43. Chapter Forty-Three
~Evalina~
Calista put a team together while I ran upstairs to let my mother know what was happening, dread settling further into my stomach with each step. Propped up in her bed, she jumped in surprise when I burst through the door, and with no time to waste, I blurted out the essential details.
“Tarron has Felix. I’m going back to Etta to help him. The staff will keep bringing you food and I’ll return as soon as I can.”
I made it halfway back out the door before she called after me, her voice sharper than usual. “Evalina, wait!”
Reluctantly, I turned back. “Yes?”
“I don’t think you should go back.” Getting to her feet, she stepped closer to me. Her eyes scanned my face, concern clear in the lines of her brow. “If Tarron finds you, it won’t end well. Don’t forget what happened to your father.”
A lump filled my throat but I did my best to swallow it down. “I won’t let him find me. I’ll have Calista and the other werewolves there for backup.”
“It’s not worth the risk,” she insisted, her hands wringing together. “They can go without you.”
“I can’t let them go in blind. They need someone who knows the territory.”
She refused to back down. “You can tell them what they need to know before they go in.”
“But what if they run into a situation we’re not anticipating? They won’t know who can be trusted. I have to go. I promise I’ll be careful.”
“Please, don’t.” Her eyes brimmed with tears. “If he catches you, he won’t let you go.”
The ache in my chest deepened, my heart torn between wanting to comfort her and needing to get to Felix. “Mama…”
She shook her head, not letting me finish. “I know you’ve tried to shield me from his behaviour towards you, but I’ve seen enough. He watches you. He makes excuses to go to the kitchen to see you. And this illness of mine… now that simply coming here has healed me, I don’t think it's a coincidence.”
My mind flashed back to Tarron offering to cure my mother if I became his amorta. Would he really go to such lengths to get me to agree?
“I don’t know exactly what he wants from you,” she continued, “but I know it can’t be good. Felix is a nice man and I’m sorry he got caught up in this but you can’t throw your life away to save his.”
“He’s my mate.”
Without warning, the words leapt from my lips, startling us both. I hadn’t meant to tell her like this, but I didn’t know how else to make her understand why I needed to go, no matter the danger.
Confusion mingled with the concern in her eyes. “What does that mean?”
Taking a deep breath, I tried to remember everything Felix had said and put it into words she would understand. “All werewolves have a person that they’re fated to be with. Usually, it’s another werewolf, but for Felix, it’s me. I don’t know why. I don’t understand all the ins and outs of it, but I feel it, Mama. I feel it here.”
My hand rested on my chest, over my heart.
“He wants me to be his. He wants me to stay here with him and for us to have a life together. And even though it’s fast and crazy, I want it too. You know that I never fit in back in Etta. Maybe this is why. Maybe I was always meant to come here and find him. He’s my future, and if Tarron has him, if he’s in trouble, I have to go and help him. He would do it for me, no matter the risk. He already has.”
My mother took a long moment to process all of that before she slowly nodded. Her voice wavered, caught between happiness and fear. “I knew there was something in the way he looked at you, but I didn’t imagine it would be all of that. I understand, Lina. I still don’t like the thought of you going there, but I understand.”
I wrapped my arms around her for a strong, quick embrace. “I’ll be careful, and I’ll be back home to you soon.”
I’d already made it halfway down the stairs before I realized I called this place ‘home’ and my mother didn’t bother to correct me.
A man named Leo came with me and Calista for the long drive in another car. Though just as big and imposing as the other men, an air of calm, considered competence surrounded him. Using maps of both our worlds, a notebook, and measuring tools, Leo charted the best route to take us to where the portal should be. Although he couldn’t hear or see me, he took the time to explain his thought process to me anyway and I liked him immediately.
I liked all of the werewolves I’d met so far.
A second car behind us carried another four men, some of the pack’s finest warriors, Leo promised me. Any more than that and we risked attracting too much attention. With my knowledge of the landscape and their combat skills, we would do the best we could.
Calista kept in touch with Vaughan through her phone until he and his group were ready to cross through the portal. I noted the way her lips pulled down into a concerned frown as she put the phone away and I reached out to place a supportive hand on her arm.
“I’m sorry to cause you all so much trouble. I hope no one else gets hurt.”
She patted my hand with hers while shaking her head. “It’s not your fault. Besides, as Felix’s mate, you’re part of the pack now. They protect their own, no matter what.” Her head shook again, this time with a bit of a smile on her face. “I mean, we protect our own. I sometimes forget that I’m a werewolf too.”
Startled, I blinked over at her. “What?”
I vaguely remembered that Felix had said something about Calista’s werewolf side being suppressed, but so much new information had been thrown at me since then, I couldn’t remember any of the details.
My quizzical look made her smile widen. “It’s a long story. I promise I’ll tell you the whole thing when all of this is over.”
Hopefully, we would have that time together, and it wouldn’t be too far away.
The smooth road beneath us gave way to a dirt track that jolted us with every bump as we drove deeper into the forest. The white-peaked mountains Felix and I saw across the lake that morning loomed much closer when Calista finally came to a stop.
“This should be the spot. Since Evalina and I are the only ones who can see the portal and no one else can see her , we’ll have to all stick together. Leo, can you lead the search to make sure we don’t miss anything but also don’t double back on ourselves?”
His chest puffed out with pride at being given the lead. “Of course, Luna.”
Two of the men with us shifted to their wolf forms, in case we came upon any other wild animals in the wilderness, and we set out due north. Leo had brought us to the centre of the radius he thought the portal should be in, so if we made it two miles and didn’t find it, we’d rotate to the west and come back towards the vehicle.
None of us spoke as we walked, Calista and I scanning the forest for any sign of the portal while the others watched for hidden dangers. Every rustle of leaves or snap of a twig could mean trouble, and each second we spent was one more that Felix might be in greater danger. The dread in the pit of my stomach urged me to run rather than walk, but we had to pace ourselves. We might be in for a long search.
Thankfully, it only took about twenty minutes before I noticed the smell of Etta berries in the air. They were faint, but distinct, since I hadn’t smelled them anywhere else since arriving in this world.
“This way,” I urged the others, and Calista passed that message on while letting me take the lead. The sweet, tangy scent of my home world pulled me forward, cutting through the earthy terrestrial forest air.
Sure enough, the soft glow of the portal filtered through the trees another couple of minutes later, and Calista paused to give us all final instructions.
“Because you’re with Evalina and me, you’ll be able to pass through the portal. Once we’re through, you’ll be able to see her. It’s her land, so we’ll follow her lead. An order from her is an order from me unless I say otherwise. Don’t go off on your own, and whatever you do, don’t eat anything. Understood?”
The men all gave their agreement and Calista gave me an encouraging nod.
Determination flared in my chest as I faced the portal back to Etta. “Let’s go and bring Felix home.”