Chapter 36
Astrid's POV
The spoon. Our lifeline. For a week, it had been the bridge across the chasm of my captivity, a silent messenger carrying whispers of hope and a plan for freedom. Shadow, the woman with the piercing blue eyes, had become my confidante, my partner in this desperate gamble.
Every day, she brought the meager meals, and with them, the carefully etched messages on the spoon's handle. We exchanged information, piecing together the puzzle of my escape. It was a dangerous dance, conducted under the watchful gaze of Leon's cameras, but we had no other choice.
"It's been a week, Luna," Shadow had written this morning, her message barely visible in the dim light. "Any longer and the risk becomes too great. Leon may start getting suspicious."
I knew she was right. Leon's visits had become more frequent, his questions more probing. Instead of saying he could start, I had a feeling he was already becoming suspicious that something was going on. He was like a predator circling its prey, sensing weakness, waiting for the opportune moment to strike.
At first, I had been hesitant to trust Shadow. She was a stranger, a phantom who had materialized out of nowhere, claiming to be sent by Kaeleen. How could I be sure she wasn't a spy, a pawn in Leon's twisted game?
"Why should I trust you?" I had written back, my words etched into the spoon with a shaky hand. "How do I know you're really working for Kaeleen?"
The next day, Shadow's reply had been waiting for me, etched in the same careful script but this time, on the small bowl that held porridge and some fruit shadow had sneaked in for me.
"The Alpha did say you'd be hesitant to trust me. And he said to tell you this, 'your pack has no fucking television in it's rooms even if there is one in the hall.' Well, former pack but I hope this is enough."
It was enough. More than enough actually. Just reading the statement brought a smile to my face. I was going to make sure the moonshade pack was a past like shadow had written. It will become my old pack just like how my father's pack had once been.
That was the moment I decided to trust her. Kaeleen had a reason for sending her here and I was sure that Shadow was competent.
The biggest obstacle to our escape was the cuffs. They weren't just ordinary restraints; they were high-tech marvels of werewolf ingenuity. They didn't require a key, but a biometric scan. An "iris scan," Shadow had called it. The cuffs read the unique pattern of Leon's irises, and only then would they unlock. Both the ones on my hands and legs.
"I'll figure something out, Luna," Shadow had assured me, her blue eyes gleaming with determination. "I promise you, I will."
And now, the moment of truth had arrived.
Leon was gone, called away on some urgent pack business. Clara, as usual, was nowhere to be seen. She had become a ghost in my life, a silent specter haunting the edges of my vision. The only time she even stepped into the role of Luna was to have sex with Leon who made sure I was watching.
I had learned a trick when I was younger, a way to disassociate, to look like I was staring directly at something when, in reality, my mind was miles away. It was a useful skill, one that allowed me to endure the spectacle of Leon and Clara without losing my sanity. I didn't care about Leon and my sister having sex and I especially didn't want to watch them but Leon wanted me to watch. Perhaps it brought him some kind of twisted excitement, I wasn't sure.
The cage door creaked open, and Shadow slipped inside, silent as a whisper. She moved with a feline grace, her senses sharp, her body coiled and ready for action.
"It's time," she said, her voice barely audible.
My heart pounded in my chest. Fear and excitement warred within me, a chaotic mix of emotions. This was it. Our one and only chance.
I looked at Shadow, my eyes searching hers. "How are you going to do it?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly. "How are you going to unlock the cuffs?"
Shadow smiled, a flash of white teeth in the dim light. She reached into her pocket and pulled out something small and round.
An eyeball.
My breath caught in my throat. I stared at the eyeball, my mind reeling. It was…lifelike. The iris, the pupil, the tiny blood vessels…everything was perfectly preserved.
"Is that…is that Leon's?" I stammered, my voice barely a whisper. The irises and everything was so familiar.
Shadow laughed, a soft, melodic sound that eased some of the tension. "It would be nice if it was Leon's eyeball," she said, her eyes twinkling. "But no, Luna. It's not his."
She held the eyeball up to the scanner on the cuff, her movements precise and deliberate. I held my breath, my body rigid with anticipation.
The scanner whirred to life, emitting a soft, blue light. It scanned the eyeball, analyzing the intricate patterns of the iris.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the scanner beeped. A short, sharp sound that echoed in the silence.
"Damn it," Shadow cursed under her breath. She tried again, holding the eyeball at a different angle, pressing it firmly against the scanner.
Another beep. Another failure.
Despair washed over me, cold and suffocating. I had allowed myself to hope, to believe that we could actually pull this off. But now, it seemed like all of it had been a foolish dream.
"It's not going to work," I said, my voice flat and defeated. "Just forget it. It's over."
Shadow shook her head, her eyes blazing with defiance. "No," she said, her voice firm. "It's not over until we say it is. We're not giving up now."
She closed her eyes for a moment, her lips moving in a silent prayer. I recognized the gesture. It was a prayer to the Moon Goddess, a plea for strength and guidance.
She opened her eyes, her gaze locking with mine. Her blue eyes seemed to glow with an otherworldly light.
"Last chance, Luna," she said, her voice filled with a quiet intensity. "Are you ready?"