Chapter 45: The Road to Freedom

Della sat with her back against the wall, beginning to slightly shiver. As the night grew deeper, so did the cold. It made her miss the blanket she had back in Malachi’s room wrapped in his scent, or his warm bed.

And his...warm body. She’d probably be wrapped around one by now if she hadn’t confessed anything.

The sound of the underground entrance opening her heart skipping, and her breathing was rash too. Was it already dawn? Had Malachi come to drag her to her final destination?

But the person that came into view...was not anyone she had expected.

"Mara?"

The maid stepped close to the cell and gripping the bars tightly, "Della!" She cried.

Della ran over, something that felt like relief spreading through her chest and she also ran up to the bat and held it, "What are you doing here?!"

"I came to get you out of here!" Mara said, and pulled out the familiar key. The same one Malachi had been holding when he had opened it earlier.

"How did you get your hands on it?!" Della asked.

"Someone helped me get it," Mara replied as she inserted the key into the keyhole, "We need to go now. There is not much time,"

The relief that had bloomed in her chest slowly lessened till there was nothing there, and she gripped Mara’s wrist quickly to stop her from opening the cell, "No, Mara," She gave her a tight smile, "I cannot...come with you. You have to leave now before someone comes and sees you!"

"What do you mean you can’t come with me?!" Mara demanded, eyes lifting a bit.

"I can’t...say!" Della gritted out painfully. She had promised to take all responsibility for the banner tearing in return for Lian’s future and she cannot break her promise, "But I can’t come with you,"

"Della!" Mara snapped and also gripped her hand, "You’re not making any sense right now! The Alpha plans to kill you at the first hint of sunrise and this is your chance to get away!"

"You don’t understand," Della cried, tears swelling in her eyes, "I...," Pain stabbed at her heart. Why does everything have to be so hard? "I have to be here. I can’t go anywhere!!"

"You’re coming with me! Stop talking like this and save yourself, this is your opportunity to do so!"

Della slowly shook her head and stepped back into the cell, her eyes dim with emotions, "Leave me, Mara. Escape isn’t for me,"

Mara was silent for a moment, and she even looked back into the darkness in the direction of the door. When she turned around, she had already made up her mind and you could see it in her eyes, "No!" She shook her head and continued to turn the keyhole.

"Mara, please go!!" Della cried.

"I’m coming in there and I’m going to drag you away from this stinking, rotten place whether you like it or not!!" She stated strongly, then yanked the door open firmly and stepped into the cell.

"Why are you doing this?!" Della cried, fighting against herself. She couldn’t tell Mara or anyone else about the blood pact, could she?!

The moment Mara grabbed her arm and threatened to use her physical wolf strength to pull her out, the words slipped out of Della’s tongue, "I made a blood pact!"

The room froze, then, "What?!"

Tears ran down Della’s eyes as she slowly looked up at the servant, "I made...a blood pact with someone," She swallowed, "In return for me staying here and taking full blame for everything, that person is going to save my sick cousin from IronRidge Pack. So, I can’t leave or else I’ll die out there,"

Della lifted her hand and showed her the cut in her palm, "I’m sorry,"

Mara seemed dumbfounded.

"Lian, right?" A familiar voice asked just outside the cell, and Della almost panicked.

Mara didn’t shake at all.

"Who’s there?" She demanded.

A tall, hefty frame stepped out from the darkness to the front of the cell, just enough for Della to see his face.

"Beta Rowan," She breathed slowly, "What—" Her breath kept cutting and she wanted to ask him what he was doing here but her mouth ended up saying something else entirely, "What did you just say?!"

"Your cousin is fine," He repeated.

"You’re lying," Her hand turned into balls of fists, "We all left him that night after the wedding. We didn’t—"

"I’m not supposed to tell you anything," He said, "But the Alpha actually instructed me to secretly retrieve the boy and return to IronRidge with him. We rode on a carriage a little far behind you guys,"

Hope flared in her heart, but she wasn’t too fast to believe him, "You’re lying!" She cried.

"Annelise has been looking after him every day and night. She had sworn to the Alpha that she wouldn’t say a word to you about him, either," Rowan explained more, "That boy is probably why she had such a soft spot for you from the beginning. I’m guessing the boy told her all about you,"

Della couldn’t hold back the tears...and the shock.

Malachi had actually... listened to her pleas that night? When he had ordered the guards to drag her away, she thought that was the end of it.

Why didn’t he just tell her that Lian was here, too?!

He was still the cause of this happening to her!

