CHAPTER 86

Ethan crawled through the hidden passage eagerly, ignoring the pain shooting up his damaged leg. He had had to deposit some supplies in the tunnel before he went to fetch Shana.
Finally, the moment to take action had presented itself to him and ironically Collins had played a part in it.
A week ago, Collins had gotten so agitated that he had searched out every tunnel that led to the big house and placed guards at the entrances and exits.
The place had stood for years and years, even the oldest member of the pack couldn't remember when it was built. The building had more secret tunnels than was normal and as kids, Ethan and Cole had played a game hiding and sneaking off through everyone of them. Collins had not been left out. He knew the tunnels as much as they did.
But what Collins didn't know was that, during the time he was away, they had discovered another tunnel.
The only problem was, the secret door was in Collins' throne room and directly under his throne.
If he was going to help Shana and possibly Adele get out, he needed help. He would need someone to help cover up and replace the chair after opening the secret door but there was no one he could turn to. He had disbanded his group after the Collins' murder. He didn't want any more blood on his hands.
He would have to do it alone and face all the consequences if he was discovered. His only hope was that they would be long gone before any discovery.
And yes, he was considering helping Adele. Although she had been a party to everything, he was sure she wasn't prepared for what had befallen her in her weeks of stay with Collins.
He used her at will, and he shamed her and all the while, he claimed she was going to be his mate. But Ethan had only to look into her eyes to see the forlorn and lost look in them.
She needed to get out before any harm came to her. But his major concern was Shana.
Collins was getting really agitated, and paranoid. Ethan believed his plans were not going according to plan and he had overheard him talking. It was safe to say Elise had bailed out on their plan or she had simply used him to achieve her own plan.
If Shana was to make an escape, it was now or she would never make it out alive.
Her escape was tonight.
Collins had gone on a run and when that happens, everyone let their guard down.
First, he made his way to Adele's room. He knocked on the door tentatively and she opened.
"What do you want?"
The defensive look in her eyes was expected. They were not friends but they had a common goal, to see Collins fall.
"Now is the time to make your escape with your Luna. I can help you but you have to hurry before he gets back," he whispered silently.
Something like a sad smile played on her lips and her defensive pose softened. "For even thinking I deserve rescuing, thank you. But I don't need rescuing, I want revenge and I won't leave until I've it."
"You can't do anything to him by yourself."
Adele shook her head at his ignorance. "Not by myself. Asher would never leave the woman he loves with that bastard. Whatever plan he must have cooked up to keep him away, it isn't going to last for much longer. And when he comes, Collins'blood will flow, mark my words. Even if Asher doesn't show up, I'll get my revenge alone. I won't leave until then but if there is anything I can do to help Shana escape, count me in."
Ethan was deeply affected by the conviction in her voice and how he wanted it to be true. "Are you sure this is what you want?"
"I've never been more sure of anything in my life."
"I need your help," Ethan admitted sheepishly. It sucked that his plan was half feasible, but it was better than all he ever had.
"I'll do anything to see her back safely, trust me."
"Then follow me."
As they made their way silently up the stairs to Shana's room, Ethan prayed the guard that stood watch at her door had gone carousing like he was fond of doing.
He sent up a silent thank you when her front door was empty. He knocked gently and whispered his name as loud as he could.
Shana opened the door silently.
"It's time," Ethan whispered. She understood what he meant immediately and the joy in her eyes was only dimmed when she saw Adele.
"You are also leaving," Shana said under her breath but Adele didn't hear her
"We must leave now."
As they made their way quietly along the empty passageways, cold dread filled Shana at the mere thought of discovery. If their plan had even the slightest hitch, she was never making it out again.
She watched Adele's set profile as they moved silently. As much as Shana hated what she was going through, a part of her didn't want the other woman to make it out of there.
Call her evil, wicked or vindictive but nothing could make her stop feeling that way. Adele had been the source of her misery before she found herself in Collins' clutches and she had played a part in her being here in the first place. Who said she wasn't going to start tormenting her existence again once they made it out?
But again, she was never going to see Adele ever again after today. So all was well.
Once Shana saw the door of the throne room looming in front of her, she stopped in her tracks. Ethan looked back and waved her to continue.
"Why are we going in there?," she asked in a suspicion-laden voice. Was Ethan playing a game on her? Was that the reason for Adele's presence?
"Your escape is through there."
