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Chapter One
Scar
Alphasmustrelyontheir instincts if they are to turn into effective leaders. I learned that lesson many years ago, when I became guardian to my brothers as a young child. There was no room to doubt myself while I was protecting them, and no space for mistakes while they were relying on me to keep them alive as infants.
Lightning-fast responses developed from trusting my gut, and I was very rarely proven wrong.
That is why I know the sense of unease that fills me while we wait for the portal to appear is not a feeling that should be ignored. It is tied to my instincts. My gut is telling me something is wrong.
Everything inside of me goes tense.
When I look upon my brother’s faces, I can tell they are having the same gut feeling.
As soon as the portal opens, we must seek out our mate.
I will not be able to erase this feeling until I know Lita is safe.
“We should never have come back here,” Fox mutters, folding his arms under his chest.
Snake hisses, as usual in agreement with our feline brother.
It feels as if the portal is taking longer than usual to appear. I know that cannot be true. It is always open at the same moment in time, every night. It only seems like it is taking forever tonight because we wish to be in Nightshade now. It is extremely difficult to be patient under these circumstances.
The dismal landscape of The Abyss remains unchanged as seconds seem to stretch out into minutes.
Scratch moves to my side, and murmurs, “What if the portal does not open?”
The thought is not a good one, but that is all it is.
“The portal is going to open,” I assure him, loudly enough to reassure Fox and Snake at the same time. “It is almost time.”
“That is not good enough,” Fox complains. “We are trapped here waiting while our mate is out there without us.”
He is right, and I will not allow us to be trapped here a second time.
This barren place is no longer where we belong.
It is not our home. It was never meant as one.
“Patience, Fox. It will not be much longer.”
Scratch growls quietly as Fox frowns at me.
“I am never coming back here,” he proclaims. “This place is cursed.”
“Weare never coming back here,” I correct him, apparently to his surprise.
“We … We are not?” Scratch asks, sounding uncertain.
My fellow wolf has been ready to leave The Abyss for some time, but it is also the only place he has ever really known. This transition will be hardest on him. I put my hand on his shoulder.
“We will earn our new home, Scratch, and it will be a real home. Not a prison.”
He nods slowly, but I can tell he is still processing the idea of leaving The Abyss behind.
It is where I raised him from a day-old baby with sharp little nails and a habit of scratching me whenever he was upset. He may have since seen parts of the small town we were ejected from through the trees, but this is where his important milestones happened.
Everything up until he met Lita in Nightshade’s forest.
