The heavy wooden doors lood ahead, just a few steps away from the life I had only dread of. My heart pounded against my ribs, each beat screaming, Run, run, run.
But I forced myself to stay steady. I had co too far to let panic take over now.
Thane reached the doors first, his fingers wrapping around the iron handle. He glanced at , his golden eyes sharp in the dim torchlight. "Are you ready?"
I swallowed hard, gripping my mother’s pendant so tightly it might as well be a lifeline. "More than ever."
He nodded and pushed.
The doors groaned in protest, the sound far too loud in the silence. I winced, my gaze flicking over my shoulder. If anyone heard that—
No one ca.
The passage before us was dark, but the cool night air rushed in like an embrace. I inhaled deeply, tasting the crisp scent of pine and damp earth.
Freedom.
It was so close I could almost touch it.
Thane stepped forward first, his form blending into the shadows beyond the doorway. I followed, my cloth carrier shifting as my cats stirred. Xylara peeked out, her large eyes reflecting the moonlight, but she remained silent.
I could have kissed her for that.
We moved swiftly, our steps light against the stone path that stretched toward the outer wall. The wind carried the distant sound of animals—far away, but still a reminder that we weren’t safe yet.
The last stretch of our escape lay ahead—a narrow corridor leading to the servants’ gate. It was a forgotten passage, used only for deliveries and overlooked by most of the castle’s patrols.
We slipped through the stone archway, and for a mont, I thought we had made it.
Then—a sound.
Footsteps.
Loud. Rapid. Approaching fast.
I froze. My pulse spiked, panic clawing up my throat. No, no, no, not now.
Thane reacted instantly, grabbing my hand and pulling against the wall. We pressed into the shadows as the footsteps neared.
A guard appeared at the far end of the corridor, his lantern swinging. His gaze swept the area, suspicion carved into his features.
I barely breathed.
Thane’s fingers tightened around mine, a silent command to stay still. I didn’t move. I didn’t blink. I barely even let my lungs expand.
The guard hesitated, his brows furrowing.
Then—he turned and walked the other way.
I exhaled sharply, my grip on Thane loosening.
"That was too close," I muttered.
Thane didn’t reply. He simply took my hand again and pulled forward.
The gate was just ahead now, a simple wooden structure reinforced with iron bars. Thane reached into his coat and pulled out a small key. He slid it into the lock, twisting it with ease.
A soft click.
The gate creaked open.
And there it was—freedom.
The dense forest stretched before us, dark and endless, the trees whispering in the wind. The night was vast, wild, untad.
I stepped through the gate, my boots crunching against damp leaves.
The weight of the tower, the curse, the months of imprisonnt—they all lted away in that single mont.
I turned back to Thane, my chest heaving.
"I’m free," I whispered.
His lips curled into a small smile. "Not yet."
I frowned. "What do you an—"
Then the alarm bells rang. Loud. Piercing. Filling the night with panic.
I whipped around.
Lights flickered on in the castle. Shadows moved along the walls. The guards weren’t just patrolling anymore.
They were looking for us.
Without a mont of hasitation we ran.
The night air burned in my lungs, the pounding of our footsteps swallowed by the howling wind. My heart was a wild drum against my ribs, my legs burning with the effort to keep moving. The sound of alarm bells still echoed in the distance, but it didn’t matter now.
The barrier was just ahead.
A shimring, almost invisible wall stretched across the clearing—a whisper of power that crackled against the wind.
Thane skidded to a stop first, his breathing labored. I followed, barely able to catch my breath, as I yanked my mother’s pendant from around my neck.
"This has to work," I muttered, pressing it into Thane’s palm.
He took it without hesitation, stepping forward. Raising the pendant, he pressed it against the barrier.
Nothing happened.
I frowned. "Why isn’t it working?"
Thane’s jaw tightened. He pressed the pendant harder against the invisible wall. The barrier should have cracked, shimred—done sothing.
Still, nothing.
Panic flickered in his eyes as he yanked it back. "I don’t know," he admitted, his voice sharp. "Alpha Elaxdor said it would work."
I blinked.
Then sothing cold slithered down my spine.
"What do you an my father told you it would work?"
Thane didn’t et my eyes.
"I’ll explain later," he said hurriedly, his fingers clenching around the pendant. "For now, we need to figure out a way—"
A chill ran through my veins.
A dark, suffocating presence pressed against , curling around my lungs like smoke.
I didn’t even need to turn around.
I knew.
The Lycan King was here.
My stomach twisted. My fingers went numb. The weight of his presence settled over my skin, like a predator savoring the mont before the kill.
The hairs on my arms stood.
Thane tensed beside .
Neither of us moved. Neither of us breathed.
Then his hand wrapped around .
Strong. Possessive.
His fingers curled around my waist, pulling back against a body that radiated raw, suffocating power. My breath caught. My heart slamd against my ribs.
"Going sowhere?" He whispered into my ear, low and smooth, grazing the shell of my ear like a blade slipping between my ribs.
Thane sucked in a sharp breath beside , but I couldn’t even move.
No. No, no, no. This wasn’t happening.
The barrier was right there. Right there.
But it might as well have been a world away.
His grip tightened. Not painful, but firm. A reminder. A warning.
Slowly, I turned my head, just enough to glimpse the monster behind .
Red eyes glead in the darkness—cold, sharp, and cruel. His face was shadowed, but I could feel the smirk in his voice.
I swallowed hard.
Thane took a step forward, but the King barely acknowledged him. His focus was on . Only .
"You wound , darling."
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