Chapter 111

Chapter 111
When the transport finally came into view through the trees, Ellie froze, her body tensing visibly. Through her bond with Nickolas, Ioannis felt his immediate awareness of their approach, his tactical mind already calculating how to minimise any potential fear response. The transport had been carefully positioned at the edge of a small clearing, its sleek design less threatening than the boxy military vehicles used at the facility.

"Lucas is inside?" Ellie asked, her voice barely audible as she stared at the transport with clear apprehension.

"Yes," Ioannis confirmed, shifting Micha slightly in her arms. The boy had grown heavier as his exhaustion deepened, his head now resting against her shoulder, though his grip on Green remained tight. "With Sera, the woman who found him."

The pendant warmed against her skin as the transport's door slid open. Sera emerged first, her movements deliberately slow and non-threatening. Behind her, Lucas peered out cautiously, Shadow clutched tightly to his chest. When he spotted Ellie and Micha, his thin face transformed with disbelieving joy.

"Ellie! Micha!" he called, his voice stronger than Ioannis had heard it before. He scrambled down from the transport, ignoring Sera's cautioning hand as he rushed toward his friends.

Ellie's composure cracked at the sight of him. For the first time since they'd found her, genuine emotion broke through her tactical mask—relief so profound it seemed to ripple through her entire body. She met Lucas halfway, her free arm wrapping around him in a fierce embrace while her other hand still clutched Violet against her chest.

"You're really okay," she whispered, her voice catching. "You're safe."

"I told you they were good wolves," Lucas said, pulling back to look at her with shining eyes. He spotted the purple wolf in her arms and grinned. "You got one too! Mine is Shadow. He helps when the bad dreams come."

Micha squirmed in Ioannis's arms, desperate to join his friends. She set him down gently, steadying him when his injured feet touched the ground. He hobbled forward, Green still clutched to his chest, and joined the group hug with a small cry of happiness.

The pendant flared with sudden warmth as Ioannis watched the children reunite. Through her bond with Nickolas, she felt his careful observation from inside the transport, his tactical mind noting the dynamics between the three children while his heart ached for what they had endured.

"We should get them back to the compound," Emma said quietly, moving to stand beside Ioannis. "They're exhausted, and the boy's feet need attention."

Ioannis nodded, though she made no move to interrupt the children's reunion. The pendant's warmth spread through her chest as she watched Ellie examine Lucas with careful attention, checking him for injuries with the practised movements of someone accustomed to providing care.

"You're bigger," Lucas told Micha, ruffling the younger boy's shaved head. "Did you eat berries like Ellie showed us?"

Micha nodded shyly, still clutching his green wolf. "I ate the blue ones like you said. And I didn't eat any red berries, even when I was really hungry."

Ellie's face softened with approval, her hand gently squeezing the younger boy's shoulder. "Good job, Micha. You remembered."

Ioannis watched the interaction with growing admiration for the thirteen-year-old who had kept a younger child alive in the wilderness. The pendant warmed against her skin as Sera approached, her expression carefully neutral, though her eyes reflected the same mixture of rage and compassion Ioannis felt.

"The healers are waiting at the compound," Sera said softly, keeping a respectful distance from the children. "We should get them somewhere warm and safe."

Lucas turned at the sound of her voice, his posture relaxing when he recognised her. "Sera found me," he explained to Ellie and Micha. "She gave me food and didn't make me answer questions until I was ready."

Ellie studied Sera with that unsettling tactical assessment, measuring the woman against some internal criteria. Whatever she saw must have satisfied her, because she nodded once.

"We need to go," she told Micha, her arm remaining protectively around the smaller boy. "Lucas says it's safe."

Micha looked up at her with complete trust, clutching Green tighter against his chest. "Will they have real beds? With blankets?"

"The softest beds," Ioannis promised, the pendant warming against her skin. "And all the blankets you want."

The children followed Sera toward the transport, Ellie maintaining her protective stance between the adults and Micha. Lucas walked beside them, Shadow tucked under one arm, while he described the healing centre with growing animation.

"There are windows that let in real sunlight," he told them enthusiastically. "And you can ask for more food if you're still hungry. Nobody counts how much you eat."

Micha's eyes widened at this revelation, while Ellie's expression remained carefully guarded. The pendant pulsed with gentle warmth as Ioannis followed them, maintaining a respectful distance that allowed the children their space.

As they approached the transport, Nickolas appeared in the doorway. He remained inside, his powerful presence deliberately subdued as he greeted the children with a gentle smile. Through their bond, Ioannis felt his careful control, his tactical mind assessing the children's condition while projecting non-threatening calm.

Ellie stopped immediately, her body shifting to place herself between Micha and this new adult male. Her dark eyes narrowed with instant suspicion, her free hand reaching back to grip Micha's shoulder.

"It's okay," Lucas assured her quickly. "That's Nickolas. He's Ioannis's mate. He doesn't hurt anyone."

Nickolas remained perfectly still, allowing the children to study him from a safe distance. Through their bond, she could feel his relief at seeing that she was safe and sound along with the two other children, his eyes softened as Ioannis got closer to his reached his hand out for her to help her enter the transport first Ioannis could see what he was trying to do shopping Ellie and Micha that he was someone safe to be around even though he was needing to check her for injuries to settle his wolf to reassure him that their mate was safe and sound.