Chapter 9 A rescue

Maybe she was right.

Potentially, the Moon Goddess knew what she was doing after all.

Three days later...

Everything fell apart again.

It happened while Kael was out hunting.

I was teaching Erica how to meditate—how to control the rune stone power that was slowly stabilizing in both our bodies—when I heard wolves approaching.

Too many wolves.

"Erica, hide in the back room. Now."

"But,"

"NOW!"

She ran.

I stepped outside the shelter just as fifteen wolves burst through the magical barrier.

They'd found us.

Somehow, they'd broken through Kael's wards.

And leading them was Leighton in his black wolf form.

Behind him, I saw a smaller figure.

An old man in grey robes covered in symbols.

A shaman.

They'd brought a shaman to break the protective magic.

Run, my wolf urged.

We can't fight this many.

But I couldn't run.

Not with Erica inside.

If I ran, they'd follow.

They'd find her.

I had to stand and fight.

I shifted into my silver wolf form, the rune magic making my fur glow with pale light.

Leighton laughed in my head.

"You think you can stop all of us? Alone?"

"I'll die trying," 

"Then die."

They attacked as one.

I fought hard.

Took down three wolves in the first minute.

The rune magic made me faster and stronger than I'd ever been.

But it wasn't enough.

There were too many.

They swarmed me, biting and clawing.

I felt my ribs crack. 

Pain exploded everywhere.

I was losing.

Then I heard it.

A roar that made the entire forest shake.

Kael.

He burst from the trees in his massive, dark grey wolf form, moving like death itself.

His silver-blue eyes were blazing with fury.

The mate bond between us flared hot.

I could feel his rage. 

He tore through Leighton's warriors like they were made of paper.

But even with Kael's help, we were outnumbered.

And Leighton was cunning.

While Kael fought his warriors, Leighton circled toward the shelter.

Toward Erica.

"NO!"

I screamed.

I tried to break free from the three wolves holding me down, but they bit harder.

Held tighter.

Leighton disappeared into the shelter.

Seconds later, he emerged with Erica's small body dangling from his jaws.

"Erica!"

My scream was pure anguish.

Kael spun toward them, but five wolves blocked his path.

Leighton's voice filled all our heads.

"Surrender, Sophia. Or I will kill her. Right now."

Everything stopped.

"Let her go," I pleaded.

"Please. She's your daughter."

"She's a failure. But she's useful leverage." His teeth pressed against Erica's throat.

"Shift back. Both of you. Now."

 I had no choice.

We shifted back to human form.

Immediately, silver chains were thrown around our wrists and ankles.

Chains that burned and suppressed our wolf magic.

Leighton shifted back too, still holding Erica. "Take them. All of them."

They dragged us through the forest.

Back to hell.

They separated us immediately.

Kael was thrown into the eastern dungeons—the ones reserved for dangerous rogues.

Erica was taken to the west tower.

Locked away for "her protection."

And I was dragged to the deepest, darkest cell in the Black Stone Dungeon.

The place where traitors went to be forgotten.

The cell was tiny.

Barely eight feet square.

No windows.

No light except for a single torch in the hallway that barely reached through the iron door.

They chained me to the wall with so much silver I could barely move.

Every breath hurt.

Every movement burned.

"Comfortable?" Leighton asked from outside the cell.

I didn't answer.

"You'll stay here until you rot," he continued.

"No trial. No ceremony. I've learned my lesson—no more giving you a chance to escape or invoke old laws."

"What about Erica?"

"She'll undergo her re-education. A few weeks of that, and she'll be a perfect, obedient daughter. And your new mate? He'll be executed. Publicly. Tomorrow."

"No."

"Yes. I can't have a powerful rogue disrupting my territory. Besides, his death will remind you of what happens when you defy me."

"Please, please don't hurt him. He didn't do anything wrong."

"He killed ten of my warriors. And he dared to claim my wife as his mate." Leighton's face twisted with rage. "He will die tomorrow. And you'll watch."

He walked away, leaving me in the darkness.

I slumped against the wall, chains rattling.

Kael. My mate of only three days.

A man who'd waited two hundred years to find me.

He was going to die because of me.

"I'm sorry," I whispered into the darkness. "I'm so sorry."

I lost track of time in the darkness.

They brought food once a day—stale bread and water.

Sporadically, the bread was moldy. I ate it anyway.

I had to survive.

For Erica.

If Kael was even still alive.

Every time I heard footsteps in the corridor, I held my breath.

Waiting to hear about his execution.

But no one came to tell me anything.

Maybe they'd already killed him.

Perhaps I was truly alone.

My wolf was barely a whisper now.

The silver chains had suppressed her almost completely.

I could feel her there, but just.

On what I thought was the fourth day, the cell door opened.

I expected a guard with food.

Instead, Elder Martha slipped inside.

"Luna," she whispered, kneeling beside me.

"Martha?" My voice was hoarse.

"What are you doing here?"

"Bringing news. And something to help." She pulled out a small vial of dark liquid.

"Wolfsbane tincture. Same as before. It will help you build tolerance of the silver."

I took it by shaking hands and drank a small sip.

The bitter taste made me gag, but I forced it down.

"Thank you. But why risk coming here?"

"Because you're not as alone as Leighton wants you to think. There's a resistance forming. Wolves who remember who you were. What did you do with this pack?

"How many?"

"Two dozen now. Including Marcus—the warrior who brought you Erica's note before."

Marcus, I'd almost forgotten about him in the chaos.

"And Kael?" I asked desperately. "Is he alive?"

 "Yes. Barely. They're keeping him in the eastern dungeons. He's chained with pure silver—enough to kill a normal wolf. But he's still alive."

Relief flooded through me. "When is the execution?"

"Tomorrow night. Public ceremony in the main square." She gripped my hand.

"But we have a plan."

"What plan?"

"The warrior from Black River—the one your aunt is sending—he's already here. Arrived yesterday. His name is Ronan."

"He's here? Why hasn't he—"

"Because Leighton knows about him. Has guards watching his every move. If Ronan tries to free you directly, it starts a war between packs." Martha leaned closer.

"But if you escape on your own, and Ronan just gives you safe passage to Black River territory… well, that's different."

"How am I supposed to escape? I can barely move."

"The resistance will help. During tomorrow's execution ceremony, everyone's attention will be on Kael. That's when we strike."

"What about Erica?"

"Marcus is assigned to guard the west tower tomorrow. He'll get her out."

It was a crazy plan.

So many things could go wrong.

But it was the only chance we had.