Chapter 237 Hand from Shadow

Chapter 237 Hand from Shadow
Lily's POV

Vince rolled down the window just enough to show his face. "Emergency pack business," he said tersely, his voice a rough approximation of Gabriel's authoritative tone. "Can't stop."

The guard's eyes flicked to the backseat, where I sat frozen with Silas's blade at my throat. Even in the dim light, he could see enough to understand the threat.

"Sir, is everything—" the guard began.

"Everything is under control," Vince cut him off sharply. "Luna safety is my priority. Step aside."

I wanted to scream, to reveal the truth, but Silas pressed the silver edge deeper into my skin. A thin line of blood traced down my neck.

The guards exchanged uncertain glances, but Alpha authority was absolute in pack culture. They stepped back and waved us through.

"Border crossed," Vince announced with grim satisfaction as we passed the checkpoint. "Now we just need to reach the extraction point."

"Excellent." Silas's grip tightened on my wrist. "Phase one complete. Now for the real prize."

I closed my eyes and tried to reach through the mate bond one more time, desperately hoping I'd been wrong, that somehow Gabriel was still alive. But there was nothing. Just the vast, echoing emptiness where my soul's other half used to be.

Gabriel was dead. And I was utterly, completely alone.

Behind us, I could see headlights gaining ground. Ethan and Lucas, pushing their vehicle to its limits in pursuit. But we had too much of a head start, and the checkpoint guards probably hadn't realized what had happened yet.

They wouldn't reach us in time.

The car hit a particularly vicious pothole, and the jolt sent fresh waves of pain through my abdomen. The baby kicked frantically, responding to my distress. I wrapped my arms protectively around my stomach, the only part of Gabriel I had left.

"Hold on, little one," I whispered silently. "Mama won't let them hurt you. I promise."

But even as I made the vow, I wondered how I could possibly keep it. Gabriel was gone. The mate bond was severed. And I was being dragged deeper into enemy territory with every passing second.

This was a nightmare from which there was no waking up.

Suddenly, the car lurched violently to one side. Vince cursed as he fought with the steering wheel, his unfamiliarity with these back roads becoming apparent.

"What the hell was that?" Silas demanded.

"Didn't see the turn in time," Vince replied through gritted teeth, sweat beading on his forehead. "These damn Moonfall roads all look the same in the dark."

He tried to course-correct, but it was too late. The right side of the car dropped suddenly as the wheels hit what felt like a massive sinkhole. The vehicle tilted at a dangerous angle before slamming down hard.

"Shit!" Vince gunned the engine, but the wheels just spun uselessly in deep mud. We were stuck fast in what was obviously a drainage ditch, probably hidden by recent rains and poor visibility.

"No, no, NO!" Vince pounded the steering wheel as he realized our predicament. The more he pressed the accelerator, the deeper we sank.

We were completely trapped.

For a moment, there was only the sound of our labored breathing and the useless whining of spinning tires.

Behind us, the distant headlights were growing brighter. Ethan and Lucas were gaining ground fast.

Then Silas exploded into motion. "Get out! Now! We're going on foot."

He hauled me from the backseat with brutal efficiency while Vince abandoned the driver's seat. My legs nearly buckled—between the shock of Gabriel's death and the stress on my pregnancy, I could barely stand.

The soul flower behind my left ear, still stained with Gabriel's blood, felt heavier than it should. Like a weight pulling me back toward everything I'd lost.

"Move!" Silas shoved me forward, his blade once again at my throat.

We stumbled through the darkness along what might have been a deer path, Vince leading the way with a flashlight while Silas kept his silver blade pressed against my neck. Every step sent jolts of pain through my body. My legs felt like they might give out at any moment.

Behind us, car doors slammed. Ethan and Lucas had reached the abandoned vehicle and were now pursuing on foot. Their voices carried through the night air, getting closer.

"Silas!" Ethan's voice rang out across the distance. "There's nowhere to run! Let Luna Lily go, and we can talk about this!"

Silas laughed coldly, tightening his grip on my arm. "Talk? Your Alpha is dead, Beta. Your pack is finished. But I'm feeling generous tonight."

He stopped walking and turned us around to face our pursuers. In the moonlight, I could see Ethan and Lucas approaching cautiously, maybe fifty yards away. Both had their hands raised, trying to look non-threatening.

"Here's my offer!" Silas called out. "You let us walk away clean, and I don't open Luna's pretty throat right here in the dirt!"

The silver blade bit deeper into my skin. I could feel warm blood trickling down my neck as my baby kicked frantically inside me. Every instinct screamed to protect my child, but I was helpless.

"Don't hurt her!" Lucas shouted. "She's pregnant!"

"Oh, I know exactly what she's carrying," Silas replied with sick satisfaction. "Gabriel's little heir. How poetic."

Vince was pacing back and forth like a caged animal, his gun waving erratically between me and our pursuers. His hands were shaking so badly I was terrified he'd accidentally pull the trigger.

"We should just kill them all and be done with it," he muttered, sweat pouring down his face despite the cool night air. "This is taking too fucking long!"

"Patience," Silas hissed. "We need safe passage out of Moonfall territory first."

But I could tell he was getting nervous too. His breathing had quickened, and his grip on the knife was becoming less steady.

Ethan took another careful step forward. "Let's work something out. What do you want? Money? Territory? We can—"

"I want what's owed to my pack!" Vince snarled.

The blade trembled against my throat. One wrong move and it would all be over.

That's when I heard it—the soft sound of footsteps in the underbrush, coming from behind Silas and Vince.

Someone else was out there in the darkness.

Vince spun around suddenly, his paranoia finally getting the better of him. "Did you hear that? Something's moving in those trees!"

"You're imagining things," Silas snapped, but I felt his body tense. He'd heard it too.

The footsteps stopped. Everything went dead quiet except for my ragged breathing and the frantic beating of my heart.

Then all hell broke loose.

Two figures exploded from the tree line with lethal precision. The first one hit Vince like a freight train, sending him sprawling into the dirt before he could even think about pulling the trigger. His gun went skittering across the rocky ground.

The second figure moved like liquid shadow, faster than my eyes could track. One moment Silas had his knife at my throat—the next, his arm was twisted behind his back and the blade was clattering harmlessly away into the darkness.

I collapsed to my knees, gasping and shaking, one hand pressed protectively over my belly.

"It's okay, Luna," a familiar voice said softly. "You're safe now."