101

101
Chapter 25 – Escape Plan
Eudora’s POV
“You’re Papa Diesel’s brother!” Of course, it was so obvious now. Ranger was older than Diesel, but they could pass for twins. His hair was longer, and his face was covered in a beard. He looked like he’s been put through hell in the last year.
“Yes. And the little guy must belong to Ares. What’s his name?”
“This is Lukas Emilo Crow. He’s almost seven months.” I smiled.
“Named after his great-grandfather.” His face seemed to light up with his smile. “Judging by the shiny color of his fur and those blue eyes, I’m guessing he looks like a LaRue in human form too.”
We continued talking about the family and I filled him in on the events of the last year. I told him about the abolishment of the shifters council and the establishment of the monarchy. He explained that he’s been experimented on, and his Alpha DNA has been used for hunter enhancement. He’s spent the last few decades traveling and being a bit of a recluse, so no one realized that he had been taken ten months ago.
“But why? You have a family that loves you.” Though I had just met Ranger, I couldn’t help pressing him. I was surprised when he answered so truthfully.
“I was the cause of death to my pup, and I nearly killed my mate in the process. My father died to protect me. I failed my family.” He rasped. “My nephew Seth rejected his mate and I kept it a secret from the family because I didn’t want them to know he had turned into a scoundrel like me.” Hazel lifted the water to his lips again.
“Seth made his own choice, it wasn’t your fault.” I told him.
“The young Crow girl died because of the rejection.” He coughed. “It led to Seth’s death, and it led to the death of the Crow Alpha. I knew… and I did nothing. Innocent people died because of me.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
“When Cassi found her mate with the Rogue King and Lucy learned the truth about her son, how he rejected his mate, it broke her heart. All the pain I had caused her came flooding back. I had failed my mate again.” He looked like a hollow shell lost in the mistakes of his past.
“When Lukas died…” He choked up and swallowed hard. “Goddess when Lukas died, I lost another piece of my heart. Of all my nieces and nephews, he was the closest to me. Rex felt like he had lost his pup all over again and went dormant.” He told us as tears filled in my eyes.
“They still love you and miss you.” I wasn’t sure what to say.
“Once Rex went dormant, I became withdrawn.” He coughed again and struggled to breathe.
“Are you okay?” I asked, I didn’t need to be a Doctor to sense something was wrong with him.
“I have silver in my system from some of their experiments. It’s slowly killing me.” His gaze moved to Hazel. “Hazel has been an angel. I’ve been fighting to stay alive, so I don’t leave her alone in this wretched place.” He reached his hand to her arm. Hazel smiled at him and blinked back tears. My heart ached for her. What could someone so young and kind have done to deserve being here?
“How long has she been here?” I asked.
“I believe she’s been a slave most of her life. She’s from Randall’s pack in the Sierra Mountains of Northern California. She escaped and ended up in Florida. The hunters captured her, and Randall was all too happy to have his slave back. She’s been here a hundred and ten days.” He explained.
“Are you Hazel, Tymber’s roommate?” I asked and she nodded her head yes. I knew her name sounded familiar.
“Tymber found her mate, our Beta at the Moon Realm.” I told her, but she made no sound or motion.
“Does she speak to you?” I managed to ask what was really burning in my mind.
“Randall is a cruel bastard. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but his signature move is to cut tongues out. He does it to all the hunters to keep them from talking. He also does it to pack members who may talk back, question him, or say something he doesn’t like as a form of punishment.” I gasped as I realized what he was saying. My mouth hung open and I was unable to speak.
Hazel laid down in the fetal position and placed her head on his lap. Ranger reached a hand down and started stroking her hair to comfort her. I’ve never met Randall, and I silently prayed I never would. Now I understood why Tymber was so reluctant to have a mate, why she ran. Wylder was a
high ranking wolf. She had witnessed the cruelty of others at the hands of some of the highest ranking werewolves. Those who were sworn to protect the weaker wolves. She didn’t trust anyone.
“Randall will be here tomorrow. He’s going to figure out who I am. We need to get out here!”
“From what I’ve been able to work out, the ship has a small crew of about a dozen humans and three scientists that live aboard. At times there are many hunters. I assume they get off and on when the ship stops at port. It makes a stop once a week for a few days and sets sail again. Many others have come and gone, test subjects are probably disposed of in the ocean.” He paused to take a deep breath and I wonder if Mateo can help heal him.
