Chapter 175

Lyra's POV

I shook my head. "Not that I know of."

We were trapped. The guard would be at the door in seconds, and we'd be discovered. My mind raced through options, each worse than the last. If I were alone, I could shift and fight, but with Theo strapped to my chest and Rovak barely able to stand...

"Let me handle this," Rovak whispered, pulling away from my support. "Get ready to run."

Before I could protest, he positioned himself beside the door, his body tense despite his injuries. I felt Leona stir inside me, ready for whatever came next.

The door creaked open, and a guard stepped through, whistling softly to himself. The moment he cleared the threshold, Rovak moved with surprising speed for someone so injured. One arm wrapped around the guard's neck, the other clamped over his mouth.

I should have helped, should have moved to assist Rovak, but I stood frozen, Theo clutched protectively against my chest. The struggle lasted only seconds before a sickening crack echoed in the small space, and the guard went limp in Rovak's arms.

The smell of death filled the air, metallic and final. Rovak lowered the body to the ground, his face grim.

"You didn't have to kill him," I whispered, a wave of nausea rising in my throat.

"Yes, I did," Rovak replied, not meeting my eyes. "He would have raised the alarm."

I knew he was right, but the casual violence—violence I had once participated in without question—now disturbed me deeply. Was this what motherhood did? Made you question the brutality you once accepted?

Rovak quickly stripped the guard of his jacket and cap, donning them himself. "This might buy us a few minutes if we're seen from a distance. Let's move."

We slipped outside, closing the door behind us. I pulled my hood low over my face, and we started walking—not too fast to attract attention, but with purpose. We followed the shadows between buildings, working our way toward the eastern fence where I'd found a weak spot during my reconnaissance.

We were halfway across the compound when Theo stirred against my chest, making a small whimpering sound that quickly turned into a cry.

"Shit," Rovak muttered, scanning our surroundings. "Someone will hear that."

I frantically tried to calm Theo, rocking him gently and making soft shushing noises. "It's okay, little one. You need to be quiet now."

His cries subsided slightly, but I could sense his distress. He was hungry and confused by the strange movements and tension in my body.

"The storage shed," Rovak nodded toward a small building nearby. "We can hide there for a minute."

Inside the shed, among crates of supplies, I quickly prepared a small bottle of formula I'd packed. Theo latched onto it eagerly, his cries immediately silencing.

"That was too close," Rovak said, keeping watch through a crack in the door.

Five minutes later, we slipped out and continued toward the fence. When we reached it, Rovak kept watch while I got down on my stomach and worked my way under the gap I'd found earlier. It was a tight squeeze with Theo strapped to my chest, but I managed without waking him. Rovak followed with more difficulty, his injuries making the maneuver painful.

"We made it," I breathed, hardly believing we'd gotten this far.

"Don't celebrate yet," Rovak warned. "We need to put miles between us and them before dawn."

We set off into the forest, following a game trail that would lead us to the ravine. The night was our ally, the darkness concealing our passage as we moved as quickly as Rovak's injuries would allow.

We'd been traveling for perhaps an hour when the first howl split the night—the alarm had been raised. Our escape had been discovered.

The sound sent ice through my veins. Bloodclaw hunters were legendary for their tracking skills. Worse, Riley would likely lead the hunt herself, driven by her hatred of Freya and desire to recapture Theo.

"They're coming," Rovak said, his face grim in the darkness.

"The ravine is just ahead," I replied, adjusting Theo against my chest. "If we can reach the river beyond, we might be able to mask our scent."

More howls joined the first, closer now. We pushed on, our pace increasing despite Rovak's injuries. The ravine appeared ahead, a dark slash in the earth leading down to a swift-flowing river.

"We'll never outrun them," Rovak said as we half-slid down the ravine's steep side. "Not with my injuries and the pup."

"I know," I admitted. The reality of our situation was becoming clear. Three injured or vulnerable wolves against Bloodclaw's elite hunters. The odds were not in our favor.

"We need help," I said as we reached the river's edge. "Somewhere safe to go."

"Moonshade is our only real option," Rovak replied, splashing into the cold water beside me. "Theo is their Alpha's son. They'll protect him—and possibly us for bringing him back."

The thought of seeking refuge with our enemies felt strange, but he was right. Moonshade was our best hope. But getting there meant crossing miles of territory with hunters on our trail.

"There's a place we can rest first," Rovak said. "The hunter's cabin I mentioned. It's not far, and it has supplies we can use."

I nodded, making my decision. "Then that's where we'll go. And after that..."

"After that, we head to Moonshade," Rovak finished. "And hope they're feeling merciful."

We waded downstream, letting the water wash away our scent. Behind us, the howls grew more distant, temporarily thrown off our trail. But I knew it wouldn't last. They would find us eventually.

I looked down at Theo, sleeping peacefully against my chest despite the danger surrounding him. I had made a promise to protect this child, and I would keep it, whatever the cost.

"They won't take him," I said softly, determination hardening in my chest. "I won't let them."

Rovak met my eyes in the darkness, and I saw the same resolve reflected there. We were deserters now, traitors to our pack, but we had chosen a different loyalty—to an innocent child and to what was right.

Together, we continued downstream, our path illuminated only by occasional breaks in the clouds, the howls of our former packmates fading behind us as we escaped into the night.