Chapter 68

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As Azriel led me away, I couldn't help but give him a side-long glance. His features were hard, but nothing that gave away any immediate fear or concern. 

But then I thought back to Azure's sapphire gaze, piercing right through my soul, as if she could hear every thought and feeling. Did she have an inclination of what was going on? Was she starting to suspect and, if she was, were others beginning to notice, too? Azriel had said people were getting suspicious, but I never thought it would get to that level.

If it were the case, Azriel's hard face and tight-lipped mouth revealed nothing. I kept my head down and kept my mouth shut, still wondering how he'd known about me talking to Azure, and why he'd constricted my words to the point where I couldn't speak.

We emerged into the courtyard and, of course, no one was there. I was really starting to wonder what kind of magic Azriel was using to keep his people magically away from the courtyard when he wrenched open the wooden trapdoor, motioning for me to get inside.

I moved before the invisible bounds could make me. There was no point in resisting, not when his grasp was so strong it prevented me from talking. We strolled in silence down the catacombs, my eyes hanging on the marble altar a moment too long before we turned a corner, opening the metal door that led right to that dreadful, dark corridor. 

Azriel still remained silent even when we happened upon my cell. With white knuckles he pulled it open, and I walked inside, flinching as he slammed it shut behind me. When I turned around, he was gone. 

Zion and Alia shot me quizzical looks, but I had nothing to offer in return. In all honesty, I was just as perplexed as them.  

*****

Days had passed, and I knew something was definitely up when I hadn't been permitted out of my cage, not even to present as Luna before the court. Even Zion was still locked up, and the Gamma who delivered our soups offered no explanation for as to why it had suddenly gone so silent. 

It seemed Zion was the first to snap, because by the fourth day, after getting our umpteenth delivery of cold broccoli soup, he turned to me and asked, "Did something happen?"

I kept my eyes on the soup, my stomach lurching at the smell alone. I'd found myself hating the stuff more and more of recent. In all honesty, I didn't like how its chunky texture slipped through my teeth. It reminded me of the human gore. It assisted in my starving, if anything. 

The silence dragged on for a few more moments. "Well, something happened, but I didn't really think it was that significant."

I raised my eyes to his. It was the truth... somewhat. Azure's behaviour had certainly been out of character, and maybe even a little concerned, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. I'd been let down far too many times to think that, maybe, we had a shot at escaping.

Zion opened his mouth to speak, but Alia beat him to it. "What happened?"

I eyed the soup again, its thick consistency reminding me of vomit. "Azure cornered me, saying something was up. She... she knew something, or at least she was putting the pieces together. Azriel jumped the gun and stopped me from talking, and before you know it, he's standing right behind us, smiling."

I paused. "I don't know if he thought I was going to say something, or if my body language would give it away, but he got me out of there. At first I didn't think it was a big deal, because Azure is always the scheming type. But... but something about it definitely troubled him."

Silence. I gazed towards the roof, to the cracks and fissures that had burned themselves into my memory. Something I would remember clear as crystal, even when I escaped this hell.  If I escaped this hell. 

But there was something... off, I realised. Something that had gone under my radar. I strained my ears.

"Is it just me, or is it very quiet tonight?"

The others listened in as well. I was about to pass it off as me finally going mad until a distant crash sounded somewhere on the surface, followed by the very faint noise of yelling. 

I jumped to my feet, along with Zion. Alia just sat on the ground, looking at me quizzically. We listened in as the commotion above ground intensified -- yells turned to screams, and crashes turned to shattering and thuds. 

"What's wrong?" Alia questioned. Of course, she wouldn't have been able to tell the difference. She hadn't been in her werewolf form long enough to gain the heightened senses, something that not even Azriel's magic could take from me. 

"Something's happening above ground," Zion replied for me. His form was shadowed, and I couldn't make out his features as he said, "It sounds like fighting."

My stomach dropped. We were being attacked? And what would we do if an enemy came down here, in our weakened states? We'd be good as dead. 

Just then, screech of iron against stone sounded down the hall, followed by slapping footsteps as someone ran towards us. My heart crawled to my throat as I thought over everyone it could be. 

But the last person I'd ever expect to see rounded the corner, her blue eyes ablaze as they took in the scene. 

"I knew it," she hissed, platinum hair settling behind her. 

I gaped. "Azure?"

"I fucking knew it," she said again, marching towards my cell. She withdrew a glinting object from her pocket... a key!

"Where'd you get that?" I stammered, my mind flooding with questions. "How did you know where to find us? Did you know we were down here?"

