Chapter 143 She's right
Chapter 143 She's right
~ Taren's POV ~
Fully equipped with all the gears Elder Cross had given me, I stepped out into the evening sun and moved forward with careful precision, following the map in my mind and on paper as I made my way stealthily through the designated routes until I reached the mouth of the dungeon.
Having masked my scent and dressed entirely like a Shadow Pack warrior myself, I approached without drawing suspicion, blending into the environment as though I belonged there.
However, something immediately caught my attention the moment I got close enough to observe the entrance properly. There were supposed to be three guards stationed at the entry point based on the information Elder Cross had given me, but only two were present when I arrived, which meant the third one was unaccounted for and could be anywhere within range.
Even more tiring was the fact that they were all Iron Fang guards who had already been turned.
I recognized them, which made the situation more complicated than it should have been. It felt strange standing here with the intention of attacking people I had trained alongside multiple times in the past, sharing drills, routines, and strategies.
But I reminded myself that hesitation now would cost more than sentiment. My only consolation was the knowledge that they had turned against their Alpha, whether by choice or by force, because in our law, turning against your Alpha was treason, and the punishment for treason was death.
With that thought firmly settled in my mind, I forged on.
"I have a message," I announced as I approached them, keeping my tone steady and controlled.
While I was still speaking, I skillfully uncorked one of the bottles Elder Cross had given me, the one containing the gas designed specifically to weaken them once inhaled. The moment it opened, the contents began to spread into the air. I ensured the mask covering my nose remained secure, allowing me to remain unaffected while the gas slowly filled the surrounding space.
"What message and who is the message from?" One of them asked, narrowing his eyes while squeezing his nose in discomfort as the strange scent reached him and began to register as something wrong.
"The message is from the one who is above you, and you have no business knowing what the message is," I responded without hesitation as I closed the distance between us, already noticing how their movements were beginning to slow and their reactions were becoming delayed under the effect of the gas.
I didn't give them the chance to recover or think. I moved in immediately and went for the kill, taking out the closest guard first with a decisive strike before shifting to the second one, who was still struggling to understand what was happening to his body and why his strength was failing him so quickly. He barely had time to react before I ended it.
As soon as the second one fell, the third guard, who I had not initially seen or accounted for, came strolling in at the worst possible moment.
He stopped abruptly when he took in the scene in front of him, his reaction immediate as shock registered across his face at the sight of his fallen comrades and the realization that something had gone very wrong in the brief time he had been away.
“What do you think you are doing?” he asked, and instead of responding, I immediately charged toward him with full intent to end the confrontation before it could escalate any further.
However, before I could reach him, I noticed the change in his eyes. His gaze had gone slightly unfocused, distant in a way that told me he had begun communicating through a mind link.
That made me act faster because I knew exactly what that meant. If he managed to complete the message, reinforcements would arrive, and everything would become far more complicated than it already was.
I didn't allow him the chance to finish. I closed the distance and struck him with a blow that nearly took him out instantly, leaving him disoriented and unable to continue whatever message he had been trying to send. Without giving him time to recover, I finished the job and ensured he would not be getting back up again.
Once the threat was neutralized, I grabbed the keys from the waist of the second guard and hurried inside without wasting a single moment. I knew my time was limited now since the third guard had already raised an alarm, and it was only a matter of time before others responded.
Following Lyra's scent, I moved quickly through the corridor until I reached the exact cell where she was being held.
“My lady,” I called out when I saw her seated on the floor.
“Taren?” she lifted her head immediately, her voice carrying recognition the moment she heard mine.
“We have to go, my lady,” I informed her as I finally found the correct key after fumbling through a few wrong ones in my haste.
I unlocked the door and pulled it open while she pushed herself up from the ground. However, she did not move toward me immediately. Instead, she paused, her expression tightening with suspicion as if she was trying to understand whether this was truly real or another trap.
“Have to go where?” a different voice cut in before I could answer properly, and I recognized it instantly as Elder Rowan. Only then did I realize he had been inside the cell with her the entire time, and he quickly stepped forward to see me more clearly.
“We have to leave Iron Fang. That is the only way to avoid the disaster that is about to befall us. There is no time,” I explained to him as quickly and clearly as I could manage, knowing every second mattered.
He narrowed his eyes at me, studying my face as if searching for something hidden beneath my words.
“Are you still with us?” he asked.
The question landed straight into my ears, and I understood immediately what he was really asking.
“Yes, Elder Rowan. I am still loyal to Alpha Kael and to no one else. I did not take what the others took. Please come with me, my lady. We have to go now,” I said with urgency tightening my voice.
Elder Rowan stepped aside without further argument and gestured with his head for her to follow me. Without hesitation, she moved toward the exit.
However, she paused for a moment and turned back toward him. “What about you? You should come with us,” she said.
He shook his head firmly. “No. Your safety is the most important right now. We will stay back and hold the fort. Go.”
With that, she finally stepped out of the cell. We had barely turned to leave the dungeon when Brenda’s voice reached us.
“I hope you are not seriously considering escaping without me. Don't forget that any little hope you have of Kael ever returning will be crushed if you let Dagan get his hands on me.”
I didn't fully understand what she meant, but the moment those words reached Lyra’s ears, she stopped and turned to look at Brenda, then at me, her expression shifting into something far more uncertain and fearful.
“She is right. We have to take her along. If we don't, Kael will not have a chance of returning,” she said.