The Escape to the Underground

I didn't have time to breathe. Silas squeezed my waist so hard it bruised, and then we were falling. The wind slapped my face, and the ground rushed up like a giant wall. I closed my eyes and waited to hit the pavement.

Instead, I felt a heavy thud. My teeth rattled as we landed on top of a moving black truck. Silas didn't even stumble. He kept one arm around me while the truck sped away from the tower. Behind us, I heard another explosion. Fire lit up the side of the building, and the sound of howling wolves echoed through the streets.

"They really came for me," I said, my voice shaking. "Lila didn't just lie. She brought the whole pack."

"They aren't here for you, Aria," Silas said. He sat down on the roof of the truck, pulling me close to keep me from sliding off. "They’re here because a 'wolf-less' girl is worth ten million dollars to them. To your pack, you’re just a paycheck."

His words hurt, but I knew he was right. My father and sister didn't love me. They only wanted the power Silas could give them.

The truck took a sharp turn, heading into a dark tunnel. This wasn't the fancy part of the city anymore. The neon lights were gone. Everything here was old, grey, and smelled like damp earth.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"A place where the council can't find us," Silas replied. He looked at the ring on my finger. It was still glowing with that weird silver light. "We need to get you changed. You look like a victim, and the world needs to see you as a queen."

The truck stopped inside a hidden garage. Marcus was already there, waiting for us. He looked messy, his suit jacket torn and his knuckles bloody.

"The lobby is a mess, Boss," Marcus said. He looked at me and gave a small, tired grin. "Your sister is quite the actress. She’s currently telling the police that Silas kidnapped you for human testing."

I felt a surge of heat in my chest. "She’s the one who threw me out! She stood there while Jax rejected me. She smiled!"

As my anger grew, the lights in the garage started to flicker. The computer screen on the wall began to fuzz and pop. Silas grabbed my hand quickly. The sparks between us felt like warm honey this time, and the garage lights stayed on.

"Save that energy for the cameras," Silas said. "Marcus, did the stylist bring the clothes?"

"In the back," Marcus pointed. "We have twenty minutes before the live stream. If we don't show the world that Aria is here by choice, the police will raid this place."

Silas pushed me toward a small room. Inside, there were racks of dresses that looked like they were made of liquid diamonds. There was makeup, shoes, and a woman who looked at me like I was a project.

I didn't argue. I let them wash the mud off my skin. I let them brush the knots out of my hair. I put on a dress that was so dark blue it was almost black. It fit me like a second skin.

When I stepped back out, Silas was waiting. He had changed into a fresh suit. He looked at me, and for the first time, his cold face softened just a little bit.

"You look different," he said.

"I feel different," I replied. I looked at my reflection in the window. The girl who used to clean the pack house was gone. This girl looked sharp. This girl looked like she could fight back.

"Good," Silas said. He held out his phone. "It’s time. We’re going live. The whole world and your pack are watching. Tell them the truth, Aria. Tell them who you chose."

He hit the 'Live' button.

I looked straight into the camera lens. I thought about Jax’s smug face. I thought about Lila’s fake tears. I thought about my father throwing that bag at my feet.

"My name is Aria Vane," I said, my voice steady and loud. I held up my hand so the glowing silver ring was visible to everyone. "I wasn't kidnapped. I ran away from a pack that treated me like trash. I’m not sick, and I’m not weak. I’m exactly where I want to be."

I felt Silas’s hand rest on my waist. It felt like a shield.

"And to the Silver-Moon pack," I continued, leaning closer to the lens. "Don't bother coming for me. You didn't want me when I had nothing. Now that I have everything, you can't have me at all."

Silas ended the video. The room was quiet for a second.

"That was perfect," Silas said.

"Was it enough?" I asked.

Before he could answer, a loud bang hit the garage door. The metal groaned and bent inward. A huge, grey wolf with a white mark on its head poked its nose through the gap.

I knew that wolf. It was Jax.

But he wasn't alone. Behind him, I saw the blue and red lights of a dozen police cars. And standing right at the front, holding a megaphone, was my sister Lila.

"Aria!" she wails. "We know he’s forcing you to say those things! We’re here to save you!"

Silas stepped in front of me, his eyes turning a deep, dangerous red. The metal device behind his ear started to smoke again.

"Get behind me," Silas said, his voice dropping an octave. "I think it’s time I showed your ex-mate what happens when you touch my things."

But as Jax lunged through the door, my hand flew up on its own. A giant bolt of silver lightning shot from my palm, hitting the floor right in front of the Alpha. The ground cracked open, and a wall of pure energy rose between us.

I didn't just stop him. I felt his fear. And for the first time in my life, I liked it.

"He's not the one you should be afraid of, Jax," I said. "I am."