Page 98 of The Queen

His lips pinched together in a thin line. “I’ll go, but you have to find a way. She needs you, too.”

“We both know an omega can survive a mate dying. As long as the rest of you live, she’ll be fine without me.” I guided my horse off the path and up a wooded hill.

Grey followed, gripping the reins and scrambling to keep his balance on the uneven terrain. “Survival isn’t enough. Not after what she’s been through. She deserves more than that, and she loves you.”

His words cut deep, but there wasn’t time for sentimental bullshit. I couldn’t think about that right now. I had to save my mate’s beta first. “We’re almost there. When I say jump, jump off your horse and run up the hill. There’s a small cave. In the bottom left corner, you’ll see a stack of rocks piled against a metal casing. Move those out of the way and crawl through the hole. Keep going, even if it looks like a dead end.”

“Fine. I’m ready. Be careful. Saphyra will never forgive you if you die.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

“We all die sometime. It’s how you live that matters,” I muttered under my breath, hoping I was right about that. Louder, I called back to Grey. “Jump.” I grabbed his rein and tugged his horse along with mine, not breaking stride.

True to his word, Grey jumped from the saddle, landing sprawled in a bush. He moved quickly, scrambling up the embankment into a shadowed stone opening. The rock and earth would hide his heat signature and the horses moving away would be a bigger, more appetizing target for the starfighters.

Now, I just had to figure out a plan for my own escape. I hoped I hadn’t already played all my cards.

Chapter Sixty-One

Saphyra

“Quiet.” Shadow held up his hand, calling a halt, whipping his head from side to side, scanning the treetops.

I tried to follow his gaze but couldn’t even see the sky through the thick canopy, let alone whatever he was looking for. “What is it?” I kept my voice low, not really sure why we were whispering.

Shadow paused a moment longer before urging our shared horse forward. “The fighters headed away from our location, but I thought I heard an explosion.”

“I heard it too, but the trees and valleys can distort sound. It could’ve been anything,” Ghost said. Despite his words, worry infused his voice.

It was difficult to hear much over the horses’ hooves thudding on the hard-packed dirt and the creak of the saddles, but I hadn’t noticed anything. Lex’s concern and Grey’s simmering alarm were settled softly in the bond, steadily moving away from me. “Whatever it was, Grey and Lex seem fine. I think. Just…” I paused, thinking of the best way to describe what I was feeling through the connection. “Concerned.”

I wasn’t sure if I completely trust the details of what I felt through the bond. It was a slippery thing, sliding through my fingers any time I focused on it, and the distance only made the clarity worse.

I didn’t imagine Lex would appreciate that his fear and desperation reached out to me. He’d always tried so hard to hide anything but confidence, but he couldn’t hide it from me now. I knew the way he’d felt when he left, too. He was terrified.

Ghost cleared his throat. “So, uh… you can feel them? I guess you know what just happened, then?”

Shadow’s fingers flexed on my hips when I shifted in his saddle to look at Ghost. “Yeah, I understand the reality of our situation.”

Lex didn’t think he was coming back, but I did. I trusted him, maybe more than I should, and maybe more than he trusted himself. He’d do what he set out to do, no matter what. He needed to protect us, and I was certain that was exactly what was going to happen. My unshakable faith in him was the only thing holding me together as he and Grey got further away.

I had to believe in him because any other outcome was unthinkable. He’d made me question his motives in the past, but never about keeping me safe.

“Then why let him go on a suicide mission?” Ghost asked.

I cringed at Ghost’s harsh wording. “Because that’s not what this is. He’ll find a way.” I spoke it into the universe with conviction. There wasn’t room for doubt. Doubt would crush me, and I couldn’t deal with that now.

“I hope you’re right.” Shadow pressed a kiss to the top of my head.

Ghost gave a noncommittal grunt and rode past us into the lead. I was going to assume that meant he agreed. We continued up the steep rocky trail north around the wooded shoulder of the mountain. It provided much needed cover but was difficult for the horses to navigate.

After what felt like forever, the path leveled out as we crested the ridge, and Ghost stopped. “We’re getting close to the guard perimeter. Where are we headed?”

That was a question I had no answer to. I was relying on their knowledge of the area to guide the decisions.

Shadow maneuvered his horse alongside Ghost’s. “There’s the tunnel at the old oak grove. Only Fenix’s team knows about it. It lets out near the brig as well. That’ll be important if we still plan to break our allies out.”

I remembered the steel door that led to the sparring circle where Shadow fought with the female alphas. Trees concealed the area, and it was tucked in a hollow, hugging the base of the mountain.

Ghost nodded. “But even with their whole team, we’re gonna need more to take back the city.”

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