Chapter 35

They fell and instinctively Klara let go, which allowed Marc to grab her to his chest, flipping onto his back just before they crashed to the stone floor below. He groaned, his head blossomed in pain. “Marc!” Wade’s panicked voice came from above, but he obviously didn’t dare get closer.

“Fine!” he called up. “Klara?”

“Yeah, you’re not too soft to land on though.” She rolled off him gently, getting to her feet before tugging on his arm to pull him up. The light from the now much bigger opening above them shone light on his injuries, “You’re hurt,” she exclaimed, touching above the cut just above his belt. She dropped to her knees and kissed along the wound. ’Lick it like the mark,’ his mind link was gentle and she instantly complied, tasting the warm copper blood. Just like his mark, it sealed instantly.

“I’ve linked for help. We’ll get ropes and stuff!” Wade called down.

“Thanks. I’m going to see where this tunnel goes… I’ve got a funny feeling.”

“Bud, not a good idea. Like you said, wait for the guards.”

“I don’t smell anything recent. Welcome to join,” Marc offered through a smile, knowing full well Wade wouldn’t unless they were in actual danger.

Wade was scared of two things.

Heights and falling.

Marc was sure he was also a little scared of the dark, but he wouldn’t comment.

“We’ll go down the tunnel, when they get here, send two down to support. I have a feeling this tunnel comes out somewhere.”

“Fine, fine. As beta I’m not happy about this.”

“Your concern has been duly noted, see you in a bit.”

He turned to Klara, “You stay behind me. If I say run, you run back here, understand?”

“I’ll be fine, Marc. Come on!” she exclaimed in excitement.

He rolled his eyes, but had to admit as he stared down the thin tunnel there was certainly a flutter of excitement within him that wasn’t just Klara’s.

They made their way down the smooth tunnel, water dripped down the walls. The cool air was welcoming on their warm skin. “Do you recognise the scent?”

“Yeah… but it’s too faint, I think it just smells like any wolf. Did you know about this place?”

“No. I suspect it’s a cave system but wasn’t aware there were any under Royal packland. There’s quite a few north in the kingdom. The humans have even dug into the earth to mine things they consider valuable.”

“Wonder if it leads anywhere.”

“Only one way to find out.”

They walked down the dark tunnel, unable to make out much ahead of them until a mind link came through to Marc, announcing the arrival of the guards. “We’ll wait here, let Matilda and Ben catch up.”

Five minutes later, footsteps echoed around the tunnel signalling the guards’ arrival, it took another few minutes for a light to come around the small bend. Light blinded them both, “My King, are you injured?” A female voice came from behind the light.

“I’m fine, Matilda. Would you mind lowering the torch?”

“Sorry, Your Majesty!” The beam pointed to the ground, the glow around the tunnel showed a young female with a mass of curls while a slightly older male was behind her.

“Tillie,” the male scolded. “I’ll go ahead, My King.” The male shuffled around them before another torch illuminated.

The guards were soon silent as they continued on, Klara was still trying to identify the slight smell although it was much harder with the new scents of the guards mixing in the air. Suddenly, the beam stopped hitting wall ahead of them, showing a fork in the way, the tunnel opening up enough they could all go ahead in a line to see.

To the left, Ben focused the beam on light on a new wooden plank set over a swirling abyss of black before the tunnel continued over the ravine. To the right, Matilda shone her light showing another passageway. “This looks new,” Ben commented, gesturing to the thick wooden plank obviously meant as a gangway.

Klara was intrigued by the path to the right, she was sure she could smell something. She took a step that way, away from the group, “Klara?” Marc snapped her gaze back to him.

“I can smell something.”

“The air flow is stronger this way, that’s a dead end,” Ben stated, his tone almost dismissive.

Klara scowled at him.

“What do you smell, my Queen?” Marc asked, his jaw a little tighter at the guard.

“I… I know the smell.”

“We can always backtrack, we’ll start down this tunnel,” Marc announced, gesturing to the right and before the guards could fall in formation, he strode ahead. Quickly Klara fell in step with him.

“My King, I should go ahead.”

“Just shine the light at our feet,” Marc replied as Klara’s bare feet hit something hard.

She let out a cry and stumbled only staying upright as Marc caught her. “Little one!”

