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Chapter Eighteen
Rylan
Pearl’s scent hit me like a freight train, followed by panic. Why was her scent here of all places? The thought of her newly white hair glowing in the darkness of this place made my stomach churn. Had she committed a crime in the hours since we parted and been sentenced to imprisonment without my knowledge?
No, that wasn’t possible. An imprisonment sentence wasn’t taken lightly; a trial would have been arranged.
Would it though?
My fists clenched at my sides, remembering that there was one person I knew of that had been sentenced without a trial.Faela.But Pearl wasn’t her, and the thought of her doing anything against the rules was laughable.
However, she did suspiciously show up to the archives last night all too willing to be in my presence.Was it an act?It had to be. She’d hated my guts up to that point, and though she felt incredible in my arms, there was no denying the possibility that I’d been played.
Fury coursed through my body, bringing my wolf to the surface, closer than he’d been since we entered. My gums ached as my canines poked through the tender flesh, ready to bite. To taste blood.
“Do you smell that?” Ledger asked, sniffing the air, undoubtedly smelling Pearl like I had.
My anger rose higher, knowing that my cousin could smell her. It made me want to rip his throat out. Her scent was mine.
Without thinking, my wolf reached through me, somehow grabbed Pearl’s scent from the air. Instantly, it evaporated like it had never been there.
“I don’t smell anything,” Chord responded, sniffing the air and frowning at Ledger.
“Me either,” I lied quickly, praying that my voice sounded normal, though I could feel my wolf speaking with me.
What the hell was going on?
Ledger took another sniff, shrugged, then gestured for Chord to keep going.
We walked down two hallways while I wrestled with my temper and my wolf. We didn’t know all the facts, but somehow, we’d been able to absorb a scent, a skill only the most powerful alphas possessed. It confirmed that physical intimacy with a fated mate unlocked abilities that were otherwise unheard of.
I gritted my teeth, wondering how I should play this. If Pearl was here, regardless of the reason, I would keep her safe her in any way I could. As her mate, it was my duty to shelter, protect, and love her. My wolf and I viewed the role as a privilege, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t be pissed. If I found her in this place…
No. I couldn’t think like that. There was no possible way she was in here.
Unbidden, the memory returned of her looking over the maps and other information I had researched the night before. How her eyes had grown wide with what I initially took as fear of the cage, but looking back it, could have been a different kind of fear.
What are you up to?
“Her pit is just ahead,” Chord said, gesturing to the other side of the hallway.
My chest vibrated as we drew closer to the end of the hallway, Pearl’s scent filling the space. It was like a beacon, as if she wanted to be found, or it could be a signal. She knew I was coming here; I told her last night. My wolf had absently been mapping the trail she took, we realized that she had made a perimeter. In other circumstances, I would have been impressed, but now, it just stoked my anger.
“If you don’t mind, I’ll check out the pit while you two follow the trail she made to escape,” I announced, sticking my hands into my pockets, hoping to look casual.
“I like that plan.” Ledger clapped, jumping on the chance to avoid going into another pit.
“Are you sure?” Chord’s brows scrunched together in question.
“Yeah, no use in us all going through it again.” I chuckled, shooting a glance at my cousin, who had color back in his cheeks.
“How will you find us?”
I pointed at my nose and grinned. Chord smirked then nodded at me, like he was giving me permission. I returned his nod and watched as he led Ledger down the hallway and turned left.
The grin slipped from my face as soon as they disappeared. I looked down at the entrance to the pit, my teeth ground together as I wondered what I would find down there.
Probably the most eerie thing about the pits was the lack of sound. The last one we were in had a sound barrier around it. I could hear footsteps outside but not conversations, which was just as maddening as the shifter remains.
