The Blood Moon Twins
Chapter 128

CAULDER

We all sat on the shore, exhausted from swimming. With our help, Blade had made significant progress with swimming. He was still clumsy and had to fight against his dense body, but he was a fast learner and made more progress in one session than I had expected. After we did swimming practice for a while, we all got out of the water to relax and munch on the fruit and other snacks we packed. The air was warm, but it felt nice against our damp skin. Laughter filled the air as we teased and joked, and all of my worries disappeared. I felt like a normal person. No worries. No responsibilities. Just friends hanging out at the lake, enjoying the day.

The light in the sky shifted as the sun crept closer to the horizon. Soon it would be sunset, and we were out of time. We had to start packing now if we were going to get home before the designated curfew, and I had no intention of missing that curfew. With everything that had happened in the past few months, it was a miracle we were even allowed to leave the territory like this.

Remy and I shared a look, and she knew it was time to leave. She was the first to clamber to her feet. "All right, I'm exhausted. We should start heading home now." She stretched her arms above her head and groaned in delight.

"Me too," Blade said. His mood had completely shifted after the swimming lesson. I could see the exhaustion on his face from the extended time in the sun, but he seemed lighter and happier now. Whatever Remy and he talked about while Harper and I were playing in the water seemed to shift his mood, and he ended up enjoying the trip just as much as everyone else.

Together we packed up the car, and it went faster than unpacking with the help of all four of us. I drove back to the pack house, and Remy and Blade didn't say a word on the way back. When I glanced in the rearview mirror, the two of them were passed out in the backseat.

"They wore themselves out today," Harper noted, speaking in a deliberately quiet voice to avoid disturbing them.

I smiled, keeping my eyes on the road. "It was nice seeing them relax for once."

"I don't think I've seen them that happy in a while. Too bad they have to go back to the stress of the world." Harper sounded sad, and when I glanced over at her, her face matched.

I reached over and grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze. Blade and Remy weren't the only ones going back to the exhaustion of the world. I wanted this to be all over soon, but there was no way to know how much longer we had to do this. All we could do was prepare and endure until we made it through to the other end. We just had to take it day by day until then and do our best to focus on the things that were going our way while we could.

The rest of the drive was spent in silence, since Harper started dozing off shortly after our conversation. I was worn out from the day, but I didn't feel sleepy. I was just focused on keeping my eyes on the road, satisfied that everyone else had enjoyed themselves so thoroughly.

I saw the pack house down the street, and my gut started churning. I didn't see anything out of the ordinary, but if I had learned anything over the past few months, it was that I needed to trust my gut. Something was off.

"Everyone, wake up," I ordered with a stern voice. I felt bad for the way they all jolted awake, but I wasn't about to take any chances.

Harper looked around with alarm. "What's going on?"

"I'm not sure yet," I admitted, "but I need you all to be alert. Something is wrong."

"I feel it too," Remy said, her voice surprisingly steady and calm for just waking up. "It feels magical."

Yes, that was what it was. There was a steady buzz of magic in the air, and whoever it was coming from was powerful. The closer we got to the pack house, the stronger the smell of magic in the air was. I pulled the car to the side of the road, fearful that this sorcerer had set a trap for us.

"Do we have any magical guests at the house now?" I quickly linked my father. I hoped I was just being paranoid, and whoever was here was a welcome guest.

"Not that I'm aware of. What's going on?" he linked back.

"There's a sorcerer in the pack. Put all of the warriors on high alert and get everyone outside of the pack house inside."

After Winslow took me by force last time, Ginger and my mother had adjusted the magical shields around the pack house. Now no one could shift into the pack house, unless they had explicit permission. Any sorcerer who was not permitted to enter would be faced with an invisible shield. Winslow and the Council of Magic were no longer welcome in our house or in the pack.

My mother had wanted to put the magical ward around the entire territory, but we did not have enough sorcerers for a ward that large, so they had to settle on just the pack house. It at least created a safe place in case the Council of Magic came for me.

