Hiding in the Fire

She hadn't packed too much - but everything Myranda took was important to her - including the carved hand-held statue Metas had gifted nearly two weeks ago. Everything was easily able to be carried in a small rucksack.

The only issue was going to be leaving. Silas wasn't here - but Harbinger was. Being that Silas was essentially his son, he wanted to see him as Alpha more than anything - and like all werewolves, he knew the key to any Alpha's strength was their Luna.

Metas kept a strong, straight back as he walked up the tunnels with Myranda's hand in his. He had her belongings on his other shoulder even though she was perfectly capable of doing it herself. Despite her objections, he merely kissed her forehead and told her to let him care for her, and she obliged warmly.

She had never had anyone shower her with affection outside of her siblings, and it was a wonderful feeling. Myranda felt free and powerful as she walked at her Alpha's side, and more than ever she felt steadfast in supporting him and his cause.

They rounded up towards the 'ground' level where all were welcome to be regardless of class or title. That still hadn't stopped the elite from forcing anyone lower than them back down to the tunnels by using loopholes like 'this is a government event' or 'we've reserved the space for a celebration'. It was impossible to fight against - but soon they would make sure that would never happen again.

"We're almost there. I just want to ask once more, are you sure you are ready to follow me? Are you sure you trust me?" Metas asked and looked over her gentle face.

"I am sure, and I'm here for you. It's too late for me to back out now. Like my brother, I gave you my word to fight at your side - and if it wasn't clear earlier, yes I trust you." Myranda replied strongly.

"Thank you, it means a lot to me, and I hope we can pick up where we left off..." Metas replied truthfully, and flashed her a grin.

"No need for thanks, Metas. We're on the same page now. We just have to win the war - not a hard task, right?" She asked with a nervous laugh.

"It will be easier than the past few weeks. At least we both have that as something certain in the path before us," he replied with a smile, but she could see his expression was stiff with focus as they neared up to the entrance.

What they walked into was completely unexpected - it was peaceful. No Harbinger. No Silas or anyone there to stop them. It was too serene for either of them to accept and just like before, they exchanged looks in silence.

"I don't like this," Metas said with a deep tone of worry.

"I don't trust this," she agreed.

"Interesting," Metas mused out as he looked around the area that didn't even have soldiers at the gate. A major red-flag.

"What?" Myranda returned curiously.

"The guards at the gate are missing. Ones I know who are loyal to Silas...there are two options in this fork in the road. They're either trying to track me to my hiding place, or they're trying to corner me back into the tunnels. Classic tactic - if memory serves correctly the correct choice is to do neither of those things," he went on softly and lowly to keep their conversation quiet.

"If memory serves me correctly, you only mentioned two paths..." Myranda started and looked to Metas with a grin in her eyes. She was so used to bantering with her siblings, she forgot that Metas was technically still above her.

He didn't seem to mind and he chuckled lightly, "you would be right, my Luna."

Myranda let out a soft sigh of relief. She trusted his ideas and who he was - but she still didn't know enough about him to be able to predict his responses. It was good he laughed, because if he hadn't this relationship would have never worked. Laughter was Myranda's number one way to distract from the pain of life. Without that skill, she would have died a very long time ago from grief alone.

"The answer is to go where they least expect you to go. They don't have the entire force behind them anymore, so they cannot afford to spread out too thin. My guess is they are in the forest, in the lower tunnels, already at your home, and more than likely, in the castle as well" Metas went on further and scoped the area meticulously for any signs of movement or abnormalities.

"That sounds like everywhere, but then again I have never been past this level, so I don't know what else is up there" Myranda replied with a frown. She truly was hoping he had a plan, because she had no idea where he was going with his thought process.

"We're going to go to your sister's house. She isn't home, correct? They are expected to be out of town, yes?" he wanted to make sure before he went any further with his next steps.

"Yes. Syrana has been talking about it for weeks - they won't be back for a few days. Are you sure this is the best idea, though? They'll be able to smell both of us if we stay there,"

"Yes - but what would it matter by then? He entered your home against your will, and assaulted you. I think it's fine to make him a little nervous, don't you? At least here, the scents of all of the others will make it hard for them to track us. Both of your siblings live up there, your scents are very similar. It will be tough to discern yours from theirs with the mix of all the other ones lingering around. It's our safest bet for now because it is the most dangerous of the choices. They'll be expecting me to stay as safe as possible to protect you. When they know you won't go into the fire, it's best to find shelter within the flames," he answered with determination.

Myranda was terrified of the prospect of getting killed inside her sister's home, but her gut instinct told her to follow in his footsteps. He had been surviving on his own for so long that she had to trust his tactics.

So into the fire they went.