Chapter 156: Their Plans

The cellar was dark but the women had no problem navigating it. The stairs leading deeper into the cellar creaked under the weight of Margaret carrying Maya.

Her brown fur blended with the shadows as her wolf traversed the underground space. Bess walked ahead, walking faster to lead the way.

They briskly made their way through the damp, dark space. Cobwebs covered the corners and insects scampered as they rushed forward. They headed past the barrels of ale that filled the front of the cellar.

The cellar was bigger than it looked and after the first section of barrels, wooden shelves holding sacks of grains were arranged right behind.

At the very end of the section was the wall of the cellar and hidden behind a tall, wide shelf that looked abandoned was a tiny pathway.

It was properly hidden and without prior knowledge, it was easy to dismiss, especially in the dark of the cellar. Bess stopped in front of it and moved the shelf easily, exposing the even darker passageway.

Bess stood to the side and pointed. "If you walk down this path, at the end of it, you should appear in the forest, just before the High Alpha’s territory. It isn’t a common route, and it has never been used. It might be difficult to break out of the thick layer of earth above the exit but Alaina said you already made preparations. Don’t come back. My mistress risked too much to make this plan successful." She glanced toward Maya with contempt.

Margaret nodded and walked forward. If she could talk in her wolf form, she would but all she could do was nod. She was worried about her unconscious mistress and wanted to get her to proper treatment as soon as possible.

The passageway was a snug fit for her wolf and her sides brushed the walls as she walked down. Behind her, she could hear the maid pulling the shelf back into place.

She increased her pace. She wasn’t sure how much time it would take her to reach the end but the faster she made it, the faster their plans would be successful.

Alaina had already given descriptions about the cellar’s route and the High Alpha’s men had marked the exit. Her job was to get Maya there in one piece. She winced as she recalled the blood on the side of her head—she could still smell it.

She had been sent to watch Maya and her job was to find a way to rescue her mistress. The last thing she had expected was to have found a way immediately after she arrived.

Alaina had approached her the very first day she arrived, demanding to know their plans. At first, she had been scared their plans had been discovered but Alaina immediately offered to help speed the process. If Alpha Keenan would take Maya and never bother Verlassen again, she would help.

Sending out letters to the High Alpha had been the only difficult part of the planning. The Beta kept a watchful eye out but Alaina found the loopholes in his patrols through her mate and Margaret was able to get word out.

She had received a reply the very next day with the High Alpha’s agreement. Not only would Verlassen be left alone but Alaina would also be compensated in whatever way she wanted.

She had demanded a title. Margaret wasn’t exactly sure what she meant by that but it was not her place to scrutinize. The High Alpha had agreed to her demand as long as she got Maya to him.

The rest of the plan was just waiting for the right opportunity to strike, which came faster than she expected. In the meantime, Margaret had seen enough reasons why her mistress should return home.

The smell of dust grew even stronger as they went further. The dust tickled her nostrils and she had to snort to ease the irritation.

After running for almost twenty minutes, she came to the end of the tunnel. A wall blocked her path, and she looked up to see a pair of doors.

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Winnie didn’t like the queasy feeling in her stomach as she searched for Asher. Her nose had picked up his scent for a while now but he was hard to pinpoint, and worse, she could smell blood.

She had shifted as soon as she picked up the smell of blood. That was easier to trace and the closer she got, the deeper her heart sank. There was no doubt that this was Asher’s blood.

She winced as she saw splashes of blood on the leaves. They were further away from the beach on the other side of the town, but there was still some distance to the High Alpha’s territory.

Winnie knew no one in Verlassen would dare attack Asher unless they were working for the High Alpha.

She found him, rolled on his side in the bushes, his blood leaking onto the earth, staining the ground. Winnie rushed toward him to see the extent of the damage.

Her eyes were blurry and her chest hurt enough for her to stagger but she knew now was not the time to feel the pain. Now, she had to check if her mate was alive and if he was, could she save him in time?

There were deep gashes of claw marks across his torso and from the fact that he wasn’t naked, he didn’t even get a chance to shift before he was attacked.

Winnie sniffed the air. She wasn’t sure if his assailant was nearby but he clearly had not been attacked long ago. He was breathing but he was bleeding too fast to heal. If she didn’t do something, he was going to die.

She couldn’t smell wolfsbane or silver that could impact healing, yet he bled continuously. He was that deeply cut.

She tilted her face toward the moon and let out a gut-wrenching howl that echoed through the lands.

She might alert their attackers but Verlassen was clearly under attack. If Asher had been attacked before he could even give out a signal, the Alpha was unaware. Furthermore, she couldn’t move Asher fast enough by herself. The faster she could alert them, the faster he would get help.

She stopped howling and shifted. Her pale, naked body stood out in the bushes. Tears streamed down her face as she ripped his clothes to try to stop the bleeding. It was hard to get her hands to work when fear filled her pores.