"Who is it?" Harper asked. Fear made her voice tight, and I squeezed her hand, trying to comfort her the best I could. I didn't blame her for being scared. My own heart was racing. If this was the Council of Magic back to take me, I would snap. I couldn't go back to that room ever again. I would fight to the death before I let them just take me again.

"I don't know. We should shift into the pack house now, though. I don't want to risk them attacking us before we even get out of the car," I said.

I glanced back at Remy, but she was already on the same page.

"I I got Blade," she said confidently. She had been working on her shifting skills, and she had improved significantly between the distance she could go and the number of people she could bring with her. After the car accident and the incident with Draven, she never wanted to feel stuck again.

I gave her a quick nod before shifting Harper into the pack house. We arrived in the foyer, and the taste of magic practically burned my throat. Remy and Blade appeared a moment after us, and I felt better, knowing we were safe behind the ward-at least I hoped we "They are close," Remy linked in a private line with me. I think she wanted to keep the air as calm as possible until we knew what was going on.

were.

I made eye contact with her, and we were on the same page. We needed to make sure we stayed behind this ward, no matter who had invaded the pack. Part of me hoped it was just one of Cain's people coming to give us a message, but the magic was too strong, and that would be too convenient. Our luck these days wasn't that good. Read more free novels at FindNovel.net

Knock. Knock. Knock. The door rang with a firm knock. It wasn't one with a force of anger driving it to the door, but it wasn't soft and meek either. The owner of the knock was determined and wouldn't stop knocking until the door was answered. The four of us looked around at each other, trying to figure out what to do. Finally, I took a step forward, prepared to answer the door.

Harper caught my hand and pulled me back. "No." Her voice was firm, and she was gripping me so hard I expected bruises to form under her fingers. Her own fear made my heart race more, but I didn't want anyone to know just how scared I was. If I was going to take over as the future alpha of this pack, I had to face my fears for the sake of everyone else.

"As long as I don't step outside of the door, I will be protected by the ward," I said, trying to calm her. Harper didn't loosen her grip.

"I can't lose you again." There was a desperation in her voice that told me if I disappeared, so would a part of Harper. Her wounds from our separation were still too fresh, and it would hurt even more now that we were mated to each other.

"You won't." I sounded more confident than I felt. I just hoped Harper believed my words more than I did, even though I knew I would break just as much as she would.

She let go of my arm, and her arm went limp at her side. It was taking everything in her to keep it together, and I knew I had to make sure I kept good on my word no matter who was standing on the other side of the door.

I took a few lofty steps towards the door. I grabbed the knob, but I hesitated to open it. Three more knocks rang out, and I knew they knew I was standing there. I opened the door, and on the other side stood Winslow. He somehow looked even older than the last time I saw him, and any facade of kindness was nowhere to be found.

Immediately, I created a ball of magic, ready to attack if I needed to. The sight of Winslow alone ignited the magic in my core like nothing before. I burned with energy, and I knew I could tear down this house in the blink of an eye if I wanted to.

"If you are here for trouble, I won't hesitate to kill you," I seethed. My hand twitched, and I wanted to kill this bastard without a thought. My only hesitation was the glow in his eyes. He came prepared for something like this.

He held his hand up quickly. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. If you kill me now, I will self-destruct and take out your entire pack with me."

If he was telling the truth, I couldn't risk attacking him, but there was a chance this was just another manipulation tactic from him.

"He's not lying," Remy said from right behind me. She was only a step behind, and her own magic was raging.

I wanted her to take a step back to make sure she was protected from this, but her presence made me feel better. I knew if something happened, she would be right here with me, helping me every step of the way. This time I wasn't alone. It was the only thing keeping me together.

"No, I'm not." An amused smile graced his lips.

"What do you want?" I demanded. I couldn't keep my cool around him, not after everything he had put me through.

"I'm here to offer you a deal," he said simply.