Chapter 174

Lyra's POV

A knock at my door sent my heart racing. I quickly covered the carrier with a blanket and composed my face before opening it.

One of Kassak's warriors stood there, his expression neutral. "Luna has called for a mandatory pack gathering the day after tomorrow at dawn," he announced. "All members are required to attend."

"I'll be there," I said, keeping my voice steady.

He nodded and left, and I closed the door, leaning against it as a new wave of urgency washed over me. The gathering could only mean trouble—perhaps a public execution for Rovak, or worse, something involving Theo.

We have to leave tomorrow night.

I picked up the sleeping Theo, his small body warm against mine. "Ready for an adventure, little warrior?" I whispered. "We're going to rescue an injured wolf, and then we're going to find you a new home."

Theo stirred slightly in his sleep, his tiny fingers curling around the fabric of my shirt. In that moment, I knew I would die before I let anyone harm a single hair on his head.

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The midnight hour approached as I made my final preparations. My quarters were dark except for a single candle, its flame casting long shadows against the walls. I moved silently, checking each item I'd gathered over the past twenty-four hours.

A medical kit, filled with the most essential treatments. Dried food that would last several days. A change of clothes for myself, and the warmest blankets I had for Theo. Every valuable item I owned went into a small pouch—I would need currency if we managed to escape.

I moved to the window, studying the compound below. Guards patrolled in predictable patterns—a weakness I'd exploited many times as a Bloodclaw warrior, but never as a deserter. The shift change at midnight would create a brief window when the eastern entrance to the dungeons would be unguarded. Three minutes, maybe less. It would have to be enough.

Leona paced restlessly in my mind. She had no conflicted loyalties like I did. To her, our Alpha had betrayed us by killing our pup, and now he threatened another cub we'd claimed as our own. The choice was simple in her wild, instinctual mind: protect the cub, leave the danger.

But my human side wasn't so certain. This had been my home for nearly a decade. I'd bled for this pack, killed for this pack. I'd sworn loyalty to Kassak, believed in his vision of strength.

"And he ordered the death of our child," Leona reminded me, anger coloring her thoughts.

The memory of Rovak's confession—how Kassak had ordered him to ensure my pregnancy "didn't interfere with my duties"—sent a fresh wave of pain through my chest. The training accident that had killed my unborn child had been no accident at all.

I looked back at Theo, so vulnerable in his sleep. Riley wanted him dead simply for being Freya's son. Kassak was only keeping him alive as leverage. Neither cared that he was an innocent child.

My decision crystallized, hardening like steel in my heart. We were leaving. Tonight.

I carefully lifted Theo from his bed, securing him in the carrier against my chest. He stirred slightly but didn't wake as I gave him a few drops of honey water—a trick I'd learned would help him sleep deeply for at least a couple of hours.

Glancing at the clock, I saw it was eleven fifty. Time to move.

I slipped from my quarters into the shadow-filled night. The air was crisp, carrying the scents of the pack—cooking fires, wolves, the metallic tang of training weapons. Scents that had once meant safety but now felt threatening.

Keeping to the darkest shadows between buildings, I made my way toward the eastern side of the compound. I'd timed this path perfectly, knowing exactly where guards were posted and when they moved.

At eleven fifty-eight, I crouched behind the weapons shed, watching the two guards at the dungeon entrance. Right on schedule, they checked their watches and began walking toward the main building where their replacements would be arriving. The moment they turned the corner, I darted across the open space, my heart pounding in my ears.

The heavy iron door was locked, but I'd prepared for this. Using a key I'd secretly copied two days earlier when visiting Rovak, I unlocked the door and slipped inside, closing it quietly behind me.

The dungeon was dimly lit, the air thick with the smell of blood, waste, and despair. I moved quickly past the first few cells, most empty or containing wolves I didn't recognize—likely prisoners from other packs or rogues who had challenged Bloodclaw territory.

I found Rovak in the furthest cell, curled on his side on a thin straw mat. Even in the poor light, I could see he looked better than when I'd last treated him. His breathing was stronger, the worst of his wounds beginning to heal.

"Rovak," I whispered, unlocking his cell. "Wake up. We're leaving."

His eyes snapped open, instantly alert despite his injuries. His gaze moved from my face to the bundle strapped to my chest, understanding dawning immediately.

"You shouldn't have come," he said, his voice rough. "I'll only slow you down."

"I need your help," I replied simply. "I can't protect Theo alone, not with the entire pack hunting us."

"They'll kill all three of us if they catch us," he warned, but he was already struggling to sit up.

I moved to help him, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. "Then we won't let them catch us."

He grunted in pain as he stood, leaning heavily against me as we made our way back through the dungeon. "There's a hunter's cabin about five miles east," he whispered. "Abandoned years ago. We could rest there before continuing."

We reached the main door, and I paused, listening carefully. No sounds of approaching guards yet. I eased the door open a crack, peering out. The compound was quiet, no movement visible.

I opened the door wider, ready to slip through—

The scrape of a boot against gravel froze me in place. A guard was returning, earlier than scheduled.

"Someone's coming," I breathed, pulling the door almost closed again.

"Is there another way out?" Rovak asked, his voice barely audible.