Chapter 136 The Price of Rescue pt 2
Lucian
Something stirred in my gut at the thought of a female warrior locked up in the dungeon there for a month. I can’t imagine what she’s endured in that time. ‘That’s incredibly helpful information, Luna.’
‘There’s more, Lucian. I can hardly believe this myself, but…Amelia is here, from Blood Moon Pack. She’s willing to help us get out of here if we take her with us. It may be our only way to get through the dungeon locks.’
I had to fight the automatic recoil at the thought of Alpha James’s shameless daughter. ‘Are you sure we can trust her? That’s an enormous risk. We can find another way.’
I could feel Seren’s emotions as she thought it over, and the strongest that was coming through was pity. ‘Something tells me we can. I think, when you see her, you’ll understand.’
I took a deep breath, trying not to grumble about the risks of compassion. ‘If you’re sure. We’re going to slip past the patrols in about thirty minutes. Can you hang on that long?’
‘Yes. Amelia will meet you at the dungeon entrance and get you access.’
‘Okay. See you soon, Luna.’
I turned to the men with me, unease coiling in my chest. 'Trust Luna,' Iason snarled in my mind. He was unhappy with my doubts. 'Fine.'
"Luna Seren is in the dungeon and has someone on the inside willing to help her, as long as we take them with us. There's also another prisoner we need to help, from Forest Lake Pack. So each one of us will be responsible for one person, which leaves one to run point and lookout." They nodded.
We crept to the border, and I pulled on the air to carry our scents away. We needed to remain undetected for as long as we could. When we saw the three-person patrol team pass, we waited another ten minutes, then crossed into Silver Rain territory and ran toward the dungeon. We darted around buildings, avoiding anyone we came across by ducking into shadows or behind shrubs until we finally reached our destination.
I placed a hand on the handle of the main door, sending up a quick prayer that Amelia did her part and didn't betray us. The lobby was quiet when we entered. There was an empty desk off to the right, monitors lined up showing various feeds of the cells below. I could see Seren sitting on a cot on one of the screens. I pointed to the desk, and Sebastian walked around it, looking for information.
Jason and Paul were right behind me as I moved to the center door and knocked lightly. It swung open, and I drew in a sharp breath. Amelia was on the other side. She was no longer the pampered daughter of an alpha. Her once lustrous blond hair hung in dirty hanks around her face, which was covered in bruises. Her frame was borderline skeletal. The bit of cloth that covered her couldn't be called clothing—it was just a scrap of torn and tattered linen hanging from her shoulders by a couple of thin threads. Her arms were lined with cuts and bruises, some a sickly aged yellow and some fresh, while several of the lacerations were still oozing blood. She waved us through and I saw that two of the fingers on her right hand were bent as if they'd been broken and not properly set before healing. She kept her eyes downcast.
"Your men will need to unlock from the station," she whispered, pointing to where Sebastian was standing. He nodded when I looked over at him. "Found it," he said.
I turned to Jason and Paul. "With me." Amelia turned and led us through another hallway and another door. She stopped, pointing, "She's through there."
"Wait. Where are the guards?" Suspicion gnawed at my gut. We haven't seen a trace of either of the two guards who were supposed to be here.
Her lip trembled as she stepped back, the hand at her side pointing at a different closed door. "In there. I…I brought them lunch, and I…drugged them…" Her voice was so quiet I had to strain to hear. This was nothing like the obnoxious and arrogant girl I'd last seen at the mating ball months ago. I inclined my head towards the door, and Jason went over. He twisted the knob and peeked in, then shut the door behind him. "They're out cold, Gamma."
With that confirmation, I moved forward and opened the door leading to Seren and the warrior. As soon as I stepped through, the scent of sugared strawberries and cream smacked me in my face. 'Mate! Get to mate!' Iason was going berserk. I rushed forward, barely registering Seren moving to the doors of her cell as I ran to the one just past hers.
The warrior waiting there stepped up to the bars, her honey-brown hair loosely knotted into a bun, leaving wisps to frame her face. Her whiskey-colored eyes assessed me even as she said, "Mate." I took in the bruising on her cheekbone, the ring of yellow and purple around her neck, the dirt smearing her face. It hit me like a punch to the chest, rage building at what she'd been through. The thought briefly crossed my mind that this must be how Duncan felt when he found Seren.
She darted a quick glance at Seren, beginning to look nervous, before I snapped out of it and answered her. "Mate. My mate. We're getting you out of here."
She released a breath, then her lips quirked. "That would be nice. This hotel isn't the greatest."
I snorted. My mate has a sense of humor, it seems. I looked at Seren a bit sheepishly. "Luna, are you still okay? Sebastian is working on the locks." As if he were simply waiting for me to say it, the locks on the gates buzzed. I reached for one, only to remember it was silver. I muttered a curse. "Hang on. I need to find something..."
Seren simply pushed her door open, then opened my mate's door. I eyed her hands, which showed barely any reaction to the silver at all. She had silver cuffs on, too. "We're going to have to talk about this development, Luna," I said. She just shrugged and winked at me.
"You know I'm special, Lucian. Now let's get Alexis and get out of here. They probably have a key for these bracelets up at the desk." My eyes snapped to my mate when Seren said her name. Alexis. I rolled it over in my mind. Such a beautiful name.
I reached out and took Alexis's hand, tingles running from my palm all the way up my shoulder as I turned and led the way out.