Novel Full Chapter 106: Found Her
Chapter 106: Found Her
Kaden’s POV
"The old royal mines," I whispered, the answer slamming into me like a punch.
My eyes snapped open. My glowing green eyes looked through the dark forest. The image in my head had been so clear and so scary. The concrete ceiling, the rusty iron valves, the roaring rush of water—there was only one place around here that looked like that. It was the old silver mine deep in the eastern part of my own land. It was shut down years ago because the nearby river kept flooding the underground pipes.
"Alpha King?" one of my guards asked, stepping forward nervously into the clearing as I stood there naked, my chest rising and falling. "Did you find a trace?"
"The eastern mines," I growled, my voice sounding deep and deadly. "The traitor didn’t cross the border. They took her underground."
Inside my head, my wolf was going completely crazy. ’Move, Kaden! Move! She is drowning! She is running out of air!’
I didn’t waste another second. I dropped to my hands and knees, my bones cracking loudly as I turned back into my huge black wolf. I let out a loud, wild howl that shook the trees, telling my trackers to follow me, and then I ran.
I was a blur of pure speed, crashing through the thick bushes and leaping over big rocks. The wind whipped against my fur, but all I could think about was the sound of water rushing into that deep hole, slowly rising up to Rebecca’s neck.
Why the mines? The thought burned through my brain as I ran. Whoever took her knew my land perfectly. They knew the camera blind spots, they knew how to hide her smell, and they knew about a forgotten underground building. It was someone close to me. Someone who wanted Stephanie dead—and wanted her dead quietly.
Hold on, Rebecca, I roared in my mind, hoping my voice could somehow reach her soul. Don’t you dare close your eyes!
In less than ten minutes, the ruined concrete building of the old mine appeared through the trees. The heavy iron doors were chained shut, but I didn’t care. I didn’t even slow down.
I threw my heavy wolf body straight against the iron gates.
CRASH!
The rusted chains broke instantly, and the heavy doors flew open, slamming into the dark, dusty tunnel inside. I slid across the stone floor, turning back into my human form before my feet even stopped moving. The air inside smelled like wet dirt, old iron, and... there it was. A faint chemical smell. The spray they used to hide her scent was finally wearing off.
And right beneath it, coming from deep inside the building, was the terrifying sound of rushing water.
"Rebecca!" I screamed, my voice echoing off the walls as I raced down the stairs, not even caring about the sharp stones cutting my bare feet.
I burst into a huge, open room. In the center of the floor, there was a deep, concrete pit. Water was pouring out of a massive pipe, filling the hole up to the very top.
I ran to the edge and looked down. My blood turned to ice.
Floating just beneath the rushing, muddy water was Stephanie’s body. Her eyes were closed. Her long hair was swirling around her face, and her hands were chained. She wasn’t moving. She was completely still.
No, no, no!
Without waiting a single second, I leaped into the deep pit.
The freezing water shocked my skin, but I didn’t care. I dove under the dark waves, my hands wrapping around her small waist. Using all my alpha strength, I ripped the heavy iron chains right off her wrists and ankles and peeled off the tape from her mouth.
I grabbed her tightly against my chest, kicked hard against the bottom of the pit, and shot back up to the surface.
I threw her limp body out of the water onto the solid concrete floor, and then I climbed out right after her.
She collapsed on the cold ground, completely pale and lifeless. I pulled her into my arms, sitting on the floor as my heart shattered into a million pieces.
"Rebecca! Wake up! Open your eyes!" I begged, my voice cracking with pure panic.
She didn’t move. She wasn’t breathing.
Terrified, I pinched her nose shut, tilted her head back, and pressed my lips against hers. I blew air straight into her mouth, praying to the Moon Goddess to bring her back. I pumped her chest hard, then leaned down and gave her another deep breath.
"Please, Rebecca," I whispered against her cold skin. "Don’t leave me."
Suddenly, her body jerked. She coughed violently, gasping for air as a huge wave of muddy water came out of her mouth. She shook all over, her lungs desperately taking in the air.
Slowly, her weak eyes opened, looking up at me through blurry vision.
"Rebecca, god... you are alive," I breathed out, a wave of pure relief washing over me.
I cupped her face. She was breathing. She was alive.
"Mine!"
Before she could even think, I leaned down and captured her lips in a deep, burning kiss. I didn’t care that ten of my elite warriors and trackers had just run into the room. I didn’t care that they were standing there watching me. I didn’t care about anything else in the world. I just needed to taste her, to feel her heart beating, to know she was really here.
I pulled away slowly, my green eyes dark with raw emotion.
Rebecca stared up at me, her wide eyes full of absolute shock. She was completely frozen in my arms.
"Are you okay, Rebecca?" I asked softly, my hand gently wiping the wet hair away from her face.
She swallowed hard, her voice sounding tiny and trembling as she spoke. "What... what did you call me?"
I didn’t answer her question. I just smiled a small, secretive smile and stood up, lifting her small body effortlessly into my arms.
"Let’s go back," I said.
I dropped to the floor and shifted into my massive midnight-black wolf. One of my guards quickly stepped forward, carefully lifting Rebecca’s weak body and placing her on my back. She wrapped her arms around my neck, laying her face down against my soft, warm fur.
I let out a low, comforting purr so she knew she was safe, and then I ran out into the night, carrying my woman home.