Chapter 42

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42 –On A Mission With My Ex Best Friend.

Madeline:

We arrived shortly after, and the first thing I did was ask Graham if Baxter had left any messages on his phone.

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.

I worried that so much wolfsbane might hurt her, but it had only been half an hour, so I hoped it would be fine.

Still, we didn’t know how much more time we could afford to waste while searching for the right cave, there were several scattered across the mountain.

We started trekking up the slope. It was easy for Graham, but I was already wheezing.

“Do you want to take a break?” he asked, holding out a bottle of water.

I shook my head quickly.

“No, I don’t want to waste time,” I said, though I could barely catch my breath. Even if I wanted to keep moving, my legs refused.

“I’ll go ahead and start looking. By the time you get there, you can check the other caves. What do you say?” Graham suggested.

It was a smart idea. Once we reached the top, there would be too many caves to cover alone.

With his wolf’s strength, he could find something faster than I could.

“Yeah, that’s a good idea. You go ahead. I’ll catch up,” I replied, letting him know it was fine.

The moment he heard me, he took off. His speed caught me off guard, though I shouldn’t have been surprised.

He was an alpha, strong and capable even before, and now, years later, even more powerful.

Within seconds, he disappeared from sight. I kept climbing, stopping only to drink water and make sure I didn’t slow down too much.

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.

“Did you check the caves?” I asked, breathing hard.

“Yeah. I covered most of that area, but there’s one cave that caught my attention,” he replied hastily. “I came back to get you so we can check it together p>

From the look on his face, I could tell he had found something important, or dangerous.

“What do you mean the cave is suspicious? Didn’t you go inside to check?” I bombarded him with questions right

away.

It would’ve saved time if he had just gone in instead of coming back for me.

“Actually, that’s the problem,” he explained as we neared the spot. “There’s something you need to see. I couldn’t look inside, and that’s why I thought it was strange p>

The cave wasn’t far from where I had climbed. Graham led me there and pointed toward it.

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42–On A Misson With My Ex Rest Friend

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The entrance was blocked. Not just that, it looked more like an underground tunnel than a cave.

The narrow opening was sealed off, and from the small gap we could see through, it seemed to lead underground.

“Oh. Then maybe that’s not it,” I said, confused.

Graham gestured for me to step back so he could move the large rock covering the entrance.

I stepped aside, trusting his strength completely. He started pushing at the boulder.

Even though it was solid and heavy, he managed to shove it aside with force.

The moment the opening was clear, I hurried forward but stopped instantly. There was another wall behind it, just as we suspected.

It wasn’t a regular cave, it was hiding another chamber below. The second entrance was sealed too, leaving only a small slit open.

“Oh no,” I muttered. “Maybe there’s nothing in there p>

But before my words could settle, a faint, trembling voice echoed from deep within the tunnel.

“Help me,” it was a meek and full of misery tone.

The sound froze me in place, and I saw Graham’s ears twitch at the same moment.

Graham and I exchanged a tense glance before turning on our phones‘ flashlights, trying to see through the small

gaps

in the rocks.

“Who is it?” I called out.

“Huh? Somebody’s there?” a frail voice answered.

Then it came again, the same voice, older this time.

An old man.

Just like the children had said.

“We’re here to help you,” I called back. “You’ve been appearing in our children’s dreams, haven’t you p>

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.

“I don’t know,” the man said weakly. “ I’ve been stuck here for so long. I’ve been calling for help. How did you find me p>

I looked at Graham, both of us confused and stunned.

“ Like I said,” I replied, kneeling and pressing my palms against the cold ground. “You came into our children’s dreams. That’s how I found you p>

“That’s strange,” he said. “I didn’t mean for the children to come. Why would I want them here? How could they possibly help me p>

“How did you get stuck?” I asked, glancing at Graham, who had already started pushing at the larger rocks blocking the entrance.

But unlike before, these wouldn’t budge, no matter how hard he tried. That was the strange part.

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42–On A Miskin With My Es Best Friend

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“It’s a long story,” the man said, his voice trembling. “ But it’s not my fault. I didn’t want to come here, I was lured in. I’m a religious man. I only ever prayed to the Moon Goddess. I’ve done nothing wrong. I don’t know why someone wanted to get rid of me p>

His words made my head spin. Questions rushed through my mind. Was the sickness part of someone’s plan?

Were they trying to destroy all the pure souls?

That would explain why the children were suffering.

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–to help him.

“For some reason, I can’t get it to move,” Graham whispered, careful not to let the old man hear. He didn’t want him to lose hope.

“Maybe someone needs to go inside to help him out,” Graham said quietly.

I frowned, wondering how that would even be possible.

“Do you think that’s why the children were being called? Because they could squeeze through this tiny opening p>

Graham shrugged, looking very concerned as we were running out of time

Ruby Walker

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’s writing style is bold and irresistible—perfect for those who crave intense, addictive love stories.