Chapter 141

Aria

The moment I realized Lucas was gone, my heart stopped in my chest. One second, he was laughing with the other kids near the edge of the village square, playing make-believe knights with sticks as swords.

And then the next moment, he was nowhere to be seen. My stomach dropped, a cold wave of dread washing over me as I scanned the crowd.

“Lucas?” I called out, moving toward where I’d last seen him.

There was no answer. I turned, my eyes darting around in search of his small head of chestnut hair, wondering if he had gone to the food table for more dessert. But he wasn’t there, either.

The music and laughter around me seemed to fade into a dull roar as I pushed through the crowd, my eyes darting frantically from face to face. “Has anyone seen Lucas?” I asked.

No one answered—just shook their heads, confused. My chest tightened, and I felt like the ground was tilting beneath me. I located one of the kids he had been playing with, a little girl with braids and big eyes. She was stuffing cookies into her mouth by the food table as I approached.

“Honey, have you seen Lucas?” I asked, crouching down to her level. “Did you see where he went?”

The girl hesitated, then pointed toward the tree line. “He said he saw something in the woods,” she said around a mouthful of cookies. “He went to look.”

“Look for what?”

She shrugged. “I dunno. He just said he had to look.”

My blood ran cold. The woods. At night. Alone. My mind raced with worst-case scenarios—wolves, humans, the protesters, the hiker’s death, Alfira’s disappearance. Had Lucas taken off because he thought he needed to look for Alfira?

I stood up so quickly I nearly stumbled, my heart pounding in my ears.

A few moments later I found Darren near the fire, deep in conversation with one of the Shadowclan warriors. He must have seen the look on my face as I approached because his expression shifted immediately, his brow furrowing as he excused himself and strode toward me.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Lucas is gone,” I said, my voice shaking. “One of the kids said he went into the woods. By himself.”

Darren’s face paled, his jaw tightening. “Let’s go,” was all he said before turning toward the forest.

We didn’t waste any time. Darren grabbed my hand, barking an order at the warriors to search the village, and together we sprinted toward the tree line, leaving the warmth and noise of the feast behind. The forest was cold and dark, and my mind was already beginning to conjure up images of Lucas wandering into a ravine or coming face-to-face with an angry mother bear.

“Lucas!” Darren shouted as we entered the woods, his deep voice echoing through the trees. “Lucas, where are you?”

There was no answer, just the rustle of leaves in the wind and the distant hoot of an owl. My chest felt like it was on fire. What if he was hurt? What if he’d gotten lost? What if someone—or something—had taken him?

“Lucas!” I called, cupping my hands around my mouth to project my voice. Darren cursed under his breath when there was still no response, and slipped his phone out of his pocket, turning on the flashlight.

We moved quickly, our footsteps crunching over twigs and leaves as we ventured deeper into the forest.

“Lucas, please!” I cried, my voice breaking. “Answer us!”

Still nothing. My hands were clammy, my throat tight. I couldn’t lose him. Not Lucas. Not after everything we’d been through.

Darren gave my hand a squeeze. “We’ll find him,” he said gently, although I could tell he was just putting up a confident front for my sake. “He can’t have gone far.”

I nodded, following him deeper into the woods. We called out repeatedly, searching high and low for Lucas—behind boulders, in ravines, up in the tree branches. We didn’t spot him, and I let out a curse, wondering if he had shifted into his pup form and covered far more ground than he should have.

Then, just as I was about to call his name again, I heard it—a faint, high-pitched voice cutting through the quiet forest.

“Mommy! Daddy!”

My heart leapt with fear and relief. “Lucas!” I shouted, turning toward the source of his voice. “Where are you?”

“Over here!” his voice called back. He sounded unhurt, and oddly unpanicked.

Darren and I quickly followed the sound, crashing through the underbrush as we ran toward his voice. We called out repeatedly, asking Lucas to call back so we could locate him. Soon, though, we picked up his scent, and followed that trail.

Finally, we found him.

Lucas was standing just outside a small cave, unharmed. Darren rushed toward him, dropping to his knees and pulling his small form against his chest.

“Lucas!” he growled, his voice caught somewhere between relief and anger in the sort of way that only a frightened father could convey. “What were you thinking, running off like that all on your own? You scared us half to death!”

Lucas grunted, squirming against Darren’s grip. “I’m sorry, Daddy. But I heard something, and I thought I saw a lady. I think she’s in there!”

Darren pulled back, staring at him in confusion. “A lady?”

He nodded, pointing toward the mouth of the small cave in front of us. “She’s hurt. I think she needs help.”

Darren and I exchanged a glance, the same thought passing between us. Alfira. Was it possible that she had been this close all along? Injured inside some cave?

“Stay here,” Darren said firmly, standing and nudging Lucas toward me. “I’ll check it out.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “We’re coming with you.”

Darren hesitated, then nodded. I scooped Lucas up into my arms and Darren took my hand, and together we ventured into the cave.

The cave was small and damp. We had to crouch to keep our heads from knocking against small stalactites hanging from the ceiling, but it didn’t go as deep as I expected. Darren moved the flashlight beam across the rough stone walls, slimy with pale green lichen and calcium deposits. Lucas wrinkled his nose against the scent of wet earth and…

There was another scent in the air, too. Something metallic and warm.

Blood.

That was when we saw her.

Alfira was lying on the ground near the back of the cave, her body curled up into a fetal position. Her clothes were torn and stained with dirt and blood, her face pale and drawn. She looked like she’d been through hell. I gasped, pulling Lucas’s head against my chest to shield his view in case she was dead, but Lucas wriggled away, staring at the unmoving form on the ground.

“Alfira,” I whispered, my voice trembling.

Darren rushed to her side, crouching down and gently shaking her shoulder. “Alfira, can you hear me? Are you alive?”

I held my breath, hoping that she was. By some miracle, she actually stirred slightly, her eyelids fluttering open. Her gaze was unfocused at first, but then her eyes locked onto Darren’s face, and she let out a weak breath of relief.

“Darren,” she croaked, reaching for his shirt as he began to scoop her up. “Thank the moon… you found me.”