Chapter 261: Escape

Scarlett’s POV

​The heavy wooden door of my bedroom clicked shut. With that single sound, the walls of my room felt less like a safe place and more like a jail cell.

​I didn’t even have to walk over to the window to know that the triplets had moved fast. Through the thick door, I could hear the heavy, steady heartbeats of four top pack guards standing outside in the hallway. I heard the faint clinking of their armor and the low, serious whispers of their voices.

​"Alpha Liam’s orders were clear," one of the guards whispered, his voice very tight. "She stays inside. No matter what. Even if she cries, begs, or threatens us, we don’t open this door unless one of the Alphas is standing here themselves."

​I leaned my back against the hard wood. A bitter, breathless laugh escaped my lips as my nails dug into my hands. They weren’t bluffing. The three boys who had once been my best friends—the Alphas who now held my whole world in their hands—had officially locked me in my own room. They thought they were building a fort to keep me safe from the Vampire King. They had no idea they were just trapping me while a war marched straight toward our pack lines.

​I walked over to the long mirror in the corner. My chest felt tight as I stared at my reflection. My skin looked so pale under the dim lights, and my sea-blue eyes looked dark, wide with fear and wild energy.

​We are running out of time, my normal wolf whispered in my mind. Her voice was shaking, but she was suddenly brave. If we don’t find a way out tonight, the Alphas will close the whole border by tomorrow morning. They will chain us to the floor before they let us cross that line.

​I know, I thought back, gripping the edges of the marble sink until my knuckles turned white. But how do I get past six top warriors without shifting into my wolf? The moment I lay a hand on them, the pack bond will alert Liam.

​I closed my eyes. I took a deep, rough breath as I forced myself to reach down into the deepest, darkest corners of my soul. I needed the ancient spirit sleeping inside me. Red Wolf, I called out, my mind-voice sharp and demanding. Wake up. I need you. If you want us to survive this, you need to help me break out of this room right now.

​For a long time, there was nothing but a freezing, heavy silence. The air in my lungs felt like ice.

​Then, the temperature in the room dropped fast. A powerful, heavy weight slammed against my brain, making my knees shake. The shadows in the room seemed to stretch and twist. Then, the deep, cold voice of the ancient wolf echoed through my whole body.

​You are so ready to walk into the jaws of death, little wolf, the Red Wolf said coldly. But do you really understand the price you are about to pay?

​"I know a war will destroy the Full Moon Pack," I answered fiercely in my head. "I know the King wants your magic, and you said my blood is a poison to anyone who tries to steal it. That’s the only choice we have left."

​It is a choice, yes. But it does not mean we will win, she warned, her voice dropping into a deadly, dark tone that made my blood run cold. To turn your body into a weapon, you must let my ancient magic completely flood your blood. The process of putting the poison in your veins is pure agony, Scarlett. It will feel like liquid fire is being poured inside you. It will twist your insides and burn you from the inside out. If your body is too weak, or if the King drains you too fast... you will die a slow, painful death in that cave. And your pack will burn anyway.

​The weight of her words felt like a physical punch to my chest. This wasn’t an easy, magical fix. I wasn’t walking into that cave as a winning hero. I was walking in as a living bomb, and there was a very real chance I would destroy myself along with the enemy.

​I thought about Liam’s tired face, Leonard’s desperate eyes, and Leo’s fierce, protective rage. They were ready to watch the whole world burn just to keep me breathing. How could I do any less for them?

​"I don’t care about the risk," I whispered aloud into the quiet room, my jaw tightening with absolute resolve. "Do it. Fill my blood. I’ll handle the pain."

​A low, satisfied rumble came from the Red Wolf. Then, I felt a sudden, sharp sting in the center of my chest—a tiny warning of the liquid fire that was coming later.

​Very well, little wolf. Prepare yourself. When the moon hits its highest point, we move.

