Chapter 45


    Savannah and Kai could hear the sounds of the water threatening their friends’ lives. Water was


    merciless to shifters unless they were


    sirens. Thanks to their regenerative abilities, they could survive if they were thrown into a fire. Bullets


    were useless because most shifters


    moved faster than them. Cold weapons were dangerous only in another shifter’s hands and only if


    special conditions were met; it had to


    be a special type of metal or poison, plus it had to go through the heart. Decapitation was also an


    option.


    But water… water did not need special conditions. If a shifter was trapped under it, it would kill him


    sooner orter fromck of


    oxygen. In the middle ages, it was one of the three types of executions for lycans and werewolves.


    The stakes were ridiculously high.


    “Where is the entrance to the catbs?” The Princess demanded as she followed the Northern King.


    “Not here,” he informed her, and she froze just for a second bclore anger made her clench her fists.


    “What do you mean not here?1” She was furious as this wasn’t the time for jokes or mistakes. The


    stakes were too high.


    “We wouldn’t get there in time if we went to the main entrance that should be unscaled. ” Kai replied,


    “That is why I am looking for


    … this!”


    He pointed at a carving on one of the walls, and Savannah stared at him with a raised brow.


    “How does that help us exactly?” she wondered, but the Northerner brushed his palm over the carving.


    “Everything is not what it seems in the Forgotten City,” he exined and then, as if by magic, the stone


    with the carving moved,


    revealing a small window with metal bars. “This was done for security reasons so that guards could


    watch over the priests while they


    performed rituals in the catbs.”


    But Savannah wasn’t interested in the exnation anymore. There would be time for thatter if they


    survived today. And if not.it


    wouldn’t matter.


    The little window gave them a view of a closed room full of water, but it was too dark, and they couldn’t


    see anything else. If there


    was some light before, it was gone now. The water level was rising rapidly, and one could tell it would


    soon reach the window.


    “Da.mn it!” Kai swore under his breath, sensing his Beta close. There was no other ce for him to be.


    “Sawy, step away!” he


    ordered and closed his eyes, preparing for the shift. He knew very well that he would have to use his


    third form for this task.


    Savannah gasped as she saw his bones breaking as he stood. A transformation to the royal lycan form


    was different from shifting into


    a wolf. It was painful, and usually, it took more time. But not for Kai. He made it look so… easy. Almost


    effortless. She was nowhere close


    to that. However, she was happy that he was able to be the lycan beast. They sure needed one


    now!


    Their eyes met just for a second as she nodded to him in approval, and he knocked the metal bars out


    of the window, destroying a


    generous chunk of the wall along with it.


    without hesitation, he shifted back into his human form and dove into the water, his eyes glowing to


    illuminate the area around him.


    Kai followed his instincts and soon saw his Beta floating unconscious, chained to the werebird, who


    also didn’t show any signs of


    life.


    Tootel He was toote, and he would never be able to forgive himself. He wasn’t sure that Savannah


    would forgive him for this


    either. After all, it was his fault they still went through with the stupid Luna Trials. Even capturing Bjorn


    wasn’t worth losing their friends.


    And they didn’t manage to take the werebear prisoner. It was all in vain.


    He grabbed the chains, silver coating burning his palms slightly and swam back to the surface as fast


    as he could.


    The water came right next to the cavity he created, and the first thing he saw were Savannah’s terrified


    green eyes.


    He pulled their friends out of the water, and she grasped the chains to help him, trembling when she


    noticed their pale faces.


    “They aren’t breathing!” She said what they had already both known. Without speaking to each other,


    they grasped the chains from different sides and broke them, working in perfect sync to separate the


    couple and using their royal lycan strength for it. Then, in


    “Sawy, you should leave!” Kai told her when they dared to look at each other in between chest


    compressions.


