Page 46 of Prey of the Lycan Queen (Unwanted #2)
Chapter Forty-Five
As Regan and I navigate the eerily quiet streets of the Bloodtaric, I can’t shake the knot of dread coiling in my gut.
This once thriving epicenter of my kind now echoes with an unsettling quiet.
We need to save Zirah and the coven, yet the task feels akin to stepping into the jaws of a sleeping beast. King Slavic has always been merciless, which is why Regan has always handled meetings with him.
We keep to the shadows, our steps silent as we scout the quiet streets. As we delve deeper into the heart of the kingdom, we come across several of Slavic’s followers. They speak of their king and the guards rushing away, and it doesn’t take us long to realize that Zirah isn’t here.
He is one of the most feared and hated kings by the humans, yet his followers are blindly loyal. I can feel their eyes on us as we make our way through the city. There is no chance of keeping my connection to Regan and the lycans a secret any longer.
As we wander into a local shop, an older woman with wise eyes and weary lines etched into her face glances around nervously. I peer over my shoulder as she stares out the front window. “We are being watched,” I warn Regan, but he is already aware.
“We’re looking for your king. Everyone we have spoken to said he left in a hurry, yet none are willing to say where he went,” Regan tells the woman.
She hobbles into the back silently, returning with an old, tattered map.
She unfolds the map with trembling hands and traces the lines with one gnarled finger.
“King Slavic has a bunker he likes to use. It’s also where countless precious metals are stored,” she tells him.
“Is this road the only way in there?” Regan asks with a wobble in his voice.
She smiles sadly and shakes her head. “There are tunnels in and out everywhere. It’s also a makeshift army base.” Dread washes over me.
Regan sighs heavily. “So, the king has likely returned to his bunker. Is that what you’re saying?” Regan questions.
She nods. “Yes, he likely has returned to his fortress within the mountain.”
“We should leave immediately. Time isn’t a luxury we have. The mountain is our next destination,” Regan tells me, and I nod in agreement. “There is a highway that leads to a hikers trail,” he shows me on the map.
I nod, and we make our way back to Leila and the truck while Regan’s deteriorating state plays on my mind. I know he can feel the full moon coming, and we are both aware that when it does, when Zirah shifts, his time left here is limited.
It takes us a good twenty minutes to walk back to the truck. Gnash, Hunter, and Shadow stand atop it, their keen, watchful eyes looking over Leila and my brother. Leila’s relief is evident when she spots us.
When we climb into the car, she leans forward between the seats. “I was beginning to worry you weren’t returning. The scouts have come by twice now,” she states. “We know, they’ve tracked us through the city,” I answer while starting the truck.
The tension is palpable as we hit the highway, going toward the huge mountain behind the kingdom walls.
As I turn off the highway around the mountain on the last few bends before we hit the dirt road, without warning, the wolves leap from the truck bed, vanishing into the looming darkness.
I slam the brakes, the truck skidding to a halt.
At first I’m confused, but then it hits me that they must have caught a scent. “Follow them,” Regan says, and I spin the truck around, finding a concealed road between some trees that runs along the kingdom walls.
We follow the wolves, trusting their instincts to lead us to Zirah. When they slow down, we stop, and I realize the wind has changed direction. Whatever scent they picked up is being blown around, confusing them.
“Get in the truck,” Regan calls to them, and Hunter and Shadow jump back in the bed with thuds that rock the truck from side to side. With the window down though, something smells off in the air, something that has my instincts screaming at me.
“Can you smell that?” I ask Regan, but his eyes are locked on the tree line.
“Let me drive,” Regan tells me, and we quickly switch places. Gnash climbs onto the hood of the truck, and he peers in the window before huge meaty paws lift and he jumps onto the roof.
As we near the mountain, the fever plaguing Regan’s father breaks. His cloudy eyes open clear, and he’s alert once again. “Finally, you’ve come to join the party, brother,” I tell him. I relay our situation, the relief in his eyes doesn’t mask the worry lurking beneath.
However, as we near the end of the city walls before the road that leads to the gigantic mountain, our plan goes awry. The shrill sound of tires screeching fills the air. Looking in the side mirror, I spot King Slavic’s guards hot on our tail.
“We’ve been spotted,” I mutter.
Regan glances quickly at the rearview mirror. “Fuck!” he shouts.
“What do we do?” Leila asks, plastering herself to the backseat and putting on her seatbelt.
Regan and I lock eyes, the shared understanding between us clear. We have one mission, one goal—save Zirah and the coven. The race against time has begun, and I can see Regan is nowhere near conceding.
The roar of engines fills the air, echoing off the nearby mountains as the SUV behind us speeds up.
When we hit the back wall of the kingdom, there’s another road that runs behind, but cars are racing toward us from that side too.
Out the window, I see Slavic’s guards, their cars bearing down on us.
Louder engines draw my attention to the tree line where the vampire guards are on motorcycles, following suit as they tear onto the road behind us.