MIRA POV
I pressed my back against the cold stone wall as two Shadow Lords walked past, their footsteps echoing in the cave. My heart was beating so loud I was sure they would hear it.
"The prisoners are getting restless," one of them growled. "Maybe we should feed them to keep them quiet."
"No," the other answered. "The Prisoner wants them living. For now."
I waited until their voices faded before letting out the breath I’d been holding. Three months ago, I was just Aria’s best friend who told jokes and helped her with chores. Now I was sneaking through enemy territory trying to save trapped pack mbers.
How did my life get this crazy?
"Mira," a voice whispered behind . "Are you sure about this?"
I turned to see Jake, one of the younger werewolves who had volunteered for this task. He looked frightened, and honestly, I didn’t bla him.
"No," I whispered back. "I’m not sure about anything. But Aria is in there sowhere, and I’m not going without her."
Jake nodded, but I could see his hands shaking. "What if we get caught?"
"Then we fight," I said, trying to sound stronger than I felt. "Or we run really, really fast."
That got a small smile out of him. Good. Scared people make mistakes, and we couldn’t afford any mistakes tonight.
I looked around at the other five pack mbers who had co with . None of them were stars. None of them were particularly strong attackers. We were the leftovers—the people nobody expected much from.
Which was exactly why this might work.
"Rember the plan," I whispered. "Sarah and Tom, you make a distraction at the main entrance. Make it loud but don’t get yourselves killed. Jake and Lisa, you’re with . We go in through the side tunnel. Marcus and Ben, you watch for reinforcents and warn us if more Shadow Lords are coming."
"What if there are too many guards?" Sarah asked nervously.
I’d been thinking about that problem all day. "Then we improvise."
"Improvise?" Marcus looked worried. "That’s not much of a plan."
"It’s the best plan we’ve got," I said strongly. "Look, I know everyone thinks I’m just the funny girl who makes jokes and gets into trouble. But I’ve been watching these Shadow Lords for weeks. I know their trends. I know their flaws."
That wasn’t totally true. I’d only figured out their patrol plan yesterday. But sotis you have to fake confidence until you feel it.
"Okay, everyone knows what to do," I said. "Let’s go save our friends."
We split up, and I led Jake and Lisa through the narrow side tunnel that I’d found earlier. It was cramped and dark, but it led straight to where the prisoners were being held.
As we crawled through the tube, I tried not to think about all the things that could go wrong. What if Aria wasn’t even here? What if she was already dead? What if—
"Stop it," I told myself quietly. "Focus on what you can control."
That’s what my dad used to tell when I got worried about tests at school. He’d died in a car accident two years ago, but I still heard his voice sotis when I needed it most.
"Focus on what you can control, Mira. The rest will work itself out."
We reached the end of the tunnel, and I carefully pushed aside the loose stone that covered the opening. Through the gap, I could see the prison room. There were at least twenty people chained to the walls—werewolves, vampires, and even a few fae fighters.
But I didn’t see Aria anywhere.
"There," Jake whispered, pointing to the far corner. "Is that Elder Malin?"
I squinted in the dim light. It was hard to tell, but the old man tied to the wall did look familiar.
"Maybe," I said. "But where’s—"
That’s when I heard it. A voice I’d know anywhere.
"The ritual doesn’t work the way you think it does," Aria was saying from sowhere I couldn’t see. "You’re making a mistake."
Relief flooded through . She was living.
"There’s only one guard," Lisa whispered, pointing to a bored-looking Shadow Lord standing near the door.
I studied the situation. The guard was big and looked strong, but he wasn’t paying attention. Most of the prisoners looked weak but not badly hurt. If we moved fast, we might be able to free several of them before anyone noticed.
"Here’s what we’re going to do," I whispered. "Lisa, you’re the best at staying quiet. Sneak around behind the guard. When I give the signal, knock him out."
"What’s the signal?" she asked.
"When I start talking really loud," I said. "Jake, as soon as Lisa takes down the guard, start freeing prisoners. I’ll find Aria."
"What if more guards co?" Jake asked.
I smiled. "That’s what Sarah and Tom are for. They should be starting their distraction right about... now."
Right on ti, we heard shouting and crashes from the main entrance. The guard’s head snapped up, and he started walking toward the noise.
"Perfect," I whispered. "Go!"
Lisa moved like a shadow, slipping behind the confused guard. I waited until she was in position, then stepped out of the cave.
"Hey!" I yelled at the guard. "Looking for ?"
He spun around, confused. "What? How did you—"
Lisa hit him over the head with a rock. He dropped like a bag of potatoes.
"Nice work!" I called out, then ran toward where I’d heard Aria’s voice.
I found her in a smaller cell, chained to the wall next to Elder Malin. But when she saw , instead of looking happy, she looked frightened.
"Mira, no!" she scread. "It’s a trick! They knew you were coming!"
That’s when I heard the slow clapping behind .
"Very impressive, little oga," a cold voice said. "You’re much cleverer than we expected."
I turned around to see a Shadow Lord I’d never seen before. He was smaller than the others, but sothing about him made my skin crawl.
"My na is Vex," he said with a smile that showed too many teeth. "And I’ve been reading the mories of your trapped friends. I know all about your rescue mission."
My heart sank. We’d walked right into their trap.
"But here’s the interesting part," Vex continued. "I also learned sothing else from those mories. Sothing about you that even you don’t know."
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
"You’re not just an oga, Mira," he said, his eyes glowing with dark humor. "You’re sothing much more dangerous. Sothing that could change the entire war."
"That’s impossible," I said. "I’m nobody special."
"Are you?" Vex asked. "Then tell , little oga—how did you know exactly where to find this place? How did you figure out our patrol plans so easily? How did you plan a project that almost worked perfectly?"
I opened my mouth to argue, but no words ca out. Because he was right. How had I known all those things?
"You’re a Strategist," Vex said softly. "The first one born in over a thousand years. And now, you belong to us."
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