_Kael’s POV_
+25 Points
The moon hung low in the sky. It was like a pale sentinel watching as we crept toward the Frostbane mansion. The forest was deathly quiet, as if it, too, held its breath. My boots barely made a sound on the damp forest floor. Jared and Alex flanked me. They were both tense
and alert.
“You sure about this?” Jared asked in a whisper.
“I don’t have a choice,” I said. “She has been kidnapped by Fenric. Something of hers is here. And without it, we can’t find her.”
Valric stirred inside me. It is foolish to sneak into a rival pack. You’ll get us all killed.
“I would rather die trying than sit around while she is being tortured,” I muttered under my
breath.
Alex gave me a look but said nothing.
The Frostbane mansion loomed ahead. It was dark and grand. The windows were mostly dark, except for a few dim lights on the lower levels. Most warriors would be asleep by now. Still, we had to be fast, quiet and invisible.
I crouched near the edge of the forest. I was scanning the perimeter. The patrols were light. Just two guards near the front gate. None around the east wing.
“There,” I said while pointing forward. “We’ll slip through the trees and scale the wall near the garden. There’s a balcony above it. I’ll climb through. You two stay here. Keep watch. If something goes wrong… get out.‘
“Hell no,” Jared whispered. “We go down together.”
I gave him a hard look. “Don’t be stupid. This is for Lisa. Let me do this.”
Alex put a hand on my shoulder. “Be fast.”
I nodded and sprinted toward the mansion, moving like a shadow.
The wall was rough stone. It was easy to grip. I climbed fast. I was driven by panic and desperation. The balcony door was slightly ajar. I slipped inside.
The room was empty. It looked like a guest room. It was clean but unused. I crept down the hall, following my instincts. My nose twitched, her scent was faint, but it was there. My heart
Chapter 106
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beat faster. I followed it through the darkened hallway, past closed doors and silent portraits.
Then I heard footsteps.
I froze.
A figure turned the corner. There was blonde hair and pale blue eyes.
It was Alexandra, Rylan’s sister.
Her eyes widened when she saw me.
“Kael?”
I raised my hands. “Wait…please. Just listen.”
She stepped back, alarm flaring in her expression. “What the hell are you doing here? Do you know how dangerous this is? I will call the guards and you will be punished. How dare you!!!”
“I know,” I said. “But I had no choice. I need something of Lisa’s. Anything. Her brush, a shirt, jewelry. I need it to find her.”
She narrowed her eyes. “What are you talking about?”
I took a step forward. “She’s in danger, Alexandra. And so is Rylan. I saw it. He is being held by Fenric, the Alpha of the Shadowrune Pack. He is not just a wolf. He is something else. Something dark.”
She flinched. I saw doubt flash in her eyes. Then fear.
“You’re lying.”
“I’m not. I swear. Rylan hasn’t returned, has he? You know that he went to Shadowrune. He hasn’t come back. Doesn’t that tell you something?”
She hesitated. Her breathing picked up. “How do you know this?”
“Because I saw them. Both of them. Lisa tried to run, and Fenric caught her. He used magic,
Alexandra. Not claws. Not teeth. Magic.”
She looked away. Her jaw was clenched. “You’re telling me… he is a witch?”
“Worse. He is a warlock who is powerful. He tried to kill Morana once. She told me everything. Lisa… she is in danger. I don’t have time to explain everything. But I need something that belongs to her. Morana can use it to find out where Fenric took her.”
Alexandra looked shaken. I could see her battling herself. Her hands were trembling slightly.
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“I…there was a man. A few weeks ago. He came to me. Threatened me. Told me to make Lisa believe Rylan cheated on her. I thought… I thought he just wanted them to break up. But now that I think of it…he wore sunglasses. Even at night. I never saw his face. But he felt… dangerous. Like he wasn’t human.”
My gut clenched. “That was Fenric. It had to be.”
She pressed a hand to her chest. Her voice cracked. “What if he hurts Rylan?”
“He will. If we don’t act now. Please, Alexandra. I need your help. Just give me something of
Lisa’s.”
She looked at me, long and hard.
“Will
you bring him back too? Rylan?”
“Yes,” I said without hesitation. “I swear it. On the Moon Goddess.”
For a long moment, she said nothing. Then she turned. “Come with me.”
She led me down the hall, through a narrow staircase to the second floor. We moved silently. Her hands shook as she opened a door. Lisa’s scent washed over me like a wave.
I froze. The room was soft and warm, with cream–colored sheets and a vanity cluttered with little items. Her scent was everywhere, lavender and honey.
My heart squeezed painfully.
“Here,” Alexandra said, picking up a brush. “She used this every day.”
I took it gently. “Thank you.”
“And this,” she added, handing me a hoodie. “She wore it all the time. It still smells like her.”
I nodded and tucked the items into my jacket.
Suddenly, we heard a distant voice.
“Patrol shift’s changing. Check the upper floors.”
Alexandra’s eyes widened. “Go! Back the way you came.”
I paused. “You’ll cover for me?”
“Just go. Bring them back. Both of them.”
I slipped out the door and retraced my steps. The hallway now felt like a trap. The shadows were heavier. I reached the balcony, climbed down fast, and ran toward the trees.
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Alex and Jared were still there.
“Got it?” Jared asked.
I nodded. I was panting hard. “Let’s go. Now.”
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We ran through the trees like silent shadows in the night. The moment we reached the car, I jumped in the passenger seat.
“Drive,” I told Jared. “Get us back to Morana. Fast.”
He hit the gas. I could hear the tires crunching over gravel.
The road stretched out ahead of us like a black ribbon. Wind howled through the windows.
My heart beat wildly.
Valric stirred. You trust her? That girl?
“I don’t know,” I muttered.
She gave you the brush. And the shirt. That counts for something.
“I guess.”
We’re getting closer. I can feel it. She’s alive. But for how long?
I stared out the window, clutching the brush in my hand like a lifeline. Every second mattered now. Every breath.
I would find Lisa. I would save her. And Rylan too. Even if I did not like him, I had to do it since
I had promised his sister.
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