    “No,” she firmly declined, and right then, water gushed out of Zara’s mouth. Immediately, Savannah


    helped her turn to a side and


    held her until she was taking breaths on her own. The werebird still had shackles around her wrists,


    and the Princess suspected they were


    suppressing her healing and preventing her from shifting.


    “Steel is underneath the silver coating,” the bird rasped, confirming her suspicions as she caught her


    gaze, but then she noticed Kai


    still trying to save L and somehow managed to be even paler. She didn’t have strength in


    her and tried to crawl in the


    direction of the two northerners.


    Sawy helped her up, and Zara took the Beta’srge palm into her hands.


    “Hey,” she whispered with tears forming in her eyes, “unawarewolf, wake up!”


    Kai kept pressing with his hands. Mechanically, tactically, not thinking. Not ready to give up.


    He wasn’t losing his best friend. Not today. Not like this.


    “Come on, big guy!” Zara pleaded. “If I did it, so can you! Come back to us!”


    However, it was taking too long, and the three of them knew L’s chances were lowering every


    second that passed.


    “They poisoned him,” the werebird couldn’t hold back tears anymore and rested her head on


    Savannah’s shoulder. “He… he could


    have fought them off or at least escaped, but he stayed because of mel”


    “I wouldn’t expect anything less from my Betal” Kai grunted. He should have stopped already, and they


    all were aware of this. It was time to get his woman out of here, but every time he pressed on his


    friend’s chest, he promised himself that it would be just a few more


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    pushes before he gave up. And if nothing happened, he would stop.


    “Lan, get your ass back here! That’s an order!” He growled loudly and mmed his fist into his friend’s


    chest harder than he was


    supposed to. He felt a bone cracking, but at the same time, water burst out of his Beta’s throat from the


    pressure. L tried taking


    desperate breaths, but it was hard, and Kai had to help him just like Savannah did to the werebird a


    few moments ago.


    Finally, he was able to breathe, still facing the floor, muscles flexing and twitching from the struggle.


    “Kai” he panted, his voice hoarse. “This is awkward… but I have to tell you this. Although my as.s is


    truly irresistible, I have to say


    am into the Little Birdie. I am sorry, but ….”


    “Shut up!” The King growled throughughter, almost tearing up in relief. This was a good sign. “Can


    you shift?”


    “No,” L confessed. “Go and leave me behind. I’ll manage without shifting.”


    “Yeah, Lan, because we just wasted all this time saving you to leave you behindl” Kai rolled his eyes.


    “You are riding on my back then.”


    “Kai, again,” L tried to smile through pain as they helped him back to his feet. “I am not


    interested in being your bride!”


    “More for me thenl” Savvy interjected as she broke the shackles on Zara’s wrists, freeing her from


    binding metal.


    “We need to get back to the surface,” Kai said, wrapping his Beta’s arm around his neck for support.


    “Do we really, though?” Savannah chewed on her lower lip, and they all looked at her. “Kai, if you are


    right about Bjorn and he wants


    me alive, then maybe it’s best for us not to go back up there for now? This will give a chance for


    everyone else to escape safely. It really


    looks like he is exploding the city borders for now.”


    “Staying here isn’t an option.” The King furrowed his brows. “We don’t know if the bears wouldn’t arrive,


    and there are just four of us


    here.”


    “I think I have a better idea!” Sawy smiled for the first time as she pointed to the wall behind them with


    a huge map carved on it. A


    map of thebyrinth of the catbs, “How urate is this?”


    “It’s hard to tell,” Kai rubbed his chin. “it’s ancient, We haven’t done any adjustments to the catbs


    since the city was sealed, but it’s pretty clear now that Bjorn and his people were using those. And who


    knows if they managed to make some changes.”


    “But overall, it’s correct?” Savannah insisted. “It matches the citybyrinth.”


    “I guess so,” her chosen mate nodded.


    “Then how much do you trust me?” She looked him in the eye.


    “With my life,” he did not hesitate with his answer, and she felt warmth spreading over her chest. They


    may have been chosen mates,


    but this was how mates were supposed to be.