“The ship is moving, even if we get you out on the main deck, there’s no place to go. The hunters will follow you into the water and I don’t know if we can find a lifeboat to escape.”
“I have to try. I can’t just sit here and let Randall experiment on my son. I killed Victoria last week, he will kill me as soon as he gets his hands on me.” I told him as panic started to fill me.
He nodded his head, understanding the urgency. “I’ll think of something.”
We sat in quiet silence for a while. Ranger continued to stroke Hazel’s hair while she hummed a low song. I wondered what Ares was doing and if Apollo was okay. I knew Apollo would unleash hell when he discovered we were gone. Lukas was getting restless and squirmed his way out of the sling. He moved to the edge of the cell closest to the wolves and looked at them. Both Earl and Chip moved to the front of their cell, eyeing Lukas. With tails wagging, they lowered their heads, almost touching the ground. It reminded me of werewolves when they lowered their heads in submission.
“They recognize him as an Alpha.” Ranger said with an amused voice.
“But they’re real wolves. Is that possible?”
“Wolves are pack animals and they’re very smart. Though I may be more partial to them because I’ve spent most of my life running around as one.” He told me. “They may be the key to getting out of here and surviving the swim.”
“Earl and Chip?” I asked confused.
“Yes. They’ve never been aggressive with Hazel, and they seem to like Lukas. Wolves are excellent swimmers and if a hunter approaches, they will attack.”
“But how do we get out of the cells?”
“Jeff will be here in a little while to get Hazel. They don’t give us lunch, but she does help prepare dinner early. We’re in the back of the ship, the kitchen is directly below us and the boiler room is below the kitchen. Every boiler room has a gangway door.”
“So we just need a plan to get the keys from Jeff.” I said, thinking of ways to lure him close enough to get the keys. He’s a big guy, I’d need to be careful. I looked around for a weapon and found nothing.
Earl and Chip turned their attention to the door again and I knew someone was coming in, it was Jeff.
“Looks like the boss wants to see you and he’s not happy.” His menacing voice sang out as he stalked towards my cell.
I wasn’t ready. I didn’t have a plan. I scooped up Lukas and moved to the back of the cell.
“You won’t be needing your mutt.” He laughed as he inserted the key into the lock and unlocked my cell. Lukas let out a low growl as he entered the cell.
I didn’t want him to grab Lukas, so I gently set him down. Lukas rumbled a low growl, and the other wolves went wild again. Jeff stepped into the cell and pulled his leg back for a kick. I lunged at Jeff trying to tip him off balance. Lukas moved just as Jeff’s big foot swung forward. A hair-raising snarl came from Lukas as he stood on his back legs and extended his claws. They looked unusually long, and his eyes swirled in black glittery orbs, something I’ve never seen on a wolf before.
Lukas took a few steps forward and dug his claws right into Jeff’s leg, slicing and shredding as blood poured down to the cell floor. Jeff bent forward and I delivered a swift kick to his good leg on the side of his knee. He screamed in pain and buckled to the ground.
“Quick, lock him in the cell.” Ranger instructed and I scooped Lukas up. The keys were still in my cell door, so I locked Jeff inside.
With my heart racing and my hands shaking, I fumbled with the keys to try and unlock Ranger’s cell. The lock tumbled on the fourth try. I handed the keys to Hazel, and she worked quickly to unlock the shackles on his ankles. I kissed the top of Lukas’ head and tucked him into the sling. His claws had retracted and he looked like my sweet little pup again. Hazel removed the shackles and helped Ranger into a standing position. He gave her a nod and she moved to the cell with Earl and Chip.
“We will be safe with the wolves, won’t we?” I asked him again.
“They will protect your son with their lives.” He assured me.
The cell door opened, and the wolves made their way to me, tails wagging. They sniffed at my sling, taking in the baby’s scent. Hazel motioned for us to follow her. We stepped out into a small hallway, and she shut and locked the door leading to the cells. We quietly tip-toed down the narrow metal stairs.
“I don’t hear anyone in the kitchen, keep moving.” Ranger whispered and we went down another flight of stairs.
“Are we sure there’s a door down here?” I felt anxious as the ship swayed. I don’t know if it was my nerves, the growing baby, or seasickness, but I sent a wave of projectile vomit onto the wall.
