Chapter 73 INSIDE JAKE'S MIND
Alicia's POV
I am drowning in someone else's memories.
The connection to Jake's mind hits me, and suddenly I am not in the cave anymore. I am standing in a small bedroom watching a young boy stare out a window with longing that aches in his chest.
The boy is Jake.
"Help us identify potential test subjects." Morrison holds out the vial. "One dose and you will be stronger than any natural born wolf."
The temptation is too strong. Jake takes the vial and drinks it without another question.
I want to pull away from the memory, but the connection holds me trapped and forces me to witness every step of Jake's corruption.
I saw more of his memories. Jake, reporting pack locations to Veritas contacts. Identifying wolves with unique abilities who then disappear in the night.
"They do not understand yet." Jake's internal monologue accompanies each betrayal. "Morrison is not the enemy. He is trying to save wolves, and the species that refuse to evolve deserve what happens to them."
He genuinely believes he is the hero in this story.
Another memory surfaces. This one is more recent. Jake, standing in Morrison's current body discussing the attack on Dark Night Pack.
"Alicia is the key." Morrison traces patterns on a map. "A True Luna who has already given birth. If we capture her and the child we can study the bloodline properly and understand how their power works."
"And if she resists?" Jake asks.
"Then we take the child and dispose of the mother," Morrison says. "One True Luna is enough for our purposes. Two would be ideal but not necessary."
Jake nods without hesitation. He has convinced himself that this is science.
"The pack will retreat to the mountain caves when they lose." Jake points to a location on the map. "I have known about their emergency protocols for years."
Morrison smiles. "And you are certain you can lead us there?"
"Absolutely." Jake's confidence is sickening.
The memory shifts to now. Jake, running through darkness with Morrison's army following close behind.
"This is for the future." He tells himself. "Wolves will thank me when they see what Morrison's enhancements can do. When they understand that natural evolution is too slow. We need artificial intervention to survive."
I push against the connection, trying to break free before I see more. But something changes in the flow of memories.
"Someone is here." His mental voice sharpens with alarm. "In my mind. Who..."
Terror hits me as I realise he can feel my presence. The connection was supposed to be one-way, but somehow, he has detected me, and now he is actively searching for the intruder in his consciousness.
"Alicia." He realises. "You learned to connect. The True Luna power manifested."
I try to pull back, but his mind latches onto mine.
Pain explodes through my skull. It feels like someone is driving nails into my brain from the inside.
"Where is the resistance hiding?" He digs deeper, and I feel him brush against memories of the cave system. "Show me."
I fight back. My power flares wildly, trying to break the connection before Jake can extract the information he needs. Silver light floods the mental space between us, and he hides from the brightness.
"You cannot hide from me." Jake's voice echoes through my mind. "I know where you are now. I saw it in your thoughts before you blocked me."
"Morrison will be very pleased." Jake's satisfaction shows through the connection. "We will be there by dawn. And this time there will be no escape."
I shove against his presence with everything I have. The silver light explodes outward and finally breaks the connection. I am thrown back into my own body.
The sleeping chamber arises around me. My body is drenched in sweat. Ray kneels beside me with his hands on my shoulders, trying to figure out what happened.
"Alicia!" His voice sounds distant. "What is wrong?"
I grab his arm and pull myself upright. "Jake. He knows where we are."
"What?"
"I connected to his mind accidentally during sleep." The words came out fast. "I saw his memories."
Ray's face goes pale. "Where is he now?"
"Leading Morrison's army here." I force myself to stand even though my legs shake. "They will arrive by dawn. Jake knows the cave layout and our numbers. He knows everything because I showed it to him."
The sleeping chamber erupts into chaos as packmates wake and process what I just said. My mother appears in the doorway already dressed and armed like she never actually slept.
"How many?" She asks.
"At least fifty wolves." I close my eyes and try to remember what I saw in Jake's thoughts. "Plus human soldiers with specialized weapons. Morrison is leading them personally."
