The Escape

The dungeon grew quieter after Mara left, but Ava's mind only grew louder. Every creak, every shuffle in the stone walls felt like a whisper calling her name. But when she closed her eyes, she saw something else.

Flashes.

A white wolf standing in a field of fire.

A woman's voice chanting words she didn't understand.

And blood, so much blood.

She jolted awake, gasping, her chains clattering like angry bells. Sweat slicked her skin despite the cold.

It was more than a dream. It was a memory she didn't recognize.

Suddenly, footsteps echoed in the corridor. She straightened, heart thudding.

The door creaked open.

"Ava."

Her breath caught. She knew that voice.

Aiden.

He stepped inside, looking exhausted and angry, as though he'd fought a war just to see her.

"Why are you here?" she whispered, a bit afraid this was another dream.

"Because I was wrong," he said. "I should've protected you from the beginning."

She turned her face away. "You chose your pride over me."

Aiden winced. "I know. But I won't make that mistake again. I need to get you out of here. Tonight."

Ava blinked. "Are you serious? The Elders..."

"I don't care about the Elders. I care about you. There's more going on here than they're telling us. And I think someone wants you dead before the Blood Moon."

A chill ran down her spine.

"How do we escape?" she asked.

He reached into his coat and pulled out a key.

"With a little help from someone who still believes in us."

He knelt, unlocking her chains one by one. As they clattered to the floor, Ava rubbed her sore wrists.

"You ready?" he asked.

She nodded. "More than ever."

As they slipped into the shadows together, neither of them noticed the glowing eyes watching from the ceiling beams.

The enemy already knew.

And the hunt had begun.

They hurried through a tunnel Ava hadn't seen before, carved into the stone behind a loose panel in the dungeon wall. The path was narrow and smelled of earth and old secrets.

"Where does this lead?" Ava asked in a hushed voice.

"Outside the wall," Aiden replied. "There's a safehouse deep in the forest where we can regroup."

But the path wasn't empty. As they neared the end, they heard a noise, a scraping sound, then a low growl. A figure emerged from the shadows. It was a massive wolf, fur jet black, eyes glowing red.

"Run!" Aiden shouted, shoving Ava behind him.

The beast lunged. Aiden shifted mid-air, his body twisting into his wolf form, crashing into the attacker. The tunnel echoed with snarls and the sound of teeth against bone.

Ava didn't run. She grabbed a fallen torch from the wall and swung it, flames licking at the beast's flank. It howled and stumbled back, giving Aiden the chance to bite deep into its throat. The creature fell, twitching.

Aiden shifted back, blood on his hands.

"What the hell was that?" Ava asked, panting.

He looked at the creature. "That… wasn't just a wolf. It is something else."

Ava stared at the body. "They sent that thing for me?"

He nodded grimly. "And they'll send more."

Together, they fled into the night, the trees swallowing them whole. But danger wasn't far behind and the secrets of Ava's blood had only begun to awaken.