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He frowned, but I cut him off before he could argue.
“But I do have to face it,” I continued. “Because I have to keep fighting.”
He grinned, his whole face relaxing. “Yeh?”
“Yup,” I nodded, pulling in a calming breath as I let him hold me for a little longer, soaking in the comfort. “I can’t keep wondering what happened. Wondering if my pack are in danger, never knowing why they left me here.”
“Hate to be a party pooper, doll, but how?” Linc asked, scratching his nose sheepishly. “The portal is dead, what’s your plan?”
“I have no idea, but it doesn’t matter.” I shrugged. “There has to be a way home.”
Chapter Two
Liam
Theraysoftheearly morning sun fell across my back as I broke through a dense patch of trees, warming my fur as exhaustion weighed down my body and mind. My chest tugged as my sensitive wolf nose picked up the scent of the sunshine as it hit the spring flowers, the floral perfume releasing into the air and once again bringing my mind back to my mate. To how damn much I missed her and the knowledge of just how broken I was without her.
I was on my way back to the pack village after running the night patrol. We had at least two wolves on guard at all times because I knew an attack was coming at some point. Cordelia might be gone, but there was no way that the Queen had just given up on her quest for our power.
Even if certain people wanted to believe otherwise.
I sighed internally and directed my wolf form towards the rushing river. It was high with the spring rains, and as I headed for a point where it was shallow enough to cross safely, I caught a scent that made my blood freeze in my veins.
There was a witch in the Pack Lands. The trail was fresh too, and I immediately threw my wolf into a sprint for the village. Panic thrummed through me, knowing the damage that even one powerful witch could do to my pack. Especially as we were fighting their magic with only our physical strength now.
My paws kicked up dirt as I raced into the main village clearing. Taking note of the small crowd, the dark-clothed figure easily caught my attention where he stood speaking to Mina.
Of fucking course it’s her.
The witch guard’s eyes flared in alarm as he noticed my arrival, but I didn’t slow. Didn’t even hesitate as rage boiled up my throat and reddened my vision. The crowd instinctively parted for me as I lunged forward, shifting so quickly into my human form that the witch had no chance of stopping the hand I wrapped around his throat.
“What the fuck is a witch doing inside the village?” I bit out as I lifted him off the ground by his neck.
His hands scrambled at my grip as he kicked at me, suspicion shooting through me as he didn’t use magic to defend himself.
A large hand landed on my shoulder and I turned to see my brother’s grim expression beside me.
“He’s a messenger. If you want to know what he wants, you need to put him down.”
I sniffed, unimpressed. “We’ve already discussed how little faith I have in your judgement. Get your damn hands off me.”
Zeke sighed but stepped back, wisely giving me space before I turned my rage on him. There was no love lost between us in these last few months. Not since he had betrayed us and abandoned my mate in another realm. A realm that was now impossible to get to and meant I had little chance of ever seeing her again.
“Liam,” a soft voice spoke at my other side. “You cannot harm a messenger. He comes in peace, and to kill him would break ancient laws that you do not want to meddle with.”
I dragged in a deep breath as I looked at my mother, trying to find some calm inside me before I just snapped his neck out of pure spite. The problem was, my anchor was gone, and it was hard to find any calm in the storm. The bond that linked my soul to Cordelia’s was stretched out so finely that I could barely find it. Only the solid thump of my pulse reassured me that she was still alive at all, with our lives linked as they were.
With gritted teeth, I turned my attention back to the red-faced witch in my grip and slowly lowered him back to his feet. He bent over as I released him, gasping in air as he tried to steady himself and stand tall again. I didn’t give a shit about his problems though.
“What are you doing here?” I growled, loudly enough for the gathered pack to hear.
He glared at me as he straightened, lifting a hand to massage his throat and making me raise a brow.
“Keep your hands still and answer the question,” I snapped. “Unless you want to lose them.”
The witch froze, his expression wary as he slowly lowered his arms to his sides.
“Alpha, I come in peace with a message from the Queen. I would never break the laws of treaty and cause you harm.”
