Page 47 of Howl For A Kiss
Daniel nodded grimly, his scarred face set in determined lines. "Maggie and I will have transport ready at the stables. Once you bring them through the service tunnels, we move fast."
"And if things go sideways?" asked Chad, one of Elena's most experienced fighters.
Damon's expression went cold and deadly. "Then we adapt. But nobody gets left behind. Not tonight."
Elena caught his eye, and something passed between them—an understanding that went deeper than words. They were no longer just Beta and rebellion leader, or even just mates learning to trust each other. They were warriors united in purpose, readyto burn down the world if necessary to protect the people they loved.
"Move out," Elena commanded.
The teams scattered like ghosts into the night. Damon followed Elena and three of her fighters toward the service entrance, his body moving with the predatory grace that had made him one of the most feared enforcers in Silvercrest territory. But now those skills served a different master—love, not duty.
The service tunnels were exactly as Elena had described from her desperate escape attempt years ago. Damp stone walls that reeked of neglect and fear, narrow passages designed for servants and supplies rather than armed infiltration. Damon's enhanced hearing picked up the guards' movements above them as they navigated the underground maze.
"Two guards at the basement entrance," he whispered, holding up his hand to halt their advance. "Standard patrol pattern. We take them silent."
Elena nodded, her blue eyes sharp with tactical focus. They moved as one unit, fifteen years of pack training meeting ten years of guerrilla warfare experience. The guards never knew what hit them.
The holding cells lay beyond a heavy iron door that had seen too much suffering. Damon felt his wolf snarl as the stench of despair and dried blood filled his nostrils.This is what our laws created,he thought with sick revulsion.This is the legacy I helped build.
Elena's gasp of recognition cut through his dark thoughts. "Fiona!"
The young woman huddled in the corner of the first cell was barely recognizable as the vibrant girl from Elena's memories. Her dark brown hair was matted and dirty, and her hazel eyeswere hollow with trauma. But she was alive, and when she saw Elena, those broken eyes filled with desperate hope.
"Elena?" Fiona's voice was barely a whisper. "Is this real?"
"Real as the snow outside," Elena said, her voice thick with tears as she worked the cell lock. "I'm getting you out of here, Fi. I should never have left you."
Fiona stumbled into Elena's arms, and Damon felt his mate's anguish like a physical blow through their bond. This was personal for Elena in ways that went beyond rebellion politics—this was family, love, and the promise of redemption for a choice that had haunted her for years.
"The others helped me escape during another forced mating ceremony," Fiona whispered against Elena's shoulder. "We thought we were free, but they caught us in the forest. They've been planning to make us an example..."
"Not anymore," Damon said quietly, already working to free the five young rebels in the adjacent cells. Each one bore signs of interrogation, but their eyes burned with the same fierce determination he'd seen in Elena. "Can you walk?"
"For freedom? I can run," one of the young males said with bitter humor.
Alarms began blaring above them, echoing through the stone walls like the howl of enraged beasts. Damon's blood turned to ice—they'd been discovered too soon.
"The diversion team must have been spotted," Elena said, helping Fiona toward the service tunnel entrance. "We need to move now."
"Guards incoming," Damon reported, his enhanced hearing tracking multiple sets of boots thundering toward their position. "Multiple directions. We're about to be surrounded."
Through their ever-growing mate bond, he felt Elena's determination crystallize into something harder than diamond.She wasn't just saving her sister—she was proving to herself that she could choose love over revenge, family over fury.
"Then we fight our way out," she said simply. "Together."
Together,Damon thought, drawing his weapons as the sound of approaching enemies grew closer.Whatever comes next, we'll always face it together.
TWENTY-ONE
ELENA
The alarms shrieked through the stone corridors of the Tidewater Alpha's stronghold. Elena could feel the vibrations through the walls and ceiling as what sounded like half the Tidewater pack thundered toward their position in the basement holding cells.
"Fiona, stay close to me," Elena commanded. Her sister looked fragile as glass, but Elena could still see traces of Fiona's fierce spirit.
Elena felt her tactical mind snap into overdrive, calculating angles and escape routes with the cold efficiency that had made her the most feared rebellion leader in Tidewater territory. The service tunnels were their only viable exit, but with guards approaching from both directions, they'd have to fight their way through.
Elena drew her weapons with fluid grace, the familiar weight of her guns settling into her hands like extensions of her own body. "We will make them regret the day they captured these young rebels for no good reason," Elena said, her blue eyes going flat and deadly.
