THE DARKEST CORRIDOR

"Run, Sam." Ben ordered the moment we hit the basement floor, "DC just got word to prepare for your dad's arrival."

"D-what?" We did a burst run past the training hall, only to jam break before the new medical center.

Ben lifted a finger over his lips.

Jonah and I nodded and we crept past before any of the medical staff popped out.

{Why are we sneaking? Isn't this hallway under surveillance?} Jonah asked. He had the sense to do it over the mindlink.

{Yes, but as long as nothing blows up, none of our dads would ever check them.} Ben answered.

{Oh.} Jonah realized, {We are getting into trouble again, aren't we?}

I think Jonah should've known by now that following Ben would almost definitely lead to some kind of trouble.

{No, we're not.} Ben took affront, {This time, we aren't going to get caught.}

I honestly couldn't muster that level of confidence.

Anyway, we got to the stairway down to the B2 level. The level I liked the least in our packhouse. For some reason, the hallway was always darkest here. It smelled weird sometimes. There were rats - I saw one with my own eyes and it was the size of a cat!

Our new detention center was located on this floor too. Oh, right DC = Detention Centre.

"Race you!" Jonah said suddenly.

Of course we all ran for it. I even cheated, using just a bit of wolf power so that I was running in front, laughing like a madman because I was winning Jonah for once. They were hot on my heels though.

For a whole two seconds, I forgot every dark memory of this place - yes, approaching a lost cat that turned out to be a rat was a dark memory for me. I don't mean to keep harping on it, but it traumatized my puppy self okay?

My other traumatic memories were more recent - like witnessing the Lorent method of interrogating their rogues. (I didn't even last the entire session.) And also the way Jude had degenerated in his cell.

Jude... I felt really bad about Jude. Almost guilty like it was my fault he was there. Maybe if I hadn't followed him to his packhouse, he wouldn't be kept in a cell today. He would be smiling his slappable smile at his Mum who would be fawning over him like he was an angel sent from heaven.

But he betrayed us. He had his wolves shoot at ours during a war. He was going to let the rogues take over Morning Light... Including New Leaf Academy. Dad was right, it wasn't like the rogues would've let the pups and students there run to Night Leaf for safety.

Just the thought of the armed rogues that day getting into arm's reach of my friends or any of the pups made my blood run cold.

Maybe Jude didn't think about the consequences so deeply. His pack was always getting into trouble because of it.

"He's young. Still unmated." Dad would comment when news of Jude and his gang's latest fight reached his years.

"Still wet behind the ears!" Beta Lucas would shake his head, "Hoo boy, that Jude really likes to cause trouble."

Now I wondered if those were just signs that Jude had never been a good decision-maker.

But even so, he was an adult wolf, a Minor Alpha, and even if he were bad at thinking about the consequences, he would know not to betray Dad like that! He said so himself, he owed Dad a lot. And Dad had always been nothing but good to Jude! We were wolves! Loyalty was supposed to be in our blood.

So Jude deserved whatever that was going to come to him, right? He was a traitor! But then why did I feel so bad about it?

My feelings were really not being reasonable.

Anyway, we were racing and the adrenaline rush made me forget for two seconds about all that.

{Sam, watch out!} Ben mindlinked on the third second, his usual deadpan giving way to actually sounding alarmed.

{Woah, woah...woah!} Jonah skidded to a stop. He grabbed Ben's shoulder to keep his balance.

I had stopped too.

A black rectangular doorway had suddenly unfurled in front of us. It was a void so dark that it made the rest of the hallway look even darker. I knew this door.

"It's Bell's portal..." I said, "I think... I mean, it's probably Bell..."

I couldn't sense Mate past the void entrance so it was just a guess. It really could be any Tyger.

Ben and Jonah stepped up to put me behind them when a black fog poured out of the portal. Someone was stepping through.

But Ben said, "Be careful. That's the cursed fumes. Don't let it touch you."

Both guys stepped back, and I had to take a half step back to give them room. It was very probably Bell.

(And even if it were another Tyger, I was on friendly terms with all the Tygers I had met so far.)

Still, I was undeniably relieved when he stepped out in of cloud of cursed fumes.

