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Taking a deep breath, I lift my head and meet their gazes, letting them see how much I appreciate them. “Okay, so what I’m hearing is that we need to stick together and be prepared for anything.” We can do this, I’m sure of it, and from their determined expressions, they seem to be confident as well. “We’ll take this a day at a time.”
Standing, I adjust my bed sheet that I fashioned into a dress to make sure I’m not flashing anyone. I’m sure they would love to see me parade around in nothing but my skin, but that’s only going to distract them from the matter at hand.
I’m about to comment on what we should be doing next when a strange feeling ripples over my skin. For a second, a twist of dread has me in a chokehold, leaving me unable to move or speak. It only lasts a moment, but it sends a shockwave through me, making my knees weak with the force of it. Never in my life have I felt anything like that, and even now that it is over, something feels different, but I can’t place the reason. Whatever it is, I don’t think it’s to do with me or anything happening to any of us in particular, but to Haven itself.
The curses and bewildered expressions around me indicate that I wasn’t the only one to feel it, only adding more confirmation to my theory that something is happening within Haven. At first, I think it’s only a magical shift, but my werewolf mates look just as confused and unsettled.
“Was that just me, or did something happen?” Nicolai asks, looking pale and queasy, his hand pressed to his stomach as though he’s about to throw up.
Atlas looks grim and slides his hand through his hair, messing up the dark locks. “That was the warning system around Haven. Something is happening.”
Part of me idly wonders why their warning system couldn’t consist of an alarm like most of the world uses instead of this awful magical weight of dread that still haunts me, even though the magic has passed. Forcing those unhelpful thoughts aside, I give myself a mental shake. Something is happening, and from the feeling I carry with me and the look on Atlas’s face, it’s not something good.
“What do you mean?” I ask, afraid of the answer.
He grimaces and shifts his weight, an unusual display of discomfort from my witch mate. “It could be anything—a threat from the inside, a warning of something happening outside. This happened a few years ago when an earthquake hit us, and we were given a warning so we could get to safety.”
Somehow, I don’t think this is an imminent natural disaster, but some part of me wonders if that would be a blessing compared to what could be waiting for us.
“What do we do?” Syn asks, climbing from the bed and standing at my side, his eyes glowing.
A loud noise comes from the corridor outside our room, followed by distant screams and the sounds of running footsteps. We all share a look. Whatever is happening, we need to be ready. Jumping out of bed, I hurry to gather my clothes, which are still strewn on the floor. The others all jump into action, and I watch as Atlas hurries out of the room and towards the door.
I can hear him shouting at the guards, demanding answers, but I need to focus on getting dressed. Joel approaches me with a dagger and sheath. Where he got it or how he smuggled it past the guards, I have no idea, but I smile appreciatively and strap it to my waist. It feels better to have the weapon with me when I’m about to step out into the unknown, even when magic is my strongest asset.
When Atlas returns, he looks as serious as I’ve ever seen him, and I can feel the chill of his magic in the air as he attempts to control himself.
We all turn to look at him, sensing the change in the atmosphere. He seems shocked by whatever he learned, and a distant, faraway look haunts his eyes.
Unable to take the silence any longer or that awful expression on his face, I walk over to him and place a hand on his chest. “What’s happening, Atlas?”
His eyes clear, and he meets my gaze with fierce determination. Looking up, he takes in the other males around me before returning his focus to me.
“The wards around Haven have fallen. We’re under attack.”
ChapterEighteen
We’re under attack.
Recoiling from Atlas’s words, I watch him with wide eyes. Bile burns the back of my throat, and even if I knew what to say, I wouldn’t be able to vocalise what I’m feeling.
“Who would be attacking you?” Scott asks, his brows drawn low.
I don’t need to hear the answer, as I’ve already figured it out. There is only one explanation if Haven is being attacked from the outside. Only one group of beings who knows about the existence of witches is large enough to be a threat.
“We only have one natural enemy.” Atlas looks grim, fully aware of whom he’s talking to and what effect this news is going to have on us. He meets my gaze as he says those damning words. “The werewolves.”
Squeezing my eyes shut, I try not to let this overwhelming information throw me into a panic. My sole focus narrows to keeping my breathing steady and even as my heart pounds, becoming the only thing I can hear. My hands tremble with adrenaline, the need to do something coursing through my body, but what could I do?
The prophecy rings in my mind. Is that what this is? My chance to bring everyone together? The werewolves don’t exactly trust me, so even if I did approach them, I doubt they would listen to me. There is also no guarantee that they are attacking because of me. There are several reasons why this is a bad idea, yet I couldn’t live with myself if someone got hurt while I just sat here and did nothing.
The buzz of my mates’ voices tells me that they are arguing about the best course of action, but as I open my eyes, I already know what we need to do.
“Take me to them.”
Everyone falls silent and turns to look at me as if I’ve grown two heads.
“Not a chance,” Syn snarls, taking my arm and turning me to face him. Anger twists his usually handsome face, but I know it’s really a mask to hide his fear. He’s terrified of losing me. “You really think we’re going to let you walk out into the middle of an attack? You have no idea who it is. Even if it is werewolves, you’re not exactly very high on their friendship list right now. What if they are feral?”
