Chapter 129

Chapter 129: Theo I was at the top of the rock pile, wedged against the ceiling with Pierce across from me. We were strategically moving stones and had produced an opening small enough to let some light in. I was getting hopeful when I heard a muffled voice from above us.

I motioned Pierce to freeze.

We waited a few seconds and the voice sounded again. It carried through our opening enough for me to recognize it as Harry’s.

Kieran jumped to the front of my mind, bringing rage with him. I pushed him. back. We couldn’t get to Harry yet, and he wasn’t helping.

I heard crunching footsteps and a sliver of light beamed through our little space. We tucked ourselves against the ceiling as best we could to stay out of sight. The light went away but I didn’t hear Harry leave. It felt like an eternity until he finally walked away.

I started to move again but Pierce stopped me.

“Not yet,” he mouthed. “Too close.”

If we moved a stone and caused a slide, he’d be able to hear it. I suppressed a huff but remained still, not waiting another second after I felt he was far enough away.

I’d like to say we made quick work, but nothing felt quick enough. When the opening was finally big enough for us to fit through, I almost left Pierce behind. But I needed him to help me keep a level head. As long as he was here, I remembered Briggs was with Kingston. And I needed to keep tabs on Kingston, too.

I pulled Pierce out of the hole and onto his feet.

“He went this way,” I pointed out. “Come on.”

There was still no scent to follow, so there wasn’t much to guide us. Luckily, there weren’t many options. We emerged in what used to be a hallway, with only one accessible door in the direction we were heading. It led into a room where we found a part of the far wall torn open, leading into the next.

We followed this pattern in and out of rooms and hallways, but I was getting increasingly frustrated. Kieran was going crazy in my head.

“We’re getting nowhere,” I finally said, resisting the urge to punch a hole in the nearest object.

“Yeah,” Pierce agreed. “Without knowing what this place looked like, I wouldn’t know how to find his hideout even if we had an idea.”

“Hang on,” I said, pushing my fingers through my hair, forcing myself to think. “This was a packhouse, right?”

“That’s what Kin said.”

“Then we should be able to get a general idea.” I returned to the room we had just left and looked out the window. “This isn’t the front where we came in, and there were off–shoots on either side. So, let’s say we‘ ve made it to the back. The living quarters would be in the extended wings.”

“So, perhaps these were offices or conference rooms,” Pierce speculated.

“Harry picked this place for a reason,” I said. “There’s some kind of meaning here. Whatever it is, he wouldn’t set up in just any room. He would take Ayla somewhere specific.”

“The Receiving Hall,” Pierce said.

Every packhouse that I knew of had a Receiving Hall. It was where the pack leaders were formally recognized during any event or occasion where the pack would address them directly. If Harry wanted to mark Ayla, it could mean he wanted to be Alpha.

“We need to backtrack,” I said. “We need to look for a way back down to the main floor.”

‘Theo, Kingston’s on his own,‘ Briggs‘ voice came through the link. “There was a trap that separated us.‘

***

Briggs The tunnel system was like a maze. Kingston had been right about them holding up, though. We didn’t come across many dead ends. Although, I wasn’t sure that was much better since making heads or tails of the place was impossible. And it didn’t escape my attention that several of those dead ends included strange doors. But Kingston said there were markers to follow. He even showed us what to look for.

“I’m sorry about your family,” I spoke, breaking the silence we had been walking in.

“It wasn’t just my family,” Kingston said. “It was my pack. Everything I had known and loved was ripped away from me in a single night.”

Being back here must have brought up terrible memories for Kingston, and a feeling of unease had been growing in my gut since we entered the tunnels.

“Are you sure you remember the way?” I asked calmly.

Kingston stopped. “My father taught me how to navigate these tunnels. As the Beta, he was in charge of protecting the pack’s greatest secrets.

I was too young for him to tell me any of them, but he said it was never too early to start learning how to keep them. So, yes, I remember.”

“Do you remember how much further?” I pressed. “We don’t know how much time Ayla and her family have or what he’s doing with them.”

“It’s not much farther,” Kingston replied confidently.

Then he stopped abruptly.

We stood at a four–way juncture.

“Hang on,” Kingston said.

He examined the corners of the walls, reading the markings he used to guide us. I took a few steps further down one hall. A scraping sound filled our ears and a cloud of dust erupted into the air.

“Kingston,” I called, remembering we were warned about traps. “Kingston.”

I rushed forward and almost ran head–first into a wall. A wall right where a hallway just was. The warriors with me were Sablemane. They would be able to link with him.

“What’s going on?” I asked the nearest.

“Alpha says he must have tripped something,” the warrior said. “He’ll find his way out. He said for us to follow your lead.”

Of course he did.