Chapter 20 

Chapter 20 

It was the perfect hide out. Completely invisible to the senses unless given permission by the Alpha. When we reached the entrance. I noticed the familiar marking on the stone wall. A black circle with a red insignia inside it. 

A witch’s mark. 

The rogues had a witch with them. That could only mean they had undone the protective spell. I frantically went down the stairs and almost tripped along the way. Stumbling with my feet. I grabbed onto the railing for support. Abruptly. I stopped When we reached the bunker. The door was wide open. A foul smell of flesh reaching my nose. Crestfallen, and horrified. I 

hit move an inch. 

I didn’t need to be a genius to figure out what happened in there. Lila squirmed in my hold. The stench bothering her as she tugged on my shirt. I forced the bile down my throat. The disturbing smell of flesh and blood made me want to hurl. I didn’t want to walk in and see the bloodbath that took place in there. I turned on my heel and jogged up the stairs. 

I held Lila closer and took off in the other direction from where we first came from. 

Everything was hard to see through the fog. The eerie ambiance of the deserted land brought chills to my spine. The place that would’ve been crowded with people, completely desolate from use. Lila’s soft sob vibrated into my chest. She had clutched onto my shirt, her face pressed hard onto my collarbone. I moved her back slightly, cupping her wet cheek against my palm and tilted her head up. Her eyes were puffy, lips swollen and trembling. As quietly as I could, I whispered down to her. 

“Lila, I need you to be very quiet. 

I looked from my left to the right before turning back to her once I saw the coast was clear. I was completely on edge. I felt like at any moment, one of the rogues will just jump out and attack us. My paranoia brought on thoughts that scared me to the bones. Thoughts like what would happen if they caught us, or if they’d just kill us on spot. 

“The bad guys will hear us if you’re not.” 

Lija’s cries stopped as she stared up at me. She sniffled. rubbing her little fists against her eyes. 

“They’ll get us like they got Bentley?” 

My chest tightened at the name. With a curt nod, I skimmed my thumb over the edge of her eye. Wiping away her tears. I grimaced at the afterthought of Bentley. His body and blood flashing through my mind. The same kind of state we’d be in if we didn’t escape. The cold wind brewing over us bit into my flesh, encouraging goosebumps to rise from my skin. The call of midnight just above our heads. 

“Yes” 

Nodding to herself, she wrapped her arms around my neck and buried her entirety into my embrace. Her soft whimpers ceased as she remained still in my arms. She was resolved in keeping quiet, knowing just how crucial silence was to our survival. I carefully walked down the slope. I was freezing in my wet clothes, the wind seeping through the fabric. The pack was most likely deserted. Most wolves killed if they didn’t escape. 

Unable to think of anything else, I reached out in my bond to call for my parents. I hoped that after reaching them, they’d call for reinforcements. The Beta had enough power to summon a small group of warriors to a pack in need without the Alpha’s supervision. It was rare that these things happened, but if they did, the Beta wouldn’t have done so unless absolutely necessary. I kept trying to search for our connection but I couldn’t find it. My wolf tilted her head in confusion. 

My eyebrows knit together until I understood what happened. Both my mother and father’s walls were up. I couldn’t get through to them. They were purposely shutting me out. Not even my wolf could get through to their wolves. I haven’t tried to 

Chapter 20 

reach out to them in two months, and now I knew that if I did, it wouldn’t have gone through. This was their way of duciary 

thes cutting ties with me. My chest burned in grief. I could feel a lump weighing down in the pit of my stomach. Surely Hena wouldn’t have the done the same. I tried searching for her bond in my head. 

Nothing. 

Feeling sick all of a sudden, I flinched hearing sticks snap from behind me. I didn’t wait to turn around to jump behind a tree. Pressing my back to the bark, I held Lila protectively against me. Her figure quivered in my hold because the too, beard it. I waited. Slowly, when nothing could be heard. I peeked over the trunk. Three wolves were roaming down the woods. They looked around, eyes searching with snouts raised in the air in attempt to catch a scent. The fire’s fumes made it imponibl 

held my breath. Placing a hand over Lila’s mouth, her breathing harbored. I stood completely still. I hoped they didn’t feel presence. I was sure they couldn’t smell me but hearing me was a different issue. The tiniest bit of noise would get their attention. A sudden cracking reverberated down the woods.