Chapter 228: Chapter 228 Flight Through Darkness
Phoebe’s POV
"Move with them! Head straight north!" Justin barked urgently. "Get to Alpha Wallace directly! It’s too risky to take any detours!"
Wade bobbed his head rapidly in understanding.
"Best of luck, young fighter!" Justin clapped Wade’s shoulder before he and Orion rushed back toward the front entrance, where dozens of shifters had encircled our hideout.
Terror flooded through me as I seized Justin’s hand, shaking my head desperately. I couldn’t let him go—not like this. I yanked both him and Orion toward the hidden passage, trying to pull them along with us.
But Justin resisted, shaking his head firmly. "That won’t work, my queen. We have to hold them here. We’ll buy you precious time—make them believe you’re still trapped somewhere inside. If they discover the house is empty, they’ll comb the forest immediately. We won’t make it to Alpha Wallace’s territory."
"What happens to you?" Marcela voiced the question that was tearing me apart inside. The dread of their fate was crushing.
"No time left—they’re about to break through. Please, my queen, stay safe and survive." Orion gave me a quick, respectful bow before reluctantly prying my fingers from his arm. Justin did the same.
Justin met my eyes with an apologetic look before turning to Marcela. "Don’t stress about us. We’ll manage. Go. Protect the queen." He squeezed Marcela’s shoulder before following Orion away.
My heart was splitting in two. I wanted to grab them both again, but they’d already disappeared.
"We have to move now," Wade pressed, ushering us toward the secret passage.
With no alternative, I had to follow Marcela and Wade into the poorly lit tunnel, running through the endless corridor that felt like a labyrinth.
"You do know where we’re headed, right?" Marcela asked anxiously, gripping my hand tight. Her face twisted with barely contained panic. "Everything looks identical to me."
"Yeah, Justin briefed me earlier. We’ll be okay." Wade jogged steadily down the passageway. He couldn’t push the pace any harder since Marcela and I couldn’t match his speed—not in these dresses, especially in this pitch-black space.
I squeezed Marcela’s hand just as tightly. I tried scanning our surroundings, but she was right—every section looked exactly the same.
I started questioning whether Wade actually knew our route, or if we were just running in endless loops.
Fortunately, after what felt like an eternity, we spotted light streaming from the tunnel’s far end.
"There! The way out! Hurry!" Wade picked up speed.
Marcela and I were panting hard trying to match his pace, but we didn’t voice any complaints—we both understood how critical our situation was. Every second counted.
When we emerged, we found ourselves on the opposite side from the house where we’d been staying these past weeks.
"We need to stick to this trail for several hours," Wade explained, looking directly at Marcela as if wanting her to memorize every detail he shared.
I realized he was showing Marcela the path, just in case something happened to him and he couldn’t make it—then we could find our way without him.
Wade then shifted a large boulder, revealing a hidden backpack which he slung over his shoulder. From the side pocket, he pulled out a water bottle and offered it to Marcela and me.
"Here, drink up. We’re leaving soon."
Marcela passed the bottle to me first, then took her turn before handing it back to Wade. But the young warrior didn’t drink any himself. He simply returned it to the side pocket and announced we were departing now.
A sharp pain shot through my stomach, but I kept quiet.
I couldn’t make our already desperate situation any worse.
"Are you alright?" Marcela asked. Since she was holding my hand, she could sense immediately if something was wrong or if my body changed somehow.
I shook my head, then nodded. ’I’m fine. Let’s keep moving.’
We jogged across the forest terrain. Sometimes the ground was too slick for me and I nearly stumbled several times, but thankfully Marcela steadied me each time.
Meanwhile, Wade stayed hyperalert, walking one step ahead of us while constantly scanning our environment.
He looked so incredibly tense, I wondered if this was his first assignment since becoming a warrior. It was a brutal test, with all our lives hanging in the balance.
Midway to Alpha Wallace’s pack, Wade suddenly threw up his hand, signaling us to freeze. He gestured for us to get low.
My breath caught as Marcela and I dropped down among the tall grass that concealed us perfectly.
Thanks to the earthy scent lingering after the rain, it masked our smell. I realized then why Wade had chosen this muddy route; the earthy scent would confuse anyone tracking us.
"What is it?" Marcela whispered barely audibly. Fear showed in her voice, but she needed to know what Wade had detected. As a non-shifter, she was defenseless and lacked his sharp senses.
Everyone already knew I was wolfless, so my senses weren’t much better than hers.
"Several things moving as a group," Wade said, squinting into the distance.
"What? Did they find us here?"
Wade shook his head. "Not sure. Stay down."
A few minutes later, we discovered what had triggered Wade’s warning, and who had been trailing us deep into the forest.
