Calvin’s POV
The air was thick with tension as we arrived at the outskirts of the palace under the cover of night. The towering walls loomed ahead, their stone faces bathed in the pale glow of the moon. Every inch of the palace was guarded, every pathway watched. One mistake, one misstep, and this mission would be over before it even began.
I clenched my fists. Failure is not an option.
Lysaa stood beside me, clutching her white cane tightly. She was tense, but she had agreed to do this. Franklin was positioned with the car a safe distance away, waiting for my signal.
“Alright,” I whispered. “You remember what to do?”
Lysaa exhaled sharply. “Unfortunately, yes.”
“Good. I’ll direct you from here. Just walk straight ahead for now.”
Lysaa took careful steps forward, tapping her cane against the ground. The two guards patrolling the walls immediately noticed her and rushed over.
“Halt!” one of them barked. “Who goes there?”
Lysaa flinched, playing the part of a vulnerable blind woman perfectly. “Oh, thank the goddess!” she gasped. “You have to help me!”
The guards exchanged glances before stepping closer. “What’s going on, ma’am? What are you doing out here at this hour?”
Lysaa turned her face up toward them, her clouded eyes making the men visibly uncomfortable. “It’s my hamster!” she wailed dramatically. “He escaped from my room, and I just know he’s out here somewhere! The poor thing is terrified of the dark, and I have to find him before something bad happens!”
I almost rolled my eyes.
One of the guards hesitated. “A… hamster?”
“Yes! His name is Buttons!” Lysaa insisted, her voice trembling with emotion. “He’s so tiny, and I can’t see a thing! What if he gets stepped on? Or eaten by an owl?! Oh, I can’t bear the thought!”
The guards looked at each other, utterly bewildered.
And that was my cue.
I darted toward the wall, keeping to the shadows. My muscles tensed as I scaled it in one swift motion, landing silently on the other side.
Step one: complete.
But just as my feet touched the ground, I saw movement from the corner of my eye.
A guard.
He was patrolling just a few feet away, his eyes scanning the darkness.
Shit.
I barely had time to react before I dove behind a bush, pressing myself as low as possible. My heart pounded in my chest as the guard’s footsteps drew nearer.
Keep walking… keep walking…
The man paused, his head tilting slightly. My breath hitched.
Then-he turned in the opposite direction.
I exhaled slowly. That was too damn close.
But I had another problem now. I couldn’t move forward without being spotted. The guard was too close, his patrol too tight. And the longer I waited, the more likely it was that something would go wrong.
My fingers brushed against the grass beneath me, feeling for anything I could use.
Then I found it.
A small rock.
My fingers curled around the small rock buried beneath the damp grass. It wasn’t much, but right now, it was everything. My muscles tensed as I aimed carefully, then with a flick of my wrist, I tossed it into the opposite direction.
The rock hit the ground with a soft thud, bouncing against the cobblestone pathway.
The effect was immediate.
The patrolling guard froze mid-step, his head snapping toward the noise.
“Who’s there?” he called out, stepping toward the noise, his grip on the dagger strapped at his waist tightened as he cautiously stepped away from his post, moving toward the sound with slow, deliberate movements.
I didn’t wait.
The second his back was turned, I launched myself forward, silent as a shadow. My heart pounded in my chest as I moved swiftly across the open space, keeping low, staying close to the walls.
Almost there…
I slipped past the outer courtyard, the looming palace doors coming into view. Relief surged through me-until I saw them.
Damn it.
Four guards.
Each one heavily armed, stationed at the entrance with unwavering focus.
I gritted my teeth and quickly ducked behind a stone pillar, my mind racing. There was no way I could get past them unnoticed. Trying to fight my way in would be suicidal.
I needed another way.
I pressed a hand against my temple and reached out through the mind link.
“Franklin.”
His response was instant. “What’s wrong?”
“The main entrance is too heavily guarded. There’s no way in. I need another access point.”
Franklin was silent for a beat before responding. “A palace this size is bound to have multiple entrances, especially for emergencies. Try finding another way in-maybe a servant’s door or an escape passage.”
“Got it.”
I exhaled sharply, scanning my surroundings before pulling back into the shadows.
Staying close to the walls, I maneuvered my way through the compound, careful to keep out of sight. Every step was calculated, every movement precise. My pulse pounded against my skull as I crept toward the rear of the palace.
But when I got there-nothing.
No door. No windows low enough to reach. Just an expanse of cold, unyielding stone.
Panic threatened to creep in, but I clenched my fists, forcing it down.
“There’s nothing back here,” I growled through the mind link.
“Keep looking,” Franklin urged. “There has to be something.”
Damn it.
I scanned the area again, trying to ignore the frustration crawling under my skin. There has to be a way inside.
“You’re wasting time,” Fenrir’s voice rumbled in my head, impatient.
“You think I don’t know that?” I shot back, barely restraining my irritation.
“Let me take over,” he said. “I’ll find the way in.”
I hesitated.
I didn’t like shifting in enemy territory, especially when I needed to remain discreet. But Fenrir was right-I was running out of options.
Fine.
Quickly, I stripped off my clothes, tucking them behind a bush before surrendering to the shift. My bones cracked and elongated, muscles twisting and morphing as I dropped to all fours. My vision sharpened, my sense of smell heightening to an almost painful degree.
Fenrir wasted no time.
He padded forward, sniffing the air, his ears twitching as he scoured the area. The damp scent of earth and old stone filled my nose. But beneath it-something off.
My gaze snapped to a row of flower pots lined against the back wall.
One of them-slightly shifted out of place.
Suspicious.
I approached it carefully, digging my claws into the soil beneath it. With a strong push of my paw, the pot slid aside with a soft scrape.
A faint click echoed through the air.
Then, like something out of a damn spy novel-part of the wall shifted.
A hidden door.
Excitement surged through me as the concealed entrance creaked open, revealing a dimly lit passageway leading into the palace.
“Found it,” I mind-linked Franklin before slipping inside.
The moment I crossed the threshold, the air changed.
Unlike the crisp night air outside, the atmosphere inside was still, almost suffocating in its silence. The scent of polished wood, faint traces of perfume, and lingering candle smoke filled my nose, mingling with the unmistakable scent of wealth and power.
This part of the palace was foreign to me. The door I had just come through was basically a wall.
The hallway stretched long and winding, the intricate gold-trimmed walls and towering pillars a testament to the Blue Bell Pack’s opulence. Most of the lights were off, leaving the space dimly lit by faint wall sconces and the occasional flickering lantern. Shadows stretched across the marble floors, creating an illusion of movement where there was none.
I moved cautiously, my paws silent against the cool marble, ears pricked for any sign of approaching footsteps.
At any moment, someone could walk through one of the grand archways or emerge from a nearby room. If I was caught now, there would be no talking my way out of this.
I exhaled quietly, forcing my heartbeat to steady.
I had one job.
Find my children.
And I wouldn’t leave without them.