Chapter Twenty-Seven

As dawn approached, Kiran’s men entered their room, their hurried voices declaring that it was time. Kiran growled at them, obviously uncomfortable with their presence near her, even though she was partially covered by the sheets, and he ordered them to wait outside. Quickly, they both dressed. Although the castle was cloaked in darkness, the keen senses of Kiran and his companions made it easy to track the three shadows moving through the structure.

To avoid making it too obvious, they ensured that guards continued patrolling the hallways, maintaining the appearance of self-protection. However, the guards had been instructed not to react to anything unusual. From a concealed corner, Gwyneth, Kiran, and their group observed three shadows descending into the dungeon, before they all waited for the shadows to return. Yet as they reappeared, they were now accompanied by a fourth person. Gwyneth observed as their enemies “escaped,” yet they only gave them a brief head start before following.

As the group headed for a door leading out behind the castle, they found horses waiting, servants keeping them ready. Gwyneth, Kiran, and his most trusted men mounted their steeds before starting their pursuit. Yet they were careful to maintain a distance to avoid alerting their quarry.

Having werewolves on her side, with their heightened senses, made tracking the scientists easier. The sun gradually ascended, painting the sky in beautiful shades of orange. Eventually, they reached a large waterfall, but the scientists had vanished.

“Where are they?” Gwyneth inquired.

“They should be here,” Kiran responded, sniffing the air. “I can smell them.”

“But I can’t see them.”

Dismounting her horse, Gwyneth scanned the area, searching for clues. She followed some hoofprints leading toward a narrow path hidden behind the waterfall. From the front, it didn’t appear to be a path, but upon closer inspection, she discerned the rocks slightly separated from the massive wall. It became clear where they had gone. “This way!”

The others turned toward her, approaching her as they too noticed the concealed path. It wouldn’t be easy to spot if they were riding by.

“Let’s go,” Kiran ordered.

Kiran unsheathed his sword, and his companions followed suit. Gwyneth also had her weapon ready as they advanced along the slightly slippery path, venturing behind the thundering waterfall and into a colossal cave concealed behind it. Gwyneth gazed around in awe, her mouth slightly agape at the sight before her. The hidden cave was truly incredible, with walls and ceilings adorned by dripping water, lending the cave an almost living, breathing quality. They moved forward stealthily through a circular hallway, with Gwyneth and Kiran leading the way. Soon, distant voices began to echo toward them.

“Another?” someone shouted.

“Yes, from our time.”

“How is she here?”

“She was able to get through the portal under our attack,” the woman explained. “She is a Protector.”

“I hate Protectors,” someone grumbled, disgust evident in their voice.

“She could ruin things! She knows how we work!”

“She won’t ruin anything. Protectors have minds filled with dirt,” the disgusted voice retorted.

“She is the king’s mate.”

“What? Like that soulmate thing wolves believe they have?” another woman asked.

Gwyneth and Kiran reached a corner, providing them a good glimpse into the far end of the cave. From here she noticed a circular chamber with a variety of items: a long table filled with technology from her time. They had brought a considerable number of belongings from the future, proving their ability to move back and forth with ease.

The small group consisted of only six people, gathered in a circle, engaged in heated discussions regarding Gwyneth and not paying attention to their surroundings. Some perceived her as a problem, while others saw her as a mindless soldier. Perhaps she had been, to some extent, but that didn’t mean she lacked her own will.

“Yes, exactly,” Gwyneth’s prisoner affirmed. “She and the king are together.”

“That’s utterly disgusting. She’s involved with a werewolf?” one of the two men exclaimed.

“I think I’m going to be sick,” another one added.

Gwyneth rolled her eyes and shook her head before glancing at Kiran. However, he wasn’t focused on her. His attention was fixed ahead.

“She isn’t a problem,” the escaped prisoner asserted. “She won’t ruin anything.”

“How can you be sure? She knows us!”

“No, she knows AirTech people, not us. And AirTech people truly have dirt for brains.”

“Mindless idiots.”

“There’s no problem. We will proceed as we always have,” the escaped prisoner declared.

“And the Protector? Shouldn’t we kill her?”

“She will die alongside her precious king and the werewolves. There won’t be an issue. We have so many Dark Wolves now. They are everywhere, and they will kill everyone else in this world before they die as well. We can just hide here and lie low, and things will be fine.”

“What should I do with the werewolves I took last week?” one of the women asked. “I haven’t turned them yet.”

“Well, then, work on that. A few more won’t be an issue,” the escaped prisoner stated as she moved to one of the table, opening a box and extracting a syringe. “Just give them a larger dose, and then they will lose their minds completely.”

“We’ve never tried giving them a larger dose.”

“Well, maybe it’s time we tried. Who knows? Maybe our creation will even eliminate the other werewolves faster.”

“Yeah, and then we’ll have super wolves running around,” one of the men said sarcastically.

“You know the serum kills them in the end. We’ll just be patient and wait it out.”

Gwyneth glanced at Kiran, seeing the hurt in his eyes. She knew he had hoped The Dark Wolves could be saved, but it seemed that being injected with whatever substance the woman was holding was a death sentence. Gwyneth’s heart ached as she observed the expression on his face. She had also held out hope that they could be saved, but it appeared that the solution wasn’t that straightforward.

“I’m tired of this cave,” one of men complained.

“Well, we just have to suck it up, don’t we?” the escaped prisoner spat.

“We’ve been here for years! I want out!”

“And we will get out. Once this world is purged and ready for us to mold and build, then we will leave, and we will bring our humans here.”

“If there’s still anything left.”

“Time moves a little slower there. We still have a chance to save everyone and become the new gods. Actual gods.”

These words elicited a chuckle from everyone in the room. It was evident to Gwyneth that the woman was in charge, skillfully painting a hopeful picture of the future to keep them all calm. Despite her ruined face, with her left eye unable to see and her broken nose, she managed to maintain a smile.

Gwyneth couldn’t help but smirk at the sight, but her attention was soon drawn to the woman as she walked to the other end of the table, opened a black box, and retrieved some medicine. Gwyneth recognized it from the times she had been stitched up or needed assistance in healing wounds faster. She watched as the woman applied the medicine to the cuts, and the skin began to show signs of improvement immediately. However, her nose needed to be set back in place.

“Would you like me to take a look at that?” one of the other women offered.

“It’s going to hurt like a bitch, isn’t it?”

“We’ll give you something for the pain. Just take a seat.”

The group gathered in the middle of the room, moving a little out of sight, prompting Gwyneth to lean forward. Kiran must have noticed her eagerness because she heard him shift before he spoke. She turned to look at him.

“Are you ready?” Kiran whispered, and the group nodded in agreement.

She observed as he gripped his sword tighter, preparing to confront the people who had threatened his home. However, as Gwyneth were about to make her move, growling emanated from behind them. They all turned their heads to witness an enormous group of Dark Wolves standing there, their eyes aglow with a murderous intent.

“Oh, fuck me,” Gwyneth whispered, just before the first one lunged at them.