The Lycan King's Defiant Surrogate

Leah's angry shrick at Samuel has alerted every single danger in the stairwell to our presence, and some in the hallway too. Their thunderous footsteps come closer to us.

Samuel uses his body to push Leah and me inside the stairwell.yank closed the door behind us and turn the inside lock.

From somewhere beneath us, padded footsteps start to come up the stairs. Samuel places himself between us and the stairs.

"You protected Harper, Leah continues to hiss, like our lives aren't in immediate peril. I shush her, but she doesn't listen. "You went to her like it was your reflex, and left your wife to die

It could be the fear and adrenaline, and perhaps some blood loss, that is making her panic like this. But that panic isn't helpful right now. Not when her frantic outbursts are just making more trouble for us. "He's protecting you now so be quiet," I whisper to her.

"So easy for you to say, Harper. You aren't here about to die knowing your husband won't put you first"

There are so many things I want to say to her, like, Maybe you shouldn't have married my ex-fiancé. Or, What do you expect when you treat everyone around you like garbage?

Instead. I tell her. "We can argue about this later."

"There won't be a later!" Leah shouts.

Too loud. Far too loud.

Whatever had been looking for us in the hallway begins to pound on the door. That lock is flimsy, meant only to direct and deter the slaves. There's no real threat in it. It's not meant to keep out monsters.

The wood of the door begins to splinter, What surprises me, in my panic-addled brain, is how the door seems more likely to give before the lock. Perhaps it's not such a flimsy lock as I previously thought. Samuel starts to growl. He backs up some, shielding me somewhat with his body.

Leah's eyes go wide with shock and distress. "You utter bastard! You are doing it again!"

Just then, the bear breaks down the door. Its massive form fills the doorway. Drool and blood drip down from its chin in sick wet globs. It lifts itself up onto its hind legs, rears back like it's taking in a great inhale of breath. Then it roars loudly straight at us. The breath-the stench of it assaults our noses.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Samuel growls as he lowers himself, ready to pounce.

As the bear finishes its roar, it moves to take one step forward, when suddenly, a massive arm smacks it from the side, sending it flying away. It careens away like a bag of potatoes, disappearing further down the hallway.

In its place, Caleb, in his massive Alpha wolf form, leans down to peek his head in through the doorway. When he sees me he immediately shifts down to his human size.

"What the hell are you still doing here, lingering around?" he demands. Though he's shifted to human form, the blood remains covering him. His face is red, and it's dripping down his arms and legs. "Come on. He pushes past Samuel and immediately starts to go down the stairs.

Hollow along at once, with Leah and Samuel behind me.

Down a flight, we hear another growl of a bear.

Caleb turns to look at me. We have to get downstairs. No matter what else happens. The only way out through the tunnels is one the base level."

"We're running away?" I ask.

"Just follow me. No matter what," he says. He's gross, covered in blood and who knows what else, but he's serious. And for whatever the reason, of all the people he could be choosing to protect right now, he's picked me. Right now, I'd follow him to the ends of the earth.

At least, I want to.

A flight of stairs down, we are confronted with another bear. Caleb shifts into his massive wolf form and tackles it. He's contorted in the tight chasm of the stairwell, but even then he still seems to be winning

"This way!" Samuel says, pushing Leah and me toward the exit of this landing, which would lead us out into one of the interior floors, but certainly not the lowest.

"Caleb said to follow him!" I reply, pushing back.

But Samuel is much stronger than me. "Your king is the target here. He'll only lead us into death!"

I continue to try to fight against Caleb, but he doesn't give me an inch, He said to follow him. He said the lowest floor was