All Chapters of INSTINCTLESS: A Scentless Bloodline : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

The journey back to the manor was different. We walked slower. Talked more. The constant fear that had pressed on us during the trip north was gone. In its place was something new hope. Fragile, but real. Kellan was fully healed now, his wound just a scar. He walked beside Leo, the two of them talking quietly. Other pack members laughed at something. Actually laughed. I walked with Rhydian at the front of the group. His hand found mine more than once. Each time, it felt like a small miracle. "The Council will take time to adjust," he said as we walked through a mountain pass. "Sorcha's support is strong, but Rafe won't give up easily. He'll watch. Wait for a mistake." "There won't be one," I said. He looked at me, a small smile on his lips. "No. There won't." We reached the river that marked the edge of Blackthorne territory by the third evening. The water sparkled in the setting sun. Home was just on the other side. As we crossed, I felt something shift. The land itse

Three weeks passed.Three weeks of peace. Three weeks of learning to be part of something. Three weeks of falling deeper into Rhydian with every shared meal, every quiet night, every small touch that said more than words.I held healing sessions in the yard every afternoon. Wolves came from all over the territory now not just Blackthorne pack, but others who had heard rumors of a "bond singer" who could ease old wounds. I helped a mother who hadn't felt her pup's connection since a difficult birth. I soothed an old warrior whose bond had been frayed in battle decades ago. I even fixed a young wolf's connection to his mate after a fight nearly broke them apart.Word spread. My name traveled.And so did Selene's."The northern army grows," Kellan reported one evening, standing before Rhydian's desk. Maps covered every surface, marked with red pins. "Viktor has pledged two hundred fighters. Other rogue packs are joining. They're calling it the 'Pure Blood Alliance.'"I sat in a chair by

We ran.The camp was pure chaos. Fires burned. Wolves shouted. The clash of Kellan's diversion echoed from the north. Nobody looked our way.Rhydian led the way. I stayed close behind him, my heart pounding so hard I thought it would burst. The prisoner cages were ahead, just visible through the smoke and firelight.Twenty feet. Ten.A guard saw us. His mouth opened to shout.I didn't think. I reached out with my silence and pushed. A sharp blade of quiet straight into his mind. He crumpled without a sound.Rhydian glanced back at me, something like pride in his eyes. Then we were at the cages.The prisoners huddled inside maybe a dozen wolves, thin and terrified. Their eyes went wide at the sight of us."Which one?" Rhydian asked, already grabbing the cage door.I searched their faces. Desperate. Hopeful. Broken.And then I saw her.The woman from my vision. Grey hair, though she couldn't be that old. Lines of pain on her face. But her eyes, grey like mine were fixed on me with an ex

The cave went deeper than I expected.My mother led me through narrow passages, her hand never leaving mine. The darkness was absolute. Only the sound of our breathing and the crunch of ice underfoot told me I wasn't alone."Here," she whispered.A door. Ancient wood, banded with iron, half-hidden in the rock. She pushed, and it swung open with a groan.Beyond was light.Not firelight something softer. Glowing crystals embedded in the walls lit a large chamber. Shelves lined the stone, filled with scrolls and books. A hearth sat cold in the corner. Bedrolls were stacked neatly. Someone had lived here once."Welcome to the last sanctuary of the Bond Singers," my mother said quietly. "I haven't seen it in twenty-eight years."I stared at the space, trying to take it in. "This is where you hid? Before I was born?"She nodded, moving to the hearth. She knelt and touched something hidden beneath a stone. A spark, and flames leaped to life. The warmth was immediate, welcome."I came here wh

I stood in the tunnel entrance, frozen.The sounds of battle had stopped. No snarls. No growls. Just the rush of the underground river and my own ragged breathing.My mother grabbed my arm. "We have to go. The passage""No." I pulled away. "Rhydian is still out there.""If you go back, you die. He saved you for nothing."I knew she was right. But knowing and feeling were different things.Then, a figure stumbled out of the snow.Rhydian.He was barely standing. Blood covered his chest. His arm hung at a wrong angle. But his eyes, those gold eyes were open and looking for me.I ran. I caught him as he fell, lowering him gently to the ground."You're alive," I whispered, tears freezing on my cheeks."Told you," he gasped. "Always find you."My mother was there, pressing cloth to his wounds. "He's bad. The arm is broken. Ribs too. And he's lost a lot of blood.""Can you heal him?""Not here. Not now." She looked at me, grim. "We need to get him to the passage. Now."Kellan and Leo appear