Chapter 307
Chapter 307
Avery’s POV
The camp was quiet when I slipped out of my tent.
My guard had fallen asleep at his post, head lolling against a wooden barrel. I’d slipped a small dose of valerian into his dinner. It wasn’t enough to knock him out completely, but enough to make him drowsy. He wouldn’t wake for a little while.
I kept to the shadows, moving between the tents with practiced ease now that I’d done this so many times before. The angelica petals were wrapped in cloth and tucked into my pocket. The syringe of morphine was hidden in my other pocket, ready.
Gideon’s cage came into view. He was awake, sitting with his back against the bars. His head lifted as I approached.
I didn’t say anything I just pulled out the angelica and slipped it through the bars.
“Eat these. Be ready. Follow my lead p>
Gideon opened the tissue and flinched, jumping back. He stared at me. “What the hell p>
“Just trust me,” I said. “This is the only way you’ll be strong enough to break out of here p>
He was silent for a long moment. Then, he took the petals.
“When?” he asked.
“I’ll signal you. Be ready p>
I turned and walked away before he could say anything else.
I positioned myself near Asher’s tent, crouching behind a stack of crates. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might burst out of my chest, but I forced myself to stay calm.
I pulled out the syringe and checked it one last time. The morphine was still there, the needle sharp and ready.
Then, I looked back toward Gideon’s cage and raised my hand. I waved it twice.
That was the signal.
For a moment, nothing happened. A few minutes passed. Finally, I heard a low,
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guttural growl.
The growl turned into a snarl, then a roar. I heard the sound of metal screeching as Gideon threw himself against the bars of his cage. Once. Twice. Three times.
The cage buckled, then burst open.
Shouts erupted from all directions. Rogues poured out of their tents and converged on Gideon’s cage, trying to contain the feral wolf. But Gideon was already loose. I caught a glimpse of him just before he lunged at the nearest rogue and tore into him.
The camp descended into chaos.
I didn’t wait. I slipped into Asher’s tent while everyone was distracted.
He was sitting at his table, studying a map. He looked up when I entered, one eye narrowing.
“Avery? What are you-
I didn’t let him finish. I lunged forward and drove the syringe into his neck.
Asher roared and grabbed my wrist, yanking the needle out. But it was too late. The morphine was already in his bloodstream.
He backhanded me across the face, and I went sprawling. My head hit the ground hard, and stars burst across my vision.
“You little bitch,” Asher snarled. He stalked toward me, but I could see his his movements already slowing. He pressed his hand to his neck. “What did you do p>
“What I should have done days ago, you fucking monster p>
He lunged again with a snarl. Before he could reach me, I scrambled to my feet and grabbed the nearest thing I could find-a heavy candlestick. I swung it at his head. Asher caught it with one hand and ripped it from my grasp. Then, he grabbed me by the throat and slammed me against the table.
“I should have taken you the moment you arrived,” he hissed. “I should have locked you up like all the other slaves and made you bear my Lycan children until your body gave out p>
I clawed at his hand, gasping for air. My vision was starting to go dark.
But then, his grip faltered. His hand trembled, and he staggered back.
The morphine was kicking in.
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Chapter 307
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guttural growl.
The growl turned into a snarl, then a roar. I heard the sound of metal screeching as Gideon threw himself against the bars of his cage. Once. Twice. Three times.
The cage buckled, then burst open.
Shouts erupted from all directions. Rogues poured out of their tents and converged on Gideon’s cage, trying to contain the feral wolf. But Gideon was already loose. I caught a glimpse of him just before he lunged at the nearest rogue and tore into him.
The camp descended into chaos.
I didn’t wait. I slipped into Asher’s tent while everyone was distracted.
He was sitting at his table, studying a map. He looked up when I entered, one eye narrowing.
“Avery? What are you p>
I didn’t let him finish. I lunged forward and drove the syringe into his neck.
