Chapter 5 The Escape

Chapter 5: The Escape

I was beginning to lose hope.

Every tick of the clockless silence felt like a cruel joke, echoing in the endless dark. My legs curled beneath me on the cold concrete floor, arms wrapped tightly around my knees. I kept glancing at the iron door, trying not to. But the silence in this place played tricks on the mind, made hope feel like an enemy. Dr. Lucy had said someone would come for me tonight. I held on to those words like a thread keeping me from unraveling.

Then-footsteps. Light. Careful. Not the usual heavy stomps of those beasts Viper called guards. My heart galloped in my chest.

A shadow slid past the small rectangular slit of the door.

The lock clicked.

The metal creaked open, and a figure stepped inside-draped from head to toe in black, face concealed behind a scarf and night goggles.

"I hope whoever I'm saving is worth it," she muttered under her breath.

My heart jumped.

The stranger shut the door softly behind her and motioned for me to get up. "We don't have time. I knocked a guard out two cells down, but the next patrol will be here in ten minutes-if not less. You ready?"

My throat closed up with emotion, but I nodded fiercely. I was already on my feet.

For a moment, I just stared at her, secretly thanking Dr. Lucy a hundred times in my mind. Just being able to talk to someone who wasn't a monster in uniform was almost too much.

We stepped into the hallway.

The dim emergency lights overhead buzzed. Just as we turned the corner, a blaring alarm exploded through the corridor.

Red lights flashed.

"Damn it," the woman hissed.

A guard appeared at the far end of the hall, eyes wide at the sight of us. He drew his weapon-but before he could aim, the woman in black charged forward, dodging with a speed that blurred her form. She slammed her fist into his throat, then twisted and dropped him with a knee to the chest.

The gun clattered across the floor.

I dashed forward and scooped it up, hand trembling.

"Come on!" she barked.

We ran.

Doors and pipes flew past in a blur. My breath came in short gasps, the sharp sting of adrenaline and overused lungs filling my chest.

"You haven't told me your name," I managed between pants.

"Alexandra. Alex for short," she said, not breaking stride.

Alex moved like smoke-fluid, fast, fierce. That kind of speed, agility... it was inhuman. The realization hit me hard.

She's a werewolf.

I tried to keep pace, but my sides screamed, aching from weeks of confinement, hunger, stress. We burst into a larger corridor, this one lined with exposed wires and steel crates. I spotted a metal stairwell at the far end.

"Stairs!" I pointed.

Alex nodded and darted ahead. I pushed myself harder, ignoring the burn.

Shouts echoed behind us. The guards had found the downed body.

We hit the stairs, feet slamming against metal. My vision wobbled, but I didn't stop.

One flight. Two. Then three. My legs quivered with exhaustion.

Suddenly, Alex grabbed my arm and yanked me into a side hall.

"We'll be trapped if we go higher. This way."

We tore down the hallway. The air grew colder, the lights fewer. I didn't know where we were going, but I trusted her.

The emergency alarms buzzed through every wall now.

A steel door loomed ahead. Alex shoved it open, revealing a narrow maintenance tunnel. She let me go in first, then followed, sealing it behind us with a heavy clang.

The silence in the tunnel was suffocating.

We pressed on, half-jogging, half-crawling through the damp space. Pipes ran above and around us like the veins of a great mechanical beast.

Eventually, she slowed.

I reached out, steadying myself against the wall.

"How... how did you get in?" I asked.

"I was inside once," she said simply. "I know the cracks."

I didn't ask more. Her tone told me not to.

Finally, she stopped us beneath a rusted vent.

Alex twisted the bolts with practiced ease, slid it open, and pulled herself up. She turned back and offered her hand.

I grabbed it.

She pulled me up with surprising gentleness. We emerged into a dusty, low-lit room that smelled like mold and burnt copper.

"We're not out yet," she said. "But from here, we can see the surface access. You good?"

I nodded, not trusting my voice.

Alex gave me a rare smile-brief and crooked-and then crept toward another door.

Somewhere, above us, was freedom. Or the next fight. I didn't care.

I was getting out.

And for the first time in weeks... I believed I could.

The rooftop air was sharp and chilling, but I welcomed it after days of being confined in that musty cell. I took a deep breath, my ribs aching slightly from the sprint. Alex reached into her suit and pulled out what looked like a retractable steel cord-sleek, coiled, and gleaming in the moonlight.

"Zipline anchor," she explained, locking one end to a concrete pipe and the other to the building across. "It'll hold. Think you can slide?"

I didn't answer with words. I just smirked and leapt off the ledge, my hands gripping the line. Wind rushed against my face as the city blurred beneath me. My feet slammed against the gravel of the next rooftop, and I landed in a crouch, steady. Behind me, I heard Alex land and exhale.

