Chapter 100

ERIA

Vance grabbed my hand as we stumbled down the hall. I glanced back at Dominic's figure, which was curled into a fetal position on the ground. I didn't stop to think if he was still breathing.

"This way," Vance whispered urgently. We turned a corner, away from the front hallway. I could hear screams coming from there. I didn't have to see him to know who was behind it. It was Darian; it could only be him.

I felt the walls vibrate around us like they were about to burst apart.

Vance hurried me on.

I had no idea how he navigated the place like he had been here before. We emerged outside the mansion, having passed through the back door.

Outside was pure chaos.

I could barely make out our fighters dressed in black from the mystic pack in red. Some men were on the ground. I didn't know from which pack.

"Fall back!" Alpha Markov's voice cut through the air. "Retreat, now!"

Vance's hand tightened around mine.

"This way," he said, knocking aside a wolf that lunged for him. He picked up a sword from a falling soldier as we ran. I found it hard to keep up with the gown and cursed, gathering the overbearing furrows and ribbons in my hands, holding the hem of the dress above my knees as we raced through the gates.

"Nyxhowl, pull up from the rear. The obsidian spire takes the city square. We split up and meet at the city outskirts. That way, it makes it harder for them to chase after us," Markov yelled out orders.

Most of the men were outside now. I could see my bearings more clearly and realized that it was quite an army.

"Commander," Vance pushed through the formation. Markov turned, and I had a full view of him.

His lips were bleeding, the side of his bulletproof vest soaked red, but he stood firm, two revolvers in his hands. He saw me and nodded.

"Good, Vance, you got her. Now regroup with the rest and meet us at the outskirts," he said, then turned around and called out to his pack as they ran north.

"This way," Vance said. I glanced around at the warriors, searching desperately for anyone I recognized. Maya, Raven, Lukas...

Maybe they hadn't gone into the invasion, I thought. I refused to consider the other alternative.

We made our way to the city outskirts, shifting into our wolves to make the process faster. I looked behind my back more than a hundred times, but Darian didn't give chase. Not that it gave us any reassurance. We split up. He could be chasing after any of our division.

After running for what felt like miles, we arrived outside the mystic pack.

Vance, who took control, led us to a closed boutique. It was locked, but we made it in easily and raided it for clothes. I, for one, didn't have on any protective magic that would preserve my clothes after shifting.

But on the bright side, I was more than relieved to get out of the wedding dress that Dominic forced me to wear.

I pulled on a hoodie and a fresh pair of joggers, tugging the pins out of my hair, relieved to finally feel like myself.

I was just tearing off the price tags when Vance came around, wearing simple jeans and a t-shirt.

I smiled, seeing him. "You know, it kind of feels morally wrong having to steal clothes, but I'm sure the owners will understand. Kael could arrange something, right..."

I was cut off mid-sentence as Vance pulled me into a fierce hug and leaned down, kissing me.

I was taken by surprise. His lips slammed against mine without preamble, and there was nothing gentle about it. All the rage, frustration, and fear of losing me poured into the kiss. His hands slid down to my waist, and I was kissing him back, my hands locked around his shoulders, fingers tangling in his hair.

My legs instinctively wrapped around his torso as he lifted me up. I felt my back press against a hard surface. My wolf threatened to surface, to mark him. He was mine, after all. I forced myself to stay in control. Vance broke the kiss. We were both breathless. His forehead came to rest on mine.

"I thought I was going to lose you, Eria," he whispered, soft and vulnerable. A version of him only I got to see.

"I went to Dominic to break the engagement. I desperately wanted to make things right," I said.

He tilted my chin up and kissed me again, softly this time. "And you nearly drove me insane doing that. We'll figure this out together, okay?"

I nodded. I doubted there would be any Dominic left anyway.

I desperately hoped he was dead. There was no way he would have survived it, right?

Vance gave me a small smile. Then his face constricted in a sharp pain, and he pushed off me, leaning against the wall, his chest heaving.

"Vance, what happened?" I panicked, fully aware of our surroundings now.

"I'm fine," he managed, but it was clear that talking took an effort. He held a hand to his side, managing to stand straight.

I stepped closer to him. He was injured... Vance was injured.

My hands shook slightly as I took his hand away, rolling up his shirt.

I let out a gasp.

Staring back at me was a deep gash across his ribs, stitched but reopened and now bleeding.

"Vance..." The words I meant to say broke off into a little scream. "Why didn't you say something? You shouldn't even be here. Why would Kael let you fight like this?"

"Eria," he pulled his shirt down with some effort and reached out, cupping my cheeks. "It's fine, and it was way worth it."

I felt hot tears stinging my eyes. I wondered how he even managed to hold a weapon or even stand up straight, how he battled with Dominic and led the pack to safety. I should have been the one fighting.

"Vance, you're not fine."

"Vance, Eria," Markov appeared, his battle clothes intact, his loose hair falling over his face. His expression turned grim immediately as his eyes landed on Vance.

"You're wounded," he said. It was more of an observation.

"Please, is there anything you can do?" I asked.

"I'm no doc, kid." Markov's eyes locked with Vance's, and they seemed to share a silent conversation.

"Go to the front. We've chosen a cave to camp for the night. Leah and a few others are attending to the wounded."

Leah, I thought, feeling a surge of relief. Someone I knew.

"You better go ahead," Markov said to me and jerked his head towards the exit. "I'll help him out."

He wrapped a strong arm around Vance's shoulder, allowing him to lean on him. I nodded, kissing Vance on the cheek before dashing through the exit.

Vance was strong, I told myself. He'll survive, better than anyone I knew.

I arrived at the cave. It was a large space across the hills. A fire was crackling at the entrance, and people gathered around, cleaned up but obviously still reeling from the attack. The obsidian pack, Nyxhowl, and the mystic pack all sitting together, someone passed water around. Inside the cave, like Markov said, Leah and a few others applied first-aid to our wounded.

I made out Maya's face, working beside Leah. Without thinking, I yelled her name and ran inside, almost knocking her over in a hug.

She wrapped her hand around me and patted my back.

"There you are," she grinned. "I was starting to think that the mission was a total fail."

"Is anyone of our friends around?" I asked, dreading the news but at the same time eager to make sure that none of the people I cared about were dead.

"Nope, just me and Vance. The rest are guarding the stronghold with Kael," she said.

I breathed in relief, then felt guilty.

People had fallen. Many were dead from the invasion, especially at Darian's hands. Their lives weren't less important. Just because I didn't know them didn't mean they hadn't existed.

Maya gave my hand a squeeze. "It's okay. You were top priority. We also had to capture Dominic back for questioning, but let's just hope he's dead instead."

"Maya, Eria," Markov walked into the cave, supporting an unconscious Vance. He looked older with the dim light reflecting on his face. His revolvers were no more, but there was still a seraph blade strapped across his back.

"Why don't you two join the rest and take the first watch. We might have gotten out, but there's no guarantee that Darian won't give chase."

I nodded, scrambling up to my feet.

I watched as Markov laid Vance on the bare ground. Vance's face was ghostly pale, beads of sweat on his forehead. He must have fainted somewhere along the hike to the cave.

Please be fine, I prayed desperately.

I wouldn't be able to bear it otherwise.

"Come on," Maya pulled me outside the cave.