Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Lola's POV

Night time came fast. I slipped on the black hood of my sweater and double-checked everything one more time to make sure I wasn't missing anything. This was the first time I would be sneaking out of a place, and I needed to get it right on the first try; otherwise, the whole plan would fall through.

I checked my reflection in the mirror. The room was dimly lit, but I could still make out my partially covered face and black sweatpants. I looked like someone who was running away or someone on a secret mission - well, I guess that did represent me well this night.

"It's now or never," I muttered to myself. I reached into my pockets from the dressing table. Taking the bag that was on the bed, I slung it over my shoulder. Everything we needed to survive for a couple of years was inside.

After I run away from the manor, I don't know what will happen. I don't know how things will look, and I don't even know who I should trust right now. "You can still come back now," a part of my mind whispered. There was no reason for me to trust Marcella on this one, but I got rid of the thoughts. I already made my decision, and I wasn't going to sit around here until I found out what Tyler would think of me when he discovered all my secrets.

I had to believe that Marcella had a reasonable explanation for all of this. I took out the keys for the room and gently slipped outside, locking it behind me. Then, remembering something, I re-entered the room and created a lump on the bed, pulling the blanket over it.

Just in case anyone decided to check in, which was incredibly unlikely, but if I don't come down for dinner the following day or for breakfast, people will get suspicious. This should buy me some time.

I let out a deep breath and slipped down the corridor soundlessly. There was no way I should have been able to escape from the manor without any of the guards spotting me, but Marcella had taken care of that beforehand. She told me about the secret exit that she left open on her way out. It would lead me directly to the garden, according to what she said, and somehow I believed her.

I just had to make it to the ground floor without getting spotted, then go down to the basement where the secret exit began. I walked down the hall, keeping my eyes and ears wide open for any sign of guards.

I stopped dead, hearing noise from the other end of the hall. Guards on patrol. Why would they do that in the first place? Did they somehow want to prevent someone from escaping? It made no sense that the Lycan's house should be guarded like a prison cell.

But once again, what am I to say about it? I'm just his Luna at the moment, and I won't even remain his Luna in a couple of seconds from now.

I waited long enough, holding my breath until the men marched by, doing their patrol around the manor. I didn't expect everything to go smoothly today, considering it was the first time, not to mention that the mission was suddenly pushed on me without any prior notification. It would be absolutely reasonable if I messed up, but I didn't want to. I had to try harder than that.

I flicked on my torch and took a deep breath before stepping out into the corridor. I kept the torch shielded with my hand but enough for me to see. "Light and clear," I muttered to myself. It was starting to feel more like a secret mission than anything else.

I ran to the other side of the corridor and kept to the edges as I slowly made my way to the staircase that would lead down to the basement. I must have known by now there was no way I could use the elevator. The problem wasn't that the device wouldn't be turned on, but I was certain someone would be at the controls. Using the elevator would definitely risk my chances of escape.

Finally, after a lot of keeping to the shadows and avoiding men, not to mention my heart beating erratically in my chest, I got to the basement. It was unguarded, and I opened the door, slipping into the dark place.

A flight of stairs ran down one wall. I took them, and it finally opened up to a large hall. I shone my torch around the place. It looked fairly decent for a basement. There were old shelves around and, strangely enough, books were on them. Some kind of secret library, I thought to myself.

I brought out my phone and texted Marcella. I knew the exit was somewhere around here, but I didn't know exactly where. Seeing that she didn't reply, I called her instead. She picked up on the second ring.

"Marcella," I whispered, my voice hushed. "I'm at the basement. How do I get to the exit?" I asked.

"Didn't get caught," Marcella's brilliant voice came through the phone. It might have been because it was the middle of the night, but everything sounded a lot more serious. "The hidden exit is located behind one of the shelves. You'll have to push the walls and figure it out," she informed me.

"Got it," I said. I set to work immediately. Minutes ticked slowly by as I crossed under my bright torch, wondering where the damn exit was. It wouldn't be funny at all if, at the end of the day, I ended up stuck in the basement and had to return to my room the following morning.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I pushed one of the huge iron rings, and a grating noise sounded in the basement. Feeling the atmosphere, I stepped back and watched as the shelf slowly shifted like it hadn't been opened in hours - or rather, years.

The shelf shifted, giving way to a narrow passageway. "This leads straight to the garden," I reminded myself, recalling Marcella's words. At some point, I had to bend my head as the ceiling got rather low.

It was starting to look like a dead end after several minutes of walking. The path got narrower with every step and lower. I felt a sense of panic rising inside me; it was like my lungs were screaming to get out.

"Deep breaths," I muttered to myself, trying to regulate my breathing. I couldn't risk losing it all now. It was normal to be claustrophobic in these kinds of spaces. "I'm almost there," I muttered to myself, trying to trick my mind into staying calm.

I sighed in relief as the passage finally opened up into fresh air. The night sky shone down, the moon creating rather bright light, almost as if it was guiding me. I looked around, wondering how far away from the mansion I was.

Now I had to find the garden, I thought to myself. Picking out my phone and turning on my location, using the compass on the device, I began tracking my way slowly.

The minutes ticked by. I kept glancing over my shoulder, wondering if somehow Tyler had an idea of what was going on. If he knew I was escaping, would he come after me? Was I letting him down by running away like this? I thought that I could have sat down and talked things through. As I left the manor, I felt a part of me was left behind.

The gate that led to the secret garden glinted in the moonlight. I could only sigh in relief knowing that I would have company soon. I was about to push them open when I realized that they were slightly ajar. Most likely, Marcella had been here just a few minutes ago.

I stepped inside and immediately spotted Marcella sitting on a ledge beside the statue of the Moon Goddess in the middle of the garden. No wonder I could spot her immediately. She stood up as I approached.

"Are you sure we really should be doing this?" I asked, a part of me still on edge. She didn't reply immediately but instead waved her hand.

"We have to hurry," she said. She looked at me, nodding her approval at the single bag slung over my shoulder. "I've made arrangements beforehand. There is a car waiting to retrieve us once we get to the end of the street. Hopefully, before dawn, we will be halfway past the park. We should be able to make it out in time." I sensed that the floor was behind her.

We made our way out of the garden and the street stressed on in front of us I pulled on my hood tighter feeling the chill of the midnight.

"Quick." Marcela said. "We need to make it out as soon as possible can you change into your wolf." she asked.

I frowned. I had only recently turned 18 and the only other time I was able to shift was when Brian had me cornered.

"I think I can only shift under extreme conditions." I admitted. " Let's make it on foot. "