3.1 | Animal Instinct ✓

09 | north

0 9

n o r t h

BIANCA FLINCHED WHEN I took a step towards her.

"Bianca, it's me – Quinn," my words tumbled out in a flurry and I immediately held up my hands in an attempt to placate her. "I'm going to get you out of here, just – "

Think, Quinn. Who could get us out of this? While my first thought was Jed, another person came to mind:

Diego.

I loosened a breath and stepped back. "Just – try to pull through, for a while more, okay?" I pleaded, staring at her earnestly, "do anything it takes to stay alive. I promise – I promise, I'll get you out of here as soon as I can." I took another step back, my heart clenching with guilt with she made another panicked noise through her gagged mouth, like she was begging me not to leave.

I ran out of the room in search for Diego. He wasn't the best option, but he was Bianca's henchmen. That meant something, right? My heart pounded with anxiety when I found him conversing with several guards. As soon as I came up, the conversation stopped.

"I can't find my room," I said. "Can you help me?"

"Bryson here will help you – "

"No, it has to be you," I insisted. "Mattheus said I was supposed to ask you if I needed anything. And I need to get back to my room."

Diego shot me an icy glare. But then he dismissed the guards and stormed off towards the stairs. I followed him silently until we reached my room.

"Here, you little shit," he spat, roughly flinging open the door to my room. "Happy?"

I snuck a glance down the hallway before pushing him inside. "Get in – "

He didn't budge an inch. "What the fuck are you – "

"Werewolves have heightened hearing," I whispered, shooting him a pleading look. "Just get in, I have to tell you something really important."

He looked at me like he was seriously considering wringing my neck and stomping all over my grave. But I supposed something in my demeanour must've intrigued him, because he strode into the room before turning to face me with narrowed eyes. "Now what do you have to tell me?"

I shut the door and pressed my back against it. "Where's Bianca?"

"The hell should I know?"

"Where is she?"

"I told you I don't know!" His exasperation made me realise that he was telling the truth. "She disappeared sometime ago after parading around like she was the head of the pack, then she up and left – "

"She didn't leave," I said. "I found her."

"What?"

"I found her." I lowered my voice so that it was barely audible. "She's a prisoner, here, in the dungeons."

"There's no dungeon – "

"Why would I lie about a dungeon when I'm a prisoner here?" I fired back, before taking a deep breath. "Diego, you have to help us. Please. Bianca isn't in a good shape and I'm terrified that she might die if she doesn't get out of there. You should've seen her. She was bleeding all over and she was mutilated and – "

"And you'd think I give a shit?"

I froze. "What? She's your Luna! You called her that – "

"That term means nothing to me," he said flatly, pushing past me to open the door. "I have no Luna."