​I didn’t waste another second. I marched over to my closet and changed into dark, tight clothes—a black long-sleeved shirt, thick pants, and heavy combat boots. I tied my brown hair back tightly, making sure nothing would get in my way. I didn’t take a silver weapon. A blade wouldn’t do anything against the Vampire King, and my own body was about to become the deadliest weapon alive anyway.

​By midnight, the big house was completely quiet. The usual nightly noise of the packhouse had died down. Everyone was completely exhausted from the brutal training drills.

​How do we leave? I asked the Red Wolf, my heart beating a wild, fast rhythm against my ribs.

​Sit on your bed and close your eyes, she commanded. Your mates know your scent too well. If your energy disappears from this room, they will wake up instantly. We must leave an illusion behind.

​I sat cross-legged on the mattress and closed my eyes. I pushed the Red Wolf’s thick, strange energy outward, shaping it right onto the bed.

​When I opened my eyes, my breath caught. Lying under the heavy blankets was a perfect copy of me. The fake figure was curled into a tight ball, its shoulders rising and falling with the slow rhythm of deep sleep. Even the scent of my normal wolf was on the sheets. It was a perfect copy that would fool any guard looking through the door, hiding my escape from the triplets’ sharp senses.

​Now, walk, the Red Wolf whispered. Do not look back.

​I stood up, my actual body feeling strangely light and disconnected. Stepping out onto the balcony, I looked down at the lawn. The two guards Leonard had placed there were walking back and forth.

​Taking a deep breath, I let a small piece of the Red Wolf’s ancient power seep out of my skin. It rippled through the air like a silent wave. The moment the power hit the two guards below, their bodies went stiff. Their eyes went blank. Without knowing why, their knees grew weak, and they lowered their heads toward the dirt. They felt a deep, primal urge to bow to a stronger predator.

​I jumped over the stone railing, dropping down into the shadows of the bushes with a silent landing. They didn’t even blink.

​I broke into a fast run, keeping low as I darted across the open yard, using the big wooden supply crates as cover. I climbed the tall fence and dropped down onto the damp dirt of the forest. The thick trees immediately hid me, shutting out the dim light of the moon.

​I ran. I pushed my legs as hard as they could go, my heavy boots tearing through the dead leaves as I headed straight toward the northern border line. The cool air hit my face, and for a split second, a wild, reckless feeling of hope rushed through my chest. I was going to save them. I was going to stop the King, and my pack would never have to bleed.

​I was about fifty yards away from the boundary line, the thick, metallic scent of the vampire land already cutting through the trees, when the air around me suddenly turned freezing cold.

​The forest went dead silent. The crickets stopped chirping, and the wind completely died down.

​A heavy, suffocating weight slammed into my chest. It was so strong that it forced the breath straight out of my lungs. My feet skidded in the mud, my boots losing their grip as I violently forced myself to stop.

​The rich, overwhelming scents of sharp mint, cedar, and mountain air hit my senses like a tidal wave. They completely crushed the fake scent I had left behind in the mansion.

​I froze, my entire body turning to absolute stone. My sea-blue eyes went wide with pure horror.

​Step by step, three large, dark shapes came out from the thick shadows of the old trees ahead of me, completely blocking the path to the border. The moonlight filtered through the leaves, catching the dangerous, wild gleam of three pairs of glowing golden eyes.

​Liam stood in the middle, his jaw tight with anger, his massive arms crossed over his chest. To his left, Leo was walking slowly back and forth like a trapped animal, his fists shaking with raw rage. To his right, Leonard stood completely still, his face terrifyingly calm, but the killer look in his eyes was enough to make any wolf drop to their knees.

​They hadn’t been fooled at all. The soft worry I had briefly seen in them earlier was entirely gone, replaced by a dark, hard mask of angry ownership. They had been waiting for me the entire time.

​Liam took a slow, heavy step forward. His deep voice shook the entire forest, breaking the quiet night like thunder.

​"Leaving without saying goodbye, Scar?"