Break

RORY

Once the pack meeting ends and all of the other wolves have filed out, Everett and I are left alone in the council room.

There’s so many emotions running through my head right now, I’m not even sure where to start.

~What kind of a pack are we if we have to resort to killing to solve our problems?~

Eddie and Oliver are my friends, and I hate how helpless I am to get them out of this situation.

Even Everett couldn’t do anything.

He tried his best to argue with the council, but in the end, it just wasn’t enough.

“So that’s it?” I say. “We’re just going to stand by and watch as my friends die?”

Everett looks at me, defeated.

“My hands are tied, Aurora.”

“But…you’re the alpha! Can’t you just roar at them until they get scared and you get your way like you always do?”

“The Council exists for situations like this. I’ve been fighting battles over protecting humans this whole time, Aurora. But the rest of the pack doesn’t agree. And if I push too hard, the whole pack might split apart.”

“That doesn’t sound like a good excuse for my friends to die,” I cry. “Remember when we decided we were going to change things? That we were going to create a better world for wolves ~and~ humans?”

Everett smacks his hand down on the table angrily.

“I know that, Aurora!” he says. “But I’m trapped here.”

I stare at him, shocked to see him like this.

Usually, when it comes to pack politics, he’s always so calm and collected. He always gives weight to both sides of a decision before he makes it, and that’s what makes him a good leader.

But this time, it seems like either way—he loses.

But Oliver and Eddie don’t have time to wait for Everett to make a decision.

That’s why ~I~ have to fix this myself.

I have to help Eddie and Oliver escape the prisons.

Without another word, I stand up and walk out of the room.

I’m mad at Everett for not standing up for my friends.

Of course I still love him.

The question is…after he finds out about what I’m about to do, will he still love me too?

***

Everett and I lie in bed together in the pitch-black darkness. We’re both awake, but there’s tension hanging in the air.

Ever since the meeting this morning, I’ve been giving him the silent treatment.

Partially because I’m still mad at him, and partially because I’m such a terrible liar and he would sense that I’m planning something right away.

“Come here,” he whispers, the covers rustling as he scoots over the bed toward me.

His large hands slide over my hips, pulling me closer.

But I wiggle out of his grasp and turn away.

“What’s wrong?” he says, running his hands over my back. “You don’t want to fall off the bed tomorrow morning, do you?”

I roll over with my back to him, giving him the cold shoulder.

“Considering Eddie and Oliver are going to die tomorrow, I think that’s the least of my worries,” I say.

He sighs, rolling over on his own side.

“Fine,” he mutters. “Goodnight, little one.”

“Goodnight.”

But the truth is, my night is far from over.

I lie in the dark, wide awake, waiting for Everett to fall asleep.

Once I hear his breathing get heavier, I slowly slip out from under the covers.

I grab my jacket and slip into my shoes, then tiptoe toward the door.

But just as I get there, I trip over my own feet in the dark and CRASH to the floor.

~Shit!~

My heart starts to race as I look at Everett in the bed, expecting him to jump up and ask what I’m doing.

But all he does is let out a light snore.

I melt in relief. ~Phew.~

~That was a close one.~

I get up and slip out the door, being extra careful as I sneak along the dark hallway and down the stairs.

The dungeon entrance used to be inside the pack house, but after Amber blew it to bits, Everett moved it to a separate location on pack territory.

I step outside into the cool night air, making my way across the grass until I spot the entrance.

It looks like a small shack, but really it’s an elevator that leads to the underground prison.

I approach the large metal door.

When I get to it, I turn the handle and pull with all my might.

But the door doesn’t budge, and I end up falling backward, landing on my butt in the wet grass.

I look at the door and realize it’s locked by, like, ten different locks of different shapes and sizes.

~Just my luck.~

Although, I guess that’s probably a good thing, considering the pack’s worst criminals are all down there together.

But it’s bad news if I’m going to get Eddie and Oliver out of there.

Suddenly, I hear rustling in the bushes nearby. My heart starts to race as I see the outline of a person start walking toward me.

~This doesn’t look good.~

~Is it a pack warrior on patrol?~

~Am I going to be caught?~

Then, the person’s familiar face steps into the light.

It’s Mia, wearing a black beanie and dark outfit.

“Mia…!” I cry out. “What are you doing here? Did you follow me?”

She puts her hands on her hips. “Well, you followed ~me~ before, didn’t you?”

I try to think of a cover story, but considering I’m right in front of the prison door and I’m the worst liar in the world, nothing believable comes out.

“I was just…uh…,” I stammer, “…going to break into the dungeon.”

She raises her eyebrows.

“Are you going to turn me in?” I ask, fear rising up in me.

But she just shakes her head “No, I’m not here to rat you out. I’m here to help you.”

~What?~

~Did I hear that right?~

“Are you serious?” I cry out, still not fully believing that the person who made my life a living hell in college would now suddenly try to help me commit treason against our own pack.

“Duh. Do you think I would wear this outfit in any other circumstance ~other~ than breaking into and out of jail?”

I look at her all-black outfit. It’s true. She looks far more ready to perform a heist than I do in my P&Js.

“Why would you help me?” I ask, still not fully believing her.

She looks at me like it’s the most obvious answer in the world.

“Because you saved my life! And now you’re going to try to save your other friends. I ~have~ to help you. That’s, like, good karma.”

I smile, but honestly it’s hard to believe, especially considering Mia’s lied to me before.

But she seems really sincere, and I’m not sure I could do this alone anyways.

“Okay,” I say, getting up and wiping the grass off my butt. “But we have to figure out another way in.”

“I think I might be able to help,” she says. “Follow me.”

