Chapter 276: Rhys
“Protecting my daughter.” The ghostly figure answered.
I stared at her. Grace wasn’t here. But it was clear that she was Grace’s mother. They had the same blonde hair. The same nose.
“Grace isn’t here,” I told her uneasily.
“I know,” The woman answered with a poise that I hadn’t expected.
“Luna Ava?” Michael pushed past me and Sammy and stared at the ghostly figure in front of us.
“Hello Michael,” The woman, Luna Ava, smiled gently at him. “I’m sorry for all the things my husband got you into. I would like to say that he learned his lesson, but I do not want to lie to you.”
“Wait, I thought, Grace’s mother was a mistress.”
Luna Ava sighed. “We have all been lied to.” She answered vaguely, sounding genuinely sad. “But there isn’t time for all these questions. My daughter knows the truth now and has handled it on her end. The Moon Goddess is only allowing us a few minutes before I must return. The children must get to the shelter as soon as possible. They are coming for you. The Pyxis Grace is closing, is connected to the Land of the Gods. That is how they were hiding. A lowly mischievous god had given them access, while pretending to be the God of Death. The true god of Death has been found, but he will have his work cut out for himself tonight. They still have access to that power and that space though until Grace destroys the Pyxis.”
“She’s working on that now.” I told her.
“I know. I know my daughter will figure out exactly how to stop it.”
“Then why are you here?” I questioned, not understanding what was happening on any level.
“I came here to tell you that she has it handled for now, but she will need you soon. You need to get moving to where she’s coming back.”
My anxiety spiked immediately, and Michael put his hand on my arm in effort to keep me from spiraling.
“You have to protect her.” Luna Ava continued. “She is the answer to everything.”
“I’ll do my best,” I promised.
She nodded, but she was already dissipating, leaving me with more questions than answers.
“Come on, let me grab my bag, we need to go.” The young man prodded.
I let him pass but stared at the empty corner. Had Grace’s family truly been tricked? Was Grace the true heir of the Lycan’s? I mean it made sense... That’s why they had wanted her bound. It was never about her safety. It was keeping her from who she really was.
“Rhys, she said Grace will need you. Let’s go.” Michael urged anxiously.
I appreciated him taking charge. Everything seemed to be spiraling.
“Alpha, the last of the children have crossed our border. And we have begun to engage with the trespassers. Interior warriors, hold your position.”
I put my hand gently on Michael’s shoulder, and we made our way to the basement. The halls were chaos. We had prepared for this, but there was nothing orderly in our dissent. I grabbed Sammy, and she clung to me for dear life as Michael and Iris moved steadily in front of us. I wished we had been able to run a practice run of this, but it would have given away the secret of it. Again though, all those preparations and secrets were for nothing. Arlo had been spying on us this whole time.
A sudden surge of panic filled my soul, and I knew I needed to get to Grace.
“Michael?” I called out.
The younger boy stopped, and people pushed past us without a second thought.
“Take Sammy, I have to-” I didn’t finish my sentence.
Michael had already grabbed Sammy from me. “Go.” He stated firmly, “I’ve got this.”
For a moment, I hesitated. Was it fair to leave him in charge of the younger kids? I wasn’t sure. But I couldn’t think about it. Luna Ava had said that Grace was going to need me. The prophecy said I would choose my pack over her. Michael was my pack, but I didn’t think that was what would stop me. As soon as I was outside, I shifted. My own small pack stuck to my wolf’s back, and I was grateful that Sawyer had figured out a way to shift and not break these bags. I had to hand it to my brother, he really was a genius.
I raced toward where I knew Grace would be portaling to. Everything in the interior levels were quiet. As I made my way to the mid-levels though, the sound of battle met my ears. The snarls. The screams. The clangs. I hadn’t trusted Alpha Adrian to play fair. Kate and I had made sure if he was going to have weapons, we would have our own. We just wouldn’t use them unless they did, and clearly, they were.
I didn’t engage in the battle even after I got there. I wasn’t there to fight. Not yet, anyway. I was here for Grace, and her emotions were all over the place.
The sun was setting by the time I made my way into the clearance. The dark would be our friend because it would mean that the vampires could help. And by the looks of things, we were severally outnumbered. It took 6 werewolves per Lycan. And as I expected, they had Werewolves, Vampires who walked in light, and Lycans on their side. I was glad that I had hidden away the humans and citizens, but I wasn’t sure we could win this. It wasn’t looking good, but I refused to let my mind go down that road. Our allies were on their way. We had planned for this, we would manage.
The only thing that truly worried me was that there was no sign of Grace.
“Grace? Where are you?” I reached out worriedly.
“Close.” She answered, but she sounded breathless. I began to engage in the fight, but then I saw her.
Her blonde hair was in a messy braid, falling slightly into her face. Her eyes met mine, and I found myself asking a thousand questions. But they would all have to wait. She was carrying a small child, right into the middle of a battle.