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CASSIAN
Morgan escaped. Just what I feared would happen, did. Ember was the only one to see what happened. Her story was ludicrous, talking about a shadow morphing into a man and letting Morgan escape. But honestly, what reason would she have to lie?
Ember had been a good friend to me after my father died. She’d helped us every step of the way since she got here. If she said some weird shadow turned into a guy and freed Morgan, then I believed her.
Especially considering the panicked expression on her face when I came to after the change. She and Emily were waiting for us to return to our human forms to tell us what had happened.
There wasn’t much time to react because we left for the fae realm in a few hours. I thought school was hard to keep up with, but man. Saving the world was taking its toll. I haven’t had time to do anything. For instance, I hadn’t showered in days and couldn’t even sit down to use the bathroom without being interrupted.
And now this.
I’m all for challenges, but I wouldn’t mind a break. But that was the responsibility of being an alpha, the burden I carried.
We readied ourselves for the fae realm, unsure what to expect as none of us had been there. Ember was coming this time, which meant all four of us were going—Team Whatever-name-we-would-pick.
After everyone was ready, we headed outside to wait on Beta Rohan. It didn’t take long because he pulled up mere seconds after we stepped outside.
“Hey, guys,” he said, closing the door to his black SUV and walking over to us. “Ready to cross over?”
“Hey, man,” I greeted, extending my hand to shake. “We’re ready. Do you know how to get there?”
“Somewhere around here is a sacred tree. The portal should be near there.” He pulled out a small device and held it out.
“What is that?” Ember asked.
Rohan chuckled. “It’s a strange little contraption. Juniper, a witch on the High Council, gave it to me. You hold it up, and it directs you to the closest portal to the spiritual plane.” He held it out, eyeing it from different angles. “I guess we go this way.”
We followed him through the woods to a large oak tree. Holding out the device, he cocked his head to the side and looked around. When he couldn’t figure it out, he planted his hands on his hips and stared. “Well, I’m lost.”
“Does it not show you a direction?” I asked, glancing at the gadget in his hand by his hip.
“It shows this is it. But it’s just a tree. Where’s the portal?”
Emily stepped forward, placing her palm on the tree. “Maybe the tree is the portal. Like Platform 9 ¾. Maybe we’re supposed to run into it.”
I snorted. “Okay. You wanna try that, or should I?”
“Fuck it,” Griffin said, taking a few steps back. “I’ll do it. Clear the way.”
Everyone stepped back, holding their breath as if we expected something magical to happen. But what happened was Griffin ran forward at full speed and hit the tree with a loud crack. No, it wasn’t the tree that cracked.
“Shit!” he shouted. His voice was strained when he said, “It’s not like Platform 9 ¾.”
“Well, thanks for trying,” Emily said, rubbing his shoulder.
A large grin covered his face, and I could tell his wolf was pleased with her praise. “Anything to ensure my Queen didn’t get hurt. Besides, I heal fast.”
We discussed the possibilities of the portal—where it could be and how to pass through it—until Ember shushed us, pointing to the patch of grass next to the tree.
“Look, guys,” she whispered. “It’s a rabbit.”
The rabbit sniffed the air, coming closer with hesitant steps. It looked directly at Ember and hopped to the other side of the tree, looking back at her when it got there.
Ember crept around to the other side, the rabbit not moving an inch until she got there. Then, it looked at the tree.
“What is it, buddy?” she asked, looking up. Squinting her eyes, she motioned us over. “Guys, I think Emily was right. The tree, it’s glimmering on this side.”
I stepped closer but couldn’t see the glimmer. None of us could, but Ember insisted it was there.