{Mate! ~ ❤️}

Boo was ecstatic and I would have flung myself into his arm(s) or at least jumped at him except that at the last moment, two more dark figures stepped out behind him.

That stopped me in my tracks. I wordlessly pointed human shaped darkness that had stepped out behind my mate.

The fumes dissipated once they stepped out and the unnaturally rectangular doorway disappeared into smoke.

"What are you doing here, Princess?" Bell smirked.

Wait, what? That should've been my line!

But what came out of my mouth was, "But that... They... Why?"

Dope! WHY? Why was I always so uncool in front of my mate?

Meanwhile, Ben and Jonah were growling lowly at what they perceived to be a threat - two rather powerful trespassers right in the belly of our packhouse.

Even Jonah. This surprised me. I had never heard him growl before. Jonah's growl sounded like a tractor. Lol.

Both men had black straight hair, one of them wore his longish in an asymmetrical cut, the other word his hair swept back. They wore identical beta men suits... At least I felt immediately that they had to be Betamen suits because they were in the exact same navy blue as my betas.

But they also had that ageless look - so I knew they must have hit a certain unnatural age. They also smelled like unnatural magic and now provoked by Ben and Jonah's growling, they stepped up in front of Bell. The one with the back swept hair pulled out a heavy sword. The one with the asymmetrical hairstyle lifted a single back gloved hand - it looked kind of like the kind my seniors in archery club had, but cooler, more armored, and it produced a shield.

My first thought was that they were being kind of quick to the draw, but then I realized that Ben had his gun out.

Stooopid Ben. One day, he's gonna get us all killed. But not today.

I flared, my hair turning metallic. Luckily both guys were in front of me, and not behind me this time.

Boo smiled, "What game will we play today?"

And it was especially fun because while the two new wolves had just been brandishing their weapons earlier, they got serious at the sight of my hair.

{Careful Laru.} The swordsman said to the shield guy, {That's an Alpha Blade wolf. That is one of the few blades that could possibly crack your shield.}

The shield guy shrugged, {If she can crack my shield, she'd snap your sword, Leon.}

{I know.} Leon answered gravely and looked determined.

{To think blade wolves still exist out here in the plains.} Laru marveled.

Maybe we should open a blade wolf museum and I could stand at the entrance and wave my hair at visitors. I would be like the T-Rex of the dinosaur exhibit.

"I have no time for games, princess." Bell waved down the two wolves.

Oh, right. Bell was always busy. Wait, but why was he here?

The two new wolves retracted behind him promptly. The sword and shield were suddenly out of sight and they bowed politely from behind Bell.

Ben put his gun away, but he didn't step back. Jonah crossed his arms next to me.

"Why are you here?" I asked. I felt very sure now that Bell was up to no good. I looked about. Oh right. Detention Centre was right next to us.

"Alpha Kingsley is definitely gonna sense trespassers, Luna." Ben told Bell pointedly.

Oh, that was also right.

Bell sighed, "If you'll take my princess back upstairs, they'll be in and out in a minute."

"Are you here to see Mimi and Alpha Mike too?" I asked accusingly.

"Mimi and Mike are here?" Bell asked. Opps.

Ben groaned - quite aloud, "Remind me never to take you to an interrogation session, Sam."

Was Bell on first-name basis with Alpha Mike? Wait, no. The question should be, if Bell hadn't known about Mimi and Mike, then why was he here?

Jude.

"I'm surprised." Bell mused, like the evil overlord that he was, "I would never expect Mike to dare trespass after the last time."

"Are you here for Jude?" I asked again.

Ben facepalmed at my interrogation skills, "Don't use leading questions, Sam. Especially the kind that leaks intel."

Jonah chuffed, "Yuh, why don't you ask him if he's sneaking in like we are?"

WHICH WAS A WAY WORSE THING TO LEAK.

Bell smirked now, "My princess seems to enjoy courting trouble."

"That's why I'm with you." I grinned at my own joke. You know, because Bell was Trouble with a capital T, and I was courting Bell because he was my soul mate? No? Well, no one else laughed either. Whatever, "Okay, let's go in, do whatever we need to, and get out before Dad…"

"Before I what, Sam?" Dad's voice asked from just behind me.

EEEk! We were so dead!