“I’m fine. Ow.” She bent down and rubbed her toe, looking at the offending stalagmite that the light was now showing. “My Queen, here.” Matilda bent down and began undoing the laces of her boots.

“No! No need, thank you though.”

“I insist! Please!” Matilda sounded a little breathless, tugging the boots from her feet.

“Thank you Matilda, that is awfully kind and honourable,” Marc rumbled, graciously taking the footwear.

’I can’t, that’s ridiculous, she needs shoes too!’ Klara hastily mind linked him.

’The safety of the Queen is more important,’ he replied, kneeling and tugging her foot up to slip on and lace the boots.

“Thank you, Matilda,” Klara put as much sincerity into her voice… but she hated that she’d taken the shoes from her.

They continued down until the scent grew stronger. Marc herded Klara behind him as the four of them quietened their steps until the torches landed on bundles of fabric and a dead end. The guards quickly scoured every section of the dead end, but found nothing. Klara picked up one of the bundles, finding it to be a sleeping bag. She didn’t need to draw it any closer, the smell swamped her.

She recoiled and almost instantly Marc’s warm comforting hand was on her lower back. “Derrek,” she choked out. The feel of his hands on her, his body over hers as he trapped her and pinned her down. Her breathing began coming out in harsh pants.

“He’s not here, little one, this is old. He’s dead, remember?” She reached back and grabbed onto his warm chest, “He’s not here,” Marc repeated soothingly.

“Looks like he was camped here for a while, my King. Rations.” Ben illuminated containers of dried food that were mostly empty. Canteens that they assumed were for water were stacked against the rough rocky wall.

“So who was camped in this one?” Matilda pointed to the other sleeping bag. Klara approached leant down, sucking in a lungful of the scent. “Dad,” she turned back around, instantly going back to Marc, letting him wrap his arms around her.

“So they hid here for goddess only knows how long. Then made their move.”

“We’ll scout further, find out if the tunnel comes out anywhere. Your Highness, I feel you and the future Queen should head back, they’ve set up ropes to-”

“I want to see,” Klara piped up, cutting Ben off.

“I would say it would be safer to find the exit than try and get back out of that hole. We will accompany the two of you. I need to know where this brings us, if it is another territory I must be aware first hand.”

The two guards looked at each other, clearly wanting to argue but knew they couldn’t.

Moving back the way they came, they reached the fork in the tunnel, “I’ll go first, Your Majesty,” Ben announced, walking over the thick plank, the beam of the torch in Matilda’s hands couldn’t penetrate the depths of the ravine. Luckily it was only about eight foot wide to get to the other side.

Klara stared down when it was her turn to go across, Marc was on the other side, one foot on the plank with his hand out for her, Matilda was behind, she’d be the last across. ’No need to fear, we could jump that if need be.’

‘I can’t see the bottom, I don’t think I can.’

‘Are we an Alpha or a mouse? We are powerful and strong, a little fall can’t hurt us.’ She wanted to argue to her wolf it was NOT a little fall. “Come on, it’s safe, if it can take me it’ll take you.”

“Can you stop commenting on my weight?” she snapped, chewing on her lip, a small tremor going through her body. She never thought she had a fear of heights… but maybe she did.

She was starting to think maybe she should go out the other way.

“You can do it, Klara,” Marc encouraged confidently. She took a ginger step forward, looking to Marc instead of the desolate petrifying obsidian depth. Another step and the plank wobbled. She shook her head, “I don’t-”

“Two more steps and I’ll have you,” he promised, inching further towards her without putting more of his weight on the wood. She shuffled another step.

’Don’t like it, don’t like it.’ Her wolf commented, the confident Alpha not so confident anymore.

‘Not helping!’ She took a glance back, debating shuffling backwards but saw she was already halfway, Marc was closer than the ledge behind her. Taking a breath she shuffled until she felt the warm comforting hand of Marc’s enclosing around her own, he tugged her forward and wrapped her in the safest embrace she’d ever had.

She snuggled in because she was safe.

It hit her, in that dark tunnel with the faint smell of her main tormentors but the overwhelming smell of her mate. Her mate who would always be there, protecting her, lifting her up and scaring away her monsters.

She was safe.