The Hybrid’s Second Chance
Chapter 55

Julianna's

POV

"Her coven's in Minnesota?" Hannah questions, staring at the map with the rest of us.

"It looks like they're located up north near the Superior National Forest," Alex said.

"How are we supposed to get there and back before the elders show up here?" I asked, looking at Alex.

"You wanna go there?" he asked.

"Do you have a better idea? We can't write her a letter, we can't call her, we can't send word any other way. We're going to have to go there," I told him.

"You realize this is a crazy idea, right? Sofia told me.

"Of course, I know that!"

"Well, we do have a private jet that could take us today. It's only going to be a couple of hours to get there."

"Are you okay with this?" I asked him. His input was important to me, and I didn't want to make any decisions that he wasn't comfortable with.

"Do I think we should be going to a witch coven that hates wolves? No. Am I going to support you in wanting to protect your birth mother? Yes, of course I am." I leaned over and kissed him hard.

"Thank you! I know this is crazy but everything that's happened to us has been crazy, and so far, we've managed to make it through."

"I'll mind link the pilot to start getting things ready," he said.

"What about us? We're coming too!" Hannah declared.

"What? No, someone needs to stay here and look after the pack," Alex told her.

"Oh, come on, it's only a couple of hours."

"No, you and Elijah stay here and keep an eye on things. Julia and I should be able to handle this." I could tell Hannah wasn't happy at being told what to do by her brother, but he was right. We had to keep someone here to keep an eye on their mom and make sure things were ready for when the elders came.

Two hours later, Alex and I were sitting on the jet, speeding towards the High Noon Coven as fast as we could.

"You know, I think I'm getting used to living like a Queen," Sofia said.

"I thought this was a crazy idea?" I reminded her.

"It is, but this is still pretty nice."

"We're going to have a long run ahead of us once we touch down. There's a small municipal airport, but we won't be able to get very close since they're so isolated."

"Does he think we can't keep up with them?" Sofia asked.

"Why don't you ask him?" I told her. I think she forgot now that we were marked, she could communicate with Alex and his Lycan, even though his Lycan didn't talk like she did.

"Hey King, do you think we can't keep up with you?" she asked him sarcastically.

"Absolutely not, my Queen. We're both looking forward to seeing you again."

"He's so cute," she gushed. We were touching down in the darkness of the night; I hoped we weren't too late, and they hadn't decided Cornelia's fate yet. We likely weren't going to get to her coven until the following morning. Once we climbed out of the plane, Alex and I both stripped our clothes and put them into a small drawstring bag, so we could take them with us. I gave control to Sofia, who shifted in the moonlight. Alex's Lycan was standing beside us, looking down at us like we were a snack.

"We'll have time for that later, big boy," Sofia told him teasingly. Alex took off running, with us close behind him. I didn't know how long it was going to take for us to get there, but Sofia was happy to be in control.

"What are you planning to do once we get there?" Alex asked.

"I guess find Cornelia and figure out what's going on."

"And if we meet some witches that aren't fond of wolves and give us away?"

"Then hopefully we can outrun those witches."

"Too bad you don't have the use of your powers anymore."

"I know, would have come in handy."

"Maybe we'll get lucky, and she'll just come walking by us," Alex joked. We kept running in the direction of the coven for what seemed like hours. We would occasionally stop to rest and get a drink from a nearby stream when we saw one. I was very proud of Sofia, keeping up so easily with the Lycan King. The two of us were lying by a small stream taking a rest. Sofia and I were lying up against Alex's warm fur, while they stroked their hand over our back making Sofia purr in contentment. The sun was just starting to peek through the leaves of the trees.

"We love you," Alex said.

"We love you too," Sofia and I said at the same time.

"We should keep going." Alex's Lycan got to his feet, and we followed his lead. The two of us ran for another couple of hours, until we caught a scent, I wasn't familiar with. I assumed we had to be getting into their territory, even though I had never smelled the scent of witches before. Alex's Lycan came to a stop, and so did Sofia.

"We should shift back and change. We're inside their territory now." Listening to what he said, Sofia gave me back control and we shifted back, quickly pulling on our shirt, shorts, socks, and sneakers. Alex did the same and we continued on foot. Finally, we came to an area where the trees began to thin. The scent of wood burning, lavender, and sage was getting stronger. I stopped just inside the tree line. Peeking around the trees, I saw a clearing. It looked like there was a large garden, with white fencing all around it. Someone was hunched over in the garden snipping what looked like herbs and placing them into a basket. "Should we approach her?" I asked Alex.

"Let's wait a second and watch what she does." Looking at her for another minute or two, she finally stood up and turned in our direction. Looking into her face for the first time, she looked so familiar. The strangest feeling that I knew this woman washed over me. Following my instincts, I stepped around the tree into the clearing where she could see me.

"Julia! What are you doing?!" Alex yelled in my mind, but I ignored him. I had an overwhelming feeling like I could trust this woman. The woman locked eyes with me and gasped, dropping her basket. Herbs scattered everywhere, but she didn't seem to notice. She was staring at me with a confused expression, but not with fear.

"Julianna?....." she breathed out.

"She knows us?" Sofia questioned. Alex came to stand beside me, and now the woman looked slightly frightened, taking a small step back.

"Apparently."

"Hello," I said to her.

"Are you Julianna?" She asked.

"I am, and who are you?"

"My name's Dianna Sullivan, I'm your aunt."

"My what?"

"I'm your aunt. Cornelia is my older sister."

"I didn't know she had a sister."

"Wait, how are you here? Why are you here? Oh, my lord, you can't be here!! You two have to leave now, if anyone sees you..."

"No, I can't leave! I know Cornelia's in trouble. We came to help."

"You being here is only going to make things worse. How did you even find us?"

"I scryed for Cornelia using the vial and potion she made to help Logan."

"You used your powers?"

"Sort of. I don't think it really took that much."

"Look, Cornelia is about to face the elder's council for helping your pack. If they see you, they might kill you."

"I don't care, I have to help her. She risked her life to save me. Now it's my turn."

"You have her stubbornness, that's for sure," Dianna laughed. "I'm assuming this tall man next to you is your mate?"

"Yes, this is Alexander Hudson."

"It's nice to meet you," Alex said.

"Dianna, if you don't help us, we'll just find her on our own," I warned. Dianna stood there looking at us, and I had the strangest feeling she was deciding whether to use magic on us. "Please, let me do this for her."

"Fine, follow me quickly," Dianna said. We walked forward and started following her towards a circular stone building. "The elder's council won't be happy to see the two of you. I can't promise they won't try to kill you on sight." "We'll be ready if they try," Alex told her.

"Have you ever gone up against a powerful elder witch?"

"No, I can't say that I have."

"Don't be in such a hurry to find out what it's like." When we got to the door, Dianna stopped, turning around to face us. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," we both responded. Dianna held up her hand to the door, banging loudly. When there was no answer, she raised both her hands, mumbled something under her breath, and the doors burst open. She stalked into the room with Alex and I right behind her. Cornelia was standing before eight very old-looking men at a podium. All the men were seated at a large table. Shock and anger were apparent on each of their faces.

"What is the meaning of this?" The oldest looking one shouted. "And who are these people, Dianna?"

"Werewolves!" One of the other men shouted, pointing at us, and getting to his feet.

"I don't think this is going to go well," Alex said.