Page 121 of The Breeding Cave
SEVENTY
LUCIANO
Claws extended, I paced back and forth in front of the dungeon door that Yeosin had disappeared inside of ten minutes ago. Twigs snapped underneath my feet as my heart pounded inside my chest.
Ten minutes of pure torture, and nothing had happened yet.
She hadn’t come back. No phoenix had been released. The dragons hadn’t shown up.
My stomach twisted into tight knots, a heavy feeling weighing down on my chest. Something wasn’t right. I should’ve never ever let her go in there alone with Gideon. He wasn’t strong one bit. Smart maybe, but not strong enough to defeat a dragon.
“We’re going in,” I said to Molly, Brent, and the others.
“You said you’d give her fifteen minutes,” Molly said. “Believe in her.”
“I do believe in her.”
“If you did, then you wouldn’t be demanding we go in,” Brent said. “She’s strong.”
I clenched my fists by my sides, attempting to push down the growing sense of agony gnawing at my insides. Yeosin was strong, capable, and so smart. She had done what I thought was impossible. She could do this, but …
“I believe in her, but I already lost her once,” I growled, canines dripping with saliva. “I thought she was dead, and I was ready to sacrifice everything to get her back. She carries the future of this pack. I trust her, but it’s my job to protect her.”
My job as the alpha, but mostly as her mate.
After stopping on top of the dungeon door, I crouched down and placed my fingertips on the metal. My eyes closed, and I tried to get ahold of myself. I had told Yeosin that I would give her fifteen minutes.
But that was fifteen minutes too long for me and for my beast.
“She should be back by now,” I said quietly to myself. “It’s almost been fifteen minutes.”
“It’s been ten at most,” Brent said, arms crossed but looking just as uneasy.
We peered at each other for a moment, his eyes shifting through a variety of emotions. Weeks ago, he had hit on Yeosin and even maybe liked her.
Now, I could see that he still cared for her, but as more of a protector, a brother.
He was worried too.
What if something had gone wrong? What if they had gotten caught? What if they couldn’t get into the prison to release the phoenixes? Were they stuck in there? What would happen if Alvin found them?
Another moment passed, and I stood back up, shoving my shoulders back. “Prepare.”
“But, Luciano,” Molly started, “we should?—”
“Prepare for battle,” I repeated, leaving no room for argument. “We don’t know what has happened down there, but nothing has happened out here yet. Half the beasts will enter the mountain through the entrances at the top. The others will follow me down into the dungeon. Brent, take a group. The Colossals will lift you to the entrances at the top. Yeosin mentioned that the highest entrance is Alvin’s personal chambers. She doesn’t know where the others lead.”
Brent nodded. “Will do.”
Once Brent led the group of warriors to the Colossals, the Colossals shifted into their giant form and peered into the entrance where Yeosin had fallen from. After making sure it was clear, Brent and the warriors stepped into the Colossal’s hand, and she placed them on top.
I turned toward the rest. “Molly, you’ll stay out here with a few trackers. I trust you to make quick decisions in case the dragons escape the Colossals when they fly out of the mountain. Track them and leave a trail so we can find you.”
Despite the look of apprehension on her face, Molly nodded and scattered throughout the forest with a small group of trackers, hiding in the bushes.
Yeosin flashed through my mind again, and I swore that I heard her scream. Chills ran up and down my spine. She’d had such a fire in her eyes when she said that she could do this all on her own. She was so sure, so confident.
And I … I had let her go.