"You're stronger than you look," she murmured, her voice laced with surprise.

We dashed down the fire escape and bolted into the alley where a black sedan waited. Alex jumped into the driver's seat and I dove into the passenger side. She yanked off her black mask as the engine roared to life. For a heartbeat, I froze. The same deep blue eyes and soft brown hair as Dr. Lucy's.

Sisters?

Before I could ask, headlights flared behind us. A black SUV surged after us, tires screeching on the wet road.

"They're on our tail!" Alex shouted, taking a sharp left. The tires skidded, but we didn't stop. My hand reached instinctively for the gun I'd taken earlier. My fingers wrapped around its cold steel like muscle memory.

As we tore through the city streets, I twisted in my seat, aimed through the broken window, and fired. A shot rang out, and the SUV jerked to the side.

Alex's eyes widened. "Damn, girl! Where did you learn to shoot like that?"

I kept my gaze on the road behind us. "I've had some practice."

She gave me a sidelong glance but didn't push. We weaved through side streets, alleys, and service roads until we lost them. Finally, Alex slowed down and pulled into a secluded driveway beside a small, one-story house nestled in shadows.

"Safehouse," she said, leading the way inside. She tossed me a bundle of clothes and pointed toward the bathroom.

I nodded and stepped inside, the warm steam from the shower soothing my sore body. I stared at the mirror for a long time. My face was bruised and pale, but my amber eyes still burned with fire. I was still me-Jo. And I was still alive.

When I stepped out in fresh clothes-leggings and a loose black tee-Alex was waiting, her legs folded on the couch.

"You've got questions."

"Where are you from? Who are you really? How do you know Dr. Lucy?"

She held up a hand. "Alpha's orders-no questions until we get to the Pack House."

I sighed, dragging myself to the spare room. My legs trembled beneath me from exhaustion, and my mind swirled with fear, relief, and hope.

Sleep took me before I could finish my thoughts.

A gentle shake stirs me from sleep.

"Time to go," Alex says softly.

The room is dim, the sky outside still tinted with the pale gray of early morning. I blink, pulling myself out of the warm cocoon of sheets. There's a strange comfort in knowing someone is here, watching over me-even if I've only just met her.

I hop off the bed, my muscles stiff from the events of last night. The adrenaline may have worn off, but the memory of what happened hasn't. I head to the bathroom and take a quick shower, letting the hot water run down my back, washing off the dirt and fear clinging to me.

When I return, Alex has laid out fresh clothes-black leggings and an oversized top that falls past my hips. I dress quickly and walk over to the small mirror above the dresser. My reflection looks tired, paler than usual, but the fire in my hazel eyes is still there-dimmed, yet not extinguished.

I pinch my cheeks gently for some color and stare at myself a moment longer. Then I lower my gaze to my belly, placing a hand there. "We'll be fine," I whisper to the baby. "We have to be."

Alex doesn't say much as we make our way to the car. The silence between us isn't uncomfortable-it's almost like a shared agreement that words aren't needed yet. The drive is long and quiet, winding through thick woods and narrow paths. It's peaceful. Too peaceful.

My thoughts drift.

Why did Dr. Lucy help me? Why now?

And more importantly-who exactly is this Alpha Alex keeps talking about?

We finally stop in front of a massive house, no-mansion-nestled at the edge of the woods. It's like something out of an old fairytale, with tall spires, heavy stone walls, and iron gates that creak open slowly. The kind of place that holds secrets. The kind of place people disappear into.

Alex gets out first. "Stay here a minute if you need," she says over her shoulder before vanishing through the front doors.

I sit there, staring at the structure, my hands resting protectively on my stomach. My heart pounds against my ribs, every beat echoing with questions I haven't dared to ask. Finally, curiosity pushes me out of the car.

I take slow steps toward the house, the morning breeze wrapping around me like a cloak. My boots crunch over the gravel path, and the smell of pine and damp earth fills my lungs.

Inside, the air shifts. It's warmer, buzzing with tension. I hear voices-raised, harsh, and then low again, like the storm before lightning strikes.

I follow the sound.

Alex's voice slices through the silence first. "You don't get to make that call without consulting the Alpha."

"You put her at risk!" comes the reply-a deep, bass voice that carries weight and familiarity.

My breath catches.

I know that voice.

I take another step, and suddenly, the hallway opens up into a grand room. High ceilings. Polished floors. Men and women dressed in black. Eyes all turning toward me.

But I only see one face.

One tall, broad figure with piercing gray eyes that lock onto mine the second I step in.

Ezra.

My heart stumbles.

The world tilts just a little.

It's Ezra.