Chapter 162 Just Within Reach
Many hours after their dramatic escape, the cold mountain air felt like a blessing against Ryker’s burned skin.
They had moved nearly three miles from the burning warehouse, deep into a jagged ravine where the thick canopy of pine trees blocked them almost entirely from view.
Ryker leaned against a mossy rock, his torso bare and every inch covered in cuts and bruises. He was hurt but he wasn't whining about it and his eyes were fixed entirely on Elena.
Darcy stood a few paces away, her rifle slung over her shoulder.
She looked different from the woman Ryker had trained with years ago. Her movements were stiff, her gaze constantly darting toward the shadows.
The scar on her face twitched slightly as she moved.
Ryker couldn't imagine how that must have hurt when it was fresh.
"I still can't believe it," Ryker said, his voice a low rasp. "We held a funeral for you, Elena. I carved your name into the memorial stone myself. We thought the vampires took you at the North Border."
"They did," Elena said, her voice hollow. "But they didn't kill me. They traded me. They sold a dozen of us to the townspeople like cattle. The Chief wanted workers, and his men wanted... well, they wanted sport. I’ve spent four years playing the part of a broken human woman, waiting for the moment they’d slip up. I’ve been living in their barracks, cleaning their boots, and listening to their plans."
Lyra stepped forward, her hand resting lightly on Ryker’s arm to steady him before she quickly pulled away. "You’ve been there all this time alone? Why didn't you try to run?"
"Run where?" Elena asked with a bitter half-smile. "The borders were crawling with Blood King scouts. If I left the town, I’d be hunted by vampires. If I stayed, I was a slave. I chose to stay and gather intelligence. I know every trail, every guard rotation, and every secret cache of weapons they have."
Ryker winced as he tried to stand up straight. "You need to go back to the pack house, Elena. Rex is there. She can help you heal. Dax is holding the walls. You’ve done enough and you saved our lives tonight."
Elena shook her head firmly. "No. I’m not going back yet. I heard what the Chief was shouting. I heard about the ash. You’re headed for the Valley of the Silent Moon, aren't you?"
Ryker nodded. "The Caelum line is dying. A hybrid curse is turning them to dust every time Lyra and I are together. Rex found a dead zone in the valley where the silver deposits can mask the frequency. We have to get to the cabin at the center of the basin before the Blood Moon rises."
Elena looked toward the north, where the peaks were hidden in mist. "You’ll never make it on your own. The town militia has blocked the main pass, and the secondary trails are rigged with traps. They’re paranoid, Ryker. They think the 'black rot' is a sign of the end times. They’ll shoot anything that moves on four legs or two."
"We don't have a choice," Lyra said. "Every hour we waste, someone else in the pack house collapses."
"Then I’m showing you the way," Elena insisted. "I know the 'Ghost Path.' It’s a series of old hunting trails that run beneath the ridgeline. The humans are too afraid to go there because they think it’s haunted, but it leads straight to the creek that feeds the valley. I’m a scout of the IronFangs, Alpha. My life is still gifted to serve you. I’m not leaving you until you’re behind the silver line."
Ryker looked at her for a long time. He saw the trauma in her eyes, but he also saw the iron-clad loyalty that defined their pack. "Thank you, Elena. We’re honored to have you with us."
They began to move again, this time with Elena in the lead.
She moved like a phantom, stepping over dry twigs and silent leaves without making a sound. Ryker followed, his hand almost physically twitching to hold Lyra’s.
Because they were now within the extended "influence" of the silver mountains, the bond was quiet.
The agonizing heat that usually flared when they nearly touched was gone.
"Are you okay?" Ryker whispered, his eyes scanning Lyra’s face. "Your leg... I saw how you fell back there."
"It hurts," Lyra admitted, her voice small. "But the pain in my leg is nothing compared to the fear I felt when they had that knife to your throat. I thought I was going to watch you die because of me."
Ryker stopped for a second, forcing her to look at him. His face was covered in soot, but his eyes were burning with so much love and devotion. "It wasn't because of you, Lyra. It was because of those animals. Don't you ever take the blame for their hate. Do you hear me?"
"I tried to break the bond, Ryker," she said, her voice cracking. "I almost let Cassian kill our connection because I was scared. I felt so weak."
"You weren't weak," Ryker said, his voice a low growl of protection. "You were trying to be a martyr. But I don't need a martyr. I need my mate. We’re going to get to that cabin, and we’re going to fix this. We’re going to find a way to be together where no one has to die for it."
Lyra nodded as they walked. "I saw Cassian’s face in the cell before he escaped. He’s not the boy I knew. He’s turned into something dark. If he’s out there, he’s going to come for us."
"Let him come," Ryker said, his hand tightening on his blade. "I’ve got a scout at my back and my mate at my side. He won't catch me off guard again."
They trekked through the night, the terrain becoming more difficult as the forest thinned out into jagged rock faces.
Elena led them through a narrow crevice in the mountain, a path so tight they had to turn sideways to pass through.
On the other side, the air gradually became cold and that made the hair on Lyra’s arms stand up.
"Look," Elena whispered, pointing ahead.
They stepped out onto a small plateau. Below them, a crystal-clear creek bubbled over black stones.
The water seemed to shimmer with a faint, silvery light under the moon. Beyond the creek, the land smoothed out into a wide, bowl-shaped valley.
Even the grass there wasn't green, it was a pale, glowing silver that swayed slowly in the wind, even though there was no breeze.
It was the "Silent Moon" valley Rex had described.
"The dead zone," Lyra whispered. She felt as if a sudden, massive weight had just been lifted off her chest.
“Can we try it?" She asked and reached out to touch Ryker’s bare arm. But he pulled back.
“Let's be sure we're in the valley. We don't want to risk lives.”
Lyra nodded and they stepped into the creek, getting their shoes and trousers wet.
"We made it," Ryker breathed, his eyes wide. He looked down at the creek and then at the small log cabin nestled in the center of the shimmering silver grass.
Elena lowered her rifle and looked at the valley with a look of awe. "I’ve lived in these mountains for four years, and I never knew this place existed. It feels...sacred."
"It’s going to be our sanctuary," Ryker said. He looked at Lyra and gave her a real, tired smile. "Let's cross the water."
They began to descend the final slope toward the creek, the silver valley waiting for them.
But as they reached the water's edge, Lyra felt a tiny shiver of unease. She looked back at the dark woods they had just escaped, wondering if the ghosts of their past were truly finished with them.