☽ Chapter 38: Escape ☾

?Chapter 38 – Escape?

[Gem? Geminie, can you hear me?] I groan as a voice fills my head, the effects of the wolfsbane finally gone and my body well rested and ready to escape. [Geminie, darling, where are you?] Ariven! It is his voice reaching out to me. Bolting into a sitting position, I feel tears of happiness fill my eyes, an entire week of not being able to communicate with him taking its toll on me as the mate bond throbbed, needing the touch of my mate. [I’m here, baby. I’ve missed you.] I call out, forcing myself not to cry. I want his warmth, to be held in his arms and hear his heartbeat beneath my ear as I lay against his chest. I need to have his scent envelope me, remind me I am safe. [Gem, where are you?] I can hear the desperation in his voice, the pain of being separated from me without any contact clear as day. My heart breaks, wanting to rush to him and fall into his arms. [Underground. Lupus made a base by the pink lake I told you about.] I answer, giving him a general direction where the entrance to the base is. I hear my mate curse into the link, asking to wait a few minutes to talk with the others before our link goes silent, but this hum of the mate bond is stronger than it has been the last seven days, making me feel complete with the small interaction. [Geminie?] [Still here, Ariven.] He sighs, and I can just picture the tension of not knowing where I have been these days seeping away. [Mika, Lace, Amberle and Dominic sent their best to scout the area, we will know more within five minutes and be there at latest in thirty minutes. Do you think you can escape?] Ariven fills me in and I smile, seeing Mira and Abigail outside my door with scared eyes, as they look back and forth down the hall. [Yes. I’ll be bringing a few wolves with me too.] I reassure him. Hearing his deep familiar chuckles sends my heart fluttering. [Why does that not surprise me? I’ll see you soon, my darling. I love you.] I smile, closing my eyes to regain my composure.[I love you too, Ariven.] I reply before the link ends. We have thirty minutes to escape and escape we must. I have no idea what Abigail and Mira will face if we are caught. The door opens slowly, and I rush to the sisters waiting for me, their fear seeping into the air. “Calm yourselves and take a deep breath. Your fear will give us away.” I calmly explain, keeping my senses on alert for any chance of being discovered. The girls do as I say, their bodies relaxing with each deep breath they take until Mira looks at me, her eyes holding excitement, and I smile back at her. “Lead the way, hun.” I motion for Mira to take the lead, making sure not to touch and rub my scent onto the two. If by chance they get caught or questioned, not having my scent on them will save the sisters from being punished. We walk down the tunnel in silence, Mira in front, Abigail in the middle, and me taking the rear, our steps quiet as we each listen for an approaching wolf so we can hide quickly. Suddenly, Mira stops just before we are meant to turn right, turning to look back at me with panic in her eyes. Ready to ask her what’s wrong, I smell the familiar scent of Lupus and instantly grab the girls, making sure they stand flush against the dirt wall of the tunnel and activate my power. A dirt wall covers the three of us, the sisters thankfully staying silent as footsteps approach our hiding spot. “What do you mean they are marching towards us!” Lupus growls, slamming his fist into the wall I have made. Mira winces in fright, and Abigail covers her mouth, trying not to say a word while I focus hard on keeping the wall solid and unshakable. “Someone must have tipped them off to our location. It makes no sense how three days ago they searched just outside our base and gave up, only to be coming back ready to attack.” A voice answers, his voice nasally and small. I smirk, thinking of my mate and our allies coming to destroy Lupus and his army. “Your Majesty!” A she-wolf calls out urgently, her rapid footsteps stopping just outside the wall. I hold my breath, making sure that Abigail and Mira make no sound while we listen in. “Your prisoner is gone! We went to gather her per your orders, and her cell is empty!” the she-wolf exclaims. Once again, the wall in front of me is hit as Lupus lets out an angry roar. Mira and Abigail are shaking with fear, but they stay silent. Their freedom from this cruel man is worth more than giving away our hiding spot. “How did she fucking escape?! She had wolfsbane in her system and should have been weak!” Lupus roars, the tunnel shaking from the power of his anger. Something inside me clicks and I understand why this wolf has so much power and why so many wolves want to bow to him. He is a Royal! “Sir, I think she had help.” The she-wolf voices timidly. A tearing sound is heard followed by the scream of a