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I picked up my pace to a fast walk, my left arm lit up and out in front of me so I could see. The farther I walked, the cooler it became. It was subtle at first, but the temperature gradually decreased until it was definitely noticeable. That concerned me, but I wasn’t entirely sure why. My wolf twitched inside of me, anxious about this place and what we could be walking into.
The tunnel made a sharp turn to the right. So far, it had been one long continuous tunnel without any curves or deviations. Pushing past my trepidation, I strolled purposely through the curved part and then stepped out of the tunnel into a massive room.
My arm didn’t have enough umph to light up the room, but the lack of walls surrounding the space told me that it was definitely an open area.
My heart pounded in my chest as I hesitated, not knowing if I should continue into the room, where I’d be vulnerable to attack, or explore the edges before moving forward.
My wolf still didn’t smell anything concerning, so I took a chance and stepped out into the room. When nothing happened, I took another, then another.
Five steps later, I stopped. The edge of something reflected my light. It appeared to be made of metal, which was disconcerting since everything else had been rough stone. I drew closer, using every ounce of caution I possessed while my wolf readied herself for a fight.
The metal edges morphed into something bigger, with thick metal bars. Curious, I walked around it, finding that my suspicion was correct. It was a cage. Made to imprison a gigantic creature.
A whimpering sound reached my ears. I held my arm aloft so that I could see more of the space inside the cage. In the middle sat a boy, curled up in a ball, lying on the cold hard floor. I heard a sniffle and realized that he was crying.
My heart clenched as I took in the massive enclosure that imprisoned a small boy around the age of eight or nine, if I had to guess. I circled it again, looking for a door that would let me in, but there was nothing.
“Hey,” I said quietly, not wanting to startle him. “Are you okay?”
He looked fine, dressed in clothes that appeared to be thick and warm. The boys sniffling paused when I spoke. Resting on his knees, his head moved like he was trying to get a glimpse of me.
Green irises met my gaze, and the recognition hit me like a punch to the stomach, stealing my breath away.
“Rylan?” I asked, knowing a split second later that the boy was not my mate but someone who looked like him. “Ledger?”
The boy lifted his head, both eyes now fixed on me, a look of surprise on his face.
“Ledger, it’s me, Pearl.” I smiled.
“I don’t know you,” the boy Ledger said as the ground trembled under my feet, making my heart lurch.
“That’s okay,” I reassured him, keeping my voice calm and even so I didn’t upset him more. “I’m a friend, and I’m here to help you.”
“Help me?” he repeated, his face blank and full of confusion.
“Yes.” I reached through the bars, my arm growing brighter as my heart overflowed with empathy for the small, scared boy. “I can help get you out of here.”
“Can you help my friend?” He wiped his nose on the sleeve of his shirt.
“Of course,” I agreed without thinking.
“Can you get him out first?”
“Uh, yeah. Where is he?” I looked around for another cage.
“He’s through that doorway there.” The boy pointed into the darkness behind him.
I walked around the cage until I was facing the direction the boy had indicated. I lifted my arm, sending the light from my markings into the dark space. On the very edge of where my light could reach, I saw a doorway made of stone.
Squinting, I tried to see what was in there, but the darkness was too thick for my eyes to penetrate.
Something small touched my other arm, startling me.
“You have to help him,” the boy implored, his hand squeezing my arm.
“I… I’ll do my best,” I promised, patting his hand.
“He needs me,” Ledger whispered, tears gathering in his eyes as he stared up at me.