"I knew," she interrupted, "from the moment one of the Gammas prohibited any of the Omegas from coming down here. I was suspicious before, but not allowing us into this bunker confirmed it. As for the key? Well, let's just say I have a good punch."

She was grinning to herself, but I felt like I was going to faint. "An invasion?"

"Yes," she confirmed, jabbing the key into the hole. Her hands shook as she twisted and turned, testing each key on the ring. "A full-scale battle is raging right now, and nowhere is safe. It seemed like an entire court has invaded, but I'm not sure which."

I swallowed as she continued to try the lock. All I could think about was Raina, as well as the other Omegas who were probably stuck in the open. I could only hope that Theta training they'd received would do them good, with what little they got of it. 

A flick sounded, and my heart jumped a beat as the cell door was thrown open. I walked forward in a daze, not quite believing what was happening. 

Azure, wasting no time, rushed over to Zion's cell and began trying the lock. Zion was white with shock -- or fear, I couldn't quite tell. I stared at Azure in awe.

"Why would you do this... for us? For me? Why would you risk so much?"

Her lockpicking did not falter. "I don't like you Kyra, and you're a bitch sometimes, But..." she turned the key, and another click sounded. She threw open Zion's door. "No one deserves a fate like this. Not even you."

I didn't quite know how I should react to her words, so I remained silent. At the end of the day, Azure had stuck her neck out to save us, and that said more than any words could. 

"But don't get it wrong," she said coolly, turning to me. "This doesn't make us friends. This is repaying the debt."

I nodded. Zion rushed out to join my side when Azure moved before Alia's cell, hesitating. 

"What are you waiting for?" Zion snapped. Azure gave him a vulgar look. 

"This is an Upsilon. I'm not sure what Azriel's doing, but if there's an Upsilon here then I'm going to guess there's more. I'm not sure it is the smartest idea to release her, especially when Azriel will be able to take control over her at any moment."

I gaped at her. Leaving Alia here? It was unjust! It didn't matter if she was an Upsilon, she deserved to escape with the rest of us. 

I looked to Zion, but he didn't have the reaction I expected. His eyes were complacent, considering even, as they turned to me. "She's right, you know..." he muttered. I couldn't believe him. Pushing past his shoulders, I strode up to Azure and levelled my eyes with hers. 

"Let her free. If Azriel does take control of her, then I'll be the one to handle it. I can't just leave her down here."

I glanced towards Alia and, sure enough, her skin was pale, eyes wide with rising panic. 

Azure stared at me for a few more moments before slowly turning around, jamming the keys into the lock. Once the bars were thrown open, I threw myself at Alia with no hesitation.

We crashed in an embrace. I hadn't hugged her in so long. In so, damn long. I could feel a dampness on my shoulder as Alia began to cry. 

"Let's go," Azure muttered. I gave her a tight nod before walking forward, feeling slightly euphoric at having free reign over my own legs. In fact, I couldn't feel Azriel's bond at all -- at least not at the intensity it has been.

"He's probably preoccupied with battle," Zion answered, reading my mind as we walked down the hallway. The dim glint of the metal door was in view now. "This is the time where he'll have weakest hold on the bond. This is your chance to escape."

I nodded, swallowing. Escape. I hadn't quite allowed myself to ponder the word, to envision a moment such as this, where I'd get to walk out of here on my own free will. 

I shook the thoughts from my head. I couldn't start day dreaming now. Azriel could be down here any moment, and who knew how bad the battle on the surface would be? I would be lucky to get through it in one piece, especially given my state. 

My state. I felt weak, far too weak. I could feel in the steps I took, in the thinness of my muscles. Now I wish I'd eaten more, done whatever I could to keep myself strong. My pride, once again, would cost me greatly. Another stupid mortal emotion, I supposed. 

Once we reached the door, we broke into a run. I didn't look at the marble altar or far wall of the chamber as we took off into the main hall, one that would lead us up the stairs and towards the trap door. 

As we ascended the stairs, my muscles screaming with every step, the sounds of battle intensified. It seemed Alia could hear them too, now, for I noticed she'd become more rigid at my side. By the time we reached the trap door, the yells and clamour were almost crystal clear, and a cowardly part of me quivered when Azure pushed open the trapdoor.

We emerged quickly, wasting no time as we tried to allow our eyes to adjust. When they did, my heart sunk. 

It was bad -- really, really bad. The courtyard around us was in ruins, trees struck down and structures destroyed as wolves battled around us. Bodies littered the ground, as did pools of blood. Panic surged in me -- where was Raina? Was she hiding? What if they'd found her already?

