I squeeze Noah’s hand and breath in his grounding scent. I can do this.
But the pressure clamping me is back and rising. There are voices whispering in my ears.
I push through, making myself put one foot in front of the other, but it’s like I’m being dragged out of my body. The whispers are getting louder.
When Noah and I get to the end of the tunnel, there’s a knot of enforcers waiting for us.
Aiden and the Warden found the tunnel. But of course, they did. After my disappearance, they would’ve gone over every inch of the place and, once they found it, posted guards at what they’d consider a vulnerable point. In my fear, I forget.
The only thing that saves us is the element of surprise. The enforcers aren’t facing the tunnel entrance–they’re not expecting anyone to emerge from it. As soon as Noah and I step out, we see them and bolt, the young wolves on our heels.
I can smell the forest ahead, the end of Adalwulf land, and it smells like freedom.
But with a shout, the enforcers realize what’s happening and give chase. The young wolves scatter.
Liora is struggling with the most frightened acolyte. With a shriek, the little one rips her hand from Liora and runs back into the tunnel, the way we came.
Liora goes to chase her, and I shout her name. She can’t save the girl, and if she stays, she’ll be caught and killed, like Moira. The Warden won’t tolerate this sort of insubordination.
We have to get out.
“Stop,” the enforcers cry. Three of them chase after the acolytes. Two of them run towards us.
One of the enforcers blows a whistle, calling in more reinforcements. Halfway through the blast, the white and grey wolf that’s Oriana leaps onto him, snarling. She’s not a huge wolf, but she’s big enough and heavy enough to knock the man back a step. He snarls back, grabbing at her.
Then Noah is there, thrusting his arm towards the man’s throat. His fingernails must have turned to sharp wolf claws because blood spurts and the man falls back. Oriana leaps clear, blood staining her fur.
“Run,” Noah orders, pointing, and she turns and flees towards the border. With luck, the others will follow her.
The other two enforcers turn on Noah. He faces off with one, but when another tries to leap up behind, I lose it.
My wolf breaks from my skin, ripping at my clothes. I don’t think, I just act, and before I know it, I’ve got an enforcer on the ground, and I’m tearing at his back. I taste blood, and then Oriana is there, slitting his throat from behind with a four-claw slash.
I rise to all fours just as Noah takes out another enforcer. Liora runs to help him, and Noah points to the border of the land.
“Go,” Noah orders, using an Alpha command. “Now.”
In the grip of the Change, Liora falls to her knees. She casts off her shift just before she changes into a wolf–a white and grey one that matches her daughter. In wolf form, she streaks away.
I hear whistles in the woods. The enforcers calling in reinforcements. In another minute, this will be all over.
I can only hope that Oriana and the others make it out.
Suddenly, I’m in another world. The full moon is gone, and there’s only darkness, and a hundred wolves surrounding us. They have glowing red eyes. What did Aiden do to them to make them have red eyes? They’re also bigger, stronger, faster than any wolves I’ve ever seen.
And they have no aura. They’re soulless. When I feel into their energy, it’s a violent, empty, hungry void. A nothingness.
I can hear someone shouting my name. Calling me back.
Noah.
He’s here with me. I sense him. “No,” I mumble and try to wrench away. I need him to leave me. I need him to go, to save himself.
The vision changes. I’m at the Cradle, watching Aiden move towards the altar with a knife in his hand. Noah is bound there, tied down with silver rope that cuts into his skin, bloodies it.
My arms are bound, and I can’t move. The Warden is holding me back. I’m screaming as Aiden stands over Noah, blocking my view, and his arm strikes down.
I know the moment Noah dies. I feel it. It’s like I’m being ripped in two. Pain wracks my body, and I’m shaking so hard, I don’t know how I’m still conscious.
