The Lost Graystone Princess

Chapter 2

He lunged at me with surprising speed, but I was ready. I sidestepped, slashing at his arm as he passed. He howled in pain as the silver-edged blade cut through his sleeve and skin.

"Silver?" he spat, clutching his arm where the wound sizzled. "You little—"

A thunderous crash interrupted him as the door to the safe room burst inward. Maison stood in the doorway, his grey eyes blazing with fury, claws already extended.

"Step away from her," he commanded, his voice carrying the unmistakable authority of an Alpha heir.

Thomas snarled, caught between two opponents. "This isn't your fight, Maison. The girl doesn't belong to your pack.""Later," I hissed, gesturing for him to follow me. "We don't know if he was working alone."

The tunnel was narrow, forcing us to move in single file. I took the lead, knowing every twist and turn by heart from the countless drills Uncle Mateo had put me through. Behind me, Maison's breathing was controlled but heavy, his wolf still close to the surface.

"She's in my territory," Maison replied coolly. "That makes it my fight."

I rolled my eyes despite the tension. "I don't belong to anyone, thanks."

Thomas's gaze darted between us, calculating his odds. Then, with a movement too quick for human eyes to follow, he lunged—not at me or Maison, but at the control panel on the wall.

Before either of us could react, he slammed his fist into it, and the room plunged into darkness.

"Daisy, down!" Maison shouted.

I dropped instinctively, feeling the rush of air as something—or someone—passed over me. A sickening crunch followed by a gurgle told me Maison had connected with his target.

Emergency lights flickered on, bathing the room in an eerie red glow. Thomas lay crumpled against the far wall, his neck at an unnatural angle. Maison stood over him, breathing heavily, blood dripping from his claws.

"You killed him," I whispered, rising slowly to my feet. I walked over to the hidden panel that even the guards didn’t know about. The escape door opened, “We must go now tell your father, this door will take us back behind pack walls.”

Maison stared at me in shock. "You knew about this passage? All this time?"

"How long have you had silver blades?" he asked, his voice echoing slightly off the concrete walls.

"Since I was twelve," I replied without looking back. "Uncle Mateo believes in being prepared."

"For rogue wolves hunting you specifically?"

I paused, the weight of Thomas's words pressing down on me. Royal blood. Northern Territories. The pendant that I'd been told was merely a trinket from a flea market.

"I don't know what this is about," I admitted softly. "But it's not the first time someone's come looking for me."

The tunnel opened into a wider chamber with multiple branching paths. I headed straight for the one marked with a small, almost imperceptible scratch on the wall.

"Your father's going to have questions," Maison said. "A lot of them."

"Join the club," I muttered. "Starting with why a bounty hunter infiltrated Uncle Mateo's security team without anyone noticing."

Maison fell silent for a moment. "Nightshade knew something was wrong. He sensed it the moment we walked in."

I glanced back at him, surprised by the admission. Wolves rarely shared their internal conversations with outsiders. "Your wolf has good instincts."

"He's been... agitated around you for a while."

That explained some of Maison's hostility over the years. If his wolf had sensed something unusual about me, something that might threaten their pack...

"We're almost there," I said, changing the subject. A faint glow appeared ahead, signalling the end of the tunnel.

The exit opened into a small clearing behind Alpha Logan's pack house, concealed by dense shrubbery. I pushed aside the branches carefully, scanning the area before stepping out.

Maison emerged behind me, immediately taking out his phone. "I need to alert my father."

"Wait," I said, grabbing his wrist. "I need to know what you're going to tell him."

His eyes narrowed. "The truth. That a rogue infiltrated Mateo's security, tried to abduct you, and mentioned something about royal blood and the Northern Territories."

I swallowed hard. "And what if I told you I have no idea what any of that means?"

"I'd say you're either lying or Uncle Mateo has kept you in the dark for a very long time." His grey eyes studied me intently. "Which is it, Daisy?”

Before I could answer, Luna Mara appeared at the open entrance, “Thank the Goddess you're safe.”

Luna Mara's presence was overwhelming, even from a distance. Alpha Logan's mate carried herself with the effortless authority that came from decades as the pack's Luna. Her silver-streaked dark hair was pulled back in a severe bun, but her eyes—the same piercing grey as Maison's—were wide with concern.

"Mother," Maison acknowledged with a slight bow of his head. "How did you know we were here?"

"A mother always knows when her son is in danger," she replied, but her gaze was fixed on me. "And the pendant... it's active."

I glanced down, startled to find my wolf pendant glowing with a faint blue light. I hadn't even noticed.

"What's happening?" I whispered, fighting the urge to rip it from my neck.

Luna Mara approached slowly, as if afraid I might bolt. "Mateo called. He said there was an incident at the diner." Her eyes flicked to Maison. "Where is the rogue?"

"Dead," Maison answered flatly. "He tried to take Daisy. Said something about her being royal blood from the Northern Territories."

Luna Mara's face paled. "Inside. Both of you. Now."

She turned without waiting for a response, her movements sharp and urgent. Maison followed immediately, but I hesitated, my hand closing around the pendant.

"I could run," I thought, staring at the dense forest beyond the clearing. But to where? And from what?

"Daisy." Maison had paused, looking back at me. For once, there was no contempt in his expression—just something that might almost be concern. "Whatever this is, running won't solve it."