"Come on!" Azure yelled, breaking into a run. I grabbed the half-stunned Alia and ran after her, Zion at the rear. It was an effort to push my legs. God, I'd lost so much strength. But that wasn't my greatest concern. 

"Raina," I gasped, "Where is she?"

Azure kept her eyes ahead, weaving past the wolves' skirmishes, careful to keep our profiles low and avoid the battles. 

"I told her... I told her what I thought was happening. I told her to meet me at the cemetery today, once I got you guys out."

I blinked. "You were planning on breaking us out this whole time?"

"Yes -- well, it was only yesterday when I thought up the plan. I didn't anticipate an invasion, which honestly only complicate things, but maybe it will make this easier."

I blinked, cataloguing the information. So Raina was at the cemetery. Had the battle's reaches gone that far? I didn't allow myself to imagine her dying amongst those graves.

"Kyra, focus," Zion warned. I threw a look over my shoulder, his emerald eyes meeting mine. "We can worry about the details later. For now, we have to worry about getting out of here."

His eyes darted to Alia for the briefest of moments, and I understood. Her face was frozen with shock, movements still and regid, as though she were paralyzed by fear. I had almost forgotten that Alia, at heart, was still a faint-hearted human -- someone who had probably never seen gore or death in her life. 

Before long, we broke free of the courtyard and into the grounds. It was chaos. Blood painted the bright green grasses, its glistening ruby making me nauseous. Unmoving bodies of wolves and humans alike littered the grounds, whilst anyone who was alive engaged in snarling battles with another. It was only then that I realised how lucky we were to make it this far, and part of me doubted we'd make it the rest of the leg. 

As though on cue, two wolves in particular noticed our presence and turned to us, snarling. Azure shifted within a second, snow-white hair gleaming and green eyes glowing as she snarled back in warning. I tried to reach into myself, towards where the magic lay, but I turned up empty-handed. I turned to Zion and it seemed he, too, was empty. I swallowed. This was bad, really bad. 

Azure was out only form of defence as the wolves circled us. As though matters couldn't get any worse, Alia fell to the ground, groaning. I watched on in horror as she clutched her head and writhed in pain, strange sounds coming from her throat. I started to panic when her eyes flashed violet, canines ripping through her gums.  

"Alia!" I yelled, reaching down to grab her. Zion stopped me. 

 "Don't! Azriel's tapping into her Upsilon wolf. There's nothing we can do about it now," he yelled, staring at me with frightened eyes. Before I could so much as respond, the two enemy wolves sprung into action, and there was no time to think. Too little time, too little options. I felt trapped again.  

A flash of black fur, and the wolves were pinned to the ground. Another second passed, and their throats were spilling onto the grass, blood everywhere. Slowly, the great black beast turned, his azure eyes brighter than ever. 

Azriel. The sky plummeted around me. 

"Kyra!" his roar rattled my bones. I stared at him in muted shock, the hope I'd allowed myself to feel draining away like blood from the corpses around us. Suddenly, the world was so small -- condensed only to him and I, my captor. He would lock me up for eternity, use me and abuse me until I died. Only then would I be free again--

"Kyra!" I blinked, snapping back to reality. Zion was standing before me, gripping my shoulders. "Kyra, go! I'll take care of him."

A sob forced its way into my throat. I was faintly away at Azure's soft snarls, an empty warning to Azriel. Buying us time, so little time. "But Alia..."

"I'll take care of her," he insisted, staring into my eyes. An intense emotion sparkled in them, despite the horrors going down around us. 

One moment, we were gazing into each others eyes. The next, his lips were crashing down on mine, hand rushing up to cup my face. 

He pulled away, and I was frozen in shock. He scanned my eyes, as though looking for something, a reaction, but I just remained stock-still. I would've thought I'd imagined it if it weren't for Azriel's furious, "ZION!"

Distraction. He was using me as a distraction, enraging Azriel to buy me time. Of course, kissing me was a bit much, but it had certainly worked. I grazed my finger along his arm in silent thanks, before taking off with Azure across the grounds. Zion stared at me for a few more moments, his eyes shifting from intense to sad, as though he'd had a silent revelation. Perhaps he believed he was to die, and the thought itself forced a sob to my throat. 

I sent a thousand silent prayers to Zion and Alia, and I didn't look back to check if they were winning or losing. Deep down, in his state, I knew Zion stood no chance against Azriel. Knew it but wouldn't admit it, because if I did, I knew I'd never be able to continue on. 

So I did what I could only do.

I ran. 


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