Chapter 18: Secret Basement
Rhys's P.O.V:
"What's wrong?" I asked as Mikalya jumped up a boulder with such grace that it made her seem like a panther rather than a wolf. She had the grace and agility of a cat but the strength and nature of a wolf. It was indeed magnificent to watch her in action.
I sprang to my feet as several howls joined in one by one, in complete synchronization. If I didn't have wild wolves of the Wahiba Sands under my command, I wouldn't have known the difference between the wild ones and the sentinels. But these were wild wolves and they were responding to Mikalya as if she was their Alpha too.
Then, I watched in wonder as Mikalya threw her head back and a wolf's howl left her throat, higher, sharper than those around us. I had never seen a shifter so in tune with her wolf like Mikalya was and the sound that came out of her throat was completely animalistic. The sound of her cry drowned the sound made by the other wolves one by one before I noticed the other cries were being cut off slowly as the wolves stopped their howls. Her howl continued on for a few more seconds before cutting off completely, a wonder of nature coming to a perfectly harmonious halt.
Mink jumped down from the boulder with the same feline grace, mesmerizing me once more. But then I looked at her face and my breath caught. Though her face was expressionless, her eyes were a raging storm barely contained.
"What-"
"You're friends are here, looking for you." Her wolf was in her voice, calm as the sea before a tsunami hits. And it was all the more alarming for it.
"What friends?" I asked, wondering if Adrian has come looking for me against my orders. If they have, they'll have hell to pay for it! Leaving my pack defenseless wasn’t an option and if he’d broken that-
"According to my sources, we have two Alphas scouting our boundary. One blonde male and the other black." My blood ran cold, but Mikalya went on. "They're claiming to be on the hunt for their partner, who has been captured by the White Wolf. They've brought an army."
"What!" Aiden and Devon! The fact that they had come here directly means that they've been planning to do so for a long time. A week’s delay wouldn't have mattered. They should have contacted first. They can't just attack a pack until they had solid evidence that the pack in question has turned violent. Come to think of it...
"Why doesn't any pack communication work here?" I asked. I had orders to watch Aiden and Devon's packs. Adrian would have called me as soon as he thought something was wrong with the two Alphas.
"It does, but the static that all the snow and the Jharna causes, it becomes almost inaudible. It's almost like a magical barrier." Mikalya said, looking at the sky. "I've been living here for more than three decades now, so I can easily get past the static and contact my packmates."
"We need to work fast. We need to prepare for battle immediately! Maybe ambush them when they leave the village in that valley and then have Aya shoot at them, just like you did me", although the situation was serious, I still found myself mocking her. I know I shouldn't have, but my wolf’s pride had been wounded that day and I didn’t seem to have recovered yet.
"Careful, that's my daughter you're talking about", Mikalya growled low in her throat, and then unexpectedly, smirked at me. "And ambush isn't our only way of defense. You forget that people have a very bad habit of underestimating us."
That's when it clicked. Mikalya and her pack had been living here for over thirty years now; they knew this area like the back of their hands. No matter how hard it might be for me to admit, but she was right, ambush wasn't their only mode of defense, especially when Mikalya could camouflage herself perfectly with the snow all around.
But just as I was thinking that, Mikalya cussed out. "Bloody Sons of Bitches!"
"What now?" I asked, alarmed. What more could possibly happen now to enrage her further?
"Filthy swine’s! They brought choppers." Mink's tone was deadly, but while I seemed to have sprung roots to anchor myself to the snow, Mink, however, looked a bit, dare I say, excited.
"Why are you looking like that?" I asked her frowning. There was something she wasn’t telling me, something important.
Mikalya only smirked. "Put on your jacket. I'll show you something."
Following through, I followed Mink back to the compound, the stone house were already covered in a thick layer snow, making it camouflage perfectly with the mountains around us. Anyone, who didn't know the truth, would think that the compound was a part of the mountain slope itself. The houses were all built in a row, with enough intervals as not to look suspicious and the roofs were made slanting so that one side touched the ground. It was a brilliant strategy to go by unnoticed by the military helicopters that often circled these areas day and night.
"What are you waiting for?" Mikalya's agitated voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
She was already at the entrance to the main pack building, waiting for me to catch up. I jogged the rest of the way to her and we were off again to the main room, where everyone was already waiting for us.
"Kushal! The keys," Mikalya said to him as soon as we joined the circle. It was odd that everyone was standing in a circle around the room, while keeping the middle vacant. Was I missing something?
Kushal had been waiting for her to order since a set of keys was placed into her hands immediately and soon enough the carpet at the centre of the living room was being rolled in and removed to reveal a secret trap door. Mikalya unlocked the door and opened the door outward to reveal a flight of stairs going down to a basement.
"Come on."
Since no one else stepped forward, I presumed she had spoken to me alone and followed her down to the basement. Mikalya began climbing down with ease and slowly the crowd dispersed from the room. Belle said something to Kushal and he nodded earnestly before taking sentry position by the trap door. Without waiting any longer, I began climbing my way down the basement stair, where Mikalya has disappeared a few seconds ago.
Let's see what this secret basement uncovers. Hopefully not another dungeon to lock away an entire army.