+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
42\u2013On A Mission With My Ex Best Friend.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeline:\u00a0<\/p>\n
We arrived shortly after, and the first thing I did was ask Graham if Baxter had left any messages on his phone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He checked and told me that Baxter had given Gina another dose of wolfsbane after the last one wore off, and that she was sleeping.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I worried that so much wolfsbane might hurt her, but it had only been half an hour, so I hoped it would be fine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still, we didn\u2019t know how much more time we could afford to waste while searching for the right cave, there were several scattered across the mountain.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We started trekking up the slope. It was easy for Graham, but I was already wheezing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you want to take a break?\u201d he asked, holding out a bottle of water.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I shook my head quickly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, I don\u2019t want to waste time,\u201d I said, though I could barely catch my breath. Even if I wanted to keep moving, my legs refused.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll go ahead and start looking. By the time you get there, you can check the other caves. What do you say?\u201d Graham suggested.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was a smart idea. Once we reached the top, there would be too many caves to cover alone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With his wolf\u2019s strength, he could find something faster than I could.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, that\u2019s a good idea. You go ahead. I\u2019ll catch up,\u201d I replied, letting him know it was fine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The moment he heard me, he took off. His speed caught me off guard, though I shouldn\u2019t have been surprised.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was an alpha, strong and capable even before, and now, years later, even more powerful.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Within seconds, he disappeared from sight. I kept climbing, stopping only to drink water and make sure I didn\u2019t slow down too much.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It took me about twenty minutes to reach the top. I dropped to my knees, hands on them, trying to catch my breath when I saw Graham stepping out from behind a cluster of tall trees.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you check the caves?\u201d I asked, breathing hard.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah. I covered most of that area, but there\u2019s one cave that caught my attention,\u201d he replied hastily. \u201cI came back to get you so we can check it together.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
From the look on his face, I could tell he had found something important, or dangerous.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean the cave is suspicious? Didn\u2019t you go inside to check?\u201d I bombarded him with questions right\u00a0<\/p>\n
away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It would\u2019ve saved time if he had just gone in instead of coming back for me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cActually, that\u2019s the problem,\u201d he explained as we neared the spot. \u201cThere\u2019s something you need to see. I couldn\u2019t look inside, and that\u2019s why I thought it was strange.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The cave wasn\u2019t far from where I had climbed. Graham led me there and pointed toward it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
42\u2013On A Misson With My Ex Rest Friend\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
The entrance was blocked. Not just that, it looked more like an underground tunnel than a cave.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The narrow opening was sealed off, and from the small gap we could see through, it seemed to lead underground.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh. Then maybe that\u2019s not it,\u201d I said, confused.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Graham gestured for me to step back so he could move the large rock covering the entrance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stepped aside, trusting his strength completely. He started pushing at the boulder.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even though it was solid and heavy, he managed to shove it aside with force.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The moment the opening was clear, I hurried forward but stopped instantly. There was another wall behind it, just as we suspected.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t a regular cave, it was hiding another chamber below. The second entrance was sealed too, leaving only a small slit open.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh no,\u201d I muttered. \u201cMaybe there\u2019s nothing in there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
But before my words could settle, a faint, trembling voice echoed from deep within the tunnel.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHelp me,\u201d it was a meek and full of misery tone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The sound froze me in place, and I saw Graham\u2019s ears twitch at the same moment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Graham and I exchanged a tense glance before turning on our phones\u2018 flashlights, trying to see through the small\u00a0<\/p>\n
gaps\u00a0<\/p>\n
in the rocks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is it?\u201d I called out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHuh? Somebody\u2019s there?\u201d a frail voice answered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then it came again, the same voice, older this time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
An old man.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just like the children had said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re here to help you,\u201d I called back. \u201cYou\u2019ve been appearing in our children\u2019s dreams, haven\u2019t you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I waited for his reply, my heart pounding. Thankfully, no other children had shown up yet. Maybe the warriors had intercepted them on the road.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d the man said weakly. \u201cI\u2019ve been stuck here for so long. I\u2019ve been calling for help. How did you find me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked at Graham, both of us confused and stunned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLike I said,\u201d I replied, kneeling and pressing my palms against the cold ground. \u201cYou came into our children\u2019s dreams. That\u2019s how I found you.\u201c.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s strange,\u201d he said. \u201cI didn\u2019t mean for the children to come. Why would I want them here? How could they possibly help me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did you get stuck?\u201d I asked, glancing at Graham, who had already started pushing at the larger rocks blocking the entrance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But unlike before, these wouldn\u2019t budge, no matter how hard he tried. That was the strange part.\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
42\u2013On A Miskin With My Es Best Friend\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a long story,\u201d the man said, his voice trembling. \u201cBut it\u2019s not my fault. I didn\u2019t want to come here, I was lured in. I\u2019m a religious man. I only ever prayed to the Moon Goddess. I\u2019ve done nothing wrong. I don\u2019t know why someone wanted to get rid of me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His words made my head spin. Questions rushed through my mind. Was the sickness part of someone\u2019s plan?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Were they trying to destroy all the pure souls?\u00a0<\/p>\n
That would explain why the children were suffering.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But right now, we had to get him out. His voice sounded weaker by the second, and I could tell that was why the children had started to follow him\u2013to help him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFor some reason, I can\u2019t get it to move,\u201d Graham whispered, careful not to let the old man hear. He didn\u2019t want him to lose hope.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe someone needs to go inside to help him out,\u201d Graham said quietly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I frowned, wondering how that would even be possible.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you think that\u2019s why the children were being called? Because they could squeeze through this tiny opening?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Graham shrugged, looking very concerned as we were running out of time\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ruby Walker is a rising voice in the world of romance and spicy fiction. With a gift for weaving deep emotions, sizzling chemistry, and unexpected twists, her stories are a blend of passion and drama that captivate readers from start to finish. Ruby\u2019s writing style is bold and irresistible\u2014perfect for those who crave intense, addictive love stories.<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0 42\u2013On A Mission With My Ex Best Friend.\u00a0 Madeline:\u00a0 We arrived shortly after, and the first thing I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19038","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-no-daddy-novel-by-novelnozi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19038","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19038"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19038\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19243,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19038\/revisions\/19243"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19038"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19038"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19038"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}