Chapter 6

Boris crashed into the room with the force of a wrecking ball, his hulking frame filling the doorway. His grin was monstrous, sharp teeth gleaming under the dim light, his eyes filled with nothing but malice.

Damien didn't hesitate. "I won't let you hurt her!" he snarled, summoning every ounce of strength left in his battered body. With a powerful lunge, he slammed into Boris, sending them both hurtling into the hallway. Boris smashed against the wall with a grunt, momentarily stunned.

Damien didn't waste a second. He grabbed Raven's wrist, yanking her out of the storeroom.

"Come on!" she urged. "The tunnel is this way!"

Their feet pounded against the stone floor as they raced down the corridor. The sound of boots thundering behind them told Raven that the guards were closing in fast.

"We need to put some distance between us!" she panted.

Then, an idea struck. Instead of sprinting ahead, she suddenly stopped, bracing herself before kicking her legs out behind her. The movement was so quick and unexpected that the guards didn't have time to react. Her foot caught them hard in the shins, sending them tumbling forward in a chaotic heap.

Damien let out a breathless chuckle. "Smart thinking, Raven."

The guards groaned and scrambled to untangle themselves, but by the time they regained their footing, Raven and Damien were already gone, vanishing into the dark hallways.

Damien leaned heavily against the cold stone wall, his chest rising and falling in ragged breaths. His fingers dug into the surface behind him as he steadied himself, frustration clear in the furrow of his brow. His once-proud posture now wavered, his body fighting against the effects of the poison coursing through his veins.

"I'm hoping we have a better plan than just running out the front door," he said, his voice tight with exhaustion. "From what I saw when I arrived, that's where the patrol was the strongest. We'd never make it."

Raven bit her lip, her mind racing. She knew there was another way. A series of underground tunnels beneath the compound. She had used them before, but only for small escapes, never to flee the entire territory. Worse still, she had no idea where some of them led.

She hesitated for only a second before meeting his gaze. "There's another way, but it's risky," she admitted.

Damien dragged a hand behind his neck, exhaling sharply. "Everything about this is risky," he muttered. "But if it's even slightly less dangerous than running out the front, I say we take it."

Raven's stomach twisted. "It's not," she admitted. "But we don't have a choice."

Damien pushed off the wall with a groan, swaying slightly before catching himself. He gripped her shoulder for balance. "How long do you think you have?" she asked, gripping his arm to keep him steady.

His skin was burning under her touch, sweat glistening on his forehead. His breath was shallow, and she could tell he was fighting just to stay conscious. He forced a smirk, but the exhaustion was clear in his eyes.

"I don't know," he muttered. "Maybe a few minutes before I pass out."

Raven swallowed hard. They didn't have time to hesitate. They needed to move, and now.

"Come on," she urged. "We'll take the front."

His eyes widened slightly, but he didn't argue. He didn't have the strength to. With every ounce of energy they had left, they sprinted toward the massive front gates.

The moment they broke into the open, a deafening alarm sounded, echoing across the compound.

Shouts rang out.

Heavy footsteps thundered behind them.

They didn't look back.

Raven heard the whoosh of a blade slicing through the air. She ducked just in time, feeling the rush of wind as a dagger narrowly missed her.

Then, pain.

Fangs sank into her shoulder, claws tore through her arm.

She stifled a scream, forcing herself to keep running despite the searing pain spreading through her body. The ground beneath her felt unstable, and she stumbled, her vision blurring for a split second.

"Raven!" Damien growled, gripping her wrist and yanking her forward. His strength was weaker than before, but his determination hadn't faded.

She cursed under her breath, forcing herself to keep going. The sharp sting of her wounds threatened to slow her down, but she refused to stop.

"We've alerted the whole damn compound!" she gasped.

Damien gritted his teeth. "Then we just have to outrun them."

They pushed forward, the weight of an entire pack chasing them down.

The trees grew denser as Raven and Damien pushed forward, their bodies soaked and trembling from the freezing water. The howls of Boris's guards echoed behind them, a grim reminder that they were still being hunted.

Damien stumbled, his breathing ragged. "Raven... I need to slow down." His voice was weak, the poison taking its toll.

She glanced back, knowing they didn't have time to stop. The guards would be closing in soon, tracking their scent through the woods. Her mind raced for a solution. Then she spotted a shallow stream cutting through the trees.

"Come on," she said, gripping Damien's arm and pulling him toward the water.

He didn't resist, barely able to keep himself upright. They waded into the icy current, the cold shocking Raven's system, but she forced herself to focus. The water would mask their scent, buying them time. She crouched low, submerging herself briefly to make sure they were completely washed of any traceable smell.

Damien let out a low groan. "The current... It's carrying me. Less effort."

"That's the point," Raven said, keeping a firm grip on his wrist as they drifted downstream.

Once they'd put a safe distance between themselves and their pursuers, she guided them toward the bank. They crawled out of the water, dripping and shivering. Raven's limbs felt heavy, her muscles burning from exhaustion. Damien collapsed onto the damp ground, his breaths coming in short gasps.

"We need to keep moving," she urged, but he didn't respond.

Raven kneeled beside him, pressing a hand to his chest. His heartbeat was weak, and his skin was ice cold. The wolfsbane was ravaging his system, and she had no way to help him.

"Damien... Damien, stay with me!" she pleaded, shaking him slightly.

His eyelids fluttered, but he didn't have the strength to open them. Panic tightened in her throat. She looked around desperately, but all she saw was endless forest stretching into the darkness.

Then, without warning, the tree she was leaning against glowed. Light flooded through the bark, illuminating the area around them with a soft, silvery radiance.

Raven's breath caught.

A figure emerged from the glow. A woman with an ethereal presence. Her long, flowing robes shimmered like liquid moonlight, and her eyes burned with an otherworldly intensity.

Raven scrambled back, her heart hammering in her chest. "Who... who are you?" she stammered.

The woman gazed at her with an expression both gentle and powerful. "My name is Chandra," she said, her voice resonant. "Goddess of the Moon. Protector of wolves."

Raven's mouth went dry.

Chandra stepped forward, her gaze shifting between Raven and Damien. "The fate of all shifters depends on you and your unborn child, Raven. Without you... wolves will be extinct forever."