I stared at her with wide eyes. "What?" I asked and grunted when I was free. I stumbled, and she caught me before I fell face first into the ground. "What do you mean?" I asked. "What's going on?"
"Well, it's time to go," she replied and shrugged. She made sure that I was steady on my feet before she let go. "This was the signal that I was waiting for."
"Then how are we going to get out of here?" I asked and gestured to the door. "The d-"
The door made a weird noise when it opened, and Aunt Jess looked at me with a small smirk on her face. "That is the way out," she said. She cleared her throat and grew serious while she stood and held out her hand. "So, come on, and let's go. We have people waiting on us."
I looked at her hand and pressed my lips into a thin line. I had no idea what to do, but I knew that we were running out of time. So with a small gulp and a silent prayer to whoever was out there, I reached out and took her hand.
Relief filled Aunt Jess's eyes, and she squeezed my hand while she smiled. "Come on," she said and started to pull me after her. Her whole body was tense while she exited the room and stopped when she saw someone in the hall. "State your name," she said, her voice sharp and powerful like and in a way that I had not heard before. "And your rank." She covered me with her body and made sure that I wasn't seen by him.
"Glyn, Luna," the male said, and there was an accent that I couldn't place. "I'm a Warrior of the South Wales Pack."
She relaxed slightly and nodded. "Ok," she said. She cleared her throat and looked around before she looked at Glyn. "Come on. We need to get going. I don't know how long we can keep this up, and we have to make sure that we have everyone."
"Yes, Luna," Glyn said. He cleared his throat and looked behind her to see me. He smiled before he looked at her. "Your daughter?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied, interrupting me, and my heart grew warm because she considered me her daughter and didn't correct him, stating that I was to be her daughter-in-law. "Come on, let's go."
Glyn nodded and gestured for Aunt Jess to lead the way. He stayed silent and watched her back while I stayed close to her because I had no idea what was going on.
Aunt Jess led us with such confidence that I couldn't help but wonder if she had been here before, which wasn't possible because this was the first time we had been here. She didn't stop for anyone, but it seemed as if the people who were trapped in the cells knew that she was there to rescue them, so they followed her with no questions asked.
She kept a steady pace while she walked, her eyes trailing over everything and taking everything in. Her whole body seemed relaxed, but I could tell that she wasn't because of her hard grasp on my hand.
I stayed next to her while she walked and didn't look around. I was scared, nervous even, and I had no idea what Aunt Jess had planned and prayed that I wouldn't see my father.
Aunt Jess stopped so suddenly that I ran into her, but neither of us fell because Glyn and another male from a different pack stopped us. Her whole body grew tense while she stared down the hallway, and she waited for something.
Glyn was the first one to stir and moved closer to her. He took a deep breath and smelled something off. "L-" He stopped talking when she silenced him with a flick of her finger.
"I know," she said, her voice sharp and to the point. "Show yourself. Now," she said in a tone that had me rearing back in surprise because I had never heard her sound like this before.
I wanted to take my hand out of hers, but her grasp was strong, and I couldn't. My heart pounded hard in my throat, but I stayed silent because I knew that she wouldn't let go of my hand even if I wanted her to.
There was this slight clinking sound, and a door appeared out of nowhere. A white napkin appeared as a sign of surrender, but that didn't stop her from relaxing.
"That is not showing yourself," Aunt Jess said, and her tone was softer than it had been the first time. "Who are you?"
"My name's Kacey, Luna," the person on the other side of the door but didn't show herself. "Is it true that they won't attack me, or is that what your brother said so that I would help without asking questions?"
"They won't attack you," Aunt Jess replied. "They're waiting for my directions at the moment."
"Why?"
"Because I am the highest rank," she replied. She narrowed her eyes and scowled. "Now, if you do not come out in three seconds, then I will send one of them to get you out. Is that understood?"
There was silence on the other side of the door before slowly, a girl my age walked out with a little girl in tow. She still had the white napkin clutched in her hand but had a gun strapped to her back.
There were a couple of nervous growls from behind me, and I flinched and so did the girl that held the napkin.
"Silence," Aunt Jess barked in a sharp tone, and I flinched at that. She squeezed my hand in apology while she kept her gaze on Kacey. "What's with the gun?" she asked, her voice hard.
"It's for you," Kacey said. She didn't reach for it and raised the little girl's hand. "Your brother is wondering if you can watch over for your niece. He doesn't want to put her in the pack with her mother, at least not yet."
"Why not?" Aunt Jess asked and raised an eyebrow.
Kacey smiled sadly and shook her head, apologetically. "I can't say," she said, her voice soft. "I'm sworn to secrecy and could, you know, die if I go against what I had promised."
Aunt Jess studied Kacey before she slowly nodded and looked at the little girl before she looked at her. "Can she be used as a weapon?" she asked.
Kacey shrugged and grimaced while she squeezed the little girl's hand. "That's also something I can't say," she said apologetically.
Aunt Jess studied Kacey some more before she nodded. She shook her head when I sent her a questioning look before she smiled at the little girl. "Come on," she said. "We're going to have to leave if we want to get out of here before my mate shows up. We'll have a proper introduction later, ya?" She raised an eyebrow.
The little girl looked hesitant while she looked up at Kacey before she looked at Aunt Jess. She gave her a hesitant smile before she let go of Kacey's hand and walked over to Aunt Jess's other side.
Kacey was about to reach for the gun but stopped with wide eyes, even though no one growled at her. "It's fine if I give you the gun, right?" she asked, and Aunt Jess nodded.
"It is," she confirmed, and Kacey reached for the gun and took it off her shoulder. "Why is my brother wanting me to have one?" she asked while she took it from Kacey. She let go of my hand and inspected it.
"You know, if problems do arise," she said. "He knows that you want to protect them at all costs, so he wants you to be as prepared as you can be."
"Give him my thanks," she replied after she finished inspecting the gun. "Is the path still clear?"
Kacey nodded. "Yes, Luna," she said. "You have everyone, too. All that you need to do is keep going down the path, and it'll take you to the exit." She smiled apologetically and dipped her head. "We weren't able to acquire any vehicles for you. We tried, but it didn't work."
"It's ok," Aunt Jess said and slung the gun over her shoulder. "We'll think of something when we are out. Has all the information been erased?"
"Yes, Luna," Kacey replied and nodded. She cleared her throat and shifted on her feet, looking anxious as if she was running out of time. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get going. I still have other stuff that I have to do."
Aunt Jess nodded. "Thank you for your help, Kacey," she said and smiled. "We are very grateful for it."
Kacey smiled and nodded before she went back through the door and left, leaving the small girl behind while she closed it.
Aunt Jess looked at the little girl and offered her a small smile. "Come on," she said soothingly, "let's get out of here so that I can make some cookies for you. Ya?" She raised an eyebrow.
The little girl smiled and nodded. "Yes, please," she said. "Thank you."
Aunt Jess nodded and looked at the others. "All right, guys, let's go. Make sure that no one is left behind. Understood?"
"Yes, Luna," multiple voices chorused.
Aunt Jess nodded and rubbed her belly. "Good, then let's go," she said. "I am tired of this joint."
And with that, she led the pack members and me to freedom with nothing stopping us from our journey.
I hope that everything is this easy, I thought while I blinked back the blinding sun when we reached the outside world again. However, I know that it won't be even if I want it to be...