As the helicopter descended, more of the Grimroot Pack slowly ca into view, and Seraphine felt her breath catch in her throat. At first it just looked like endless massive rock formations stretching across the wild landscape, but the closer they got, the more incredible details started to erge.
Seraphine’s eyes widened in pure disbelief. The entire pack had been built right into the heart of the mountains themselves.
From a distance it blended perfectly with the natural rock, looking like nothing more than another rugged part of the terrain. But as they dropped lower, the true wonder of it hit her hard.
The whole front of the massive structure appeared to be made of so kind of transparent material, offering teasing glimpses of the warm, glowing world hidden inside. Seraphine leaned closer to the window, heart racing with a mix of awe and confusion.
"Wait," she said suddenly, turning toward Voren. "Where’s the pack gate?" Her gaze snapped back to the enormous structure. "Why is the entire front transparent like that?"
The forr Luna in her kicked in imdiately. Beauty was one thing, but security? That was sothing else entirely. "Is that even safe?"
Voren watched her with clear amusent sparkling in his eyes. Of course that would be the very first thing she noticed, not the stunning architecture or the breathtaking view, but the potential security risks. Her Luna instincts were still burning strong inside her, and it made sothing warm bloom in his chest.
"They’re not ordinary glass walls," he said, a small proud smile curving his lips. "Those are reinforced security gates and walls. Nearly impossible to break through, even for the strongest shifters."
Seraphine blinked, still processing. "Seriously?"
"Very," he replied, folding his arms comfortably as he leaned back. "When I started rebuilding the pack, I didn’t want anyone feeling trapped inside so giant underground cave."
"Most packs are all walls and gates and barriers, constant reminders that you’re locked in. I wanted sothing different." His gaze drifted down toward the pack below, pride ringing clearly in his voice. "I wanted our people to feel connected to the outside world instead of like they were living in a prison."
Seraphine stared at him, a rush of affection swelling in her chest. Sotis she forgot just how deeply Voren thought about everything, how much care he poured into making life better for his pack.
Then sothing else stole her attention completely. The lake. A crystal-clear, breathtaking lake stretched right across the front of the pack like sothing out of a high-end luxury resort.
It looked almost unreal, beautiful, peaceful, and utterly srizing. For several long seconds she completely forgot they were still descending in a helicopter. She even forgot she was thousands of feet up in the air.
By the ti the aircraft finally touched down on the landing platform, she barely registered it.
"You’re going to love the inside," Voren said, his voice gently pulling her back to reality.
Before she could respond, he grabbed their bag and stepped out. Seraphine quickly followed, the cool, crisp mountain air brushing against her skin like a refreshing embrace.
Behind them, the helicopter lingered on the platform for only a mont before its blades spun up again, stirring the air wildly around them as it lifted off and disappeared into the distance.
Seraphine watched it go, then turned to look around. There was almost nothing obvious here, just rocks and a small clearing. At least, nothing that scread "pack entrance."
"This is the top level," Voren explained as he guided her forward with a hand at her back. "The main entrance is much lower down the mountain. Most pack mbers use the official one, but whenever I co in by helicopter, this is the route I take."
Seraphine glanced around curiously. "Why?"
A playful grin spread across his face. "Because this entrance only leads to two places."
Her curiosity deepened instantly. "The pack house?"
"One of them."
"And the second?"
His eyes sparkled with mischief. "My secret hideout."
Seraphine laughed, the sound bubbling out of her. "You have a secret hideout?"
"Exactly," he said, looking smug as hell.
She rolled her eyes at him, but she couldn’t hide her smile.
Before she could argue further, Voren crouched down near a patch of weeds growing between so rocks. While he worked, Seraphine looked around. Beyond the small clearing, endless darkness stretched out, like the mountain just swallowed everything beyond a certain point. It was strangely beautiful... and a little creepy.
A second later, Voren brushed the weeds aside and pressed sothing hidden underneath. At first, nothing happened. Then suddenly the ground beneath them began to move.
"V—!" The startled cry barely left her lips before her balance vanished completely. Instinctively, she grabbed onto the nearest solid thing she could find, which fortunately happened to be him.
He barely had ti to react before she stumbled straight into his arms. A warm laugh escaped him. "Easy there."
The solid platform under their feet kept descending smoothly, like so kind of secret, unexpected elevator sinking straight into the mountain.
Seraphine’s eyes widened in shock. Every survival instinct she had was screaming at her. She sucked in a sharp breath, ready to let out a full-blown scream, but Voren quickly covered her mouth with his hand, his eyes dancing with amusent.
"Mmh!" Her glare promised violence if he didn’t let go.
"Trust ," he said calmly, voice low and reassuring. "If you’d scread, every warrior nearby would’ve co running. I wouldn’t be able to hide your presence if they showed up looking."
That was the only reason she didn’t start hitting him right then and there. Several tense monts later, the platform finally stopped.
The instant Voren removed his hand, Seraphine froze, suddenly realizing exactly how she was positioned.
Her entire body was wrapped around him, both legs locked firmly around his waist, arms circled tight around his neck. anwhile, Voren stood there completely unbothered, still holding their luggage in one hand while supporting her effortlessly with the other.
Heat flooded her face. "goddess." She imdiately let go and slid down, embarrassed but unable to stop the smile tugging at her lips.
Seraphine turned and stared. The elevator door wasn’t like anything she’d ever seen. It slid upward instead of parting in the middle, revealing what looked more like the entrance to a hidden magical tunnel than a simple exit.
Then she saw what waited beyond it, and every bit of her embarrassnt vanished in an instant.
"V..." Her voice ca out barely above a whisper, eyes widening in pure wonder. "Is this real?"
The awe on her face softened Voren’s expression completely. For a mont he just watched her, drinking it in.
This was exactly why he’d brought her here. Not just for the scenery or the mories, but because seeing her react like this gave him real hope—hope that so lost piece of her past might finally spark back to life, that she might start rembering.
His chest tightened with emotion. "Sera," he said gently. "I thought this place might help jog your mory."
When she looked at him, he offered a warm, reassuring smile and brushed his fingers against hers. "But don’t worry. I’ll still get the shaman."
Together, they stepped forward into the tunnel. Cool, crystal-clear water imdiately surrounded their legs. Seraphine glanced down in amazent.
It only reached her knees, but it was so perfectly clear she could see every single stone on the bottom, every tiny ripple, every shimring reflection.
Then movent caught her eye—golden fish, hundreds of them, swimming fearlessly around their legs like living streaks of sunlight gliding through the water.
The deeper they walked, the deeper the water got, but Seraphine barely noticed. Everything around her demanded her full attention: the glowing rocks, the hidden lights embedded beautifully in the walls, the way the reflections danced across the surface like magic. It truly felt like they had stepped into another world entirely.
Then a mory flickered to life in her mind—the videos Voren had shown her before. The similarities were impossible to ignore, and questions started flooding her thoughts.
She opened her mouth to ask him about it, but before she could get the words out, a familiar sound echoed through the cavern...
Reviews
All reviews (0)