Silver

Chapter 26

I lunge towards Silver as her stormy eyes close and she collapses. I barely make it before the man she called her father, but I still have enough time to pick her head up from the hard ground and gently lay her in my lap.

"Don't touch her!" The older man spits furiously at me as he drops to his knees. "Get your hands off my daughter!"

I start to snap at him but the young man beats me to it.

"Your daughter! You have a daughter? I have a sister?" His eyes that are only slightly darker than Silver's, are wide as he looks at my mate.

"Yes Maxon! You have a sister. Now come help me get her from this sorry mutt and get her home. She may need to see a doctor." He turns his burning eyes back to me after his news.

"Give me my daughter, you have no right to-"

"I'm her mate I have plenty of right! Certainly more than the father who abandoned her!" I hold Silver closer to me, and she shifts in my lap to curl against me.

"Her what?! But you don't get your mate until your 18! How old is she?" His eyes widen at the prospect and he looks at me with a calmer eye.

"She's 18, but how can you not know?" Surely if this man is really her father he wouldn't have forgotten his own daughter's age.

"Time is a little tricky to keep up here in the mountains, it's always winter spring." He looks down at my mate with such love it washes away my earlier doubt of him not being her father.

"Now where did you say we need to take her?" I shift Silver so she is in my arms bridal style and then slowly stand up. "Can one of you grab our packs if you lead the way?" Even if I don't completely trust the two men, I know Silver trusts her dad so that's my only hope at the moment.

Silver's dad motions to Maxon who reluctantly reaches down and shoulders the two large packs.

"Right this way."

I hold Silver close to me as I follow the two men farther up the mountain until we reach a dead end formed by sheer bluffs rising over our heads. I warily glance towards the two men, questioning our destination.

Silver's father who informed his name is Chris brings his hand up and we come to a halt at the base of the bluff.

Before I can ask why, he whistles a short tune that echoes around us. Silence follows until suddenly from above a shrill whistle sounds followed by the sound of rocks grating. Dust fills the air as a mossy part of rock to our right is pushed out away from the rest of the rock and a small opening appears behind it.

Chris and Maxon start in the opening's direction so I reluctantly follow with Silver held tightly in my arms.

When we step through the opening my eyes have to adjust to loss of light as the rock slides back into place behind us.

Suddenly a light blazes to life held in Chris's hand as he motions us on. My feet slap against solid rock as we travel deeper into the mountain taking more twists and turns than I can count. I start to wonder how big the mountain is just as we round a corner and light greets my eyes. I squint from the dramatic change before m eyes adjust and I'm greeted with the sight of a huge cavern at least 3 football fields long with an open ceiling that let the suns now high light in.

I stare in shock as I take in the landscape before me, in front of me is a seemingly small pack village with crude shelters and gardens scattered here and there.

I'm brought of my observations by Chris's voice,

"I know someone who will want to see her, come with me." he starts walking again this time towards the outside edge of the cavern. I spot very few people in the village and no children.

We reach the edge of the cavern and are greeted by the beginning of a staircase carved behind the wall. We mount the steps and climb up and up until I'm sure we are almost to the top when we finally reach a wooden door set into the stone.

Chris sets his hand flat against the wood not knocking or signaling to whoever is inside that we are here but for some unknown reason a voice comes from the other side, inviting us in.

We enter the low ceilinged dwelling of a small resident curled in front of a large stone fire place carved into the rock. My eyes first take in the leather sandal bound feet,then the knitted sweater before finally resting on the worn weathered of the face of a little old lady who can only be the wanderer

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