Chapter 110

Chapter 110
The pendant turned ice-cold against Ioannis's skin. Psychological torture of children, isolation in darkness as punishment for normal childhood behaviors. Through their bond, she felt Nickolas's protective rage surge like wildfire, though he remained out of sight as planned.

Micha pressed closer to Ellie, his green wolf clutched tightly against his chest. "I don't want to go back," he whispered, his large eyes filling with tears that he visibly struggled to contain. "Please don't make us go back."

"You're not going back," Ioannis promised, infusing her voice with gentle certainty. The pendant warmed against her skin as she made this vow. "Neither of you will ever go back there. You're safe now."

Emma moved slightly closer, her movements deliberately slow and non-threatening. "We have a place where you can rest. Where Lucas is waiting. Would you like to see him?"

Ellie's eyes narrowed with renewed suspicion. "Where? Another facility?"

"No," Ioannis assured her. "It's a healing center in Storm Striders territory. A place where werewolf children like you are cared for, not controlled."

"There are other kids there?" Micha asked, hope breaking through the fear in his voice. "Like us?"

"Many children," Emma confirmed, her tone gentle. "Some your age, some younger, some older. All free to run and play and even cry if they need to."

Ellie studied their faces with that unsettling tactical assessment that seemed far beyond her thirteen years. Her gaze lingered on Ioannis's pendant, then shifted to the Storm Striders blue in their clothing.

"If you're lying," she said finally, her voice steady despite her obvious exhaustion, "I'll get Micha out again. No matter what."

The quiet determination in her voice left no doubt she meant every word. This child had already orchestrated one seemingly impossible escape; she would do it again if necessary. The pendant warmed against Ioannis's skin, a silent acknowledgment of Ellie's remarkable spirit.

"I believe you would," Ioannis said honestly. "But we're not lying, Ellie. Lucas is waiting, and he'd really like to see you both."

Micha looked up at Ellie, his thin fingers still gripping the green wolf against his chest. "Can we, Ellie? Please? I want to see Lucas."

Ellie hesitated, her dark eyes scanning the forest around them. The purple wolf made a soft sound against her chest, and Ioannis noticed the girl's grip on it tighten ever so slightly. The pendant warmed against Ioannis's skin as she waited, giving the children space to decide.

"Is it far?" Ellie finally asked, her voice carrying a weariness that no thirteen-year-old should know. "Micha's feet are hurt from the rocks."

Emma gestured toward the direction they had come. "Our transport is about twenty minutes from here. Lucas is waiting there with a woman named Sera. She's the one who found him."

"And then what happens?" Ellie pressed, shifting her weight to better shield Micha. "After we see Lucas. Where do we go?"

"To the healing center first," Ioannis explained gently. "You'll have warm beds, clean clothes, good food. Healers who can help with Micha's feet and anything else that hurts."

"No tests?" Ellie's voice hardened on the word. "No training rooms?"

"No tests," Ioannis promised. "No training rooms, no quiet rooms. Just care and safety."

Micha tugged at Ellie's tattered sleeve, his enormous eyes pleading. "I'm really tired, Ellie. And my feet hurt a lot."

Something in Ellie's expression softened as she looked down at the younger boy. She brushed a gentle hand over his shaved head, a gesture so tender it made Ioannis's heart ache. The pendant pulsed with warmth, as if responding to this moment of genuine connection.

"Okay," Ellie decided, her shoulders straightening with determined courage. "But I stay with Micha. All the time. No separating us."

"Of course," Ioannis agreed immediately. "You'll stay together."

Emma signaled to the other trackers, who began to move into escort positions at a respectful distance. "We should start back. The temperature drops quickly in these mountains once afternoon begins."

Micha looked up at Ellie, a flicker of excitement breaking through his exhaustion. "Can I keep holding Green? All the way there?"

Ellie nodded, her own fingers still wrapped around the purple wolf. "Does yours have a name yet?" she asked, the question directed at Ioannis despite her wary expression.

"Not yet," Ioannis replied with a gentle smile. "She's waiting for you to name her, just like Micha's is waiting for a name."

"Mine is Green," Micha announced, hugging the plush wolf tightly to his chest. "Because he's green!"

Ellie rolled her eyes, but Ioannis caught the hint of fondness beneath the exasperation. The girl's fingers stroked the purple wolf's fur with unconscious gentleness, despite her efforts to appear unmoved.

"Maybe I'll call her Violet," Ellie said after a moment, her voice barely audible. "Lucas said purple is royal, but violet sounds prettier."

"Violet is a beautiful name," Ioannis agreed, feeling the pendant warm against her skin. She kept her movements slow and deliberate as she repacked the remaining food. "She seems to like it."

As if in response, the purple wolf emitted a soft, contented rumble. Ellie's eyes widened slightly, her mask of tactical assessment slipping for just a moment to reveal the child beneath—a girl who had perhaps never owned something as simple as a stuffed toy.

The journey back toward the transport moved at a careful pace to accommodate Micha's injured feet. Emma took the lead, maintaining a respectful distance while guiding them along the easiest path. Ioannis walked beside the children, close enough to offer assistance if needed but careful not to crowd them.

Micha stumbled after about ten minutes, his exhaustion finally overcoming his determination. Without hesitation, Ellie stopped to lift him, clearly intending to carry the smaller boy despite her own obvious fatigue.

"I could carry him," Ioannis offered gently. "If that's okay with both of you."

Ellie hesitated, suspicion warring with practical necessity. Micha looked between them, his arms tightening around Green.

"You won't take him away?" Ellie asked, her voice carrying that unsettling adult calculation that spoke of hard-learned lessons.

"I promise," Ioannis said, meeting the girl's eyes directly. "You'll be right beside us the whole time."

After another moment's consideration, Ellie nodded once, helping transfer Micha to Ioannis's arms. The boy was frighteningly light, far too thin for a child his age. His small body remained tense as Ioannis lifted him, but he didn't resist, clutching Green to his chest like a shield.

"You're doing great," Ioannis murmured to both children as they resumed walking. "Not much further now."

The pendant pulsed with gentle warmth as they continued through the forest. Ellie stayed close beside them, her dark eyes constantly scanning their surroundings with tactical awareness no child should possess. Despite her exhaustion, her posture remained vigilant, prepared to grab Micha and run at the first sign of threat.