Chapter 153 TWO PATHS IN THE DARK
Edeline
“You’re way ahead of your time, comforting your old man like this. It’s humbling to have my seventeen-year-old daughter open my eyes, but thank you, baby. You’re incredibly smart, understanding how things impact everyone, and you have such a big heart. I think you’re destined for something amazing, Edeline.” He smiled through his tears and pressed a soft kiss to my forehead.
It would be nice to see the other sides of the people who have wronged me. Tatiana, Anita, and Percival are the ones I just cannot seem to forgive. I even forgave the person who attacked me. I just cannot seem to follow my own advice.
“Thanks, Dad,” they said, a small smile playing on their lips. “I love you. Now go find your mate and your son.” I smiled back at him, feeling warmth spread across my face as he gave a nod.
“Anything for you,” he replied. He ruffled my hair affectionately before strolling out of the woods and sprinting down the dirt road towards our family home.
I grinned and shook my head, feeling the cool night breeze wash over me as I strolled out of the woods.
Here I was again, facing another decision.
Two paths stretched out before me under the dark, starry sky.
To my left, the path wound through the forest and up the mountain to the cliffs where Percival and I used to meet. I could reach out to him through the bond and ask him to come over and comfort my wolf. Maybe he could make her feel better.
The other path led to the pack house. I thought about sneaking into the cellar to catch a glimpse of Darius. I just wanted to fill you in on what happened today and find a solution to help him.
Two paths in the dark of night...
Which should I choose?
Wrapping myself up to shield against the chilly breeze, I set off on the path I had decided upon. Deep down, I knew this was something I needed to do for myself and for my dog. She could benefit from this, too.
Maybe I’ll explore the other path later.
Well, I just had to do it.
…
Edeline
Finally.
Avoiding detection was easy enough since all the pack members were at their meeting. It seemed that Alpha had managed to gather everyone, because the cave was silent.
I moved cautiously into the dimly lit cave, a wave of anticipation washing over me as if at any moment I might be discovered.
The overpowering stench of decaying flesh and bodily fluids hit me harder than the faint scent of mold and earth. Last time I had visited this primitive cell, there had been a torch by the entrance. Now, it was replaced by a small LED flashlight that I held in my trembling hand, casting a narrow beam of light.
As I lingered in the corridor, not quite inside the massive stone chamber yet, I noticed the pond. Its surface shimmered with an otherworldly aqua hue, even in the darkness of night. It seemed to disappear into the stone wall as though it were connected to the lake above. I couldn’t quite figure out how it managed to glow so brightly.
The air was chilly and damp.
A gentle breeze, almost imperceptible, brushed against me from a hidden corner of the cave. I shivered slightly and moved past the wall, starting my journey to find Darius. The whispers I heard seemed to dance around me, echoes from the cavern playing tricks on my mind.
My flashlight revealed Darius’s cell. He was sitting inside, gently swaying back and forth. He looked fragile and exhausted, even though he had only been in this place for a few days. It seemed he was having a quiet conversation with himself, speaking in soft murmurs.
The lingering effects of the poison were evident. Everything was starting to make sense now.
I approached Darius’s cell with a growing sense of urgency. My footsteps echoed through the damp cave, each step amplifying the smell of decay that grew stronger as I got closer. The eerie atmosphere made my skin crawl. I just wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible.
“Darius?” I whispered, crouching down on the stone floor and shining the light through the bars. My Chuck Taylors, coated in the grime of the cave, felt uncomfortable against the damp ground.
He suddenly looked up. His pupils were dilated, obscuring the blue of his irises. A young girl seemed to materialize from his chest. “Where have you been?” he asked, his forehead wrinkled with frustration.
I furrowed my brows, feeling more confused than scared. “Hey, Darius, what’s going on with you?” I leaned in, trying to get a better look at him through the bars as the light illuminated his pale figure. He blinked rapidly, and as the light hit his eyes, he let out a shout and lunged toward me, crashing into the bars.
I instinctively jumped back, startled, and fell onto the ground with a scream. The flashlight I had been holding skidded across the hard floor, leaving me in darkness.
I was taken aback, my eyes widening in surprise as I looked up at Darius. His eyes were wide and his hands gripped the bars tightly, his breath coming in heavy pants. "Edeline... there is something wrong with me," he said, his voice tinged with frustration.
I scrambled to my feet, brushing off the dirt from my clothes as I assessed him. "Darius, what is going on?"
Before he could respond, a laugh echoed through the cavern, its sound bouncing off the walls. "Looks like the poison is finally working its way out of his system. He has been consuming that stuff for a while now... it has been building up inside him," a voice chimed in, laced with amusement and a raspiness that was hard to ignore.
I turned my gaze down the row of cells and saw Anita. She was not inside her cell; instead, she was lounging outside, about forty feet away from me. She leaned casually against the cell door, her hip resting against it. The silver chains that had once bound her wrists now lay in a discarded heap on the ground. With a nonchalant air, she examined her nails, her dark eyes catching mine with a smirk on her painted lips.