His Missing Luna

CHAPTER 95

KIZZIAH

THE GREAT ESCAPE

My eyes flutter open, painfully adjusting to the dim light. The iron chains bite into my wrists, and I wince. How long has it been? The hours blur together in this cell, where time and pain are indistinguishable.

“Father?” Saul’s voice is a faint whisper beside me. I turn to him—his face battered, one eye swollen shut, blood caking his skin in strange patterns. He looks like a ghost, his wolf’s healing power pushed beyond its limits.

“How do you feel?” he asks, his swollen lips barely able to form the words.

How do I feel? How should anyone feel after days of torture—both physical and mental? I glance away, unable to find the words. The queen’s psychic claws still scrape at the edges of my mind, trying to break through the barrier the lady placed. Every time she fails, I pass out, only to wake and endure another round at the hands of Malachai’s men.

“We can’t take much more of this,” Saul says, his voice thin with despair. I don’t respond, but we both know he’s right.

“How’s your wolf?” I ask, though I already know the answer.

He shakes his head. “Gone. I can’t reach him anymore.”

I swallow hard. Without our wolves, our chances of escape shrink to nothing. But even if they’re gone, we’re still alive. For now.

I let my head drop back against the pole, fighting the urge to pray to the goddess. It’s been so long since I even thought of her. How could she listen now? But I do it anyway, my lips moving in silent desperation.

Before I can finish, movement outside the door catches my attention. Growls, snarls—then a series of heavy thuds. My heart skips a beat as Saul and I exchange a wary look.

The door swings open with a harsh creak, revealing the lady, her clothes torn, blood streaking her arms.

“We don’t have much time,” she growls, rushing toward me. She breaks the chain around my wrists with a flick of her fingers. “Move!”

“What—”

“What does it look like?” she snaps, moving to Saul’s side. “Alpha Malachai will be back tomorrow to finish you both off. Now MOVE!”

I pull Saul up myself, glaring at her when she jerks him too roughly. “Careful,” I growl, but she’s already stalking toward the door.

I hesitate for only a second before nodding. We stagger out of the cell, and I catch sight of the guards lying sprawled on the floor, lifeless or unconscious. I don't care to check.

“The pack is distracted. This is your one chance,” the Lady says as she leads us down a dark corridor, her steps swift and certain. “The king crowned his daughter tonight...”

“Jessica has been made princess?” Saul’s voice is hoarse, but fury flares in his eyes.

“Let it go, Saul,” I murmur, though my heart aches with the dream I once had—for him, for us.

“That’s what she was born to be,” the Lady interrupts, her voice flat, as if tired of explaining what should be obvious. She halts before a massive door, breaking the chains that hold it shut. “Once we’re through here, you’ll be on your own.”

A gust of wind hits us as the door opens. The night is thick and heavy, the trees clumped in ominous clusters, casting jagged shadows under the moonlight. There’s a strange hum in the air, something primal and powerful.

“What’s that feeling?” Saul asks, scanning the surroundings.

“The Shakuna,” the Lady says. “The goddess’s power protects the Silvercrest Pack. Only those with pack blood can pass through the barrier.”

I glance around, trying to sense the barrier, but it’s invisible, only a faint shimmering in the air. “We didn’t feel it when we came,” I mutter.

“They let it down for you,” she explains. “The guards saw you, long before you arrived at our boundary.”

Of course. It had all been too easy.

“This is where I leave you,” she says, stopping at the edge of a sparkling river. “Once I open the barrier, your wolves will wake up…” flicking her gaze between Saul and I. “You didn’t lose them…they were just made to hide in your head.”

Relief floods through me, and I hear Saul exhale beside me.

She lifts her hands, fingers moving in a precise, practiced pattern. The shimmer intensifies as it forms a small circle in the air. It grows until it’s large enough for us to pass through. “Go,” she urges. “Run and don’t stop until you reach the three mountains. If you’re lucky, they won’t realize you’re gone until morning.”

I nod, ready to move, but Saul hesitates. “What about Jessica?” His voice cracks with frustration.

I turn to him, grasping his shoulder. “She’s not yours, Saul. She never was. It’s time to let go You will find your mate.”

I don’t have all night for this! It’s either you leave or die before this time tomorrow. The only thing that has kept you both alive is the barrier I placed in your father’s mind. And when Alpha Malachai unleashes his full Shakuna on your father, there will be nothing remaining of him,” she reels out through gritted teeth.

His eyes blaze, but he says nothing. Finally, with a clenched jaw, he nods.

The Lady’s voice cuts through the tension. “Now!” she barks

I push Saul forward, and we cross through. I glance back one last time, meeting the Lady’s eyes. “Thank you.”

“May we never meet again, Alpha Kizziah,” she says darkly, slamming her hands together. The barrier seals shut, cutting us off from the world behind.