woman and the stench of Soulless blood. I have a feeling that the she-wolf is now dead. “Find my Queen now!” He orders, followed by a flurry of ‘Yes Sir’ and wolves frantically running around. We wait in silence as I allow a small part of the wall to open up, just enough to see what is happening. Abigail is shaking beside me, so I squeeze her hand, hoping to reassure the she-wolf that everything will be fine. It takes a few minutes for the hallway to clear, many wolves running back and forth before affirming that no one is here in this section of the base before they go off searching in a different direction. I count to ten, not wanting to expose our hiding spot so early before lowering the wall and making sure that the surrounding do not look disturbed before turning to Mira who holds Abigail in her arms. “We need to change our scents.” I whisper, my eyes darting around to keep a lookout for any Soulless coming back to recheck this tunnel. “I know a place. The clothes may stink though.” Abigail voices, taking mine and Mira’s hands and leading the two of us straight down the tunnel instead of turning right like we were supposed to. The halls are silent as we pass by different doors, some muffling growls and snarls coming from behind the heavy steel doors. “Those are the Damned, Soulless the King releases to wreak havoc on unsuspecting packs.” Mira explains and I nod, wanting nothing more than to put those wolves out of their misery and send them to Mother to heal their souls and send them on their way to rebirth. But they will have to wait. Abigail ends our walk in front of a wooden door, using a key to unlock it, and pushes her sister and I inside before following after us and shutting the door. The smell of death and decay reaches me instantly, and it takes everything in me not to throw up what little substance I have in my stomach. “Sorry about the smell. No matter how much the others assigned to laundry and I try to wash them out, the stench remains.” Abigail explains, rummaging through the racks of clean clothing. “How many Rogues are here?” I ask, curious as the sisters before I do not have the red eyes of the Soulless. “Per base, there are one hundred Rogues either sold or captured by King Lupus and about three hundred Soulless at a time, give or take. When some reach the Damned state, they are either held back or released into the world to die or wreak havoc. Some Rogues turn Soulless because they lost all hope, and the cycle of having to find Rogues to do the chores or warm the bed of the King and his advisors begins again.” Mira explains, taking the shirt handed to her by Abigail and changing into it without hesitation. Abigail sighs as she continues searching until she finds what she is looking for, a large, black hoodie that she throws at me. I gag, wanting to throw it back at my new ally but instead put it on with a grimace and make sure to hide my white hair underneath the hood, allowing part of my face to be hidden. Abigail then changes into a baggy, long-sleeved dress and smiles at me as she motions for us to leave the room quietly. “Mira and I can pretend to be showing you around,” Abigail explains, locking the door again as we head down the tunnel we came from and make the correct turn to the exit. The two begin to talk about how the base works and its hierarchy from the lowest of the low to Lupus, explicitly explaining that she-wolves are used as bed warmers or maids. I shudder to think about this information, happy to have the sister on my side. They will bring perfect intel to the war Lupus is raging in the werewolf world. “You three!” We freeze in our spots, recognizing Lupus’ voice. Taking a deep breath, I turn towards him, his scent making me want to dig my claws into his neck, but I keep my head bowed in submission. I cannot blow our cover. “Yes your Majesty?” Mira asks, stepping forward. “Go outside and track Geminie down!” He orders, his eyes glancing over me, but instead, he turns and grabs a wolf with a hood covering his head as he frantically runs by—searching for me no doubt—pushing him towards me and forcing me to stop this small wolf from stumbling and falling. “Take him with you and return by nightfall. If you return without my Queen, I will kill all of you.” We bow in respect, the four of us rushing towards the exit and the tension of Mira, Abigail, and my escape seeping from our bodies. Of course, there is this extra wolf to consider and what to do with him. [Geminie, we are in the area.] Ariven calls through our link and the bond hums. He is close, and soon I will be safe in my mate’s arms. The teenage boy who had been thrown at me takes the lead, opening a well-hidden door that opens to reveal the lake before us, the pink water a welcoming sight. Rushing forward, I relish in the fresh air until my body is tackled, a scream leaves Mira’s lips, and I am ready