The Alpha's Unwanted Bride

Chapter 695: THE FIREFLIES AT NIGHT

The fireflies waited for her.

They hovered just beyond the edge of her room, like a living constellation, their glow waxing and waning in a rhythm that felt deliberate.

Jasmine stood frozen beside her bed, bare feet pressed into the cool stone floor, her nightdress brushing against her ankles.

Her heart beat so loudly she was certain it would give her away.

For a long moment, she did nothing but breathe slow, shallow breaths, one hand resting protectively over the curve of her belly.

This was madness.

Her father’s voice echoed in her mind.

Rebels. Dangerous. Liars.

And yet here she was.

Sneaking like a thief in the night.

Jasmine swallowed, tightening her robe around herself.

The fireflies drifted closer to the door, their light spilling over the wood as if urging her on.

"I won’t be long," she whispered to her baby. "Just... stay quiet for me."

The door creaked softly as she eased it open.

She winced, pausing, listening.

Nothing.

No footsteps. No voices. Only the distant hush of wind through leaves and the faint sound of water somewhere far below the pack house.

She slipped into the corridor, closing the door with painstaking care until it latched without a sound.

The halls were dim at night, lit only by wall lanterns that cast long, warped shadows across the stone.

Jasmine hugged the wall, moving slowly, her steps measured. Every instinct screamed at her to turn back, to crawl into bed and pretend she had never seen the fireflies at all.

But her feet kept moving.

She passed servant corridors first, then the narrower hallways that led toward the outer wings of the pack house. The fireflies floated ahead of her, always just far enough to keep her following, never touching the ground.

At the first guard post, she stopped.

Two wolves stood near the archway that led outside, their armor dark, their spears resting casually against the stone. They were talking quietly, laughter low, relaxed.

Too relaxed.

Jasmine’s pulse skyrocketed.

She scanned the space desperately, eyes darting.

To her left, a heavy tapestry hung from the wall, depicting a battle scene with wolves and dragons locked together in ancient combat. The fabric was thick, layered.

She moved toward it, heart pounding, and slipped behind it just as one of the guards shifted his stance.

"Did you hear that?" one murmured.

Jasmine froze, every muscle locking.

The guard took a step closer, boots scraping softly against stone. She pressed herself flatter against the wall, one hand clamped over her mouth, terrified that her breathing would give her away.

A second passed.

Then another.

"Probably the wind," the other guard said with a shrug. "This place creaks like it’s alive."

They laughed quietly again.

Jasmine waited until their voices drifted away before she dared to move.

She eased out from behind the tapestry, legs trembling, and continued down the corridor, forcing herself not to run.

The fireflies led her through a narrow servant door and into the outer gardens.

Cold air hit her instantly.

The night was darker here, the sky clouded, moonlight filtering through the thick canopy of trees that surrounded the pack grounds. The gardens were vast and winding, hedges sculpted into spirals, fountains murmuring softly.

She crouched low, moving between bushes, the damp earth chilling her feet.

Somewhere nearby, a patrol passed by and shadows moving along the perimeter wall.

At the edge of the gardens, the fireflies dipped, slipping through a narrow opening in the stone wall that separated the pack house from the forest beyond.

Freedom.

And danger.

Jasmine waited, heart hammering, counting silently until the patrol disappeared.

Then she ran.

She slipped through the gap, scraping her arm on the stone, and stumbled into the forest beyond.

The trees closed in around her immediately.

The air smelled different here damp, wild, untamed.

Leaves crunched softly beneath her feet as she followed the fireflies deeper into the woods, branches brushing against her arms, her robe snagging on thorns.

Her breathing grew uneven.

Every sound felt amplified.

A snapped twig made her flinch violently. An owl’s call sent her pulse racing.

She kept going.

Five minutes.

Ten.

Her legs began to ache, her back burning with every step. She slowed, one hand braced against a tree trunk, trying to steady herself. The fireflies floated on, unbothered.

"Just a little longer," she whispered to herself.

Twenty minutes passed.

Then, without warning, the fireflies stopped.

They hovered in place for a heartbeat, then blinked out one by one, plunging the forest into darkness.

Jasmine halted abruptly.

Her chest tightened.

"No," she whispered. "No, no, no..."