We make our way off the pack house grounds, down a dirt road that leads into a small ravine.

In the darkness, behind some bushes, is a large, rusty metal tunnel.

“Here we are!” Mia says, turning on her phone flashlight and shining it inside.

“What is this place?” I ask, peering in.

“It used to be a sewer, I think,” she says as we enter. “But it’s not, like, gross or anything. When we had to move to this pack, me and my friends went exploring and found this place.”

Our footsteps echo in the tunnel as we go deeper.

“Who are the people you’re trying to rescue anyway?” Mia asks.

“Old friends from high school,” I tell her. “Well, one of them is my ex, actually.”

“See, that’s how I know you really are a better person than me. I’d be happy to let all my exes rot in jail.”

I laugh, which echoes through the dark tunnel.

“He was a really good guy,” I say. “But then, I met Everett and everything changed.”

“A ~good~ guy?” she says doubtfully. “I’ve heard rumors they exist, but I’ve never seen one myself.”

“Well, you can meet him if this works.”

We get to a metal grate, almost completely rusted. She pulls the door, and it groans open.

On the other side, there’s a staircase that leads downward.

“This leads down to the prison,” she says. “I found it when I came here, but I didn’t go down there because of…you know, rogues and stuff.”

“Mia!” I cry out. “You’re the best. Thank you!!”

“Don’t thank me until after we break those boys out,” she says. “Come on.”

We tiptoe down the stairs until we get to a dimly lit, large tunnel. But before I enter, Mia grabs my hand and pulls me around the corner, hiding.

“There’s a guard!” she whispers.

We peek around the corner and see a warrior sitting at a desk. But when we look closer, we see his feet are on the table and his eyes are closed.

“Sleeping on the job,” she whispers. “A lucky break.”

We tiptoe over, and Mia points to the set of keys attached to his waistband.

She gives me a worried look.

~How are we going to get the keys without waking him up?~

But I have a solution.

I close my eyes, channeling golden energy into the keys, and focusing on guiding it off of his belt.

It floats up, jangling slightly, and right into my hand.

~This magic thing is really starting to come in handy.~

Mia eyes me in wonder, and we sneak past the desk, further into the tunnel, and into the actual dungeon.

We start passing the cells, and I try not to look as rogues start to hoot and holler at us.

Some are old, with beards, and some look too young to be down here. Some are in wolf form, howling and pacing in their cells.

The whole place gives me the creeps, and I want to get out of here as fast as I can.

That’s why I’m grateful when we finally spot Eddie, Oliver, and Oliver’s dad.

When they spot us, they jump up and rush to the bars, their faces lit up.

“Rory!” Eddie cries out. “You came!”

Mia jangles the keys, trying to find which one opens the door.

“We’re getting you out of here,” I say.

Mia unlocks the door, and as it creaks open, a rogue from the opposite cell starts cheering and howling at us.

“Don’t you see? It’s coming soon!” he cries nonsensically. “Yes, yes, the day of awakening is coming!”

I ignore him as Oliver and Eddie throw their arms around me.

“Thank you so much,” Eddie says. “You saved us.”

He turns to Mia, giving her a hug too. “Thank you, too. We’re so grateful.”

She smiles, glancing back at the lunatic rogue yelling at us. His cell is filled with strange symbols scratched into the wall.

“What do you say we get out of here?” she says. “This place is giving me the creeps.”

We sneak out the way we came, passing the sleeping guard and leaving through the tunnel.

When we step outside, I point to the woods.

“That’s the way you came,” I say. “We may have to run. Who knows how long until they find out you’re missing.”

We all make our way away from the pack house. Oliver and his dad run far ahead in the dark forest.

But Eddie lingers back with me because I can’t run that fast without tripping and falling down.

“I don’t know what to say other than thank you,” he says. “Those people were going to kill us.”

“Just promise me one thing,” I tell him. “Don’t tell anyone what you saw here.”

He nods. “I wouldn’t really know what to say. But I do have ~so~ many questions.”

“Eddie, there isn’t time,” I say. “And the less you know, the better.”

He stops. “Okay, but please just tell me one thing.”

“What?”

“Are you...happy?”

I flash a smile. “Yeah, I am. This is my home, and Everett is the love of my life.”

He nods. “If you’re happy, then I’m not going to ruin that by telling anyone about this place. I promise.”

“Thank you,” I say, pulling him in for a hug.

He turns to Mia. “I don’t know you at all but...I can tell you’re a really good person.”

He looks down at his feet. “And if I wasn’t going to get killed, if I ever come back here again, I would totally ask for your number.”

“You don’t seem so bad yourself,” she says, grinning. “Maybe in another life.”

He turns and looks into the distance, where Oliver and his dad have already disappeared.

“I should catch up with them,” he says. “Seriously, you don’t have to keep coming with us. You’ve done enough. We’ll be fine.”

“Okay,” I say. “But be careful. We’re almost in rogue territory.”

“Rogue?” he asks. “What the hell is that?”

Suddenly, I hear a twig snap behind us. In the shadows, I can hear a deep growl emerge from the bushes.

~Oh no...~

~Rogues.~

It leaps from the shadows, lunging right at Mia.

She screams, unable to react in time, just moments away from getting mauled.

But then, Eddie jumps in front of her, getting tackled to the ground instead.

I watch helplessly as they scramble in the dirt, but Eddie is just a human, and the giant wolf is far too strong for him.

He opens his jaws and bites Eddie on the neck, snapping it with one sickening ~CRUNCH~.

It all happens in a flash, and I watch in horror as Eddie falls to the ground, completely limp.

~I can’t believe what just happened...~

~Eddie’s dead.~