"Then we have maybe three hours." My mother's expression shifts. "Everyone up. Gather supplies. We need to evacuate now."
"Where will we go?" Leo demands. "This was supposed to be our safe house. If Jake knows about it, then The Veritas knows about it."
"I have other locations." My mother moves through the chamber pulling weapons from hidden places. "Secondary shelters Jake never learned about. We can reach the closest one before Morrison arrives if we leave immediately."
Ray helps me to my feet and I lean against him while the world stops spinning. Luna starts crying in the next chamber as she senses the panic through whatever bond connects us.
"We need to move fast." My mother locks eyes with me across the chaos. "Can you walk?"
"Yes." I push away from Ray and prove it by taking three steady steps. "I can walk."
"Good." She tosses me a pack filled with supplies. "Because we are about to run for our lives and I need you conscious for what comes next."
The resistance got ready. Within minutes the cave system transforms from a shelter to an abandoned shell. Wolves grab weapons and supplies while covering their tracks. The vampires disappear into shadows preparing to scout ahead.
I hold Luna against my chest and follow my mother toward a tunnel I have never noticed before. The entrance is hidden behind a false wall that blends perfectly with natural rock.
"This leads to the western ridge." My mother lights a torch and the flame casts dancing shadows on stone walls. "From there we can reach the secondary shelter in two hours if we push hard."
The pack files into the tunnel behind us. I count heads as they pass and come up short. We lost more wolves than I realized in the initial attack. The Dark Night Pack that entered these caves is already half gone.
Behind us, I hear the first sounds of Morrison's army reaching the cave entrance. Howls echo through the mountain and I know Jake is leading them straight to where we slept just minutes ago.
My mother picks up the pace. "They will realise we are gone within minutes. We need distance before they pick up our trail."
We run through the tunnel system following paths only my mother seems to know. Luna cries against the jostling, and I try to calm her while keeping pace with other wolves who are not carrying infants.
The tunnel finally opens onto a cliff face. The secondary shelter is visible across the valley. A small structure built into the opposite ridge that looks abandoned from this distance.
"There." My mother points across the open space. "We cross the valley floor, and we are safe."
Ray studies the terrain with precision. "That is a lot of open ground. If they spot us crossing, we will be completely exposed."
"I know." My mother starts down the cliff path. "But it is our only option now."
We descend as quickly as the rocky path allows. My legs burn from the effort, and Luna's weight makes every step harder. But I do not slow down because slowing down means dying.
Halfway across the valley floor, I hear howls behind us. Morrison's wolves have found our trail, and they are closing the distance fast.
"Run!" Ray shouts the order, and the pack sprints for the shelter.
I push my body past the pain I feel. The shelter grows closer, but we’re not fast enough.
Morrison's wolves break through the treeline behind us. At least twenty of them, and they are faster than we are because they are not carrying wounded or children or supplies.
We are not going to make it.
Then the shelter door opens, and wolves pour out to meet Morrison's forces. Not resistance fighters. Different wolves wearing colours I have never seen before. They crash into Morrison's army and buy us precious seconds.
My mother grabs my arm and pulls me through the shelter entrance. "Inside! Now!"
The pack piles through the door, and my mother slams it shut behind us. The sounds of battle rage outside, but we are temporarily safe behind stone walls.
"Who are they?" I gasp out between desperate breaths.
My mother's expression is grim. "Reinforcements I called for last night. Other packs that have been fighting The Veritas in secret."
"How many packs?"
"Seven." She moves to a window and watches the battle. "They are buying us time, but it will not last long. Morrison has numbers on his side."
I join her at the window and watch wolves I have never met die fighting for us. The guilt is crushing.
Outside, Morrison himself appears walking through the battle like he is taking a stroll through a park. Wolves attack him, and he kills them casually, which makes my stomach turn. His stolen body does not even get scratched.
Then his eyes find the window where I stand.
He smiles and mouths two words I can read perfectly despite the chaos.
"Found you."