Mia's POVAlpha Fenrir turned to look at Lycidas with something akin to humour born of unbelief in his eyes. "Gonzalo told me you lost your memories. He didn't tell me you also lost your dignity, boy," he said. Lycidas's face showed confusion for a moment, then his face heated as he realized what he just did. "Well, it's not like it was my fault…" he mumbled defensively. "And it fulfills the prophecy, doesn't it?" his voice was bolder now. Alpha Fenrir continued looking at him, but there was curiosity in his face now. "What do you mean it's not your fault?" he asked. Lycidas blushed even more. By the side, Martha sniggered quietly, but stopped when Mabel shot her a glare. The corners of her mouth turned down though, and I noticed she was glaring at Lycidas with disdain. "Well…." Lycidas began. "Everything I know was told to me by Alpha Gonzalo," he said. "I can't remember anything beyond when he found me half dead with a knife in my throat." "Alright," Alpha Fenrir nodded. Ly
Mia's POVWe all walked in the tunnel for a few seconds before I couldn't hold back and had to ask."So…I really have corruption in my blood?" I asked. My heart was beating hard just thinking of it. The words felt like barbed wires as they scratched past my throat into my mouth and past my lips. I felt my eyes burn and my vision swam with tears, but I cleaned them quickly and listened for his reply. Alpha Fenrir took some time to reply. When he did, it was in an oddly amused voice that seemed so out of place with the gravity of the topic, at least to me. "You see," he said, turning back to give me a quick glance before facing forward again. He was the one leading us through the tunnel system. Mabel had told us on the night we escaped to here that it was connected to the underground chamber of the cottage and may other hideouts of the Sulfur Hands branch in Blood Moon pack. I never expected Alpha Fenrir to know said network, but since he was leading us now with Mabel in the far re
Mia's POVI looked at the stretching darkness on my left. Then I turned to look at the one on my right. After that, I looked at the one I had just emerged from. Three different pathways to follow.When Mabel told us that it was easy to get lost in this tunnel system just after we escaped from the invasion, she won the award for the grossest understatement. The real words should have been: in that tunnel system, it's impossible not to get lost. It would have been more correct. There was just no way I could have been lost except it was impossible not to get lost. As far as I could remember, I had only run in a straight line when I left the group. Maybe a turn or two, I had been too broken and my vision too blurry from tears to really pay attention to where I was going. But that shouldn't be the reason for me to get as lost I as I was now. I looked at the three alternatives I had and sighed again. I could go back the way I came and try to find another way, take the left, or take th
Mia's POVMy brain struggled to comprehend what he just said. "But …" I started to say. But he cut me off. "There's no but, dear. Your parents, are they your blood or not?" Alpha Fenrir asked. I nodded. "Of course they are," I said. Even if they are corrupted now, they are still my blood. "Exactly," Alpha Fenrir said, clapping me in the shoulder. "Actually, when we interpreted the prophecy, that was our interpretation of that line," he said. "We never thought the case of Lycidas would be possible. In fact, it never occurred to us," Saying this, he turned and continued walking forward. Lycidas smiled at me, but mercifully held his tongue. Martha scoffed and put some distance between us, but Mabel had a gentle smile on her face.A knowing smile. The two men, who walked a little behind Alpha Fenrir maintained a blank expression as they have since I first saw them. We walked in silence after that, with only the echoes of our footsteps bouncing off the tunnels and walls. As we wa
Mia's POVMy eyes widened as I looked around the chamber. It wasn't just the corrupted one before us. Every one of the corrupted in their glass cages were convulsing terribly. Their eyes glowed redder than I had ever seen it, and they bared their teeth in a snarl. It occured to me it was the first time I had ever seen a corrupted snarl. Their fangs were surprisingly white, glowing in the dim light of the chamber. They snarled and howled and strained against their chains. "The moonstone!" Alpha Fenrir said, his great coming in short gasps. "I need the moonstone now!" The moonstone? I have heard the name before, but I can't for the life of me remember where. Lycidas looked like he knew what it was though. He darted off to a corner of the chamber. But Mabel beat him to it. She darted to a cabinet at the corner of the chamber and picked out a grey stone. All at once, I remembered where I had first heard the word, moonstone. It was the first day I came down here with Mabel. Then, she
Mia's POV"No," Alpha Fenrir said quickly. "Not kill. Just incapacitate them," However, Martha didn't hear it. Before Alpha Fenrir was done speaking, she had already rushed into the tightening circle of corrupted. Sighing, Mabel rushed in after her. And so did Alpha Fenrir almost immediately. Like his shadow, the two men that had been following him rushed in after him too. That left Lycidas and I. We looked at each other. Lycidas smiled. I was fully expecting him to say something mocking about how I can't fight. To my surprise, he didn't. He just smiled slightly, a sincere smile, and said,"You can stay here. I will take care of any one that comes close —" "No, thanks," the words fell out of my mouth before the stun set in. And then it did and my jaws fell open in shock. Was Lycidas sick? That was the only explanation for his recent behaviours. Either that, or Hazel had somehow managed to swap him out with a very advanced corrupted that didn't know how distasteful Lycidas usuall
Lycidas's POV We stood, panting. Twitching and snarling bodies of corrupted wolves littered the ground around us, but they were harmless now. Unless of course, you got too close. They could scratch you or even bite if you're too close. I looked up at the trapdoor through which Mia had disappeared. A whirl of emotions churned in my heart, many of them unidentified. It wasn't the first time I had seen her suddenly powerful, or felt that….would I call it aura, from her. I had seen her like that just earlier in the day after all, when she saved me from the Silver Hand. But why do I feel like she's gotten stronger since then? Could such thing happen? It doesn't make sense. Hell, her wolf hadn't even surfaced fully, and had stayed less than an hour the last time. She couldn't have gotten so used to it that there is a noticeable increase in her strength in such a short time, could she? "Let's go," Alpha Fenrir said, his breath coming out in short gasps, as was Mabel's. Martha though, d
Lycidas's POVIt was a long walk back to the cottage's underground, with me wondering each time I took a turn whether I took a wrong one. My footsteps echoed in the empty tunnels as I walked, which made the experience even worse. But Mia needed a consoling shoulder at the moment, and it was my duty as her mate to provide it, even if we felt ko mate bond yet. Eventually though, I made it back to the chamber. As I stood at the dark corner that led to the tunnel and looked at the scene inside the chamber, I realised that Alpha Fenrir was right when he talked about the quick recovery of the corrupted. Though they were no longer growling and snarling, they weren't lying as still as we left them. Most of them were already crawling, either pushing themselves with the tip of their toes and their jaws, or pulling themselves with their fingers. I couldn't bring myself to pass right through them, even if they looked harmless at the moment. So I walked around the edges of the chamber till I g