CASSANDRA
The fight was far more brutal than I’d expected.
When we’d left Erika, Finnick, L, and Raven behind and headed toward the gate surrounding
Vlokwell, I’d known that we were getting ourselves into a mess of trouble, but I didn’t know how bad it
would be.
The guards of the gate were far more difficult to defeat than anticipated, even with our numbers.
We had all shifted into either our wolf forms or at least partial forms, and even as wolves, it was a
struggle to win against Kaleb’s men.
As Asher and I fought off one of the men, Rayden and his men took on another. It was a flurry of
motion and movement, and it had taken all of my efforts to remain focused on the fight. Thankfully,
Asher and I were a great team, and we managed to take our guard down after a little while.
The others, though, weren’t as lucky.
Rayden had nearly lost his left arm fighting with arge, burly wolf whose ws seemed as long as
swords. Luckily, Helene reacted swiftly before those deadly nails could cut too deeply into the Alpha of
Wild Crawler’s shoulder and plunged her poisoned knife into the guard. Rayden waspletely taken
aback, as was the guard, and when the wolf fell to the ground dead, his eyes widened, and stared at
Helene in shock.
“Thank you,” he said to her as he fought to catch his breath.
Helene nodded at him, and then we continued on.
In addition to the pair of guards up front, there were guards stationed at the checkpoints ahead, but
once we had broken the gate, the other guests seeking escape cheered. They had maintained their
distance at first, unsure of how things would work out, but once they knew we were the good guys, so
to speak, morale was boosted, and the guests joined our fight.
The influx of numbers helped our cause, and we quickly managed to pass all of the checkpoints.
A few of the men went back to grab Erika, the children, and the box containing Raven, and once we
were all reunited, we left the horrible castle in the dust.
|||
O
Cars arranged by Rayden and the Alpha of the Red Stone Pack were waiting for us outside of Vlokwell,
hidden behind a host of thick pine trees. We all piled into the vehicles, and once they began to drive
away, I finally released a heavy exhale of relief.
We had done it.
We had survived somehow.
Well, at least mostly.
Rayden, Asher, and the other men were severely wounded. I had some cuts on my arms and
shoulders, and Helene had some bruises forming on her arms and shins. Thankfully, Erika, L, and
Finnick were perfectly fine.
We were all exhausted, and as the cars drove off the road at a fast speed, I looked back through the
window at the living hell behind us.
The smoke was so intense that I couldn’t see the castle at all. It was a nightmarish sigh, one I was
more than happy to finally leave behind. I wasn’t sure where Kaleb had gone, but I also didn’t care. All
that mattered was that we were free from the confines of his wicked fortress.
The car continued driving and soon darkness fell. I drifted in and out of sleep, never knowing what time
it was, until finally, the sky began to brighten again, revealing the dawn. The car came to a stop soon
after and when I nced out the window, I saw lights.
The driver stepped out of the car and held the doors open for us. I took a deep breath and then
carefully got out of the vehicle. My muscles ached as I stretched and I grimaced at the effort. All I
wanted was a bath and a good night’s sleep.
We had arrived ar
a country house. The Alpha of the Red Stone Pack was there waiting for us on the porch. He was a tall,
middle-aged man with pale blonde hair and kind eyes, and he greeted us warmly and politely.
“Your Majesty,” he addressed Asher with respect, and he bowed. “Wee. Please, allow me to escort
you inside.”
Asher nodded. “Thank you for your hospitality.”
The Alpha led us into the house, and I was pleased to see that all of the rooms within had been
arranged nicely for us. It wasn’t a big house, but it was cozy andfortable. After all we’d been
through in Vlokwell, I would have happily taken a
shack or worse.
111
O
We assigned people to the different rooms, and once everything was arranged, the wooden box was
brought into the house. Rayden’s men pulled Raven out, and much to my relief, the sorceress was still
sleeping.
“Is there anything we can use to limit her movement once she wakes up?” I wondered.
One of the men retrieved some ropes and carefully secured Raven’s wrists so she couldn’t escape or
use sorcery once she awoke. When we were sure she couldn’t escape, we all went into our separate
rooms to get some sleep.
L was still unconscious, but her breath was steady. She stayed with Erika, while Finnick insisted that
he wanted to sleep with me.
With all that had happened and the millions of things that still needed to be sorted out, I thought I
wouldn’t be able to sleep, but as Iy in bed and watched Finnick’s chest rise and fall, my eyelids grew
heavy.
I drifted off into dreamless sleep soon after.
***
When I woke up, the sun was shining in the sky, and its rays made the room bright and warm. My
vision took a moment to focus, and when it did, I realized Finnick wasn’t in bed with me. I started to sit
up, but then I spotted someone beside me.
“Asher?” I asked in surprise.
The Alpha King was lying on his side, propping his head up with his hand. He gave me a soft smile.
“Good morning,” he greeted me quietly.
“Good morning,” I replied with a smirk. “Where’s Finnick?’
“He’s with L, ying outside” Asher answered. “It’s a beautiful day, so Erika decided to go out with
them. We wanted to make sure you got some rest.”
After I nodded, I noticed all of Asher’s wounds had been dressed and bandaged. Hisplexion was
pale, but his eyes were bright. He was just as handsome as
ever.
Asher reached out and I leaned closer, allowing him to pull me close. He pressed his warm lips against
mine, and a tingling feeling ran down my spine. His familiar scent flooded my senses, and a soft sigh
escaped me when we parted.
111
Mon, 25 Mar
“It seems like we survived,” Iughed lightly.
Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.
“Yes, we did,” Asher agreed.
As I stared at him, I could still sense fear lingering in my heart. I had been so afraid of losing him, and
part of me was still terrified.
“How do you feel?” I asked him.
“I’m alright,” he answered. “The stiffness is surprisingly gone. All things considered, I’m doing fine.”
His lips grazed against my neck, indicating that he wanted to do something more than talk. I knew he
wanted me as much as I wanted him, but there were a million other things on my mind.
“We need to get up,” I said reluctantly. “What time is it now?”
Rayden, Erika, and the Alpha of Red Stone were probably waiting for us.
“Let them wait,” Asher insisted, and his lips continued to travel down my neck.
A giggle escaped me. I wanted to protest, but the nice warm morning with the sun shining on our
bodies was irresistible. So, I kissed him back.
Just as I did, I heard Finnick on the other side of the door calling my name. Before I could move or
reply, the door opened. My lips were still on Asher’s when L and Finnick ran in, and the children’s
cheeks turned red at the sight.
We pulled apart and Asher chuckled.
L reacted before Finnick did.
“Sorry,” she apologized, and she shut the door hastily. Once it was closed, Asher and Iughed
together.