Not like she had anything to lose anymore. So she followed them into the room quietly. She watched as Ethan made his way to Collin's overwhelming big oak chair which he called his throne. He removed the heavy chair from the platform like it was no more than a feather. Then he proceeded to raise the rug underneath it to reveal the lacquered wood flooring.
All the while, she watched in amusement. How was her escape through the floor?
Then she saw Ethan depress a portion of the wood and a whole panel slide back, revealing a door.
Her gasp of surprise coincided with Adele's.
"This door leads to a tunnel that'll take your far away from here to the very edge of the territory. It'll be no less than two hours to get to the end of it, crawling," Ethan said, expecting her to complain about the idea of crawling for hours. But who was she to complain? Beggars were never choosers.
When she nodded that she understood, he moved to her with thick wads of clothes to protect her body from injury. "If we are going to make it out in time, we have to go now," he said as he tied the clothes around her arms and legs.
"You are coming with us?," Shana asked.
"I'm coming with you. Adele will stay here to put everything here back in order."
Shana's gaze flew to the wolf's rigid posture. "Why?"
It was the only word she could manage. Adele was a fool not to take the only opportunity she would ever have to escape.
"You know I've no place to go back to," she replied rigidly.
The sadness in her eyes almost made Shana forget all she had put her through and offer for her to come with her but she bit her tongue. It wasn't like she had a place to go to herself.
"We've to leave now," Ethan said putting an end to their goodbye, which was ironically touching.
Ethan lowered himself into the tunnel before her and she followed after him. He already had two headband flashlights and some bottles of water in the tunnel. He handed her one and told her to follow him.
"Wait!"
Shana turned to see the tormented look in Adele's eyes as she looked down at them. "If I was given a chance to redo everything that happened before your kidnap, I would be lying if I said I would have been nice to you, made you feel welcome or supported your union with Asher. I would have done everything I did over and over again, because it was never in my nature to be sweet or nice like you," Adele paused as her voice broke on the last statement. "But the only thing I would have done differently was to have known when to concede defeat and I should have done that the very moment I realized you have his heart. For that, I'm sorry."
Then, the door closed before Shana could say a word.
"We need to move," Ethan called to her.
For the next two hours and more, she crawled with Ethan through the tunnel, the resolve and and hope of a new life for her baby pushing her on. She refused to take a rest even when Ethan offered.
When they finally arrived at the mouth of the tunnel, she welcomed the blast of fresh air.
"I'll carry you from here to the road. I must return before anyone start looking for me. Here," he said handing her a black backpack. "It contains some money, a phone, two change of clothes and some snacks. The money should be enough to get you safely to your pack. There's a truck, it'll take you as far as you need to go before needing the money."
Shana's eyes watered as she threw herself into the wolf's arms. "Thank you," she mumbled through her tears.
Ethan felt the betraying wetness of his own eyes but for the first time since his best friend's death, he felt happy. "You are welcome but we have to keep going," he said pushing her away gently and putting an end to the emotional interlude. Then he unwrapped her from her protective gears.
"I think you deserve to know I'm not going back to my pack, not like I've one anymore. But I won't be telling you where I'm going," Shana said through silent tears.
Ethan asked no questions but nodded his understanding. "It's better I do not know where you are going. That way, there would be nothing to tell. And the truck would serve you better if you happen to be going out of the state. Goodbye Luna."
He transformed to his wolf without another word, a big brown furry creature that was perfect in all limbs as he pranced to her and bent to carry her.
What happened to the injured leg?
But Shana had no time to ask as he carried her and flew through the wood.
She was by a road before she knew it and he retreated back into the woods before he was seen.
The road was empty but she knew she wouldn't have to wait for long. It was almost day break.
Her only fear was Collins discovering her before she finally made it out.
Soon, she saw a pickup truck coming along and she waved it over. The truck stopped. The driver was a grey-haired man. As she got into the truck, Shana heard some rustling behind her in the wood and she knew it was Ethan.
He had waited for her to be safe before he took off. And she came to realize she hadn't been on that road at that particular time just by coincidence.
She discovered during her long talk with the driver, who turned out to be a farmer that he took that route to his family outside the state every Thursday and passed that place almost the same time for the past twenty years.
And he went on to tell her about two young boys he had picked up at the same place he picked her up years ago but he never remembered what happened after picking them up.
She could hazard a guess who one of those boys was. She smiled secretly to herself.