Asher roared and grabbed my wrist, yanking the needle out. But it was too late. The morphine was already in his bloodstream.
He backhanded me across the face, and I went sprawling. My head hit the ground hard, and stars burst across my vision.
“You little bitch,” Asher snarled. He stalked toward me, but I could see his his movements already slowing. He pressed his hand to his neck. “What did you do p>
“What I should have done days ago, you fucking monster p>
He lunged again with a snarl. Before he could reach me, I scrambled to my feet and grabbed the nearest thing I could find-a heavy candlestick. I swung it at his head. Asher caught it with one hand and ripped it from my grasp. Then, he grabbed me by the throat and slammed me against the table.
“I should have taken you the moment you arrived,” he hissed. “I should have locked you up like all the other slaves and made you bear my Lycan children until your body gave out p>
I clawed at his hand, gasping for air. My vision was starting to
go
dark.
But then, his grip faltered. His hand trembled, and he staggered back.
The morphine was kicking in.
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I coughed and sucked in a lungful of air, the grabbed the candlestick from the ground and swung it again. This time, it connected with his ribs. He doubled over with a grunt.
“You’re going to regret this,” he wheezed.
“No,” I said, “You are p>
I hit him again. And again. Until he collapsed onto the floor.
I stood over him, panting, Blood dripped from a cut on my forehead, and my throat ached where he’d grabbed me. But I was all. And he wasn’t getting up.
I
I crouched down and rifled through his pockets until I found the keys. Then, I leaned close to his ear.
“Rot in hell,” I whispered.
I left him there and ran.
The camp was burning now. Somewhere in the chaos, a tent had caught fire, and the flames were spreading fast. Rogues were running everywhere, some trying to put out the fire, others still trying to subdue Gideons wolf.
I ran toward the slave kennels. The cages were locked, and the slaves inside were huddled together, terrified. I fumbled with the keys until I found the right one, then unlocked the first cage.
“Run!” I yelled, moving to the next cage. “Get out of here! Head west, toward Nightwolf territory p>
I unlocked the next cage, then the next. By the time I’d freed the last one, my hands were shaking so badly I could barely hold the keys.
Lindsey was in the final cage. She stared at me, wide-eyed.
“Go,” I said. “Run. Don’t look back p>
She nodded and took off with the others.
With that finished, I turned and ran back toward the center of the camp, Gideon’s wolf was still raging, tearing through rogues like they were made of paper. Bodies littered the ground.
I had to stop him. If he kept this up, he’d kill everyone-including himself. And me.
I pulled the peppermint from my pocket and crushed it between my fingers. The scent was strong, like a fresh tube of toothpaste. I ran toward Gideon and threw the
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crushed leaves at his snout.
The wolf froze. His head whipped toward me, yellow eyes blazing.
“Gideon,” I said. My voice was shaking. “It’s me. It’s Avery. You need to calm down p>
The wolf snarled, but the rage in his eyes was starting to fade. He shook his head, snorting at the peppermint scent.
“Come on,” I said. “We need to go. Now p>
The wolf stared at me for another moment, then shifted. Gideon collapsed onto the ground, gasping.
“Avery p>
“Get up,” I said. I grabbed his arm and hauled him to his feet. “We don’t have time p>
We ran toward the edge of the camp. Tegan and a handful of Gideon’s men were waiting there. I wasn’t sure how Gideon had contacted them. Maybe it was just lucky timing, or maybe they’d seen the flames and came running.
“Alpha!” Tegan shouted. He skidded to a halt when he saw me. “Luna p>
“The slaves,” I said. “They’re heading west. Make sure they’re safe. Take care of them p>
Tegan nodded. “We will p>
Gideon looked at me. “You’re coming with us, right p>
I opened my mouth to answer, but before I could, a voice cut through the chaos.
“Going somewhere, poppet p>
I turned. Asher was standing at the edge of the camp, half-paralyzed and leaning heavily against a tree. His face was pale, but he was alive.
And he was furious.
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