“You really believe this bitch!?” Lenny growls.
“I absolutely believe her,” Henrick turns to Lenny, his eyes glinting in fury. “It seems like all of my children are useless, but you’re the worst.”
I take a careful step back, holding my breath while keeping Luca behind me. Nothing happens for a second, then both men lunge at each other. Lenny is brutal and strong, but Henrick is obviously more experienced. I can’t tell who will make it out of this fight, and I really don’t care.
Whoever survives will be killed later, anyway. I can already feel a group of wolves running toward us. At this point, I’m just trying to buy us more time. “He called Ciara a worthless bitch,” I yell towards Henrick. “And that she deserves to die because she’s weak.”
Henrick’s eyes flash with anger, and in a sudden burst of hatred, he pins Lenny to the wall and slashes his neck with the knife. Luca gags behind me and turns to look away. Before Henrick turns his attention back on us, two strong wolves rush past us with a few warriors trailing behind them.
I instantly recognize the wolves.
Celine is the white wolf rushing towards Henrick before biting down on his arm to force him to let go of the knife. Then Harmony jumps on top of him, making him fall down. I can see Henrick struggling, yelling, and hissing. But then… he gives up.
Just like that. It’s like all the fighting spirit has left him.
Celine shifts, grabs a long shirt from the bag she had attached to her legs, and swiftly throws it on. “Tie him up,” she commands the warriors, who hurry to oblige.
Then she turns to me. “Val!” She cries out, hugging me.
She came. They all came for me. My eyes fill with tears. “Alpha.”
“It’s okay,” she says with a smile. “We will take care of the rest.” She pulls away from me and looks at Luca. She seems to be surprised but apparently puts two and two together. “Take the boy with you. This staircase leads to the outside. We’ll be right behind you.”
I nod. There is nothing I want more than to just get away from this place. I spin on my heels before I catch that scent again. It’s even stronger now. “It’s here again,” I whisper. “That scent…” I pause. “Mate!” I call out, making Celine and Harmony look at me in surprise.
Running up the stairs comes the most beautiful man I have ever laid eyes on. He looks like someone out of a catalog, so surreal, with slightly curly hair, strong cheekbones, dark eyes, and dark eyebrows. He looks so regal. He’s tall and athletic but not bulky. I don’t like bulky guys, anyway. He’s dressed well too, which is kinda cute, considering he has just been fighting. He runs towards me, opening his arms, and I jump into them like I’m the heroine of some cheesy, sappy love story.
But heck, I don’t mind.
“I knew it.” he lifts me in his arms and twirls me around before he takes a shaky breath. “I knew I would find you here, my little Snow White.”
“My name is Valerie,” I giggle.
“I know.” His strong arms pull me even tighter into his embrace.
“And you? Who are you?” I mutter.
“Eric,” he says. “My name is Eric Félin.”
Walls I
*CELINE*
“Howlonghaveyouknown?” I ask Eric. He’s still holding Valerie in his arms, not letting go now that he’s found her.
“I had a feeling when I took in her scent from her clothes,” he admits. “Like… my wolf was telling me to tag along. An instinct, you know?”
They look so incredibly sweet together, my heart melts at the view. Eric is the textbook example of Prince Charming, especially in appearance, and Valerie is like a cute little porcelain doll version of a she-wolf. After everything she’s been through, I’m so happy that she’s found her mate.
Stepping outside to meet with the others, I see Garret has already started organizing what needs to be done. He’s sent some warriors back to the pack grounds with the prisoners. We need to determine what we’re going to do with them. Valerie brings us up to speed on everything that went down in the castle, and tells us about Ciara, who has been kept half alive through dark magic.
“Shouldn’t the spell be lifted now that we’ve got the witch?” I ask Elden. He had been outside guarding the surroundings while we raided the castle, making sure we weren’t ambushed.
Elden sighs. “It’s not that simple, unfortunately. I will take a look at Ciara now and see what I can do to help her.” He looks worried. “Then I’d like to go and see how Marius is doing now that he is awake. I need to see for myself that he is alright.”
“We can deal with the rest,” I reassure him. “Thank you so much for your help. I know how hard it was to tag along with us, while you knew Marius needed help too.”
He smiles a bit. "I promised you, didn't I? You saved my son, and I told you I'll make sure to assist you in freeing Valerie. But now my son needs me too."