to tear into whomever it is above me until the wind blows the familiar scent of the person I call my home to me. This idiot forgot that I was escaping. With a chuckle, I calmly turn until I am on my back, Ariven’s angry black wolf above me with teeth pressed against my neck. The hood falls back, revealing my white curls now dingy from the week being a prisoner, and tear-filled eyes as I stare back at my mate. “Ariven, baby. It’s me.” I whisper, tears falling from my eyes. His angry snarls soon turn into whimpers as his snout pushes past the collar of the hoodie to my bare skin where he takes a deep breath. I shiver, wrapping my arms around his neck hands fisting his soft fur. [I’m so sorry, darling. I just saw you all coming out of the tree, and you smelled like one of them.] He links, his small whimpers filling my ears as he licks my mark. “I know, baby. Smelling like one of them was the only way to escape.” I answer, burying my face into his fur and taking a deep breath. My tired body is relaxed, no longer in danger and now with my mate, my pack and my allies surrounding us and protecting me. I am safe once more. “Theta Cross, are we going to attack?” A wolf calls out. I peek out to see John coming close. Ariven gives him a warning growl, and I chuckle, tugging on his ear and smiling at John, who looks at me with shock and happiness. “Alpha!!” “Hi, John No, we are not going to attack. They are still searching for me, so retreating would be a logical tactic right now.” I answer, running my fingers through my mate’s fur to prevent him from attacking our packmate and keep him calm. “What do we do with those three then?” He nods towards the wolves I escaped with, remembering the teen who was pushed onto us. Pushing Ariven away softly, I stand and dust off my body, motioning for those guarding Mira and Abigail to back off and turning to face the teen who kneels on the ground with his hands on his head, eyes down and submitting to us. Good, this wolf is no fool. “Did you link any of the Rogues in the base?” I ask, looking down at the wolf. He shakes his head no and I motion for mine to back away, spying Amberle, Dominic and Mika just a few feet away watching us. I smile at my friends before turning to look at the wolf kneeling before me, who seems to visibly relax without Maddie and Lena watching over his shoulders. “I knew instantly who you were, Goddess Geminie, the moment that bastard pushed me toward you.” The teen begins to say. Deciding to see if his words are true, I kneel in front of him and allow the wolf to continue. “That bastard kidnapped me from my family ten years ago when I was six. He learned I could see the future from a member of the Rogue caravan we were a part of and kept me ever since.” I place my hand under his chin, lifting his face to see his eyes looking calmly at me, eyes like a deep pool of silver without a ripple. He sends me a friendly smile and allows me to examine him. His skin is pale, even under the grime and dirt from being with Lupus for ten years, and his hair, although long and messy, is the colour of spun gold. “You don’t have red eyes!” I exclaim, smiling at the calm aura he releases and realizing just what he is. “No. Even after trying to break me, I never gave up hope for escape. Lupus must have been out of his mind when he threw me at you, not realizing the two people he wanted to keep captive were escaping at the same time.” He answers. I chuckle, standing and helping the kid to his feet before looking at Maddie and Matt who stand beside Amberle and Dominic. Ariven stands with his fur a little on edge, and Mika sends me a knowing smile. I see the others in my pack give me a nod, and I know they approve of what I am about to do. “Our pack is made up of Rogues looking for a second chance, a family or escaping from being rejected by their mates.” I explain, motioning for Abigail and Mira to stand beside me. “So what do you all say to having Abigail, Mira and…” “Malachi.” The teen answers. “…And Malachi the Oracle join Silver Crystal Crescent?” I ask, seeing a shocked look on Malachi’s face as my wolves cheer in acceptance of their new packmates. I smile and turn to Ariven before looking back at my three new members. “I knew the moment I saw your eyes that you were an Oracle, Malachi. My mother told me about how rare you wolves are, and you will be in for a lot of training with me, my mother and Ira. Now let’s go back to the guest house, get in a nice warm bath, and some tasty food.” With that, I shift into my wolf form, not caring for the clothes torn apart, and trot to my mate, rubbing against his side and relishing in his touch as the group makes our way to the guest and pack houses of Hidden Claws. We need to prepare for war, as I feel Lupus will be coming to take me back within the next few days after realizing I had indeed escaped with his unknowing help.