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A domed cage loomed in the center of the cavern, men in both human and wolf forms chained to the ground within. Standing over them, holding silver-tipped whips, vampires paced back and forth. They yelled at the men to shift repeatedly, the werewolves panting in exhaustion from the energy of changing back and forth between the two forms. I covered my mouth at the sight of their blood pooling beneath them, their skin blistering under the silver cuffs and collars.
Another sound stole my attention from the horrors of the cavern, and my feet began moving of their own accord. The sound was far more familiar, a sizzle telling me that magic was being used nearby. The pull led me deeper into the cave system, passing more caverns with cages and the sounds of whips and cries. The tunnel opened wider, lights of flickering lanterns hanging from the walls and ceilings, the sound of a woman’s chants surrounding me with the taste of magic. I stepped out of the tunnel, the light of the moon filling the space from a large crater in the earth. I looked around the room, like a hidden oasis within the forest, with trees stretching their boughs over the opening above a waterfall filling a pool at the center of the room.
The water pulled me to its edge, but my feet didn’t move this time. I stayed put, my eyes moving past the pool of sparkling water to the other side.
“How many packs do we have so far?” a raspy voice asked just as he came into the moon's light.
I nearly stumbled back, hit with the power rolling off of him; the blood-red eyes were somehow seeing right through me, yet seeing me all at once. Even in this vision, I could feel the power he held, the energy that only an Ancient being who has witnessed the dawn of time could hold.
Ancients were rare. Most are believed to have died centuries ago, bored by the long life of a vampire. Yet, here, one stood, somewhere deep in the forests nearby, holding the missing werewolves enslaved. As awful as it was, it also made sense. It was the way of life in the beginning. The belief is that witches created both werewolves and vampires with spells and curses. Werewolves quickly were seen as of a lesser race than the vampires, the bloodsucking creatures taking it upon themselves to tame the werewolves as humans did to dogs. It hadn’t been until the first werewolf king came to be that the slave trade of werewolves had ended. Vampires couldn’t hold their own against a werewolf king.
A werewolf king like Nyte.
What were the odds that an Ancient was behind all this and that Nyte was here now with the power and strength of a werewolf king? The only creature capable of standing up against the ancient vampire lord.
“We are up to thirty,” a softer voice answered, her long black hair curling down her back.
She was the source of the magic I was feeling. Dark veins spidering along her paled skin, matching the dark aura that surrounded her. The waves of magic rolling around her revealed her magic use, her lips moving in a soft chant as her eyes closed, looking up into the night sky above.
“Soon, my magic will be strong enough that even the werewolf king will not be able to sense us. Then you can strike, My Lord.” There was a softer tone in her voice as she addressed him, her body leaning towards the vampire lord as though drawn to him.
The water of the pool began to sparkle with her spell, my feet moving me forward before I realized what I was doing. I watched as the dark witch also moved to the pool, a soft smile on her blackened lips. Her eyes remained focused on the water, dark lashes blocking them from my sight.
At the pool’s edge, I looked down, watching the ripples move from the waterfall, cool splashes of water bouncing off the surface to my bare feet. An image began to take place, showing a vision of more wolves being ripped from their homes, swirls of magic covering their tracks as faceless vampires overpowered them. They had been enhanced with magic, even the strongest werewolves not standing a chance against the horde of vampires invading their pack home.
The image shifted again, the witch letting out a small gasp as she watched. An image of Nyte appeared before us, and his lips peeled back in a snarl to reveal partially shifted teeth. He was fighting The Ancient and overpowering him with the packs at his back, holding back the hordes of vampires attempting to help their lord. The ripples moved again, showing me and the witch, our magic flashing between us in a fight.
When the water rippled again, it showed another version of the fight. Nyte alone, the vampires and witches stopping him before he ever reached The Ancient. I watched his life end in a matter of moments, only for the image to shift back to the first, watching him kill the vampire lord, and the packs call out in praise to him as their Alpha and me as their Luna. as we raised our hands in victory, I saw the flash of a pendulum dangling from our joined hands. The scrying tool was somehow familiar to me, though I couldn’t recall where I knew it from.
I understood then precisely what had to be done. The paths laid out to me and the dark witch by the fates themselves. Ever a balance, she would know just as much as I did what had to be done. I also knew how it was that I would find this cave and the forest where it hid, although I wasn’t sure the dark witch would understand that part of the message.
I looked away from the visions in the pool, recognizing what must be done. As I did, my eyes met the witch’s pools of black, staring right back at me with a smile that would haunt me for the rest of my days. My eyes widened as they looked back into hers. She shouldn’t be able to see me. This was a vision.
I wasn’t really here; I was safe in the Oceanside Packhouse. And yet a chill ran down my spine as she stared back at me, her smile holding no joy, only pain and cruelty.
Chapter twenty-two
Nyte
Iturnedonmyheel, running back to Alexander’s office.
“Bring the midwife,” I called over my shoulder to Chase and Madilyn.
I didn’t look to see if they followed my command. I knew they would. They wanted to get Paige back from Markus almost as much as I did. They were among the few in the pack that would follow her as the Coronado Pack Luna. We burst into Alexander’s office, Beta Jose quickly jumping in front of his Alpha with a growl.
“What’s the meaning of this?” he asked. Alexander raising a brow from behind his beta.
“Stand down, Beta Jose,” he said, pulling back his beta by the shoulder. “They have a midwife with them. That means this is news involving the children.” He looked back at us expectantly, nodding for us to continue. “Is there a problem with the preparations?”
“We are missing a pup,” I answered, smirking as he perked up with interest.
“What? Which child is missing? Do we have any idea who was the last person who saw the child?” He looked to the midwife with panic at the thought of losing one of the young.
“The child in question is still in its mother’s womb,” the midwife explained, Alexander’s brows drawing tighter. “However, I understand that the mother has been kidnapped by the Oceanside Alpha. Why have we not gone after her yet?”
I smirked at the midwife, loving how she played with Alexander, feigning ignorance of the Alpha’s decision not to go after my witch mate.
“What?” Alexander asked, his gaze snapping at me. “What is she saying?”
