My Fated Mate Can Have Her-Chapter 204: A Different World

Rowan

The city sprawled in front of us like something out of an old tale.

Even with the myths I had heard about hidden settlements like this, I had always assumed they were small, desperate clusters of rogues scraping by in forgotten corners.

Not a sprawling civilisation.

"What did you expect for settlements centuries old," my wolf crept into my mind. "They wouldn’t remain small forever."

My eyes traced the towering structures, the bridges connecting buildings across impossible gaps, the streets layered upon streets descending into the glowing depths. The crystals embedded in every surface cast the whole place in warm light, and the distant hum of voices and movement drifted up to where we crouched.

Thousands of wolves lived here. Maybe more. Very possibly more.

And no Supreme Alpha knew.

The thought should have unsettled me. Instead, I felt something closer to admiration.

This was amazing for them to have pulled it off without our awareness.

I glanced at Violet.

She was staring at the city with such wonder. I had seen it before in Orpal, but it never ceased to amaze me how lovely and relaxed she looked.

I tore my gaze away. "We should move," I said quietly.

She nodded, still staring at the city.

I scanned the ledge we were on, following the natural curve of the stone. There was a narrow, hidden path cut into the rock face and it descended in switchbacks toward a quieter section of the city below. It looked old, worn smooth by countless feet over time.

I pointed the route out to her and we made our way down as discreetly as possible, all while suppressing our energies.

The descent took longer than I expected.

The path was steep in places, forcing us to brace against the stone and move carefully. Several times, I had to resist the urge to reach for her hand again. She was managing fine on her own.

She didn’t need me hovering.

But I wanted to.

By the time we reached the lower streets, my mind had already cycled through our situation a dozen times.

We had almost no food left. What remained were small preserved snacks and we still had some water, but until we replaced it, it wouldn’t last us so long. This was a completely different society and civilisation, and I had not prepared currency for a place that I didn’t know existed...

In regards to our clothing, the only saving grace was the wolves here didn’t dress uniformly and styles varied wildly from one person to the next. That way at least, we wouldn’t stand out for our clothing.

But we would stand out.

Especially if we mindlessly moved around like the outsiders we were, constantly on edge and scanning the way Violet currently was doing.

I forced my shoulders to relax, slowed my pace, and made sure to look and act like someone who had walked these streets a thousand times before.

I leaned down to whisper a similar instruction in her ears and she tried her best to do the same thing.

The streets were busier than I had expected. Not so crowded, but still busy. Wolves moved past us in steady streams, going about their lives with the easy rhythm of people who felt safe. Children darted between adults, laughing. Vendors called out from stalls tucked into alcoves in the stone walls.

The smell of food drifted through the air, spices I didn’t recognize, and strange looking food and meat being prepared, along with other fascinating wares.

My stomach tightened.

The only other time we had eaten properly was two nights ago from my hunt, but ever since we had crossed into these plains, we hardly came across any large animals.

I was calculating what we might be able to trade from our bags when Violet stopped walking.

She was staring at something across the street, her expression frozen.

I followed her gaze and noticed two Omegas.

They were walking together, side by side, talking animatedly. One carried a basket of goods, the other gestured broadly as she spoke, and both of them moved through the crowd proudly without any hesitation or discomfort.

No one gave them a second glance.

And there were especially no odd or negative looks.

Violet’s throat moved as she swallowed and my chest twisted in discomfort as I remembered the vicious treatment she had endured in her home pack. The vivid image of her face during that trial as she recounted her injustice made a slight wave of discomfort wash over me.

And anger.

"We should do something about that former mate of hers later," I told my wolf and he chuckled gleefully.

After a long moment, she started walking again. There was a small wistful expression on her face as her eyes moved, tracking every Omega we encountered.

She was watching these wolves live without the weight she had carried her entire life.

I wondered if she was angry or grieving.

Perhaps both.

I glanced around, contemplating bringing this up with the other Supreme Alphas or not. Such a place existing without our jurisdiction...

’No, stop it.’ 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

’You can think about this later...’

We moved deeper into the city, trying to get a sense of the layout. The streets wound in irregular patterns, following the natural curves of the cavern rather than any planned grid. It was disorienting at first, even for me, but I started to notice subtle, well placed landmarks.

Despite the chaos, this place had been well organised.

Places were not the only thing worth keeping an eye on.

One way or another, we needed currency, and from what I had noticed so far, I doubted trading materials or supplies were common. Either that or we hadn’t come across a point like that yet.

Security seemed lax too for some reason.

I adjusted the bag I carried, noticing a stare or two in our direction. It wasn’t very common here and with a disturbing feeling, I feared it was slowly starting to give us away.

We needed to find shelter quickly one way or another...