Tasha pursed her lips and then muttered a curse. "The old man is so slow. He must be coming behind me." She looked behind towards the shadows where Murtagh was standing. It was a cue for him to move. He nudged his horse and rolled out of the shadows beneath the darkness of the sky. With his cloak and his cap, it was difficult to discern his features. Moreover, he was smelling acutely of herbs, so the guards could easily know that he was the healer. "Ah, there he is!" she said with an exasperated sigh. She raised her voice. "Could you please hurry up?" 

The guard beside her chuckled. "Be easy on the old man," he said as he moved further to the side. 

Murtagh had come closer to the portal. Tasha looked at the guard, gave him a knowing wink and then walked through the portal, with Murtagh right behind her. As soon as they were on the streets of Level three, they rushed to the exit. Seeing Tasha, they opened the main gate. But they checked the papers of the healer before allowing him to get out. The man's strong peppermint smell was too much to take. The guard hurriedly checked his paper and allowed them to go out of the main gate. 

And as soon as they were out, Tasha and Murtagh kicked their horses to gallop. They ran on the road that straight went to Silver Vales, but as soon as they were out of sight of the guards, they made a sharp right turn and galloped through the forests, all the way to the trade path that led to Luke's hideout. It took them two days to reach the hideout and through the labyrinth of the forest. And as and as they inched closer to the lair, more and more rogues joined them. By the time they reached the cave, a small unit of about two dozen rogues had joined them. It was evening and the moon hung over the poplars. 

When Murtagh dismounted the horse, he was greeted by a cheery group of rogues. They made him sit on their shoulders and danced all the way inside the cave shouting, "Long live our Alpha!" It turned into a sort of celebration. 

Luke came out to meet the man he had idolized all his life. The rogues set Murtagh to his feet on the ground. He looked at Luke as if the man was his prized possession. With admiration in his eyes, Murtagh clasped his upper arms and Luke waited for him to speak anything. He was extremely nervous. This was the first time he had been this close to him in years and his emotions swirled inside like a storm. Murtagh didn't say anything, but the next moment he embraced Luke tightly. He held his neck and pressed his head over his shoulder. He kissed his temple and breathed out, "Long time, Luke!" 

For the first time in so many years, Luke's eyes welled up. A tear escaped and he said, "Yeah!" He clung to his idol like a vine clinging to a wall. Relief passed through him and he sagged against Murtagh. 

Murtagh took a deep breath. He knew that Luke was emotionally vested at this time, and he had to take it slow. But right now, he was too tired from the journey. He needed all the rest—both physical and emotional. Freedom had come at long last. He gazed at Tasha who was standing across them, a few steps away and gave her a smile. The two kids had been his most prized possessions. Tasha smiled back at him. They had successfully escaped. 

For Tasha, she had made a decision to not go back to Silver Vales. After Vaarin was made the Alpha of the pack, there was no point in continuing to stay back in the capital for Murtagh. He had convinced her that if she joined him, she would be given an important position in his rebel group. They were soon going to attack the Whiteclaw pack and then take over it. Murtagh had promised that he would take her as his wife. A smile curved her lips up when she imagined what it would be, to be a Luna. And then she helped him escape. She took advantage of her position to the fullest. She knew that once she left Draoidh and Silver Vales along with Murtagh, she would be hunted like a wild animal. The only option left for her was to join Murtagh. And that is what she did. She was anyway, too tired of her mundane guard duties. Her muse, Kaizan, was very honest to his wife. There was nothing left that bound her to Silver Vales. A life with Murtagh was going to be exciting. And then she always had Luke. 

Luke took Murtagh inside his room where he left him after a little talk. He knew that Murtagh was very tired. He ordered the servants to get him hot water for a bath. Tasha had gone after Murtagh to help him out. But in reality, she needed a bath as much as he did. 

When the two were bathed and lying beside each other, Murtagh said, "Thank you for helping me out of there." He pulled her closer to him. Tasha was much younger than him, but she satisfied him completely. 

"It was a pleasure," she said and then curled her hands on his chest, contemplating whether to tell him about Luke or not. She sighed and decided not to. What if he became jealous and then shunned her away? 

"Are you thinking about Luke?" he asked.

His question surprised her as she jerked her head back, a blush forming on her cheeks. 

Murtagh chuckled. "You forget that I am a werewolf just like you. I could smell Luke on you every time you came back to me." 

She gulped, wondering what he would do now. "I— I—"

Murtagh folded his arms beneath his head to cradle it. "You can call him here, if you like. I wouldn't mind a threesome, if you can handle it." 

Tasha was… shocked. And then she was excited. "Are you sure?" she asked in a low voice without hiding that she wanted Luke as much as she wanted him. 

"Of course," he said. "I would like to see where your talents lie." 

Tasha bit her lip. She wrapped a sheet around her body and walked out of the bedroom to call Luke. When she came back inside with Luke, she was dragging him by his pants with her fingers curled on its waist. 

--- 

When the healer woke up, he was having a terrible headache. Somehow, he fluttered open his eyes and the sunlight that streaked in through the window blinded him. "Arghh!" His throat was paper dry. He licked his lips. When he straightened, he scanned the room. Awareness hit him and he shot up from the bed. Where was Murtagh? Why was he in his bed? With a pounding headache, he rushed to the kitchen and helped himself with a pitcher of water. When he came out, he realized that he was alone and he was not wearing his clothes.. "Guards!" he shouted as panic surged through him. 

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