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Chapter 17
Lucien
“We use the old tunnel room,” I suggest, to which Bardhyl scrunches his nose.
“That dump. I hate it there.”
I roll my eyes at him as we rush over the slope of the mountain to the blocked-up cave leading into the tunnels. Dušan and Meira rush ahead of us, hand in hand, whispering to each other. She’s missed him so much, worried for him. All I want is to wrap up Meira in silk and keep her safe from the world. It’s ridiculous and even she’ll fight me if I pulled such a stunt. But my wolf burns at the notion of us not keeping her protected.
I cut Bardhyl a stare as he hurries alongside me, constantly looking over his shoulder for signs of pursuit. Then he meets my gaze. “We just stay low in the cave,” he says.
“It’s too open, and we can’t exactly have a fire, with smoke coming out of the cave.”
“I agree with Lucien,” Dušan throws over his shoulder. “We stay in the room.”
Bardhyl grumbles under his breath, glaring at me.
“What can I say? When I’m right, I’m right,” I gloat.
“I accept no responsibility if we all catch fleas,” he responds.
Meira looks back at us, her eyes wide. “Fleas?”
I shake my head at how dramatic the guy can be. “There are no fleas.” I scowl at Bardhyl. “Why are you making up shit?”
He eyes me. “So the family of raccoons who moved in while we used the room during our tunnel building doesn’t count?”
I want to laugh out loud at him, but I keep my voice low and whisper, “Big bad wolf is afraid of raccoons.”
“Fuck you, Lucien. I woke up with one chewing on my ear.”
Dušan pauses at the entrance where two boulders cover the entrance into the tunnel. This place is our saving grace. No one knows about it aside from us four and Kinley. Dušan was right to have kept this little project from his brother and it’s serving us well.
Without a word, the three of us head to the barrier, while Meira steps aside, studying us. Hands pressed up against the side of one stone, the three of us make quick work to slide it over the stone ground until a gap appears into the tunnel. It’s big enough if we slide in sideways.
Bardhyl goes in first, shuffling, and gets jammed halfway, catching around his chest. That time, I can’t help but laugh, but I drive my hands into his sides, shoving him through. “Your fat ass won’t fit.” I groan.
He pops out on the other side and stumbles. “Hell, that was a tight squeeze.”
Meira is giggling to herself as she easily steps inside. Dušan is next, then I follow.
We emerge in complete darkness, but the small room we made during our reconstruction of this tunnel isn’t too far and it’s easy to find. I take the lead. “Follow me.”
The darkness is a welcome friend. I spent weeks…monthshere during construction. A task Dušan gave me when I newly arrived in his pack, and while I didn’t realize it until later, he used this to help me deal with the loss of my first soulmate.
I came to Ash Wolves a broken man but ended up as my Alpha’s righthand man. I found a family and future I thought I’d never have again.
Back then, I made friends with the dark, the shadows hiding the heartache ripping me in half. Once more, this familiar place resurrects hard memories, but in my mind, it will always be where I found solace and purpose. It’s why I sometimes stay alone in the room we’re heading to, so I can remember what I’ve lost and how I found reconciliation when my memories threaten to swallow me.
Coming here now with Meira brings it to a roundabout closure. I first came here with a shattered heart. Now I return with love flooding every pore in my body.
Footfalls echo from the three following me, and their presence alone confirms that I’ll fight for the three of them. For our futures to the end.
“Hey, Bardhyl, what did you and the northern Alpha talk about back in the woods? You were talking in Danish, right? It’s like you made a joke or something,” Meira asks.
I glance over my shoulder to see Bardhyl smirk to himself. Even Dušan, who remains in the rear just in case anyone sneaks up on us, leans in, curious to hear the conversation.
“He asked me what region I came from, and when I told him, he said he thought I looked familiar, then made a joke that one of my distant relatives is marrying someone in his pack, and she’s just as big as me. Her fated mate is not. But you know what this means? I have some blood family alive.” He chuckles to himself, and it warms my heart to hear Bardhyl found a connection back to his roots. After his past, he accepted that he’d lost his blood family, so to know there are some family members remaining must be a godsend for him.
