Page 27 of Lycan Prince's Secret Baby

But finally, a ray of hope pierced the darkness. As I bit into the dry bread of my measly lunch, something pricked against my fingers. My heart thumped wildly. Someone had sliced into the bread and buried a scrap of paper inside. With trembling hands,I pulled out the tiny cylinder. My pulse raced as I recognized Phoebe’s spiky handwriting.

“Leah, you need to get out. The Alpha isn’t going to let you go, and we’re not letting you waste away in a cell. There’s a key in your bowl. Use it tonight, and get yourself out of there. Love, all of your Anuki and Nukai.”

Mybrothersandsisters. My heart soared with love for all of my pack. Homesickness filled me. They were so close but so out of reach that it felt as if hundreds of miles separated us.

The key.

I felt around in the briny soup, anticipation coiling tight within my chest. My fingertips brushed against cold metal. My body vibrated with the knowledge that freedom might be closer than I’d dared to believe. Adrenaline flooded my veins as my fingers curled around the metal.

I shook off the liquid from the object, revealing a small, expertly crafted key. I recognized Mary’s handiwork, her skills as a metalsmith honed in the Nightwing lands. I glanced at the tiny keyhole of my cell, overwhelmed by the thought of how she had fashioned it—how someone had gotten the lock’s measurements, written the note, and slipped it into my food. My family had come through for me.

For us.

I hid the precious key against my skin, burying it in my bra for safekeeping. Determination surged through my blood. The rest of my day dragged, but I fought the restlessness writhing within me, forcing myself to lay on the hard surface of my bed. If myescape was successful tonight, it might be days before I could rest again.

After the moonlight had taken away my dinner dishes that evening, I stripped down to my underwear, scrubbing my skin from the grimy basin. I prayed that the cold water would wash away traces of my scent, giving me a fighting chance to elude the patrol tonight.

Finally, when night’s heavy curtain fell, I extracted the key from its hiding place and approached the door. The key felt so light for something so important. My breath shallow, I slid it into the lock. The click echoed ominously in the silence, sending fear coursing through me, threatening to freeze me in place.

As the door creaked open, I peered into the yawning darkness of the corridor. Could this moment be real? I tiptoed up the stairs, pressing against the wall, palms trembling against the stone as my pulse raced, a chorus urging me to move and slip out into the night.

Every step whispered against the cold stone, and I strained to catch any sound ahead. At the top of the stairs, I approached the outer door, praying it wouldn’t be locked. It opened, and I stepped out into the night.

I was at the back of the building, next door to the rear of the Council Chamber. The lighting was dimmer here, and I remembered the area well enough from my time living at Kyle’s, which was only a few buildings away. The thought of him nearby knotted my stomach and cinched my lungs tighter.

But I pushed the dread away.

One step at a time, Leah.You can do this.

With tentative footsteps, I crept through the yard, keeping to the shadows and holding my breath. I slunk along the wall, staying low to the ground. Tonight, the air was still and stifling, and I hoped my earlier scrub would mask my scent from patrolling guards. I allowed myself a breath, striving to calm the erratic rhythm of my heart.

Darting over to the next building, I paused, scanning for signs of movement. A chill raced over my skin, and then I froze. Footsteps echoed in the distance.

Terror exploded through me. The fragile window of my escape threatened to shatter. A wave of panic surged, suffocating me.

“Hey!” A low, commanding voice cut through the stillness of the night. “You two, a Blood Moon was just spotted by the kitchens. Go check it out.”

My heart raced as I processed the man’s words; the guards had been ordered to the other far side of the compound—away from me.

I recognized the man’s voice, familiarity washing over me. Yet from my shadowy vantage point, I couldn’t see him. Cloaked in the darkness, I remained motionless, listening as the man’s directive pulled the guards away. Their presence receded, leaving the path ahead clear. A surge of relief coursed through my veins, and I sensed the man moving away from the area, too. I silently thanked the moon goddess for this stroke of fortune. Instinct tugged at me, whispering that thiswas the spy within the pack. Shock and gratitude twisted together in a heady mix. Against all odds, my escape was becoming a reality thanks to this ally watching my back.

With a deep breath and with tired yet firm legs, I seized the moment. Slipping along the wall, I crossed over to the next structure, anticipation beating through me like a drum. I moved stealthily to the following building, then the next, gliding through the compound like a thief in the night.

Determination stole across my face.

Tonight, Igaluk, please let me and my child steal our freedom.

Chapter 15

Kyle

I paced the living room of my childhood home. It was late, but I’d stopped in at my father’s house. It was right next door to the Council Chamber and granted an unobstructed view of the entrance to the cell block. My father still hadn’t left the Council Chambers, but I couldn’t risk lingering there any longer. He’d snapped at me yesterday evening when I’d stayed late. But it was the only way I could keep tabs on his movements.

Each of my footfalls echoed in the lofty room, the hardwood floorboards and whitewashed walls sparser than I remembered. I’d noticed that my father had replaced the suede couches with sleek leather ones. Now I realized that the soft green and orange rug that used to lie in the center of the room was gone—a homey touch that I supposed had been my mother’s choice. I hadn’t set foot in the living room since her wake three years ago.

I clenched my fists, then loosened them, trying to release the tension drumming through me. I’d grown increasingly aware of the likelihood that it was only a matter of time before my father’s patience wore out, and he went to Leah. I’d managed to dissuade him from torturing her to find out the whereabouts of the rebel Blood Moons, but I sensed that his mercy was fraying. The firstthing my father had decreed after Leah had been taken to the cell was that I was forbidden to go there.

The memory of his voice, like the distant rumble of thunder, juddered through me.“You’re not to go down to that seductress. Do I make myself clear?”At the time, I’d been so thankful I had stopped my father in his tracks from hurting Leah, as I’d seen in the gleam in his eye, in the dangerous lilt of his tone, and the prowling stance of his body, that he meant to. I’d have agreed to anything at the time.

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