Dollhouse

Chapter 23

Taito slammed his hands into the bars, hissing in pain shortly after. They had been laced with a thin coat of silver, so he was only affected when directly touching them. Apprehension had settled in his stomach and refused to leave. He'd felt slight pain trickle through the bond, meaning Ivan had touched his mark. After that her panic and wariness had flooded his senses, before the bond went alarmingly silent. He had been antsy ever since, causing his warriors to also be on edge. Pack wolves were finely tuned to their alpha's and luna's wolves. This is why the alpha and luna were so important. The alpha kept both the mental and physical strength of the pack grounded, which is why alphas couldn't rule successfully without a luna. If the alpha didn't have his luna to ground him, he'd slowly fall apart, taking the pack along with him. This also explained why if the acting luna died, the alpha would hand his role to his son, regardless of whether he was of the proper age. The retired alpha would help grow the new alpha into his role until he found his mate. Only then would the previous alpha fully retire and place the full burden on the new alpha. Because Ana was human, the warriors could only take their cues from Taito. Based on how agitated he was, they all knew something was wrong with the luna.

"What happened?" Taito was only half paying attention to his men, still trying to find his mate.

"I'm not sure. All I know is Ivan tried something that caused Ana to panic. I know she's still alive, but the bond is silent." Grim silence met his statement. The warriors shifted restlessly, every instinct telling them to help their luna, but with silver coated bars, that was easier said than done.

Ana ducked behind a bookshelf after stumbling upon the library. She barely breathed as she listened for Ivan's footsteps. They'd gotten lighter than his usual heavier gate. She worried her lip, cursing herself for picking an unfamiliar room to hide in, although technically every room besides their bedroom was unfamiliar to her. She'd initially chosen this room because of the cobwebs, and other signs of obvious disuse. However, she was running blind. She had no idea if Ivan was human or supernatural. Her tracks were easy enough to cover if he were human, but if he wasn't, Ana was at a huge disadvantage. She hadn't initially been this afraid, but apprehension had flooded her system, seemingly from an outside source. This had only escalated her own emotions, until her heart was pounding in her chest, keeping her adrenaline rush going. Her current plan was to make it back to the cells and have that jerk help her out. The other people worked for Ivan, so he and his friends were her only option. A creak in the floorboards had her instantly on alert. She had no idea if Ivan had employed the help of his men in his hunt for her, but she was certain they'd turn her in regardless if they found her. Ana had no idea what was in store for her if she was caught, but something told her it was nothing good. She waited with baited breath as the footsteps came closer. The person shuffled dangerously close to her hide away, and Ana wanted to scream at the anticipation as they continued searching. Go away, go away, please go away. Someone up there must have been listening, because the footsteps retreated shortly after her plea. She waited until the door closed to breathe a sigh of relief. She crept to the other side, searching blindly for an exit. She moved painstakingly slow, trying not to bump into anything along the way. There was a door in the back corner, slightly hidden by one of the shelves. She opened it slowly, poking her head through the opening when it was wide enough. The coast was clear at the moment, so she didn't waste any time venturing into the hallway. She kept her hand pressed to the wall in hopes of activating the passageway. Ana kept wary eyes trained in front and behind her, not wanting to be taken by surprise. She was so focused on watching out for people however, that she missed the foreign object on the floor, causing her feet to fly out in front of her. Ana flailed, letting out an undignified squawk as she scrambled to find purchase on the walls. Her hand landed on the panel for the passageway, but couldn't prevent her fall. With a bruised tailbone, she stood and grinned in triumph, dusting herself off. Quickly, she wen down the stairs and rounding the corner, every instinct tuned to reach him. She barely registered the relieved looks on their faces as she set about opening the cell doors.