Chapter 7

Zinnia’s POV

We ran until my legs burned and my lungs felt like they would tear open.

Joseph leaned heavily against me. Blood soaked through his shirt and dripped onto the forest floor. Every few steps he stumbled. I kept one arm around his waist and pulled him forward.

Behind us the howls grew louder, then suddenly cut off. Christiana’s silver light still glowed faintly through the trees. I did not look back.

“Keep moving,” Joseph rasped. “They will track the blood.”

I nodded. My wolf Selene pushed hard under my skin, wanting to shift again and fight. But Joseph was too hurt. I could not leave him.

We reached a rocky slope that dropped toward a narrow stream. I helped Joseph sit against a large boulder. His face was pale under the moonlight. The dagger was still buried deep in his shoulder.

“I need to take it out,” I said.

He gave a weak smile. “Do it fast.”

I wrapped both hands around the handle. Golden light poured from my palms the moment I touched him. The same light I had hidden for years. It felt stronger now. Freer.

Joseph clenched his teeth as I pulled the blade free. Blood poured out. I pressed my glowing hands hard against the wound. Heat flooded through me into him. I felt the torn muscle slowly knitting back together. The bleeding slowed, then stopped.

Joseph stared at my hands. “You are a healer.”

“I was never allowed to be one,” I answered quietly.

He covered my hands with his own for a second. His skin was warm. “Thank you.”

Footsteps crashed through the undergrowth. I spun around, ready to shift, but it was only Christiana. Her silver hair was wild. Blood streaked her arm, but her eyes were sharp.

“They turned back,” she said. “Draven ordered them to protect the pack house instead of chasing us. He thinks you will try to take the boy tonight.”

My heart slammed against my ribs. “June.”

Christiana crouched in front of me. “Listen carefully. You have one chance. Draven will call the council at dawn. He will declare you unstable and claim full custody of your son. After that, every wolf in this territory will hunt you if you try to leave with him.”

Joseph pushed himself to his feet. He swayed once, then steadied. “I can help you get the boy out.”

I looked between them. “Why are you both risking so much for me?”

Christiana’s expression softened. “Because your mother made me swear an oath the day you were born. She knew what kind of man Draven would become. She asked me to block the bond so you would not be trapped forever. She hoped you would grow strong enough to break free one day.”

Tears burned my eyes. “She knew?”

“She knew,” Christiana said. “And she loved you enough to give you a chance at freedom, even if it meant years of pain first.”

Joseph spoke next, his voice low. “I came here because my pack has been watching the Frost Pack for years. Baelor has been leaking information to us. I was supposed to gather proof of their weakness. Then I saw you tonight… and I could not walk away.”

I wiped my face with the back of my hand. “I need my son. Nothing else matters right now.”

Christiana nodded. “Then we move now. The east wing has a service door that leads to the old laundry tunnels. They run under the pack house and open near the northern border. Very few people still remember them.”

Joseph looked at me. “Can you shift and carry the boy if needed?”

“Yes.”

Christiana pulled a small silver vial from her pocket and pressed it into my hand. “Drink this if you are cornered. It will mask your scent for three hours. Use it only once.”

I closed my fingers around the cold glass.

We moved through the trees in silence. Every crack of a branch made my heart race. The full moon hung high and bright. Selene stayed close under my skin, ready.

When the pack house came into view, lights still burned in several windows. Guards paced the main courtyard. I could smell Maelis’s scent mixed with June’s.

My chest tightened so hard I almost stopped breathing.

Christiana pointed to a low stone building half-hidden by ivy. “There. The old laundry entrance.”

Joseph checked the area, then motioned us forward. We slipped inside. The air smelled of dust and old soap. Narrow tunnels stretched ahead into darkness.

Christiana led the way with a soft silver glow from her palm. We walked for what felt like forever. My mind kept showing me June’s face when he called Maelis “new Mommy.”

I will not leave him, I promised silently. Not again.

The tunnel ended at a wooden door. Christiana pressed her ear against it, then nodded. “Clear.”

We stepped out into a small storage room filled with boxes. Beyond it was a hallway I recognized—the one that led to the guest suites on the east wing.

Joseph touched my arm. “I will create a distraction near the main hall. You and Christiana get the boy. Meet me at the northern border road in twenty minutes. There is an unmarked black truck waiting.”

I grabbed his wrist. “You are still bleeding.”

He gave me a small smile. “I have had worse. Go.”

He disappeared down the opposite hallway.

Christiana and I moved quickly. My heart pounded so loud I was sure someone would hear it. We reached the door to the suite where Maelis had taken June.

Soft voices came from inside.

I pressed my ear to the wood.

Maelis was speaking in a gentle tone. “Sleep, little one. Tomorrow everything will be better. You will see.”

June’s small voice answered, sleepy and confused. “Where is Mama?”

“She is resting,” Maelis said. “She is not well.”

I felt Selene snarl inside me.

Christiana placed a hand on my shoulder and whispered, “Now.”

I turned the handle slowly and pushed the door open.

Maelis sat on the edge of the bed, her back to us. June was curled under the blankets, his wooden wolf toy clutched in one hand.

Maelis turned. Her eyes widened.

I did not give her time to scream.

I crossed the room in three steps and clamped my hand over her mouth. Golden light flared from my palm. She stiffened, then slumped as the healing energy flooded her system and forced her into a deep sleep.

Christiana moved to the bed and gently woke June.

His eyes fluttered open. When he saw me, they filled with tears.

“Mama?”

I scooped him into my arms. He was warm and small and smelled like the lemon cookies I had baked that morning. He buried his face in my neck.

“I have you,” I whispered. “I have you now.”

Christiana checked the hallway. “We need to go. Fast.”

I carried June while Christiana led us back through the tunnels. June clung to me so tightly his small fingers dug into my shoulders. He did not make a sound.

When we reached the northern border, the black truck was already running. Joseph sat behind the wheel, his face tight with pain but alert.

I climbed into the back seat with June still in my arms. Christiana took the front passenger seat.

As the truck pulled away onto the dark forest road, I looked back one last time at the pack house lights.

The mate bond in my chest gave one final, sharp twist… and then went quiet.

I pressed a kiss to June’s hair.

“We are leaving,” I whispered. “And we are never coming back.”

June’s small voice answered against my neck, soft and certain.

“Okay, Mama.”

The truck headlights cut through the trees as we drove toward the border.

Toward freedom.

Toward whatever came next.