35. Naomi

Naomi

A few hours earlier …

After Sea left me enclosed in the habitat, I forced myself to count backward from 1,000 while gathering everything I might need for my escape. I pulled on an extra-large fisherman sweater from Leah's closet over my t-shirt and cardigan, hoping it would protect me from the fierce wind I remembered from my last trip to the above real world. Leftover chicken from the cave kitchen's fridge and a few remaining bread rolls from our pre-group date dinner were stuffed into an old-timey, leather crossbody tote that I'd found in the front room's closet.

Had that only been a few hours ago? It felt like centuries. I'd been so sure we'd all be returning here after that ridiculous exercise.

But I couldn't have been more wrong. The night had turned so quickly, and the memory only made me more determined to escape the secret kingdom.

If tonight taught me anything, staying here would mean going into heat. It was no longer a matter of if but when . This might be my only chance to live out my previously planned life in Canada .

Even if it meant I'd never find out what powered the secret kingdom.

I thought of the trip I wouldn't be taking to the castle control room tomorrow with a pang in my chest.

But then I reminded myself that the freedom to choose my own previously planned path in life outweighed my curiosity about the god tech.

"100… 99… 98…"

I whispered the last numbers of the countdown as I went to stand in the dimly lit front room, my chest pounding with determination.

"1!"

Holding my breath, I pressed a hand to the wolf knot I stole, praying that my plan would work…

The glass door opened with a quiet whoosh, and with my running speed, I made it back to the Wild Wolves' huts just a few minutes later. Fortunately, Sea and Wild were so preoccupied with tending to their pack's needs during the heat that they didn't notice as I slipped past, moving lightly and carefully around the far side of the encampment until…

I reached my destination. Breath catching, I stopped about a meter away from the tower's red door. After a week of plotting my escape from the Secret Kingdom, it was hard to believe that with only a little patience and effort, I'd finally found a way out.

All that remained was to step through that red door and claim my freedom.

But as I stood at the doorstep of destiny, guilt twisted my stomach, making me hesitate .

Yes, all I had to do was walk through the red door, but…

My eyes drifted toward where Sea stood near the fire on the other side of the encampment, directing a group of elders placing a hut over the many wolves fornicating on the dance floor.

He was a good king.

And an even better kisser.

The kiss… my first ever… was supposed to be a peck. I didn't know if I'd ever get to experience this particular milestone as a hidden werewolf in the human world, so I'd thought, why not make this my formal goodbye.

But instead of leaning back and giving me another one of those happy grins that crinkled the sides of his eyes, Sea had wrapped one strong arm around my waist and the other around the back of my neck. He held me still, tilting his head to claim my mouth in a deep, bold way that felt even more intimate than having Wild's mouth between my legs.

No, I'd never been kissed before, but something told me kisses weren't supposed to feel this way. They shouldn't tug at your stomach or make your heart race like you'd just run a marathon — even though you were standing still. Should they?

I'd made myself pull back before answering that question. "Bye, Sea."

No… I blinked, dragging myself back to the present.

I shouldn't have kissed Sea one last goodbye, just like I shouldn't have physically fought Miriam to keep her away from Wild. My impulsive actions made it crystal clear why I couldn't stay here…

Don't think about the way Sea's mouth moved over yours, rocking you to your core .

Don't think about all the W?lfennites you'll be leaving behind.

Don't think about Wild's whispered threats.

Or what it would mean if he caught you.

Would he and Sea really take turns with me? What would that even feel like…?

But I clamped down on that thought, too.

It was madness to hesitate now when I was finally standing on the brink of my only chance to escape.

My chest tightened with memories of my adult life avoiding getting mated in St. Ailbe. No, I couldn't stay here. I had to save myself from getting stuck in this foreign land, find the Scottish Wolves, and get them to help me rescue Sadie.

Sadie . An image of my best friend inside that glass coffin reappeared just in time to erase all hesitation. Wherever she was, she was probably scared out of her mind. How could I even think about not rescuing her?

Tearing my eyes away from Sea, I turned back to the red door and took the few steps necessary for it to slide open.

And as soon as I walked through it, all my guilt disappeared.

Because it was replaced by water.

Lots and lots of freezing cold water.

