Page 7 of Shadowed Bond

Charlotte stands, slipping her phone into her pocket. “Try to keep up, Westwood,” she says haughtily.

I resist the urge to flatten her over-volumised hair and follow her into the room, shutting the door behind me.

Once both Arden and I sit down, Leo taps the centre of the table, and a three-dimensional map flickers to life above it, built from thin lines of blue-white light. I recognise the layout instantly. I have a knack for remembering layouts after seeing them once. This one… is family.

I scan the layout as Leo zooms in on a ruined pack territory. A pack abandoned long ago. The Desert Storm Pack.

He drags two fingers through the projection, and the map rotates silently.

“This is an abandoned pack…” Charlotte says.

“Na, really?” I say, earning a frown from both of them.

“It is. The old Desert Storm Pack up north,” Leo says, frowning coldly as he stares at it. “There’s not much left, but even with other packs claiming the outer areas and moving around it, the main pack area has remained untouched. There’s a lot of dark history tied to this place… Some don’t like going near it.”

“And we’re going there?” Charlotte asks in her perfect royal accent.

Leo nods. “Yeah. Beneath it, somewhere along the river that runs through that pack, there’s a crack in the veil where monsters have been getting through.”

Charlotte steps closer to the table. “Underwater?”

“That’s what we think.”

Of course it is.

Leo’s gaze shifts to me. “The land sits over old storm drains and underground waterways. Some are on record, most aren’t. Whatever has opened down there is either inside the water or woven through it. I sent a team, and it’s confirmed that it is in the water. So, I want the two of you to go, use the sewer tunnels, and locate it. It’s been a struggle to find the crack, even with an extensive team, and there’s no witch capable enough to send. So… You two are the next best thing.”

“That’s insulting,” I remark.

Although sending us into the sewers is even more insulting. But if Arden isn’t going to complain, I’m not going to either.

“Understood,” Charlotte says with crisp determination. “Will we have a team or is it just the two of us?”

“You’re a Solaris wolf who controls two elements; he’s, believe it or not, favoured by Poseidon. I think the two of you are sufficient. Everything will be sent to your Schattensichts. Prepare to leave tonight. Funds have been transferred for food and a place to stay. Report in every day, same time.

Leo turns back to the map. “Sienna will close it once we know exactly where it is, but until we have those answers, we can’t send her.

“I could do it alone; I don’t need her,” I point out.

“We don’t know what other threats are out there. You’re not going alone.” Leo’s voice is absolute, and I frown, my wolf snarling in my head at his command.

“He’s right,” Charlotte says.

I simply glare at her, and Leo frowns. “Save it for the tunnels.”

I look back down at the map, at the old Desert Storm Pack, at the image of the drains and forgotten tunnels beneath a pack that should have stayed dead. A pack I never thought I’d visit, but here we are.

A crack in the veil, no clear location, paired with Charlotte Arden because the universe has a shit sense of humour. How the fuck did Leo think we made sense?

“The Blood Moon is in a few days…” Charlotte says. Leo looks at her. Ah yeah, the Ardens are hosting this year.

“I hope you’ll be back by then. Do you want to refuse?” he asks, and I scoff.

So, she gets a choice? So she doesn’t miss a ball? Ok, I avoid them anyway, but it’s still unfair.

“No. That won’t be necessary; this is important,” she says, then turns to me. “I’ll meet you at the exit at six o’clock?”

I give a curt nod before leaving the room, before Leo fucking wastes more time.