ZARA'S POV
"Absolutely not," Darius said before I could even open my mouth. "Garrett doesn't get to talk to her. Not now. Not ever."
Lyanna shifted nervously. "He's causing a scene at the main entrance. Says he won't leave until Zara agrees to see him. His wolves are blocking the tunnel."
My chest ached where the broken mate bond throbbed. Even rejected, even miles away in these tunnels, I could still feel Garrett's presence like a wound that wouldn't heal.
"Tell him to leave," I said, trying to sound strong. "I have nothing to say to him."
"He claims he has information about the Reeds," Lyanna added. "Something about the night your parents died."
I froze. "What?"
Darius cursed under his breath. "It's a trap. He's trying to lure you out."
"But what if he really knows something?" I argued. "What if he can tell me what actually happened that night?"
"Then he can tell me, and I'll pass it along," Darius said firmly. "You are not going near him. The rejection bond is still fresh—seeing him could kill you."
He wasn't wrong. Just knowing Garrett was nearby made my whole body hurt. The bond wanted to complete itself, wanted us together, even though he'd already chosen someone else.
"How long will it hurt like this?" I asked quietly.
Darius's expression softened. "A few weeks. Maybe a month. Rejection bonds are cruel—they don't die easily."
A commotion erupted from the tunnel behind Lyanna. Shouting. The sound of wolves growling.
Then Garrett's voice, loud and desperate: "Zara! I know you can hear me! Please, just five minutes! I need to tell you the truth about—"
His words cut off with a grunt of pain.
"What's happening?" I tried to push past Darius, but he blocked me.
"My wolves are escorting him out," Darius said. "Forcefully if necessary."
"Wait!" Another voice—familiar and hateful. Clarissa. "Zara, if you don't come out, we'll tell everyone what you really are! We'll expose your bloodline to every pack in North America!"
My blood ran cold. "They'll use my identity as a weapon."
"Let them try," Darius said. "Half the packs would support you. The other half already fears you. Either way, you're safer down here than up there with them."
But I could hear the doubt in his voice.
Lyanna grabbed my arm. "Zara, we should move you deeper into the Underground. Away from the entrance. If the Reeds brought reinforcements—"
The ground shook. Dust rained from the ceiling.
"What was that?" I gasped.
Darius's face went hard. "They're trying to blast through the entrance. Idiots. They'll bring the whole tunnel down."
Another explosion. Closer this time. The walls cracked.
"Everyone, fall back!" Darius shouted to his wolves. "Get to the lower levels! Now!"
Wolves scattered in every direction. Lyanna pulled me along as we ran deeper into the tunnels.
My legs were shaking—I hadn't eaten in two days and my body was still recovering from the rejection. I stumbled, nearly fell.
Darius caught me, lifting me into his arms like I weighed nothing.
"I can walk," I protested weakly.
"Not fast enough," he said, already running.
We raced through twisting tunnels lit by those strange glowing crystals. I caught glimpses of the Underground as we fled—carved rooms where families lived, makeshift shops, even a small school where young wolves were learning to read.
This wasn't just a hiding place. It was a whole community.
"How many people live down here?" I asked.
"Two thousand, give or take," Darius replied, not even breathing hard despite carrying me. "Rogues, outcasts, Omegas fleeing abusive packs. Anyone the system failed."
Another explosion rocked the tunnel. Closer. Much closer.
"They're insane," Lyanna panted, running beside us. "They'll kill everyone down here just to get to Zara!"
"Marcus won't stop until I'm dead or back in his control," I said bitterly. "He can't risk me exposing what he did."
Darius's arms tightened around me protectively. "He'll have to go through me first."
We burst into a large cavern. Unlike the tunnels, this space was huge—big enough to hold hundreds of people. And it was packed with wolves. Families. Children. All staring at us with frightened eyes.
"Is it true?" an older man called out. "Is she really the princess?"
"The Nightshade heir returned?"
"Will she save us?"
"Can she stop the attacks?"
So many hopeful faces looking at me. Expecting me to have answers, to be strong, to be their savior.
But I was just a girl who'd spent eighteen years in a cupboard. I didn't know how to save anyone.
"Yes, she's the princess," Darius announced to the crowd. "And yes, she'll fight for us. But right now, we need to get her to safety. Everyone, stay calm. Head to the emergency shelters. This will pass."
The crowd started moving, families gathering their children.
That's when I saw her.
A little girl, maybe six years old, with dark hair and scared brown eyes. She was alone, crying, calling for her mother.
My heart clenched. She looked exactly like I must have looked the night my parents died. Alone. Terrified. Lost.
"Put me down," I told Darius.
"Zara, we don't have time—"
"Put me down!"
He set me on my feet. I walked over to the little girl and knelt down.
"Hey," I said softly. "What's your name?"
"Emma," she sobbed. "I can't find my mama."
"We'll find her," I promised. "But first, you need to be brave. Can you do that?"
Emma nodded, wiping her tears.
I took her hand. "Stay close to me, okay? I won't let anything bad happen to you."
Because maybe I couldn't save myself yet. Maybe I didn't know how to be a queen or a warrior.
But I could save this one little girl from being as scared as I'd been.
Another explosion. The ceiling cracked. Rocks started falling.
Darius grabbed both me and Emma, pulling us against the wall as debris crashed down where we'd just been standing.
"The main tunnel is collapsing!" someone screamed.
"We're trapped!"
Panic spread through the crowd. People pushed and shoved, trying to find another exit.