"If you’re lying to me—"

"I swear it on my life," Rowan said sharply, "If you really made a blood pact and I’m lying to save you, you’d still die eventually from running from the pact so what good does me saving you do?"

She stared at him again.

Was Malachi ok with this? Does Malachi know that he is here to get her out?!

"If Lian is already saved, does that mean...?"

"Yes," Rowan nodded, "It means the Blood pact you made with whoever it was, was null and void. Since he doesn’t have to save Lian from anywhere, you don’t have to take the blame for anything, anymore!"

Della thought she had felt relief before, but none of it had ever felt like a massive rock was being lifted off her heart. The sense of clarity and calmness rushed through her chest so hard and fast that she was afraid Malachi might feel it...and come here.

"What if...," She swallowed again, fear rising in her chest, "What if Malachi punishes Lian when he finds out I’m gone?!"

"The Alpha is not some kind of monster," Rowan replied calmly, "He will not lay a hand on someone innocent. That, is something I can assure you, and I swear to you, with my life and if I get reborn again,"

"But why?" She looked up at Rowan, her eyes still clouded with uncertainty, "Why are you doing this? If the Alpha finds out that—"

"He can find out and he can punish me all he wants," Rowan stepped in, and grabbed her hand tightly, his eyes raw with sincerity, "But I’m not letting him lose anything of value in his life anymore, especially when he’s about to kill that value himself,"

He didn’t want her to think or reply, he started to drag her out of the cell and this time, she went willingly.

The three of them ran out of the underground cave and back into the main castle.

Della remained silent between them as they navigated their way out of the palace.

She noticed — surprisingly — that the guards on patrol tonight had substantially... decreased from the number she knew them to always be. It was almost as if...the Moon Goddess was almost on their side.

Della then looked at Rowan in front of her.

No, it was probably him.

He was the Beta of the castle and second-in-command. Every wolf in here listened to him almost as much as they listened to the Alpha.

After minutes of running, they finally crossed the gates. Della turned around and stared back at the large castle. Knowing that Lian was probably somewhere in there, safe and unknown, felt like a thousand feelings of relief crashing into her at once.

Rowan in front, finally came to a stop and so did the other two.

"Go straight down that road," Rowan pointed down the dark path, opposite from the forest, "You’ll come across a small carriage waiting for you. Get in there and the rider will take you somewhere far away. I’ve prepared a small house you can live in. It’d be difficult for someone to find you,"

Della stared, "Rowan...?"

"Both of you, go!" He barked, letting go of her hand, "Now!"

Mara grabbed her hand and pulled, and Della kept looking back at Rowan just standing there.

What if Malachi got his hands on him? What if he died instead of her? What if—

They ran down the road just as Rowan had instructed, till Mara stopped and pointed ahead, "There it is!" She whispered.

Della reached up and touched the collar. The fact that it wasn’t squeezing her neck half to death by now meant Malachi wasn’t anywhere close.

"Go, Della," Mara suddenly nudged her forward.

"What? Why? Aren’t you coming?!"

"I am," She replied, "I just have to get something I buried from over there," She pointed somewhere by the side of the road, "It’s my little travelling sack. I mean, we can’t travel without food. We’d starve,"

"Let’s go together. I’ll help you dig it up," Della requested, but Mara shook her head tightly.

"No, I want you safe inside the carriage first. Please, Della. The rider is waiting for us. Tell him I went to pick up something so he wouldn’t get mad at us both,"

Della sighed.

She was right.

Moreover, there was nothing to worry about.

No one would come looking for them for at least another hour since Rowan had their backs.

"Alright," Della finally agreed.

"Go," Mara whispered again, and Della turned around.

But the moment she did, that feeling came again.

The one that... something was...off. Something was about to go wrong somewhere.

Her first instinct was Malachi, but the collar wasn’t reacting.

She turned to look at Mara again, and the girl had this...weird look on her face now, which suddenly disappeared the moment Della looked at her.

"Go, already! He is waiting!"

Della continued to walk, even though something told her she should stop. She kept turning around every two seconds to make sure that Mara was still standing there, till she stood in front of the carriage.

It had been too dark for her to see anything but the carriage itself, but now that she was there...close enough, she noticed with a feeling that scared her...that the horses were unnaturally still...and the rider’s seat was empty.

Della quickly whirled around again and gasped.

Mara was gone!! The bad feeling intensified.

No, she has probably gone to retrieve the sack.

Della turned around to follow, when she heard a very faint, but guttural snarl coming from behind her.

Or rather, behind the carriage itself.

Slowly, she turned back...her heart pounding in her chest.

At that exact moment, a rogue wolf stepped out from behind the large vehicle.