Chapter 215

Ava

It was only as the first light of dawn began to break through the trees that Chris and I finally dared to slow our pace to a walk. We had been running for hours, our wolf forms carrying us far from the danger of Winston’s castle, and hadn’t stopped running, even when the guards had given up their wild chase and the sounds of their footsteps had doubled back and faded into the distance.

Exhaustion seeped into my bones as we came to a stop in a small clearing. Panting, I dropped my head for a moment, my legs wobbling beneath my body.

Chris shifted back first, his white fur melting away to reveal his human form. I followed suit, the transformation leaving me feeling dizzy and drained. It had been so long since I had fully shifted, and the experience was both exhilarating and overwhelming.

“You did it,” Chris said, his voice raw and hoarse. He reached out, his strong arms pulling me into a tight embrace. “I knew you could.”

I melted into him, glad to feel his warmth in the cold morning air. This far down the mountain, it was much warmer, but still quite cold at this early hour.

“I just can’t believe we made it,” I murmured into his chest, my voice muffled by his shirt.

“Yeah, well… We’re not out of the woods yet,” Chris replied, his eyes scanning our surroundings. “We need to find the cars and get moving.”

I nodded, letting him take my hand. He had been able to contact the security detail briefly last night before we escaped, and they should be waiting for us by now. My feet were cold already, although we stood on grass rather than rock and snow.

We walked hand in hand through the quiet forest, our bare feet aching from the rough terrain. After what felt like hours, we finally spotted the vehicles, pulled off the road and hidden amongst the underbrush.

“Never letting you do that again, Alpha,” one of the guards grunted as we trudged up to the car.

Chris merely shot him a toothy grin. “I’m not sure if I’ll hold you to that. It was an exhilarating experience, if I’m being honest.” The guard grunted at Chris’s quip and shook his head.

As we climbed into the car, I couldn’t help but look back, half-expecting to see Winston’s guards in pursuit. But the road behind us remained empty and quiet, no sign of those shifters or the strange, stony guards anywhere.

“Do you really think they’ve just… given up?” I asked as our driver started the engine.

Chris shook his head. “I don’t know. But we can’t take any chances. We need to put as much distance between us and that mountain as possible.”

As we drove, Chris kept a tight hold on my hand, his thumb tracing soothing circles on my skin.

“It wasn’t your fault, you know,” he said softly. “What happened with Winston and the baby.”

I sighed, the guilt still weighing heavily on my chest despite his kind words. “I should have known better. I shouldn’t have—”

“You were just trying to help,” Chris interrupted. “You couldn’t have known how he’d react. Winston... he’s not well, Ava. That much is clear.”

We drove in silence for a while, both lost in our own thoughts. Every so often, I would nervously glance in the rearview mirror, searching for any sign of pursuit. But the road remained clear. IT seemed the maid had been correct when she had said that Winston never left his mountain. I hoped she was okay.

For two days, we drove for hours and slept in cheap motels, using fake names and paying in cash. We kept to back roads and small towns, always watching over our shoulders, just in case Winston had sent anyone after us to track us down and bring us back.

But, the further we got from Crescent Moon territory with no incidents, the more the tension began to ease. We were in the clear, at least for now—until Winston sent an official order to us, commanding us to return. But at least now, we knew that we had the other three packs behind us, and they wouldn’t let anything happen to us. We were friends now. That was what mattered, Alpha Winston be damned.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, we crossed into Moonstone pack lands and I finally felt like I could breathe. As we pulled up to the front of my little cottage, I felt tears of relief prick at the backs of my eyes.

Home. We were finally home. And the blight hadn’t ravaged it yet.

I practically fell out of the car in my haste to get out, my legs wobbly after so long sitting. I wanted to drop to my knees right there and kiss the ground, but I didn’t. As I steadied myself against the side of the car, I heard a shout from across the yard.

“Ava! Chris!”

I looked up to see Ophelia running toward us, Princess at her heels. She crashed into me so hard I nearly fell in the grass, wrapping me in a tight hug that made it literally impossible to draw in a breath.

“Oh, thank goodness you’re back, darlings,” she said, her voice muffled against my shoulder. “We were all so worried.”

“We’re okay,” I assured her, hugging her back just as tightly. “We’re home.”

As Ophelia released me from her iron grip, I saw Leonard approaching at a more sedate pace. His expression was serious, but I could see the relief in his eyes. He strode up to Chris and clasped his forearm, shaking firmly.

“Welcome back,” he said, nodding to both Chris and me. “I’m glad to see you both in one piece.”

Leonard had, of course, heard about what happened at Crescent Moon. I was certain that he and Chris would be having some very long meetings to discuss how best to smooth that whole debacle over. Hopefully not today; today, I just wanted to rest.

Chris clapped Leonard on the shoulder. “Thanks for holding down the fort while we were gone. How did things go here?”

Leonard’s face tightened slightly. “We managed. Ophelia and I did our best to keep things running smoothly. But... there are some things we need to discuss.”

My heart sank. “Is it the blight? Has it gotten worse?” My eyes scanned my little garden, but it looked exactly the way I had left it. No inky black fungus anywhere that I could see.

“Among other things,” Leonard replied. “But it’s mild enough that it can wait. You both look like you need rest first.”

Chris nodded, looking relieved. “We’ll call a meeting first thing in the morning. But for now, I think we all need to catch our breath.”

As Leonard and Ophelia walked away, promising to check in later, Chris and I made our way into my house. As soon as the door closed behind us, I felt a wave of relief wash over me. We were home. We were safe.

I turned to Chris, ready to suggest we get some much-needed sleep, but the look in his eyes stopped me short. There was an intensity there, a mix of relief and desire that made my words die in my throat.

Without a word, Chris closed the distance between us. His lips crashed into mine, his arms wrapping around me and pulling me close. I melted into the kiss, all the fear and tension of the past days dissolving in the heat of his embrace.

When we finally broke apart, both breathless, Chris rested his forehead against mine. “I thought I’d lost you for a minute there,” he murmured. “When Winston sentenced us to death, I…”

“Shh,” I soothed, running my fingers through his hair. “We’re okay. We’re home.”

Chris nodded, then suddenly scooped me up into his arms. I let out a surprised laugh as he carried me toward the stairs, haphazardly kicking off his shoes as he went.

“Chris, what are you—”

“Making up for lost time,” he replied with a grin, carrying me up to the bedroom.