h4Chapter 213: Chapter 213/h4

    [SAMANTHA’s Point of View]

    “Lady Samantha?”

    My heart almost jumped out of my chest when I heard Madison’s voice and saw that she was already behind me. My eyes were wide as I panicked for a second, and then I stood with my back straight and cleared my throat.

    “M-Madison?” I asked in surprise, trying to smile, but it turned out awkward. “W-What are you doing here at this kind of hour?”

    “I apologize, your Grace; it’s just I suddenly feel like checking on the kids before I sleep. Are you alright if I may ask? You look so pale and scared—”

    “I am alright, Madison. I just had a nightmare,” I lied, trying to hide it with that same, awkward smile.

    She stared at me with those big, wide eyes as she eyed what I was wearing. I looked down, bit my lower lip hard, and sighed. I was wearing a ck hoodie, my fighting gear, and my knee-high boots. What am I thinking?

    I wasn’t really good at lying.

    “I will just go outside to get some fresh air, Madison,” I said, making ame excuse. I grabbed her by her arms and looked into her eyes. “Don’t tell anyone, you hear me? I will be back before the sun is up. Look for the kids while I’m away. Is that okay?”

    “I-I will try, your Grace.” She said, struggling for words. “I just don’t think the Alpha will be happy when he finds out you went outside the pack manor.”

    “I just realized that Dominic ran out of the medicine he needs that only the MoonStone pack can supply for us, Madison. Moon grass doesn’t grow anywhere here but only in MoonStone territory, and I have to go get the supplies.”

    “But—”

    “Don’t worry,” my smile softened as I saw the worry on her face. “Just as I promised, I will go back before sunrise. I just need to do something. This is for the Alpha, Madison. I have to go. For him.”

    “I understand, your Grace,” Madison answered as she saw the determination on my face. “Be careful, your Grace.”

    I nodded gently and then patted the top of her head. “Thank you, Madison. Take care of the kids while I’m gone.”

    *****

    “Sh*t.”

    I fished for something that I realized was missing in my bag and cursed under my breath as I looked around after I sessfully jumped out of the eastern wall without being detected by the Gamma Patrols.

    Because of my sneaky abilities, no one ever recognized me under my big ck hoodie as I took public transportation on the other side of Silver Crescent. It took me almost an hour to get out of the walls and another twenty minutes to get past the borders of my husband’s territory.

    I promised myself I would return before sunrise, so I had to move quickly. I needed to locate the Moon Wolf Spring within 5 hours before Dominic and the kids realized I was gone.

    “Where did I—” I groaned when I found out that my map was not in my backpack! I knew I put it here together with the diary. But when I got the diary and opened the paper beside it, I was so disappointed when I saw an old newspaper instead of the map, which I badly needed!

    “Great, Samantha! Now what are you going to do with an old newspaper around this despicable ce?!” I snarled at myself angrily as I threw the newspaper behind me. “I can’t believe I left the map!”

    I bit my lower lip hard and tried to remember every detail I marked on the map I drew based on the hologram picture from the ne that Killian gave us during our search for the Wolf Tomb. It was a rough sketch, but it was crucial since the ck Forest was like a mazebyrinth that changes its features every single night! The sketched map I created was the only way to get to the Moon Wolf Spring fast!

    Should I go? Or should I go back?

    “No. I couldn’t go back. I don’t know when I could have this opportunity again to get out of the pack manor. I guess I should just listen to my instinct.” I whispered, trying to convince myself that there was no other way but to do it that night. I couldn’t skip this chance because I had no idea if I would still have another, since Dominic was getting too strict and overprotective of me

    and the kids.

    If he ever found out I went out of the Pack Manor in the middle of the night, he would surely assign guards to watch me twenty-four-seven. If that happened, there would be no way I could go to that ce where I could find the cure that Lena was talking about in her diary.

    I had to move fast or I would be in great trouble when I got back. I didn’t know whether I should be more worried about Dominic’s anger or the disappointment if I ever failed to find the cure needed to lift my husband’s curse.

    Confident that I still remembered the map, I ran around the forest, hoping to find ake or something that could lead me to Wolf Spring, but after an hour, I still couldn’t find anything—just the endless tall old redwood trees and the thick white fog around, which was never helpful to me. I was running out of patience, but I couldn’t give up.

    I had to think of another strategy on how to find any bodies of water around the area, but instead, I found a path that led me to the highway outside the borders of Silver Crescent.

    “What the—”

    [Can’t find what you’re looking for?]

    My eyes widened at the voice I heard in my head. I thought for a second that I was just hallucinating and heard Killian’s voice in my head. But when I looked at my back, he was there, swinging his car key around his finger with an annoying smirk on his face.

    “The f*ck? What are you doing here, Killian? And how did you—”

    “I know you’de.”

    “What, how—”

    “I have been waiting for you for half an hour here, Sam. I know the path you took will lead you here, and you have been in such incredible panic that you didn’t even notice my car behind this tree.” he frowned as he stood from leaning his hip against his car. “And why are you even here, Samantha? Do you even bother thinking what Dominic would think once he finds out you are not in Pack Manor?”

    “Stop scolding me, Killian. You know why I am here.” I frowned at him, seeing the map in his hand. “How did you get that? Did you go into my room?”

    “Maybe?” he answered as he stepped towards me; his smirk didn’t leave his face. “What the hell are you even thinking, going back here, Samantha? Dominic will surely lose his sh*t once he finds out you are not in your room.”

    “He is too busy to find out if I am in Pack Manor or not, Killian. He is in a meeting with the Alphas from the small packs surrounding Silver Crescent. He wouldn’t notice if I were gone.”

    Killian’s face turned serious as he stared down at me. “You know what you are doing is dangerous, Samantha.”

    “You know I don’t have a choice. I need to go to that ce and find it before sunrise, Killian. You saw Dominic’s condition. It is getting worse. I can’t wait for another month to get the cure he needs. I must go to Moon Wolf Spring to find a way to lift my husband’s curse. I couldn’t lose him, Killian! It will kill me!”

    The MoonStone Alpha sighed and then took something from the inside of his car and tossed it to me. I was surprised because the bag was heavy.

    “There is moongrass and a silver dagger in there. Shadow werewolves hate them.”

    "You should be recuperating in the MoonStone pack, Killian." Why did you extend your stay in Silver Crescent?"

    Killian raised an eyebrow at me. “Maybe because I know you will do something crazy like this. I am not supposed to extend my stay, but I had to. And besides, you are forbidden to go outside the Pack Manor. And here we are—we didn’t listen. Did we?”

    I almost rolled my eyes at him with irritation, but deep within me, I was so d that Killian was here to help me with what I had to do. Even though I made myself believe that I could do it on my own, Killian still knew all the dark creatures that were hiding in ck Forest. He knew what to do once we encountered something deadly while looking for the Moon Wolf Spring.

    But just as we were about to head back to the woods, we sensed something approaching quickly, making my hair stand on end. Until a powerful presence jumped in front of us, and I blinked. My heart started to race in my chest as I realized who it was standing in front of me with burning crimson eyes.

    His muscles were tight and tense, and his breathing was fast and angry. Snarls erupted from his throat as he bared his teeth at both me and Killian. I froze there; my mind didn’t know what to say or how to react as our eyes locked into each other after he lifted his face to re at me with his eyes full of questions.

    Dominic snarled in his deadly, deep voice.

    “Can either of you exin this?”