Emma clung to me, crying. I held her tight, trying to be brave even though I was terrified too.
Then I felt it.
That strange power inside me, responding to my fear and desperation. Silver fire flickered in my palms.
"Darius," I said. "What if I could stop it? The collapse?"
"You don't have control over your powers yet," he argued. "It's too dangerous."
"More dangerous than being buried alive?"
Another massive chunk of ceiling fell, nearly crushing a family of four.
I made my decision.
I pulled away from Darius and stepped into the center of the cavern. Closed my eyes. Reached for that power I'd felt earlier.
My wolf rose to meet me.
We are strong, she said. We can do this.
I thrust my hands up toward the cracking ceiling. Silver fire exploded from my palms, shooting upward in a massive pillar of light.
The fire hit the ceiling and spread like liquid metal, filling the cracks. Sealing them. Holding the stones together.
Gasps echoed through the cavern.
"She's doing it!"
"The ceiling stopped falling!"
But holding this much power hurt. It felt like my whole body was on fire from the inside. I screamed, trying to maintain control.
"Zara, stop!" Darius shouted. "You're burning yourself out!"
I couldn't stop. If I stopped, we'd all die.
My vision blurred. Blood dripped from my nose. My legs gave out.
But I kept the fire going.
Just a little longer. Just long enough for everyone to escape.
"The emergency exit!" Lyanna yelled. "It's clear! Everyone, go now!"
People ran. Families escaped through the side tunnel. I counted them in my head, making sure everyone got out.
Including little Emma and her mother, who'd found each other in the chaos.
"Zara, let go!" Darius was beside me, his hands on my shoulders. "Everyone's safe. You can let go now."
I released the power.
The silver fire vanished. The ceiling groaned but held.
And I collapsed into Darius's arms.
Everything hurt. My head pounded. My body felt like it was made of broken glass.
But we were alive. Everyone was alive.
"You saved them," Darius said quietly, carrying me toward the emergency exit. "Two thousand people, and you saved them all."
"I just... didn't want anyone to die," I whispered.
"That's what makes you a true queen," he said.
Lyanna ran up beside us as we entered a smaller tunnel. "The main entrance collapsed completely. The Reeds are trapped on the other side. We're safe for now."
"For now," Darius agreed. "But they'll find another way in. They always do."
"Then what do we do?" I asked.
"We prepare," Darius said. "We train you. Make you strong enough to fight back."
We walked in silence for a while, going deeper into the Underground. Finally, we reached a metal door.
Darius's private quarters.
He carried me inside and laid me gently on the bed—an actual bed with blankets and a pillow.
I'd dreamed about sleeping in a real bed for eighteen years.
But now that I was here, I couldn't stop shaking.
Everything hit me at once. The rejection. The chase. Nearly dying. Using power I didn't understand. Those people looking at me like I was their only hope.
I started crying.
Not quiet tears. Huge, gasping sobs that shook my whole body.
Darius sat on the edge of the bed, looking uncomfortable. "I'll... get Lyanna. She'll know what to—"
"Don't leave," I begged, grabbing his hand. "Please. Everyone always leaves."
His expression softened. He stayed, letting me hold his hand while I cried out eighteen years of pain.
All the beatings. All the nights in the cupboard. All the times I'd begged the Moon Goddess to send someone to save me.
And when my mate finally came, he'd looked at me like I was trash.
"I thought he'd love me," I sobbed. "I thought the mate bond meant he'd see past everything and just... love me."
"He's a fool," Darius said quietly. "Any man who rejects you is a fool."
I looked up at him through my tears. "You barely know me."
"I know you jumped into a collapsing tunnel to save a little girl you'd never met," he said. "I know you used power you couldn't control to protect two thousand people. I know you're stronger than anyone who's ever hurt you."
"I don't feel strong. I feel broken."
"Broken things can be reforged into weapons," Darius said. "And I'll help you. I promise."
I wanted to believe him. Wanted to believe I could become something more than the scared girl from the cupboard.
A knock at the door interrupted us.
Lyanna entered, her face pale. "We have a problem. A really big problem."
"What now?" Darius sighed.
"One of the Reeds' wolves got through before the collapse," Lyanna said. "He's asking for sanctuary. Says he has information about Zara's family that she needs to hear. Information about who really ordered the assassination."
My heart stopped. "Who was it? Was it Marcus?"
Lyanna shook her head slowly. "That's the thing. This wolf claims Marcus and Helena were just followers. Someone else gave the actual order to kill the Royal family."
"Who?" Darius demanded.
"He won't say. Not unless Zara promises him protection." Lyanna looked at me. "He says the real mastermind is someone we'd never expect. Someone who's still in power. Someone who's been watching Zara this whole time, waiting."
The room went cold.
"Where is this wolf now?" Darius asked.
"In the holding cells. But Zara..." Lyanna hesitated. "He says if you don't come talk to him in the next hour, he'll die. He's been poisoned. Same poison they used on your parents. He has maybe sixty minutes left."
I sat up, ignoring the pain in my body. "Then we don't have time to waste."
"It could be a trap," Darius warned.
"It probably is," I agreed. "But if there's even a chance he's telling the truth... I need to know who killed my family."
Darius studied my face for a long moment. Then nodded.
"Fine. But I'm coming with you. And if this is a trap, I'll kill him myself."
We headed for the holding cells, my h
eart pounding.
Who was the real mastermind? Who'd been watching me all these years?
And why did I have the terrible feeling I already knew them?