Chapter Twenty-Six
“Somehow, Adalyn managed to sneak out, away from Wade and mount a rescue operation on her own. Not only is it incredibly stupid, but it’s also dangerous,” Rafe explained to the group he’d assembled.
“It’s a suicide mission. Even with all of her untapped power, she has no chance of surviving if she has to go up against Mariska.” Brenna paced back and forth, worried about her niece.
“Do you really think her own mother would kill her?” Erin asked.
The question, like the tension, hung in the air.
“Yeah, I do. As hard as it is for me to say that, you saw what she did to her when she was in the astral projection form. Imagine what would have happened if Adalyn had really been there? Standing in front of her mother. God, it would have been a disaster! She wouldn’t have stood a chance! Adalyn may be stronger, and I truly think she is, but Mariska is more experienced using majik. And much more lethal. She doesn’t care who she hurts. It doesn’t matter if you are friend or family to her. If you get in her way, she will take you down. Period. You need to trust me on this. I’m her sister and I learned the hard way.”
“Your mom is right. I’ve seen Mariska in action a couple of times. The spell she had Bjorn under was like nothing I’d ever seen,” Grace said.
“Brenna, can you lead us to the coven? Not just to rescue my father, but my sister as well?” In the short time Adalyn had been living at Black Paw, Rafe had come to trust her. She was nothing like he’d expected her to be. The shock of finding out he had a sister had worn off as he’d gotten to know her. It also helped that Mina and Grace had spent time with her and had nothing but good things to say. She had always been calm, helpful, and polite to Mina and his mom.
Adalyn didn’t choose the parents she was born to. She was innocent in the web of deceit and lies her mother had spun. At first, he’d held her responsible for all her mother had done to hurt his family. It had taken weeks for him to realize she was her own person, and just as disgusted by what Mariska had done as him.
“I can, but we have to be careful. We can’t go in there with the whole pack ready to rip throats out and ask questions later. Most of the people who belong to the coven are good people. They are innocent and have no idea about Mariska’s agenda. They will defend their homes and families if they are attacked.”
“Is there a secret or hidden way into the castle? A path other than going through the front door, so to speak?” Rafe tried to keep his cool. He wanted nothing more than to storm the damn walls and take out every last one of those who had anything to do with the attack on his pack years ago, but he knew he couldn’t. He had no method of instantly weeding out the innocent from the guilty. To kill all of them, a mass slaughter of sorts, would be just as bad as what Mariska had done to them. He didn’t want that kind of guilt on his conscience. They had to be better than the enemy.
“Yes, but it won’t be easy to get to. We’ll have to make the journey as wolves. There’s just no easy way for humans to make the hike. Besides, we’ll need the heightened senses of our wolves to find any traps that have been laid.”
“Understood.” Rafe nodded.
“Where’s Wade? Shouldn’t he be here?” Erin asked.
“I know. I’m surprised he left her side. The mating instinct and all…” Brenna clung to her mate.
“He ahhh—”
“He’s right here,” Wade said as he teleported directly to Rafe’s location. He had to get to Adalyn, but he might need backup, especially if they hoped to get Bjorn out of there alive and in one piece. “We need to move now. Adalyn’s in trouble and needs our help. I’m going to flash to her location. There’s no time to—”
“Wait! You can do that? Since when?” Erin asked.
“Since always. I’ve just kept it to myself.” Wade shrugged.
“Can you transport anyone with you?” Erin asked, with a hopeful ring to her voice.
“I—I honestly don’t know. I’ve never tried,” Wade admitted.
“I think now would be the perfect time to put it to a test,” Rafe suggested.
Erin nodded. “I agree.”
Wade shrugged. “Everyone grab on… I guess.”
