The path twisted and wound downward, the glow of their flashlights bouncing off the slick cavern walls.
Each step felt heavier than the last.
Every breath tasted of dust and fate.
Melodie's heart hammered against her ribs as they rounded one final bend—
—And stepped into a vast, breathtaking cavern.
A pool of water stretched wide before them, shimmering like liquid starlight.
The center of the pool glowed, casting dancing reflections across the ceiling.
It was beautiful.
It was the portal home.
Jaxxon didn't hesitate.
"All we gotta do is swim down to the center," he explained, his voice sharp, urgent. "It'll pull us through, straight into our neck of the woods."
"Soldiers are waiting on the other side, ready to blow this joint."
His gaze swept the room, landing on his daughter.
"We go. Now."
One by one, the Canariae carefully crawled into the glowing pool, their tired, malnourished bodies disappearing beneath the surface.
It was almost over.
Almost done.
Melodie reached for Lilly, motioning for her to go in next—
But Lilly didn't move.
The little girl's feet stayed planted, her tiny fingers gripping Melodie's wrist in a death grip.
Melodie frowned.
"Come on, kid, we have to go."
Lilly shook her head furiously.
"No!"
"Lilly, it's okay." Melodie softened her voice, crouching to the girl's level. "It won't hurt. We just have to hold our breath—"
Lilly yanked her arm away, shaking even harder now.
"No, no, no! I don't want to go!"
The hairs on Melodie's neck stood up.
Something wasn't right.
Her stomach twisted painfully.
She glanced over her shoulder.
Jaxxon was already calling her name, urgency creeping into his voice.
"Mel, we need to get her in the water. Now!"
But Lilly was still trembling, her brown eyes darting toward the tunnel they had just come through.
Like she was listening.
Like she was waiting.
Like she knew something was coming.
Melodie's blood ran cold.
Gunfire.
Sharp. Loud. Deadly.
Echoing through the tunnels.
Shouts followed—desperate, panicked, and laced with violence.
They were here.
No.
No, no, no, no—
Not now. Not when they were so close!
Melodie spun toward Jaxxon, hand outstretched.
"Gun!"
Her father didn't hesitate.
He tossed her a pistol.
She caught it, cocked it, breath ragged as she pivoted toward the entrance, finger ready on the trigger.
She would not let them take this from her.
She would not let him take her back.
She—
Lilly screamed.
Melodie turned just in time to see the little girl clamp her hands over her ears, tears streaming down her face—
Then, she ran.
Straight for the tunnel.
"LILLY, NO!"
Melodie lunged after her, but—
A strong hand clamped onto her shoulder.
"Mel, GO."
Jaxxon's voice was steel.
His grip was firm.
His eyes were full of unspoken words.
She knew that look.
It was the look he had given her before every dangerous mission—
The look that said, I'll hold them off. You complete the mission.
Her heart cracked in half.
"Dad—"
"NOW."
More gunfire.
Footsteps pounding.
Coming closer.
Jaxxon turned toward the tunnel, gun raised, already moving to intercept the enemy.
Melodie's hands clenched into fists.
No.
"GO!"
Jaxxon's roar rang through the cavern, slicing through the chaos like a blade.
Melodie's breath hitched as her father shoved her toward the glowing pool.
"DAD!" she yelled, but his hands were firm, unyielding, commanding.
"NOW, MELODIE!"
She had no choice.
Her boots splashed as she stumbled into the pool, the freezing water biting at her skin.
She took a shaky breath, willing herself to move—
Then, gunfire erupted again.
Loud.
Violent.
Too close.
Instinct kicked in. She dropped to a crouch, half-submerged, her heart slamming against her ribs.
Her head snapped toward the tunnel entrance—
And her stomach lurched.
They weren't alone.
Emerging from the tunnel like specters from hell—
Two massive wolves stepped into the cavern.
Gigantic.
Grotesque.
Standing at least five feet tall on all fours, their hulking, muscular frames rippled beneath thick fur, their eyes burning with eerie intelligence.
One—a monstrous gray beast—had a man dangling from its jaws, the soldier's screams echoing off the cavern walls.
The other—black as the abyss—stood beside it, lips curled back, saliva dripping from exposed fangs.
Blood streaked their fur, fresh bullet wounds littering their flanks.
And yet—
They barely seemed affected.
A new horror settled in Melodie's chest.
"What the fuck—"
Soldiers scrambled into formation, silver shields raised, stepping between the monsters and the remaining civilians.
They had prepared for this.
For them.
And then—
A voice.
Smooth.
Controlled.
Low, but vibrating with unrestrained fury.
"There you are, my little dove."
The guards parted like water.
Like they knew.
Like they feared.
And then—
He stepped forward.
Tall.
Towering.
An undeniable force of power.
His long platinum hair draped over one shoulder in a braid, the dark hunting clothes clinging to his muscular frame, his expression unreadable, but his eyes—
Burning.
With anger.
With possession.
With absolute certainty.
Melodie's lungs locked, her entire body frozen in place.
Malec.
He had found her.
She felt his gaze rake over her, taking her in—
Drenched. Trembling. Seconds away from escape.
His jaw clenched.
His chest rose and fell in controlled breaths.
And then, slowly—
He took another step forward.
A distinct click broke the suffocating silence.
Malec stilled.
The wolves snarled.
But Melodie's heart—
Nearly stopped.
Jaxxon.
Her father stood ten feet away, rifle raised, barrel aimed directly at Malec's chest.
No hesitation.
No fear.
Just the unwavering stance of a man who had spent his entire life in war.
His voice was low, steady, lethal.
But Malec didn't react.
Didn't flinch.
Didn't even acknowledge the gun.
And that's when Melodie remembered—
He couldn't understand him.
Jaxxon's steely eyes narrowed as he barked out a threat, his stance unmoving.
"So you're the son of a bitch who stole my daughter."
Malec's jaw flexed, but his face remained unreadable.
He tilted his head slightly, studying the man before him—
And then his gaze flicked to Melodie.
"What did he just say?" Malec's voice was calm, expectant, like he already knew the answer.
Melodie's lungs locked as both men stared at her—waiting.
She swallowed hard, voice tight, translating for Malec.
"He wants to know why you took me."
Malec's expression remained neutral, but a slow smirk tugged at his lips.
He took a step forward.
Jaxxon tightened his grip, aiming right between Malec's eyes.
Melodie flinched.
This wasn't a warning shot.
Her father was ready to kill.
"Stay back," Jaxxon ordered, voice like steel and fire.
But Malec just glanced at Melodie, his voice smooth, dark, and utterly possessive.
"Tell him he doesn't give orders where you're concerned."
Melodie's fingers clenched into fists, her heart hammering.
She couldn't say that.
Not to her father.
She hesitated—
And Malec caught it immediately.
His eyes darkened, and in a dangerously soft tone, he repeated himself—slower this time.
"Say it, Allora."
A warning.
A command.
She turned to her father, trying to keep her voice steady.
"He says... you don't get to tell him what to do with me."
Jaxxon's eyes flashed with fury.
"The hell I don't." He gestured to the cavern pool. "She's going home."
Melodie slowly translated.
Malec's smirk vanished.
His entire demeanor shifted, from casual arrogance to something far more dangerous.
And his voice—
Quiet. Lethal. Absolute.
"Mora zerku ilian."
Melodie felt ice pour into her veins.
She turned to her father, her throat tightening.
"He says... this is my home now."
Jaxxon let out a slow breath, calm and measured, but his finger hovered over the trigger.
"Over my dead body."
Melodie didn't translate that one.
Didn't have to.
Because Malec—
He already knew.
And he smiled.