Chapter 99

Harper’s POV

Lucas shoves the last of the second group of men in the side room before he turns to me and grabs my hand. One more hallway, and we’ll be with the wolves. I glance at Lucas, then at his hand holding mine.

His grip is light, but his knuckles are bloody and cracked.

I notice a slight slump to his shoulders, the way he’s breathing heavier than he was before, and the slower pace of our running. Is he tired? Can he fight more guards without getting hurt? I bet he is. Since entering the hallway, he fought and won against twelve guys. I don’t know anyone else who can do that.

As we enter the last hallway, five guards greet us. Lucas reacts instantly, not even bothering with the distraction method. I duck back, getting out of the way as he sidesteps the first man and shoves him into the wall. His head hits the brick, and he goes down.

The second guard lunges at Lucas with a knife, and I gasp, but Lucas’s lethargy falls away. He twits the man’s writs, flips him over, and punches him in the face.

I quickly crouch behind a stack of crates, so I don’t become a hinderance.

By the time I look back at the fight, a third man is on the floor, and Lucas is attacking a fourth. Lucas sweeps his foot out, sending the man to the floor. The man kicks out at Lucas, nailing him in the side, but Lucas grabs the man’s leg and twists.

A sickening crunch sounds just before Lucas slams the man’s head into the wall.

The last man charges, but like all the others, Lucas quickly takes him down. I’ve never seen someone move so fast or so smoothly before.

“Is that it?” I ask, moving out from behind the crates.

“There might be more inside,” he huffs, grabbing two men. I help him as best as I can to hide the bodies, but I’m not much help. We drag them to a supply closet, and I silently thank whoever designed this building with so many closets. Using them was a big part of our plan once we saw them on the maps.

“Are you okay to keep going?” I question, touching Lucas’s arm as he leans against the wall. He nods and stands again. Lucas slides his hand into mine just before swiping two keycards from the guards and closing the supply closet door.

He passes me one keycard before swiping the one he took. The door beeps then pops open, revealing a long, dark, and narrow hallway. The wolf holding rooms should be just ahead on the left, but as we peek around the corner of the hall, I have to bite back a gasp.

Eight more guards stand outside the door at the end of the hall, alert and ready to fight if anyone intrudes.

Again, Lucas cups the back of my neck and brings my eyes to his. “Change of plans,” he murmurs. “I’ll distract them, and you get into the holding room. Start freeing the wolves and wait for me inside.”

“But—”

“If you stay out here, I’ll be distracted. I need to be able to fight without worrying you’ll be caught,” he says softly. I don’t want to leave him alone, but I’m no good at fighting. I also don’t want him to get hurt if I distract him, so I nod.

Lucas leans in, stopping only a breath away. He doesn’t kiss me, like I think he might. Instead, he rests his forehead against mine, takes a deep breath, and releases me to charge at the guards. Shouts of surprise reach me, and when sounds of fighting start, I peek around the corner.

I wait until they’re all distracted by Lucas to dart for the door on the left.

The beep is quiet compared to the fighting, and as soon as the door opens, I slip inside.

Pitch black greets me, and I run my hands over the walls to the left then the right of the door. My hand snags on a switch, and the moment I flick it, light fills the room. Rows and rows of cages line the walls, all filled with wolves of every size and color.

Golden eyes watch me warily as I approach the cages. They watch me, probably thinking I’m one of their captors. Some of them growl while others curl into the back of their cage.

“It’s okay,” I coo. “I’m here to set you free.” I stop in front of the nearest cage and wave the keycard over the lock. Thankfully, the lock pops open. I yank at it and toss it aside before I pull the cage door open.

The wolf sniffs the air cautiously as it steps out, but I don’t wait. I move to the next cage, hoping they realize I’m here to help. If they’re all wolf souls, then they should understand that. Lock after lock pops open, and I toss it aside.

Each cage that I open ends up with another wolf following behind me. They surround me, watching and following as I open cage after cage.

The sound of the door opening behind me makes me jump, and the wolves around me whirl around and snarl.

“He’s with me!” I call before they can attack Lucas.

“I’m with her,” Lucas repeats. He flashes his wolf eyes at them, and they calm down.

“There are so many,” I tell him while moving to the next cage. “Start opening the cages while I begin healing them.”

Lucas moves to the other side of the room while I turn to the wolves around me. I hover my hands over the wolf closest to me, focus on my healing magic, and whisper softly to the animals as my magic works through them.

One after the other, they come to me to heal the lashes and burns on their bodies. I kneel in the middle of the floor to heal them, letting them get as close as possible as the warmth of my magic flows from me.

“It’ll be okay,” I murmur when I notice several wolves still keeping their distance.

Two lighter colored wolves linger near a beautiful brown wolf at the back of the group, and the moment our eyes lock, familiarity stirs within me. A ripple of recognition runs through me, and she moves closer.

She nudges the other wolves towards me, getting them to come near enough that I can heal them.

Lucas comes and crouches next to me, keeping his voice low, “We’ve got to go before anyone notices we’re here…” he follows my gaze to the she-wolf and smiles. “I told you I’d come back.”

When he reaches out to her, she comes closer, sniffing his hand. Then, she rubs against his side and glances at me, something about her making my chest tighten. The wolves surround us, pressing in and forming a circle around me, Lucas, and the she-wolf.

“We need to go,” Lucas says again. The she-wolf growls in agreement, and it sets off the other wolves. They all move at the same time, following Lucas and heading for the door. I glance back at the cages one last time, feeling a sense of pride at the sight of empty cages.

These beautiful, lost creatures will be able to live freely now. They might even be able to find their human halves again. The thought has my chest tightening again as I look at the brown she-wolf that moves to my side.

A hand slides not mine, and I look up at Lucas. I nod at his questioning gaze and allow him to lead me out.

The pack follows us into the hallway and toward their freedom.