Ranger pressed his hand to my lower back and guided me through a door. “It’s okay, you’re going to be okay. Look there’s a sink over there for eye washing. Rinse your mouth out and drink some water, it could be a while before you find fresh water again. Hazel, get a good drink too.” He instructed.
I did as he said, I rinsed my mouth out and took a few long drinks of water. Hazel did the same and tapped at the sink while she kept the water on for Earl and Chip to drink. I watched as Ranger moved around the boiler room looking for something.
“Drink some more, you’re going to need the hydration. I’m going to open the gangway door, an alarm will alert the bridge that the door has been open. You won’t have long, I’m going to stay behind and disable the ship. Swim as fast as you can away from the ship, hold on to Earl and Chip.”
“Wait, you’re not coming with us?” I asked.
“Eudora, I’m dying, I probably won’t make it to the next full moon.”
“We have a healer. Mateo has been blessed by the Gods.”
“I know. If I can get off the ship, I will. See if Lukas will drink some water.” He told me and I quickly removed Lukas from the sling and set him on the sink. He lowered his head and started lapping up water.
“Make sure he stays in wolf form, he’ll be able to paddle without a problem or ride on Earl’s back.” He said as he stroked Lukas’ little head. “I knew there was something extraordinary about him.”
“He is kind of special.” I smiled at him.
“He’s no ordinary wolf. Our kind walk on all fours and shift when they mature. Their claws might extend, but they don’t grow longer as his did and he attacked on two legs. He’s a lycan. That’s why Azazel is looking for the offspring of the Alpha King. Dimitri comes from the royal blood of lycans, and a Demigod has reawakened the genes. It all makes sense.”
“I guess that would also explain Victoria and how she spelled Ares for two years. She didn’t want him, she wanted his offspring.” I said, feeling satisfied in killing her.
“Everyone by the door, I’m going to open it and you have to jump into the water. Earl and Chip will go first, Hazel will go after to make sure Lukas doesn’t slip away from you when you land in the water.” Ranger hugged Hazel and placed a kiss on her forehead. “You’re going to be okay now.”
He turned to hug me next. “Don’t wait for me. Promise you will keep moving forward and take care of Hazel for me. You’re the Luna Queen, be the Queen I know you are.” I nodded my head, unable to speak.
He quickly twisted the handle on the big heavy metal door and pulled it back using the weight of his body. The light flooded in, and a warm sea breeze greeted us. There was no land in sight.
“Earl, Chip, Go!” Ranger pointed and they both jumped.
Hazel was next and moved to the door. With tears in her eyes and one last look at the man who was her comfort and companion for months, she jumped.
It was my turn, and he gave me that reassuring smile that reminded me of my husband. “Tell my family I love them.”
“I will. Thank you, Ranger.” I said as I jumped into the water.
Earl swam around me and came to my side, with one hand wrapped around Lukas and the other on Earl’s back, I kicked my legs as fast as I could. Chip was on the other side of me, with Hazel at his side. An alarm was sounding from the ship, and I worried that they would see us.
“Faster, we need to swim faster.” We moved further away from the ship. Lukas let out a low whine, sensing my frustration. It was much harder to swim in the open ocean without fins on my feet and the skirt of my dress was dragging my legs.
I turned my head to see a few men uncovering the lifeboat that was hanging from the main deck. They knew we had escaped, they could see us. “They’re coming!” I cried out and Hazel turned her head to look.
There was smoke coming from the door we had jumped out of, and I looked to see if Ranger had jumped out. He had managed to disable the ship and set it on fire, but he wasn’t in the water.
“BA-BOOM!” In a flash of light, the boiler room exploded with debris shooting in all directions. Another alarm was sounding, and the entire back end of the ship was covered in flames.
Hazel let out low whimpering sounds and I fought back my tears. I silently prayed to the Moon Goddess to welcome Ranger into the Realm of the Moon. For him to be reunited with his family and Rex. I prayed that he was finally at peace with the regrets he carried, and I thanked the Moon Goddess for his selfless sacrifice.
“BOOOOM!” Another explosion rocked the waters, this time the front of the ship exploded and the whole thing was a burning inferno.
I tried to lift my head to see if anyone else was in the water or if any lifeboats had launched before the second explosion, but we were suddenly being propelled through the water. No one seemed to be paddling but we all seemed to be moving further and further away from the burning ship. Hazel looked confused, but the wolves looked at ease.
Lukas’ eyes had turned to a dark shade of blue, the way Ares’ eyes did when he was controlling the water element.