all you what but if anything had happened to you, I would never forgive myself."

He glared back at me before backing down.

"Fine. Let's just forget this," he muttered, taking a seat. I did the same, glancing at him. I could tell he was still angry, so I let him be. He had every right to be.

******

It was late in the evening by the time we landed at the airport. Liam and I got out of the plane after thanking the pilots and air host. Just like he had arranged, a black car was already waiting for us. He opened the door and I got in. He got into the driver's seat. There was a white envelope on the dashboard. He tore it open, and a key fell out.

"Let's get out of here," he said, starting the car and driving out of the hangar down a narrow road that led to the main road. "So what now?"

I looked out of the window, my mind miles away.

"To be very honest, I have no idea. Jacob knows I am alive now, and it is a matter of time before he comes knocking or makes another attempt on my life," I mumbled.

"Then he'll have to kill me first. I won't let anything happen to you," he replied, leaning over to squeeze my hand.

"Hopefully, it won't get to that." I replied, smiling at him even as the nerves ran amok within me. Something told me Jacob wasn't going to take this lying down.

"We should call Magnus when we get home, let him know we are safe and ask him about the situation with Mont Blanc." I continued.

Liam hummed a reply and I leaned over to the radio, fiddling with the controls before settling on a station that was playing music. I looked over at the passing fields, as the car sped towards the Ridgeway Valley.

******

By the time we arrived at the pack, it was nighttime. My body ached, and I was in desperate need of a shower and my bed. The pills had worn off, and though I was regaining my strength, my body still felt like it had been run over by a military tank.

Liam parked the car in front of the packhouse and we got out. He tossed the keys to a nearby guard before following me into the house. The foyer was devoid of people and, from what I could sense, so was most of the lower floor, which meant everyone was in the mess hall.

"I'm going to go take a shower and change into something that actually fits me and isn't covered in grime." I mumbled.

"Same here," Liam replied, wrinkling his nose. We made our way up the stairs. He went left while I went right. My room was located away from most rooms. It was something I had specifically asked for. When I first got here, the nightmares kept me up. One thing that was synonymous with nightmares was screaming, and I did that a lot.

I continued down the hall, stopping beneath the attic and pressing a button. A ladder popped out and, with a little help from gravity, I was able to pull it down before climbing up into the attic. I had left the blinds open and the light of the setting sun filled my room from the large glass window.

It was nothing special; it had a bed, a closet and a bathroom. No pictures, nothing to show the room was mine, and I preferred it that way. I pulled the blinds close and headed to the bathroom. I stripped out of my clothes, tossing them into the laundry basket before stepping into the shower, washing away the gunk that was stuck to my skin.

Once I was done, I changed into a pair of tights and an oversized t-shirt before heading down to get something to eat. We had the mess hall where the majority of the pack members had meals, and then a smaller kitchen in the pack house which Liam, Uncle Peter and I frequently used.

I took out a box of cereal from the pantry, placed a bowl on the counter where Liam joined me.

"Cereal for dinner, an excellent choice."

He got himself a bowl, and we sat on the island, munching on cereal.

"Jacob's men got into the Consulate," he whispered. My grip on the spoon tightened.

"Is anyone hurt?"

"No, they searched the place, but there was no evidence we were there. So they left," he answered.

"The bastard is not going to give up easily," I stated.

"So what are we going to do about it?" he asked.

"Be ready for when he does show up. Either way, Jacob Mont Blanc will fall." I vowed, I didn't care if I died along with him, but before I did, I would make sure to send him to the deepest depths of hell.

******

A few days passed by peacefully. Liam and I kept our ears glued to the happenings on the North American continent through Magnus for any update on Jacob. So far, there was nothing tangible, but that didn't stop my heart from racing whenever a phone rang from any of the various consulates on the continent.

I looked out of the window as the bus approached its destination. Going to Silverstone was something I absolutely disliked. It was a constant reminder of what had been so cruelly taken away from me, but it was something I had to do. On the second Tuesday of each month, I followed a few wolves from the Ridgeway Valley Pack to clean the tombstones of the wolves that had been killed. It was our own way of remembering and honoring them.

I picked at my nails, watching as the bus I was in, drove through Silverstone territory. The once thriving land was desolate and quiet. Even nature had refused to claim the land, almost as if silently protesting the innocent blood that had been spilled.

Once we got to the field that had once been the training grounds, the bus slowed down. After the massacre, it had been turned into a burial ground, with all 50 pack members buried. Everyone got down from the bus and spread out, immediately getting to work, cleaning the dirt from the tombstones and cleaning them until they glistened under the glare of the sun.

I did my part, working mechanically. I closed my eyes, my hands trembling as I got flashbacks of the aftermath. The coppery scent of blood, dead bodies strewn everywhere. For a moment, I thought I had been transported back until pain flared in my hand. I looked down and realized I had nicked myself from scrubbing too hard and vigorously.

By the time everyone was done, I was left with only four tombstones to clean. They were the ones I always left for last and as I approached them, I found it hard to swallow the massive lump that clung to my throat and weighed me down.

Setting the metal bucket down, I sank to my knees. Staring at the tombstone.

"Hi Papa, hello Mum." I whispered, soaking the brush in the soapy water about to clean their shared tombstone when I froze. Turning around, I surveyed the trees, something was not right. I was being watched. I could feel it.

I watched the treeline for a while before turning back to the tombstones, working in silence, making sure no dirt was left. When I first started coming here to clean the tombstones, it had been an emotionally draining experience. It was still the same now, but I had a better grasp of my emotions. I moved to the next tombstone, a sad smile on my lips.

"Hey Harry."

My brave, strong mate who had sacrificed himself to save me. My rage at Jacob flared, and the brush cracked beneath my grip. I let out a shaky breath, looking at the now gleaming tombstone.

The feeling was still there, and I found myself looking back at the trees.

Stop it Adelaide, it's just your nerves.

I swallowed hard, moving to the last one. I worked quietly, cleaning it before moving back, staring at the words inscribed on it.

Here lies our daughter, sister, niece, granddaughter, beloved mate.

Adelaide Silverstone

(10/05/1994–15/10/2012)

To the entire world, I had died with my pack.

Until you decided to go looking for Jacob Mont Blanc

I pushed the thought away, there was no use crying over it. I got to my feet, heading to the drain where I disposed of the water before slipping the rubber gloves off and tossing them into the bucket with the brush. The sensation of being watched was back, but I ignored it. Instead, I made my way back to the bus, got in together with everyone and took my seat, just as the bus began to move.

*****

We arrived back in the pack, I headed into the pack house to my room. The moment I stepped in, the hairs at the back of my neck stood straight. Something was definitely not right…

Without a second thought, I morphed my hands into claws.

"Who's there?!" I demanded.

A creepy laughter echoed around me. I spun around, searching for the source.

"I command you to show yourself!!!" I snarled. The blinds snapped shut.

"If this is a joke, it is NOT funny!!!"

The lights flickered on.

"Fucking hell…"

I walked over, about to turn it off when the bulb exploded. A short scream left my lips, making me jump.

"Poor child, you've had a really rough day…"

I spun around to see an old woman standing in the middle of my room.

"Who the fuck are you?!"

The old crone smiled at me, revealing blackened, grotesque teeth and a white tongue, she cackled. I steeled myself, an old bat was not about to scare me. Taking a step forward, I stared at her.

"State your name and business."

She laughed once more, the sound grating in my ears.

"I go by many names: fate, fortune you or, as the young folks say… Destiny."