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Chapter 27
Valor
Brielle’s scent hung in the air, leading me through winding alleyways. Every few feet, I dropped a small green stone so Ezra and Korren could follow me after handling the males in the bar. I’d carried these stones on all my tracking missions since I was sixteen. It was an easy way for others to follow my trail.
My path veered further from the center of town. Panic surged within me as Brielle’s familiar fragrance thinned, but I pressed on, refusing to stop. My wolf willed me to shift. His agitation twined with mine, and my muscles went taut.
The trail led to an abandoned building—a dead end. I went inside and looked around. The craggy cement walls seemed impenetrable at first glance, but my senses told me that wasn’t entirely true. Stale air gave way to the crisp scents of grass and pine.
I approached the edge of the barren room, and the scents intensified. A shiver danced down my spine as I realized a false wall concealed the entrance. I skimmed my hands along the rough surface, feeling for inconsistencies in the stone. I sensed Korren and Ezra closing in behind me, their presence a reassuring force.
My anger flared as I turned to face them and saw the bruises blooming on their skin.
Ezra jerked his chin toward the wall. “What’s this about?”
Swallowing my temper, I said, “A false entrance. Brielle is somewhere beyond it, and I’m trying to figure out how to open it.”
Korren kneeled beside me and checked the bottom of the wall. His nimble hands crept along the edges, nails scoring the rock with a soft hiss. He paused, then dragged his fingers back and forth a few times.
“Found it,” he muttered, tracing an invisible seam.
Korren dug his hand into the opening, prying the door from its camouflaged threshold. We stepped into a short tunnel and emerged in a dense wood. Magic. They were using magic.
The scent of multiple females—including Brielle—hung in the air, creating a bewildering tapestry of fragrances. I took point, and Ezra and Korren followed, scanning the wild lands around us until we found a small, well-used footpath.
The trail led us to a cluster of cabins. Without exchanging words, we entered the first of them. Empty. We tried the next one, but the scent wasn’t right.
“I think the cabins are another distraction,” I said.
“Trap door?” Korren asked.
“Most likely,” Ezra confirmed. “I’m honestly impressed with the lengths they’ve gone to hide their secrets.”
I grunted. “I’ll be more enthused by their evasive maneuvering once we have Brielle.”
Retracing our steps, we returned to the first cabin, where Brielle’s scent was most potent. I pointed to the kitchen, and we spread out, looking at every square inch of the room. Ezra moved the kitchen table and discovered a section of wood that didn’t match the rest of the floor. We shoved it aside and revealed a small door with an iron latch.
Korren carefully opened the metal panel. Stairs appeared, leading beneath the earth.
“You have to be kidding me,” Ezra muttered. “A fucking tunnel.”
I swatted his chest. “Don’t be scared, big guy. You can always hold my hand.”
“Fuck off. You know confinement will make things sticky if we get into another ‘friendly miscommunication’.”
Korren descended the stairs first. “Here’s hoping that isn’t the case.”
Our steps were silent as we traveled through the damp passageway. Luckily, the tunnel wasn’t as narrow as I had expected. It was wide enough for Ezra and I to stand shoulder to shoulder. Determined to rescue our mate, we ventured deeper into the underground labyrinth.
The darkness began to fade as light pierced the shadows. We slowed as the mouth of the tunnel widened, then came to a halt as a group of shifters stepped into our path. Four females surrounded Brielle, holding her arms.
The blonde from the bar approached us, her wolf flashing in her eyes.
Brielle tried to join us, but the females held her back.
I growled a low warning.
“Stay where you are,” the blonde ordered.
