Chapitre 28

It was night again.

I could not sleep. I wasn't sure anymore how many days we had been down here.

"Astor?" I asked, groping from the torso up for his shoulder. He had wrapped his general's jacket tightly around me to give me at least a little more protection from the cold.

I wonder how Solana must be feeling...

"Hmm," he growled.

His eyes were closed, but I knew sleep hadn't caught up with him either. He had hardly slept since we were here. He was always alert and watched the guards. He couldn't tell me what he was thinking.

Everything will be fine, I promise...

I stroked his shoulder and laid my head back on his chest, where his heart was beating fast and fast. Even though we were prisoners, we always got enough food.

I could almost feel Talon plunging Silverblood into the next war over our heads. He wanted his conquests to be completed before the end of the year. Who should stop him?

Udyr was dead, Astor and I sat down here...

Had he disposed of the old alpha's body yet? I raised my gaze to Astor, who was breathing in and out calmly. It would be a cruel crime to deny a dead man their last respects. But cruel crimes were not far from the beta.

A scream of pain shrilled through the dungeon and I sat up in shock. My lungs shrank.

Solana.

Suddenly Astor was sitting next to me. He pressed his hands over my ears so that all I could hear was the muffled reverberation and my own breathing. His focused eyes were on me. I clenched my hands in his arms.

You had to torture the poor girl, or worse...

Gasps of air escaped from my lungs as I tried to focus on Astor, his scent, his warmth, his-

He took his hands away and we were enveloped in silence again. I ruffled my hair in relief and swallowed as if that would clear the images out of my head.

"What...?"

"Shh, don't worry. It'll all be over soon," Astor whispered and the warmth in his eyes calmed me a little. It was incomprehensible to my head how he could have hope in this situation, but my heart entrusted our lives to him.

We lay back on the rock while I buried my face in Astor's neck.

"I love you," I whispered, rubbing my nose over the mark. A shiver ran through his body and he hugged me tighter. I closed my eyes.

"You too..."

Footsteps echoed in the distance.

I frowned.

Astor beneath me began to move with me in his arms as if he didn't want to wake me. My head was still on his shoulder while his hands slipped under my thighs. Then I lost the ground under my feet.

Somewhat reluctantly, I opened my eyes only to see silver bars and the stone of the dungeon.

"What's wrong?" I asked, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

"Shh," Astor whispered and pushed my head back onto his shoulder. He carried me through the cell without any problems. His increased heartbeat made my tiredness go away.

Then, very softly, the silver door creaked open.

My she-wolf made inward joyful hops, which jumped over to my heart. Was it time? With every step the cell disappeared from my field of vision and with every step more relief washed through my veins.

I finally wanted to feel the sun on my skin again and smell the forest. Hasty whispers filled the silence and I turned my head to see who Astor was talking to.

My eyes widened.

"Edgar," I whispered, a big smile blooming on my lips. I hadn't seen him since camp and I've never been more grateful that Astor's right hand was here. I frowned. "

Warmth reflected in the young wolf's eyes for a moment before becoming serious again.

"This way. I prepared everything as you said," he replied, more Astor than me. If I weren't so happy, I would have said something.

Astor climbed the stairs with me in his arms. But instead of using the corridors, we disappeared into one of the secret passages. The musty smell of the stone that was built here long ago surrounded us.

After what felt like an eternity, we finally came out and stood under the open sky. I took deep breaths to get as much fresh air as possible. The moon was full, shining down on us while the stars twinkled around it.

We made it.

Astor slowly put me down.

I froze when I saw at least ten other wolves. Of all of them, I only knew Collins. The others had to be more warriors. They all bowed to Astor.

There were probably some who had remained loyal to him. I took his hand and squeezed it tightly before he stepped forward and addressed a few words to our last allies.

"Talon murdered our Alpha, my father," he snarled into the night, "but his blood lust is still alive. He will continue and we will overcome him in his moment of weakness."

The other warriors nodded in agreement. Then Edgar stepped forward.

"I did everything as you said," he said, handing Astor a large jug. He took a long gulp before handing me the heavy vessel. The natural smell was all too familiar to me.

The green broth shone in the moonlight and I inhaled.

"I didn't think I'd drink that again," I said before taking a long gulp. The bitterness made my taste buds spasm. I shook myself before handing the potion to Collins.

One by one they took a sip. I knew exactly what Astor was up to. Talon shouldn't be on our trail that easily.

"We split into four groups. Run to a remote village. When our time comes, you will hear from me," Astor said in a hard voice. The warriors nodded in agreement. "There will come a day when we will meet again, right here. Silverblood will be what it was before. I swear that on my father."

Astor raised his gaze to the starry sky, from which the dead could hear the promise. Then he turned to me. The silver light gave his hair a beautiful shine. The warmth in his eyes calmed me.

He knew what he was doing.

He had promised that everything would be fine and it had been true. If we weren't surrounded by so many wolves, I would have jumped into his arms.

Loud shouts came from the palace.

I jerked around in fear.

"We're running out of time," Astor whispered, nodding to his warriors.

They bowed one last time before sprinting away in different directions. They left nothing behind but the potion's natural scent, and the dry soil made it almost impossible to read tracks.

We and Edgar stayed behind. He scratched the back of his head and I had to suppress a grin.

The poor man had to travel with us.

"Let's go," Astor said.

"What about Solana?" I asked anxiously, but I knew the answer. Astor shook his head. They had long since noticed that we were gone.

"Come on," he said, taking my hand.

We started walking through the garden and soon we were sprinting across town. Everything around us was quiet and asleep, only we chased through the streets. Shouts from the palace died away in the distance.

They must have found the different tracks, all of which smelled the same.

Soon we dove into the forest.

The autumn leaves were still hanging on the trees and waving in the night breeze. Astor walked right next to me. His eyes were wary ahead. My wolf was a little confused by his scent, but his size calmed her down.

"Astor, where are we going anyway?" I asked.

"You'll find out soon..."