Chapter 411
Chapter 411
68 – Elara
I ordered every warrior under my command to stay close to home-no wandering off, no traveling, no unnecessary socializing. Still, I didn’t want the witch responsible for this chaos to think she had scared me into hiding. So, the school remained open, and so did all the shops. I realized how foolish that was during the drive to Red Fang—how could anyone go out safely if we were supposed to stay put?
Thank the Goddess someone else was behind the wheel. The pressure behind my eyes throbbed painfully, like a storm building just beneath the surface of my skull.
“Stop the car!” Marietta’s sharp command made us all jerk forward as the brakes slammed down. “Elara, we need to find her-now.” Her voice cut through the fog in my mind, but it felt like I was trapped inside a tunnel, distant and disconnected.
“What?” I mumbled, my words slurring as if I were drunk.
“Now! Elara, feel the pull-show us.” Marietta grabbed me, her hands firm but steady. Everything around me was blurry, my senses dulled. I tried to follow her instructions, but I felt nothing-no pull, no direction. Then, when I looked toward that emptiness, it worsened. She wanted me to lead her into that darkness, to the source of the disturbance. I could do that. I staggered toward the feeling, though I could barely see a few feet ahead. My wolf was silent, no reassuring presence in my mind. This was bad. I knew it was bad. Yet, my mouth remained shut, my body moving on autopilot while my mind was trapped in a haze. I couldn’t even command my arms or legs.
Suddenly, a shout pierced the silence. Someone was yelling, but I couldn’t see who. My vision was clouded with bursts of color, like static on a broken screen. Then, a rush of air and sound vanished in an instant, and I fell hard onto the ground. The fuzziness disappeared, replaced by sharp clarity and bright light.
“What the hell was that?” I grumbled, rubbing my sore backside.
“They were waiting for us,” Marietta explained grimly. “Someone knows you and your mate are apart—and that you’d come to him in a crisis. This was a trap to keep you separated. You’re weaker apart. You need Ben p>
I pushed myself up too quickly, my stomach rebelling. I refused to vomit here, in front of these witches who were no better than my Elders, those old voices telling me I needed a man to lead my pack.
“We’re going to meet with Ben, Junior, and their top warriors because something’s happened to Junior. I’m not running to Ben because we had a spat. And if any of you think I need a man to do my job right, you can go screw yourselves.” Marietta looked ready to argue, but I raised my hand, cutting her off, and headed to the car. Since I was walking and conscious, I assumed whatever magic had attacked me was gone. I could feel Marietta and Brianna close behind, but I didn’t want to admit how weak the magic had left me. We had to check on Junior and figure out a plan— one that would shift us from defense to offense.
Sliding into the back seat of the SUV, I was annoyed when Marietta and Brianna squeezed in beside me.
Brianna placed a gentle hand on my knee. “We’re not trying to insult you, Elara “Speak for yourself,” Marietta snapped. I shot her a sharp look.
“You heard me,” she said, her tone firm. “You and your ‘I’m a tough woman’ act need to stop. It’s going to get you killed. Brianna’s way of saying things is softer, but you don’t need soft right now. You need the truth. You need your mate. Don’t even think about arguing.” She jabbed a long-nailed finger at me. “I didn’t say you need a man. I said you need your mate. That could be a man or a woman—wolf, human, witch, vampire, fae-it doesn’t matter. Gender isn’t the point. What matters is the person your goddess chose to be your best. You’re stronger with your mate. To protect your pack-and help Red Fang’s young Alpha-you have to accept that. I know it’s not easy, but it’s a start p>
“Now that she’s finished scolding you,” Brianna said softly, “you need to eat. Your body isn’t used to the magic that just hit you, and you and your wolf fought it well.” She handed me a container of fruit.
I accepted it quietly. At this close range, I couldn’t avoid them, and hearing Brianna mention my wolf made me want to check on her. We still had half the drive ahead.
“Hey,” I whispered, “how are you feeling p>
“Like crap,” my wolf answered, the tone dry but honest. “But that’s expected. I just wish I could see what we’re fighting. This isn’t anything we trained for. Hell, we never even talked about this with your dad as a threat p>
“Yeah, I know,” I said. “What do you think about what Marietta said about mates p>
“She’s the first woman who’s really gotten through to you,” my wolf chuckled softly, “like the big sister you never had, telling you straight without worrying about your feelings. Because she doesn’t care how you feel as long as you get it. She’s right. Whatever that was drained us both and made us useless. If it had been a physical attack, we’d have gotten everyone killed because we couldn’t fight. When we reach them, I need to touch Ben-physical contact will heal us faster. And we need to talk -seriously-about marking him p>
“Fine,” I sighed. It had to happen eventually. Might as well do it if it helps defend the packs.
“We’re here,” Brianna announced softly beside me. Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn ⓝovelFind.net
My gaze snapped to Ben, standing close to a furious Malcom Junior.
“Maybe I should go first,” I muttered to the car. “He doesn’t look happy to see us.” I glanced at Marietta. She nodded and slid out, letting me pass. We both understood: if Malcom was angry about the spell cast on him—and didn’t know or trust that these witches weren’t the ones who did it—he might attack. I couldn’t let him hurt the only people truly trying to help us.