3

So Adrenna really was nice once. Just a witch who fell in love outside of the box she had been put in. It was a horrible fate to have for such a crime, but I couldn’t change it, and I only wanted the beast out so I could track it and get my son back.

“How do we get the beast out, Tabitha?” I asked, cutting to the chase.

“It will take a lot. This shadow world—it did break when Adrenna got out, but the beast… The beast is stuck in it. She trapped it in some caves when Fractum was uttered, and the mountain came down on it,” she said and sighed again. I felt the hesitation in her words.

“What does that mean for a rescue mission?”

“It means that the caves are unstable, and going in there could be dangerous.”

“I’ll use my magic. I have enough of it to clear the way.”

“No child, there is no magic in this world.”

Oh. That was inconvenient.

“Wait, no magic at all? No werewolf, no winter born?” Brax frowned, and Tabby shook her head.

“No werewolf magic, no witch magic at all, except in the beast. But the shadows, I can’t say. They come from that realm, only breaking through from their realm when the veil is thin enough in the winter, with no moon to stop it. I think they will be stronger over there if I am to guess, but even then, it is a guess.”

“Then Brax and I go. We’ll use the shadows, clear the caves, and get the beast free.

Once we’ve done that, we’ll go through the portal with it, and you all need to be ready to track it when it goes for Adrenna.”

“You think that will work?” Kai asked Tabby.

She tilted her head to the side, her eyes hooding as she thought, or talked to whatever part of her or the witches that helped her see what we couldn’t.

“It is unclear. The shadow realm is unpredictable. It may get hostile for having power pushed back into it from your shadows, or it will help, recognizing its own.”

She sighed, then shivered a little and lowered into the seat behind her.

I frowned at her and turned to Tatum, who was still at the opening of the tent.

“Can you please fetch Tabby some tea?” I asked. He nodded, leaving straight away.

“It has been a while since I have left my swamp; unfortunately, it makes my abilities a little uncomfortable.”

“And the witches are okay with you helping us?”

“They do not want Adrenna with her powers helping Silas. It upsets the balance, so I am to ‘advise, not assist.’” She mimicked the last words with a roll of her eyes. I smiled, and she lifted her arms.

“May I hold her?” she asked. I nodded and moved toward her, lowering Enzi into her arms. She snuggled her in, then sucked in a breath and frowned.

“She is…” Tabby trailed off, her eyes going a cloudy color as she held Enzi, her fingers pressing against her forehead. Brax snarled and surged forward, but I stopped him.

“No, I want to know,” I said, but he glared at me, the first real glare he had ever given me.

“Get her magic off our daughter, Spitfire. I have control, but not that much,” he snapped, and I knew he was right. I could feel it in the link, sizzling and burning as his shadows started to leak.

“Tabitha, we need to know what you’re doing,” I urged, kneeling next to her, scared to touch either of them in case it hurt them. Enzi didn’t look scared or in pain, and I couldn’t feel that, but Brax was right; we had to know—especially after being betrayed.

“I am looking through your history. There is a thread in her DNA that suggests magic is already a part of her. I don’t think she is human, but I am trying to determine if it is due to the border magic in you during pregnancy or whether this is something you have passed down. If it is, then your lineage originates from somewhere other than human,” Tabitha said before her eyes returned to normal and her breath released.

She shook her head and sighed. “It is hidden from me, buried too deep to pull on.

Very interesting though,” she said. She looked at me with a new interest, and my heart raced a little faster.

“Okay, one crazy theory at a time. The caves, Tabby, we can talk about my past later, but right now, I have to make sure Zale has a future.”

She nodded. “Of course.”

Tatum came in with tea then, and Tabby took a grateful sip before sighing and leaning back in the chair.

“You need to be aware of the consequences.”

“What consequences?” Derik asked, a frown permanent on his face when we were in the hut. I wish I could make it go away, but I couldn’t even heal myself at the moment.

“If Lorelai goes through the portal, her magic will go with it. She will get it back once she comes through, but it will be holding the portal open.”

“So the wolves will be left without turning magic,” Derik said in realization. Tabby nodded.

“And if she gets hurt or passes out, will the portal close them in there? With no magic?” Kai demanded. Tabby nodded again.

Everyone fell silent at the truth, but I shook my head, standing up.

“I didn’t go through that pregnancy and the pain of birth to give up at the first sacrifice I have to make as a parent. I promised I would do whatever it took to get Zale back, and I’m keeping that promise,” I vowed before turning to Tabby.

“Where are the caves we need to portal to?” I asked.

She smirked. “On the water side of those cliffs. It is why I told you to camp here and wait for me,” she said, and I nodded, already turning to go out of the tent.

Derik grabbed Enzi as Kai helped Tabby out.

We stood in front of the water’s edge, the dark night making it seem more sinister than it was. Brax liked it more than I did, but I could swim-ish. I’d never really needed to, but I was pretty sure I could stay above water. Brax grabbed my hand.

“I’ll keep us afloat, Spitfire,” he said, and I nodded.

“To the east of the cliffs, just below the waterline is a cave. Go in there. It’s only a few seconds, but you will come to a maze of tunnels. The beast is trapped somewhere in there. Get him out, then get back to the portal; once he goes through

—and he is fast, so he will reach it before you—your magic will take a significant hit without you there to wield it. It is more than likely that it will start to close,” Tabby warned, her voice shaky as she shivered.

Kai pulled his furred coat off and layered it on her. She tugged it closer and smiled up at him. Kai gave her one back and then walked over to me. Fear was trickling in at all the things that could go wrong, but I had to trust that I could do this; I had to believe in the balance.

“I wish I could come with you. I wish it was me making sure you made it back to us,” Kai breathed, and I kissed him. He held me close, kissing me harder.

“I’ll come back,” I promised, and he nodded. He couldn’t come with us—we all knew that. My magic couldn’t get us all over there, and I needed him and Derik here, protecting Enzi, the pack, the humans.

“You better, beautiful,” Derik said, coming over to steal me from Kai. I kissed him too, his lips soft and tender as his arms enveloped me. Kai said goodbye to Brax, and then Derik did.

Even though we were all nervous, I had an excitement in me. We were finally going to have what we needed, not just chasing our tails.

This was a real step in getting Zale back, and I needed it so fucking much. I clung to that, letting all my desperation fill me as Tabby nodded at me, telling me to make the portal. I wasn’t sure how, but she said my magic would, and I trusted that.

I lifted my hand, the purple mist stretching from my body and forming a circle in the air that shimmered and glowed with magic.

“Remember this is a shadow world, there is no telling what the shadows there hold.

I don’t know what hell the witches put in there for Adrenna, but I know it wasn’t fun. It was meant to make it easier for the beast to have her, so if you think a shadow is coming for you, it probably is, and get out of its way,” Tabby said.

I looked over my shoulder at her with a droll stare. “Any good news before we go?”

“Yes. The mating link will survive even in the portal, so you will be able to communicate with this side,” she said, and that was reassuring.

I blew out a breath and looked at Brax, who had a stern look in his eyes too, “Kiss Enzi for us. I can’t say goodbye to her too after Zale, I’ll come back to her. Keep her safe,”  I said through the mind-link to my mates. Kai nodded as Derik kissed Enzi on the forehead.  

“We’ve got her. Be safe,”  Derik linked back a second before Brax and I stepped through the portal.