She turned in a slow circle, panic creeping up her spine.

The forest looked the same in every direction.

Tall trees. Thick underbrush. Shadows layered upon shadows.

She was lost.

Cold seeped into her bones, the night air biting through her thin clothing. Her hands shook as fear settled in, heavy and suffocating.

What had she done?

Her father would be furious. The guards would notice she was gone. They would search for her.

Or worse.

What if the rebels found her first?

Tears stung her eyes as regret crashed over her in a wave. She pressed both hands over her belly, breathing hard.

"This was a mistake," she whispered shakily. "I should’ve stayed. I should’ve listened."

A sound made her head snap up.

A rustle.

Low. Intentional.

From between the trees, a shape emerged.

A wolf.

Large. Eyes glinting faintly in the low light.

Jasmine stumbled back instinctively, a strangled gasp tearing from her throat. Her heart felt like it might explode.

The wolf stopped several paces away.

Then, before her eyes, it shifted.

Bones cracked and reformed, fur receding, limbs reshaping until a girl stood where the wolf had been.

She raised her hands slowly, palms open.

"Don’t be scared," the girl said quietly. "I won’t hurt you."

Jasmine’s breath came in sharp, panicked bursts.

Recognition hit her a second later.

"You—" Her voice shook. "You’re the servant. The one who bumped into me."

The girl nodded. "Yes."

Jasmine took another step back, fear surging anew. "I don’t know why I came," she blurted. "This was stupid. I shouldn’t be here."

She turned as if to run.

"Wait!" the girl cried, desperation flooding her voice. "Please..... don’t go. We need you."

Jasmine hesitated, torn.

Her instincts screamed danger. Every lesson, every warning, told her to flee.

"I shouldn’t trust you," Jasmine said hoarsely. "I don’t even know your name."

The girl swallowed hard. "Sofia," she said. "My name is Sofia."

Silence stretched between them.

"Were you followed?" Sofia asked urgently.

Jasmine’s heart lurched. She hesitated, then shook her head. "I.... I don’t think so."

Sofia’s eyes sharpened. "Think carefully."

Jasmine forced herself to recall the corridors, the guards, the gardens. "No," she said finally. "No one followed me."

Sofia stepped closer, lowering her head slightly and inhaling deeply, circling Jasmine with careful precision. Jasmine held her breath, nerves screaming.

After a moment, Sofia nodded. "No scent trail. You’re clean."

That did not comfort Jasmine at all.

"You said ’we,’" Jasmine whispered. "You said you need me. Why?"

Sofia met her gaze. "Because you’ve been lied to."

Fear prickled across Jasmine’s skin. "My father said the rebels are dangerous. He said you’re the only bad things here in this place.

Sofia’s mouth twisted. "That’s what he wants you to believe."

And that made Jasmine shudder in fear.

That her father was lying to her? And she was supposed to believe this stranger?

She turned and gestured toward a massive tree behind her.

Its trunk was enormous, roots sprawling like serpents across the forest floor.

Sofia moved closer and brushed aside a curtain of ivy at its base.

A dark opening yawned beneath the roots.

A hole.

Leading underground.

Jasmine’s stomach dropped.

"No," she said immediately. "I can’t.....

"I won’t hurt you," Sofia said quickly. "I swear it on my wolf. You just need to trust me."

"I don’t even know you talk less of me even trusting you." Jasmine said.

"But you came here didn’t you?" Sofia asked with a cocked brow. "I mean if you didn’t, then why come here in the first place."

Jasmine was annoyed because she was in fact right.

Jasmine stared at the hole, her pulse roaring in her ears. Every step of this night had pushed her further from safety, further from everything familiar.

And yet Lydia’s absence.

The questions in my heart.

Something was terribly wrong.

If she turned back now, she might never learn the truth.

Jasmine closed her eyes briefly.

Then she stepped forward.

"I’ll come," she said quietly. "But if you’re lying to me I swear to Goddess I-

"I’m not," Sofia promised with hopeful eyes.

Jasmine paused and took in a very deep breath

She looks down at the opening into the ground once again and sighed heavily.

Jasmine ducked into the opening first, her heart pounding as darkness swallowed her whole.

Sofia followed close behind.

And above them, the forest stood silent, as if holding its breath.