The Return of the Fallen Luna: Rise of the Heiress-Chapter 21Find Her! 2

Ashley stepped forward and quickly snatched up the paper, her fingers closing around it just as a sudden clatter broke the silence. A nearby prisoner had stirred awake, eyes fixed on her, the brief stillness shattering as the realization set in.

"Hey... hey! Are you here to save people? Take me with you!" the man rasped, his voice frayed with desperation. He was gaunt and filthy, his body a ruin of torn flesh and healing wounds, some already festering, the marks unmistakable.

Ashley knew at a glance that a silver whip had done this. He staggered forward and clutched the bars, dragging himself closer just to see her face, and only then did she notice his hands, his nails ripped clean out, the raw beds left to throb and bleed. His wolf was too depleted to heal him; it had nothing left to give.

Misery clung to him so completely that it sent a chill through her, forcing her to imagine, with dread, what her mother might have become in a place like this.

The man’s voice grew louder, ragged and pleading, echoing through the corridor. Panic tightened in Ashley’s chest. It would only take minutes, seconds, even, before the guards heard the commotion and returned.

She couldn’t stay. Swallowing the surge of fear, she turned and ran, her steps quick and desperate as she fled the suffocating darkness, knowing she had to get out before it was too late.

The moment Ashley slipped out of the dungeon’s entrance, she didn’t even have time to breathe. Footsteps echoed behind her, which were sharp and distinctly closing in. Instinct seized her. She bolted, diving into the nearest thicket, then dropped low and crawled through the damp earth and tangled roots, not daring to look back.

"What’s going on?" one guard called as they reached the entrance, their voices cutting through the stillness.

"I don’t know... I thought I heard something," another muttered, scratching the back of his head.

They fell quiet for a beat, and then the distant shouting from below rose through the stone like a warning. The two guards exchanged a look, tension snapping into place before they hurried down into the dungeon, unaware of the girl slipping away into the shadows.

By then, Ashley had managed to crawl her way back toward her car, pressing herself low against the ground as she waited for the patrol to pass. Only when their footsteps faded, putting a safe distance between them, did she move again, inching forward through the brush.

The moment she reached the vehicle, she shoved the bushes aside and yanked the door open, but then a distant roar tore through the dungeon entrance as the two guards who had gone down ran back up. "There’s an intruder! Find her!"

The sound sent a chill racing down her spine. She didn’t hesitate. Slipping into the driver’s seat, she started the engine in one swift motion. Not far off, a patrol caught both the shout and the call through their mindlink, immediately fanning out, only to stumble upon her just as the engine roared to life.

By the time they gave chase, the car had already surged forward, tearing away from them and vanishing into the forest before they could close the distance.

"There! After it, don’t let it escape!" the patrol captain shouted, his voice cutting sharply through as he summoned reinforcements. Within moments, a dozen warriors surged after the fleeing car, but when its speed outpaced them, they did not hesitate.

One by one, they shifted, bones snapping and reshaping as fur broke through their skin, then, in their wolf forms, they lunged forward, sprinting at full speed in relentless pursuit.

"Ah... no!" Ashley cursed under her breath as she locked eyes with the wolf running alongside her car, its presence a relentless shadow at her flank. Gritting her teeth, she wrenched the wheel toward it, aiming not to kill but to force it back.

Their kind healed quickly—she knew that—but shattered ribs would be enough to slow it down. The gap between them was too narrow, the move too sudden; so the wolf had no chance to evade. The impact sent it flying sideways, its body crashing hard against a nearby tree before dropping limply to the ground.

Ashley didn’t dare look back. Her grip tightened, one hand still clutching the crumpled paper as the car surged forward, the engine roaring beneath her as she fled.

As she sped along the road, Ashley’s gaze kept drifting to the crumpled paper in her hand, a restless pull urging her to read it. Who would leave something like that behind, at a time like this? The thought alone felt deliberate and calculated. Gritting her teeth, she unfolded it with one hand, her eyes scanning the paper.

"Looking for your mother? I took her. You’ll only find her if you come to me."

It was signed by Maddison.

Beneath it was an address.

Ashley’s grip tightened. Of course, it was deliberate. Maddison’s eyes, always laced with venom and quiet hatred, flashed through her mind. There was no kindness in this—no mercy. Only a trap. But what choice did she have? Her mother was all she had left.

Drawing in a steady breath, Ashley turned the wheel sharply, veering off the main road and onto a rough dirt path. The car jolted beneath her, its surface scarred with claw marks and dents from the relentless pursuit of the wolves slamming into it, tearing at it, trying to drag her back.

Thankfully, it was built for terrain like this; it wouldn’t fail her easily. Still, she knew she couldn’t keep enduring their attacks for long.

So, Ashley turned the car itself into a weapon, swerving with intent, slamming its weight against the wolves that drew too close. Steel met flesh in brutal jolts, forcing them back, buying her seconds with every strike.

But then, a black wolf, with its neck streaked with grey, surged forward. It leapt high, clearing the ground in a single bound before crashing onto the roof of the car. Claws sank into the metal, scraping deep as it tried to tear through it. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Creak...

Goosebumps rippled across Ashley’s skin as the metal above her groaned and began to tear. She looked up and froze. The roof split just enough for a pair of burning eyes to meet hers, a wolf glaring down with raw fury and unmasked aggression.

Even without words, she understood that this one was no ordinary pursuer. The weight of its presence, the command in its stance... this had to be their captain, enraged by the fate of those she had already taken down. Its gaze promised blood.

Ashley swallowed hard, forcing her focus back to the road. In one fluid motion, she shifted gears and surged forward, then yanked the emergency brake. The car lurched violently, throwing the wolf off balance and sending it flying from the roof, skidding across the road ahead.

Before she could recover, a heavy jolt slammed into her from behind as the wolves chasing her crashed into the rear of the vehicle, denting it further.

She didn’t stop, though. Gritting her teeth, Ashley shifted again and floored the gas. The engine roared as the car shot forward, running straight over the wolf struggling to rise. She didn’t look back, didn’t hesitate, only drove harder, faster, leaving them no chance to regroup as she tore into the distance.