Chapter Twenty-One
“If Bjorn truly is alive, where would he be? How could she have kept him hidden from her entire coven, without anyone being none the wiser?” Grace asked.
“I’m not sure. I’ve been through the castle and grounds, time and time again. I would have noticed him. I’m sure of it.” Adalyn closed her eyes and concentrated on her time at home.
As a child, she’d combed every square inch of the place. Escaping behind hidden panels and false walls to avoid detection had been one of her true talents. With the help of her grandmother’s spirit, Adalyn had mentally mapped her home by a very young age. Now, she relived each of those memories, trying to figure out where her mother was holding her father.
“Were you ever in the dungeon?” Brenna asked.
“Several times over the years. Why do you ask?”
“If I know my sister, and I do, I’m willing to bet she’s kept him in plain sight. All the while laughing at those who had fallen for her tricks.”
“You think my mom cloaked him with a spell or something like that?”
“I do. Every bone in my body is telling me Bjorn has been hidden in plain sight.” Brenna rubbed her arms as a chill ran over her body, leaving goosebumps in its path.
“We need to be sure. I can astral project into the castle to search for him,” Adalyn offered.
No one knew their way around the grounds better than she did.
“After what your mother did to you last time you used astral projection? It’s too risky.” Wade slammed his fist against the table, clearly against Adalyn’s plan.
Did he really think his opinion mattered? After the shit he just pulled? The thought he sought to control her actions—unbelievable.
Pass. Thanks.
“Your concern seems a little misplaced,” Adalyn said, annoyed she even had to speak to him.
“Adalyn, she almost killed you! Do you really want to give her a second chance?”
“I’ll be fine.” She shot Wade a death glare, warning him to keep his nose out of her business. This was between her and her mother.
“I don’t think Wade’s concern is misplaced. She did try to kill you and will likely again. How are you supposed to fend off her attack if she tries to come at you again? It’s not like you can carry weapons or interact with her in your astral form.” Rafe tried reasoning with her.
Funny. I thought he hated me. Why does he suddenly care for my wellbeing?
“She came at me because I made myself visible to her. This time, I’ll go in undetected and unseen. It’s the only way we are going to find our father.”
“As much as I want to find my—our father, there has to be a better way.”
Adalyn looked around the crowd gathered in Rafe’s office. It seemed like everyone had a stake in getting Bjorn back, not just her and Rafe. Grace had lost her husband; the others had lost their friend and Alpha. They all loved him.
And she, his daughter, didn’t even know Bjorn. She’d never spoken to him. Never heard the sound of his voice. Never laid eyes on him or known the wrinkles that formed on his face when he smiled. She’d only ever seen the few photographs around the house. Jealousy sprouted before she could push it away.
Finding and rescuing her father washerresponsibility.
“Like what? Sending the pack in? Completely blind? Have you lost your mind? They don’t even know the layout of the buildings. My mother will slaughter each and every one of them without a second thought.”
The wolves may be good fighters, but to take on an entire coven—it was suicide. They’d never survive. The coven had built the castle on sacred ground, where their majik is strongest. They have a direct link to the ancestors buried below them. The pack wouldn’t stand a chance. It would be a massacre.
“Our pack,”her wolf said.
“Do you think I’m afraid? That my pack is afraid to fight to the death for one of our own?” Rafe yelled.
In that moment, Adalyn realized Rafe would lead them to their death, and they would willingly follow, unless she chose her next words very carefully.
“I have no doubt you andourpack are willing to die in order to save our father, but what if we didn’t have to? What if we can find a way where no one has to sacrifice themselves to save Bjorn?”
