Chapter 51
I carry his bond
For two days, we wander through the forest, making our way up and into the mountains. Mordecai knows where he’s going even if the rest of us don’t. Jarek stays with me while the other two scout behind and ahead. Their paranoia over us being followed has started to eat at me and pour into my distracted thoughts and dreams.
Mordecai comes back at midday on the third day with a familiar face.
“Legion!”
He smiles and claps hands with Jarek before pulling me into a one-armed hug.
“You made it. They have been singing your praises. The omega who saved us. I knew you’d escape.”
My face gets hot, but he steps back, looking around expectantly.
“Cadel is making sure we aren’t being followed,” Jarek says. “Did you all get out okay? The river brought you safe?”
“Yes, straight to a bank where we could get out. I think only five people didn’t make it, but they were already wounded, so I’m not sure what actually made them pass. But we were able to give them last rites and send them to the next life with love.”
Which is more than most alphas and omegas have gotten over the last few years.
“Come on, it’s this way.”
Legion leads us through the forest and up to a cliff face. I stare at it dubiously, but he just winks and keeps walking the base. He’s not wearing black but greens and browns. He looks happier but not much.
Cadel has caught up and is staying close to me.
Legion slips into the cliff, just disappearing completely from view.
“What?” I hiss, stepping closer and trying to figure out where he went.
He reappears and grins. “Scared you, didn’t I?”
I shake my head but just chuckle anxiously at how smug he’s being.
“Come on, follow me.”
I follow cautiously and slip into a deep crack between the rocks. It’s only wide enough for three people to walk side by side and can only be seen if you get almost pressed up against the red rock. I wonder what the story of its discovery would look like.
The path snakes around, and when I look up, I can just see a slither of grey sky. I get an eerie feeling, like I’m about to be crushed, and I wonder if this is what being buried alive feels like.
But as suddenly as we stumbled onto the path, it turns and opens up into a valley that is green and wide and filled with tents of every different colour.
“Welcome to Haven. The hidden camp of the Resistance,” Legion says and steps to the side so we get a clear view.
Cadel and Jarek stand next to me, while Mordecai glances at us and then steps down to shake hands with Kendric. The alpha isn’t having any of it, though, and throws himself at my alpha, hugging tight, while they both laugh.
I don’t say anything, but in the growing silence, I watch as the alphas and omegas turn, seeing us. There are no whispers, no cheers. It’s silence and then, as one, they put a hand to their hearts and bow.
“Welcome!” A familiar voice booms.
Through the crowd, I see him weave towards us. Bear looks different here. He’s got the start of a beard and is wearing a red jacket with black pants. When he sees us, he smiles in a way he never smiled while he was inside the Culling Grounds. But why would you smile in there? It was a nightmare.
A nightmare I have escaped.
We escaped.
We made it out alive. The wave of that relief keeps hitting me. A place that has stolen thousands of lives, including my mothers, and we made it out.
