Chapter 6: The Underground Network

Emma's POV

A wall of rock slammed down between us and Magnus Shadowbane just as his black eyes started to glow.

"This way!" someone yelled from behind us.

I spun around to see Beta Jake Rivers sliding down a rope from a hole in the cave roof. His face was covered in dirt and his clothes were torn, but he was grinning like he'd just won the lottery.

"Jake?" Kai said, confusion clear in his voice. "What are you doing here?"

"Saving your lives, apparently," Jake answered, grabbing my arm. "We need to move. Now."

Behind the rock wall, I could hear Magnus screaming in anger. The stone block wouldn't hold him for long.

"How did you—" I started to ask.

"Questions later, running now," Jake interrupted, pointing up at the rope. "Can you climb?"

I looked at the rope swinging above us. "I think so."

"Good enough. Kai, you go first in case she falls."

Kai scrambled up the rope like he'd been doing it his whole life. I went next, my arms shaking from tiredness and fear. What did Magnus mean when he said he was my grandfather? And why did his eyes look so wrong?

Jake came up last, pulling the rope up behind him just as an explosion echoed from the room below.

"He broke through," Jake said sadly. "We've got maybe two minutes before he tracks us."

We were in a tight tunnel that seemed to stretch on forever. Jake led the way with a small flashlight, moving fast but softly.

"Jake," Kai said as we hurried along, "how did you know where to find us?"

"I've been tracking the situation since Marcus left the pack territory," Jake responded without slowing down. "When I felt that power surge and saw all the Alphas heading toward the forest, I knew you two would need help."

"But why help us?" I asked. "Aren't you loyal to Alpha Marcus?"

Jake stopped so suddenly I almost crashed into him. When he turned around, his face was serious.

"I'm loyal to what's right," he said. "And what Marcus did to Kai was wrong. What all the packs do to wolves who are different is wrong."

"What do you mean?" Kai asked.

Instead of answering, Jake started walking again. "You'll see soon enough."

The tube opened up into a larger space, and I gasped. We weren't alone.

At least twenty werewolves sat around small campfires, talking quietly or responding to injuries. But these weren't the powerful Alphas from the clearing. These wolves looked tired, scared, and hurt.

"Welcome to the Underground," Jake said softly.

A young woman with a wrapped arm looked up as we entered. "Jake! Thank goodness you're safe. We felt the power rush and—" She stopped when she saw me and Kai. "Is that her? The Moon Daughter?"

"That's what they're calling me," I said, feeling uncomfortable with all the looks.

"And that's Kai Nightshade," another wolf whispered. "The royal heir."

Word spread quickly through the group. Soon all twenty wolves were looking at us with a combination of hope and disbelief.

"Why are they all here?" I asked Jake quietly.

"Because they've been exiled, just like Kai was," Jake stated. "Some for being too weak, some for questioning Alpha decisions, some just for being different."

My heart ached looking at them. There was a young boy whose arm hung at an odd angle, like it had been broken and never healed properly. An older woman sat alone, looking at nothing. A little girl, who couldn't be more than ten years old, clung to a toy animal.

"The packs just threw them away?" I asked, rage building in my chest.

"It's the old way," Jake said sadly. "If you can't contribute to the pack's strength, you're considered a burden."

"That's horrible."

"That's why I started this," Jake said, pointing around the cave. "Someone has to help the wolves nobody else wants."

Kai stepped forward, his silver light flickering. "How many safe houses do you have?"

"Twelve, spread across three regions. We move the refugees around so the Alphas can't track them down and..." Jake's voice trailed off.

"And what?" I pressed.

"And finish the job," he said softly.

The little girl with the stuffed animal approached us slowly. She had big brown eyes and seemed scared of everything.

"Are you really the Moon Daughter?" she asked in a tiny voice.

I knelt down to her level. "I guess I am. What's your name?"

"Luna," she said. "I was named after the moon."

"That's a great name. Why are you here, Luna?"

The little girl's eyes filled with tears. "Mama said I was cursed because I can talk to animals. The Alpha said cursed children bring bad luck to the pack."

My hands clenched into fists. How could anyone call a child cursed for having a gift? I reached out and touched Luna's forehead gently, letting a little of my golden light flow into her.

"You're not cursed," I said strongly. "You're special. And being special is a good thing."

Luna smiled for the first time since we'd arrived. "Can you really heal anything?"

"I can try."

Over the next few minutes, I moved through the group, healing what damage I could. The teenager's arm straightened with a crack. The older woman's eyes cleared, and she looked around like she was seeing the world for the first time in years.

But with each healing, I felt more tired. My golden light was dimming, and tiredness weighed on my shoulders like a heavy blanket.

"You're pushing yourself too hard," Kai said, catching me as I swayed.

"They need help," I urged.

"And you need rest. You can't help anyone if you fall."

Jake was talking quietly with some of the other dogs when he suddenly stiffened. "Everyone quiet," he hissed.

The cave fell silent. In the distance, I could hear footsteps echoing through the tunnels.

"How many?" Kai whispered.

Jake closed his eyes, listening carefully. "Three, maybe four. Moving fast."

"Magnus?" I asked.

"No. These smell like pack dogs. Probably Marcus's scouts."

My heart sank. "They found us."

"Not necessarily," Jake said. "There are other caves. We can—"

A new voice echoed through the cave, cold and authoritative. "Beta Rivers, I know you're in there."

Jake's face went pale. "Alpha Marcus."

"Come out, Jake. Bring the girl and the boy. We need to talk."

"He doesn't sound angry," Kai noted.

"That's what worries me," Jake responded. "Marcus is most dangerous when he's calm."

The little girl Luna tugged on my shirt. "Is the bad Alpha going to hurt us?"

I didn't know what to say. Marcus had seemed reasonable in the open, but he'd also been ready to let Kai die in exile.

"Jake," Marcus's voice came again, closer now. "I'm not here to fight. But there's something you all need to know."

"What could he possibly—" Jake started to say.

"The human government knows about us," Marcus interrupted, his words carrying clearly through the tunnels. "Satellite video caught the power surge from the prophecy activation. Military units are preparing as we speak."

My blood turned to ice. "The human government?"

"They've been monitoring supernatural activity for years," Marcus continued. "Tonight's show of magic was too big to hide. Every werewolf pack in North America is about to be revealed."

Jake cursed under his breath. "This changes everything."

"How long do we have?" Kai called out.

"Maybe six hours before the first helicopters come. Maybe less."

I looked around at all the exiled wolves, at little Luna clutching her stuffed animal, at the hurt and scared faces surrounding me. These wolves had already lost everything once.

"What do they want?" I shouted back to Marcus.

"To catch you, Moon Daughter. The humans think your healing powers are the key to making super soldiers."

The words hit me like a punch to the stomach. Not only were werewolves in danger, but humans wanted to turn my skill into a weapon.

"There's more," Marcus said, and something in his tone made everyone freeze. "The satellite video showed something else. Something that proves the old tales are true."

"What legends?" Jake demanded.

"The ones about what happens when the Moon Daughter awakens her full power," Marcus answered. "Emma, when you activated those cave symbols, you didn't just announce yourself to werewolves."

My hands started shaking. "What do you mean?"

"You sent a signal across dimensions. And something very old and very angry just answered."