    “Then you will follow my lead, and we will leave the city through the catbs, giving everyone else a


    chance to escape more or


    less safely while we do.”


    “Fine with me,” Zara agreed.


    “I’m just a passenger tonight,” L chuckled weakly.


    “So be it,” Kai smiled at her. “Lead us, my Queen.”


    “Fine,” she squeezed his hand quickly while she could. “Just so that you know, we will be making a little


    detour.”


    They didn’t have time for further discussion or to question the decision. Kai and Savannah shifted into


    their wolves, while Zara helped L to get on his king’s back and then turned into her ck hawk.


    The group ran fast through the dark undergroundbyrinth, only their night vision helping them to see


    their surroundings. Their worst suspicions were confirmed when they saw a few glowing lights of the


    detonators attached to the walls. Bjorn was indeed using the catbs for his n. It exined how


    he was moving unnoticed for so long.


    Savannah stopped in front of one of thedders that led her to the top and shifted into her human form,


    Motioning for everyone


    else to stay behind and wait for her. She climbed up quickly and moved the cover of the manhole that


    was disguised as one of the empty


    tiles in the tricky part of the city’sbyrinth.


    From there, she moved firmly, using the safe tiles to a silver pit, where she had left Mika not so long


    ago. Although now it felt as if


    it was weeks ago.


    “You damn lycan!” the werecat hissed when she saw her. “You’ve returned to finish your job, haven’t


    you? As if explosions weren’t


    enough to kill me!”


    “Seriously?” Savannah chuckled as she stretched her hand down. “You’re lucky you are a cat and have


    nine lives. With your attitude


    and people skills, you are going to need them all. Come on! Grab my hand, and let’s gol We don’t have


    much time!”


    “Is this some kind of a trick?” Mika stared at her warily.


    This was when they heard another explosion, and Savannah realised Kai was right. Because it was the


    part of the city close to the


    shrine in the centre that got blown up. Another explosion sounded, deafening her sensitive ears


    temporarily. He was getting rid of the


    part of the city where she was not in, sending a message.


    “Finel” The werecat jumped and grabbed her hand. Sawy pulled her out in less than a few seconds.


    “What now?”


    “You can either follow me underground or stay here alone and try your own luck.” the Princess told her


    as she was already taking a leap to a safe tile. When she was back on thedder leading down the


    manhole into the catbs, She saw Mika doing the


    same.


    Sawy shifted back into her wolf, while the werecat turned into a lioness.


    Now wasting any time, they ran, ran, ran, following Savannah’s lead. The map didn’t fail them, and


    soon they reached thest exit. Surprisingly, this one, an old stone door, was sealed like it was


    supposed to be. However, Kai knocked it out with ease, turning into his third form again. He got out


    first, then helped L, Sawy and Mika, all of them panting and not knowing what to expect next.


    Nothing went as it was supposed to be.


    They found themselves on a hill close to the Forbidden Forest with a full view of the Forgotten City,


    which was now in mes. New


    parts of it were exploding as they watched the show unfolding before their eyes. Zara llew around and


    signalled to them when she saw other survivors.


    Sawy let out a sigh of relief when she saw her brother and sister-inw unharmed. Naya, Petra, and


    Astrid were there as well, along


    with Inga, Ce and a few wolves who managed to get out of the deadly trap.


    Cars with northern warriors were arriving each minute at the scene, and so were reporters, Chloe and


    ude were already with their


    microphones, working for the cameras.


    “Bjorn.”


    “Bjorn.”


    “Bjorn.”


    “Darius Bjorn.” The white bear’s name was everywhere. Somehow everyone already knew who caused


    all this.


    “We thought we were choosing a Luna!” one of the journalists said with a serious face. “But if this is not


    a challenge for the title of the King of the North, then I don’t know what is!”


    Just as she said that the ancient temple in the centre of the city, the one that everyone could see from


    here, burst into mes