I had no idea what happened. One moment, I was escaping, and the next, I was completely submerged. Panic ripped through me as dank liquid invaded my nostrils and the mouth I didn't even realize I'd opened to scream.

I looked all around, trying to get my bearings. But there was only pitch black, a void so complete that even my wolf vision couldn't pierce it.

Pressure like a vice gripped my chest and lungs, squeezing tighter every passing second. My eardrums clicked dangerously, a sharp pain radiating through my head and sinuses, which felt like they were on the verge of bursting.

The water was in charge now, not me. It rocked my body in its depths, slamming me into something hard and unyielding with a jagged edge. The impact jolted through me with a sharp burst of pain.

But the pain turned out to be a good thing. It snapped me out of my daze. All at once, I understood… what had happened… why this tower's door had been painted red.

I'd been transported to another stone circle — one closer to the village up above, just as I'd figured. But this one was at the bottom of the lake I'd spotted from the other stone circle on top of the cliff.

Breathe! I had to breathe!

The biological urge to release the pent-up air in my lungs burned inside my chest.

But some dimly remembered physics factoid about human buoyancy warned me not to exhale yet. I needed to hold on to every bit of air if I hoped to reach the top of this incredibly cold body of water.

I wanted to breathe, but I needed to kick.

With a thrashing flip, I started pushing through the freezing water in a direction I could only hope was up.

The urge to breathe out hit me again, hard. But just as I was about to give in, my wolf vision kicked in, revealing a faint light above. I was getting closer to the surface.

But then I blinked at what I saw carved into the lake's wall.

Three humongous statues stared back at me.

Like gods…

By the gods… Thank the three gods…

Suddenly, Sea's and Wild's quaint exclamations struck me in a new light, and I forgot to kick.

Were these the gods they'd spoken of? The ones who'd provided their people with the highly futuristic tech to make the secret kingdom?

I twisted in the water, my lungs threatening to explode as the cold seeped into my bones. But I couldn't tear my gaze from the statues.

They didn't look like wolves. Were they…? Could the gods be…?

Breathe! You have to breathe.

Some primitive survival instinct yanked me out of my curiosity trance, and I kicked the rest of the way upward until I finally broke the surface with a huge "Aah!"

The air screamed out of my chest, only to be sucked right back in by my desperate lungs. For a while, all I could do was tread water, gulping down the oxygen I'd been starved of for minutes on end.

Thank goodness this lake hadn't frozen over with a thick sheet of ice like the one in St. Ailbe this time of year.

But soon, the relief of being able to breathe gave way to chattering teeth and a weird numbness that couldn't be good.

Got to breathe! Got to get out of this lake !

After a thankfully short swim, I heaved myself onto the lake's bank, my muscles trembling with exhaustion.

And I did mean heave. This lake turned out to be more like an extremely large swimming hole. It was as if someone (or maybe some ancient entities?) had cut out a deep circle in the earth and filled it with water. There was no shore. Just a super steep, zero-notice drop.

My fingers slipped on the grass of the frost-covered bank as I dragged myself onto it, then crawled away from the freezing cold water. Eventually, I found myself lying on my back, breathing hard underneath a sign warning that this was a dangerous and protected lake — NO SWIMMING ALLOWED.

Now you tell me , I thought with a sarcastic, watery chuff.

Cold wind stung my face as I lay there in a grateful but weary heap. After that ordeal, I only wanted to let the solid earth hold me for a while.

But… safety … original life plan… find Sadie and make sure she's alright .

Also, I really needed to change out of these cold, wet clothes.

I sat up on my forearms and looked around. The town, which should have been positioned behind me, was blocked from sight by a huge hulking shape, a mountain that hovered over the lake like a giant who'd nodded off beside it. But I could see faint lights in the distance on the other side of the hole the gods had filled with water. Maybe it was the house I'd seen from the cliffside stone circle?

There was only one way to find out.

With a coughing sigh, I forced my shivering, aching body into a standing position. I'd wanted to make it to the town, but the house I'd seen sat like a beacon of hope on the other side of the lake.

If I could make it there, maybe I'd find warmth — and a phone I could use to call for help. With that hope burning inside my chest, I hauled myself forward, every muscle protesting as I began stumbling around the mountainside of the lake toward the lights in the short distance.