Chapter 488: The Road into Nirvana

Sophia swallowed.

Her fingers tightened around the edge of Orion’s cloak where it rested over her shoulders.

"Be careful," she said softly.

Her voice barely carried over the hush of the square, now almost empty.

"You of all people know how dangerous the heart of Nirvana is."

Orion looked down at her and smiled.

"Is this you caring for me, shorty?" he asked her.

Sophia rolled her eyes. "You know I care for you, you oaf. I’ll always worry, Orion. And besides, it’s the heart of Nirvana. It’s dangerous. There will be numerous beasts along the way."

Orion didn’t say anything to correct her. She really thought he and Brynhild would be taking Holly to the heart of Nirvana. That was what Orion wanted people to believe, but the plans he and Brynhild had would not involve the heart of Nirvana.

"I’ll be careful," he told her, just to appease her and so as to avoid lying to her.

Sophia sighed, then nodded.

"I’ll wait for you," she said.

That finally made him lift a brow.

"You shouldn’t."

She shook her head immediately.

"I will."

There was no hesitation in her voice.

"This is... this is related to me. If not for what Holly did, you wouldn’t be leaving the pack tonight."

Her grip on his cloak tightened again.

"So I’ll wait. And I won’t sleep until you come back. And when you do come back, you better make sure to come visit me. Marta told me I can leave the medical facility tomorrow."

Orion’s mouth curved slowly. A dangerous little smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

"I’ll come get you tomorrow. But shorty, do you think you can really stay awake until I return?"

Sophia tilted her chin up.

"I’ll try."

Orion stared at her eyes and then nodded.

He reached for her before she could say anything else.

His hand came up gently, resting on the crown of her head, and he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

"Don’t make a habit of worrying about me," he murmured.

Then he straightened.

Before she could protest again, he turned and picked her up, taking her back toward the medical facility himself.

Only when she was safely inside and comfortable with her friends, who followed them, did he leave.

—

Orion went home first. He picked up a different cloak, this one thicker than the one he had given Sophia, and fastened it over his shoulders.

Then he moved to the table where Sophia’s short swords were, the same place he had kept them about three days ago.

He strapped them at his sides without hesitation.

When he stepped back into the cold air outside, the night had begun to settle. There were only a few members moving about; most kept to their homes, especially after what they had just witnessed at the square.

Snow drifted slowly from above as Orion made his way to the gates, which stood open as if waiting for him.

A single carriage waited just beyond them. And he noticed Brynhild was already there.

She stood beside the carriage, her posture straight and relaxed, her long black braids hanging down her back in neat, heavy lines.

Her silver gaze stared forward, unseeing and sharp all at once.

The faint glow of lantern light caught along her dark skin and along the edge of her jaw.

She looked like she was waiting for nothing.

And everything at the same time.

Inside the carriage, Holly was already restrained. Her wrists and ankles were chained to the iron frame bolted into the floor. A thick gag filled her mouth.

The wolfsbane still clung to her scent.

Orion approached without slowing.

The driver sat at the front of the cart, reins in hand. A single guard stood beside the wheel.

Orion stopped at the front.

"I’ll drive," he said.

The driver stiffened slightly, then nodded immediately and climbed down. Then Orion turned to the guard.

"You can return to the pack. It’s almost nightfall, and I hate to say this, but you’ll only be a burden for me and Brynhild," Orion told the guard.

The guard hesitated only a second before bowing.

"Yes, Alpha."

He turned and headed back toward the pack compounds. The sound of his boots faded quickly into the snow.

Immediately he passed through the gates, Orion signaled for the gates to be locked at once.

From inside the carriage, Holly let out a long, broken moan. It dragged weakly through the gag. Her body shifted as much as the restraints allowed.

Her head turned toward the gates as she struggled to speak, but the gag made her words muffled.

Brynhild tilted her head slightly.

Then she moved.

Her boots crunched softly in the snow as she stepped into the carriage, sitting right next to Holly.

"Why are you moaning like that?" she asked calmly.

Her tone was almost curious.

Holly froze.

Her wide eyes lifted and fixed on Brynhild through the bars. Her breathing turned fast and shallow.

The only answer she could give was another strangled sound behind the gag.

Brynhild’s silver gaze did not waver.

She waited.

Then she straightened slowly.

Orion climbed onto the front of the carriage and took the reins.

Two massive wolves were already harnessed to the front. Their breath steamed in the cold air.

At Orion’s quiet command, they moved, and the carriage rolled forward.

Snow swallowed the tracks almost immediately.

Inside the carriage, Brynhild sat next to Holly with a lazy smile. It widened when the pack lights finally disappeared behind them.

"Well," Brynhild said lightly, turning her head toward Holly’s position, "it seems the goddess isn’t on your side after all."

Holly’s body trembled violently. Her knees drew in as much as the restraints allowed.

Her head shook again and again.

"Do you remember what I told you," Brynhild continued, her voice gentle, "when I first came to visit you in the dungeons?"

Holly let out a thin, broken whimper. Her shoulders shook just as tears streamed down her face. She could not do anything but cry and whimper.

Brynhild chuckled quietly, as if enjoying the fact that Holly was in tears.

"I’ll take that as a yes."