Chapter 16 - Hannah
With Clarissa safely in Red Moon territory, under Sophie’s and Damian’s protection, I accompany the group from Bitterroot Valley back to Augusta.
Everyone is already waiting for us there, and Milly greets me with the tightest hug as soon as we arrive in Augusta. Orlando is obviously troubled, his eyes worn and rimmed with dark circles of restlessness, his cold, hard expression visible from across the hall.
Conan, Heinrich, Annika, Simon, Heinrich’s delta, Dedrik, and a few other soldiers from all three sides of the Bitterroot Valley join the allies to discuss a way to find Nico. We’re all unsettled by his capture.
But his father is the most distressed.
Worried for the child, I’m also worried about Clarissa, who’s back in the valley, under Damian and Sophie’s care, with Elder Bernard watching over her.
Conan doesn’t appear fazed by it, proving that he doesn’t know about my exile at his grandfather’s hands. In fact, it’s almost as if he was glad that his grandfather didn’t bat an eyelid before offering to watch Clarissa and keep her safe.
He doesn’t know…
And that’s why, throughout our journey to Augusta, I’ve been mulling over what Dorothy told me—that Conan never knew I’d been banished.
But there’s no time to think about that right now. We have to find Nico.
“Everyone, settle down,” High Priestess Amalia announces once we’ve all gathered inside the coven’s ceremonial hall. Candles burn along the stone walls, their flames flickering violently from the storm brewing outside. “We need answers, and quickly.”
Orlando drags a hand over his exhausted face. “My patrol found traces of demon corruption near the northern riverbank,” he growls. “That’s where Nico disappeared.”
“Was he alone?” Conan asks sharply.
Orlando shakes his head. “Two guards were with him. They’d been training near the riverbank. Nico’s wolf emerged earlier than expected,” Orlando admits with a heavy-hearted sigh. “Both guards were slaughtered.” His jaw tightens dangerously. “Nico was taken alive.”
Silence falls heavily across the hall.
I glance at Conan beside me, noticing the way his fists clench at his sides. The thought already lingers between us without being spoken aloud.
If Nico was taken alive…then Clarissa was almost taken alive, too.
And if Nico’s wolf emerged early, then Clarissa, too, will receive her wolf soon.
“We believe the demons are specifically targeting hybrid children,” Amalia says grimly. “Children born from both witch and wolf blood. Which is why Alpha Conan and Sister Hannah reported a scare in the Bitterroot Valley as well.”
Annika pales instantly beside Heinrich. “Is this because of the portal?”
Amalia nods once. “That is our suspicion.”
Alpha William steps forward. “The Blood Mill Pack has also swept Milford for any signs of the portal, but for now, there is nothing.”
“Nico’s scent was lost a few meters outside of Blood Mill territory,” Orlando states, and Annika nods.
“From what I saw in my vision, the portal is near an old sawmill. If it’s not there, it’s probably because they haven’t opened it yet.”
“Or they’re doing a damn good job of concealing it,” Heinrich adds.
Sister Amalia steps forward then, her silver-threaded robes brushing softly against the floor. Though she remains composed, something troubled lingers in her expression.
“Hannah’s potion protected Clarissa for years because it concealed her wolf essence,” she explains. “Without that scent, Clarissa appeared human to demonic tracking.”
“Then why attack now?” Dedrik asks.
“Because the potion wore off,” I whisper.
All eyes shift toward me.
I know what my sisters are thinking, only learning now that Clarissa is part witch, part wolf. It had been a secret for years, but no one even questions it now.
Swallowing hard, I respond, “She hasn’t taken it in days. Her wolf fully resurfaced after the mating ritual.”
Conan’s expression darkens beside me.
Amalia folds her arms together thoughtfully. “Which is why the demons sensed her awakening. And it’s why Nico was captured. His wolf emerged only a few days ago.”
A chill slithers down my spine.
Orlando suddenly slams his fist onto the table hard enough to crack the wood. “I think we need to stop talking and find my son! We are wasting time here, and Nico is out there, all alone.”
“Nobody is wasting time,” Heinrich snaps back. “We’re trying to understand what we’re dealing with.”
“We already understand enough!” Orlando roars, grief cracking through his fury. “My son is out there with monsters!”
Milly suddenly rushes toward him, gripping his arm as tears cloud her eyes. “Orlando…calm down.”
The room falls tense again when Orlando snatches his arm away from Milly.
Then Amalia speaks softly. “We’re going to find him, Alpha Orlando. It is why we are here. If the demons are using a potion that masks Nico’s scent, there is another way we can find him. Did you bring what I asked for?”
Orlando mumbles something incoherent under his breath as he flings a blue knitted hat at Amalia. It’s Nico’s—I’ve seen him wearing it before.
Amalia grabs the hat and turns toward the ceremonial circle etched into the floor. “Prepare the chamber,” she instructs, and the witches move immediately.
Candles are repositioned. Bowls of herbs and black salt are arranged carefully around the circle while the rest of us step back to give them space.
Conan moves closer to me instinctively, his hand brushing lightly against mine before settling at the small of my back. The touch is subtle, grounding. Protective.
I’m surprised by how much comfort it gives me, but I allow it.
Though we haven’t had much time to really talk through our issues, we’ve been clinging to each other for support during this time.
None of it matters when it’s our daughter who’s in danger, and we’ve suddenly become a united force that will stop at nothing to uncover the truth.
The chanting begins moments later. Low. Ancient. Powerful.
A sacred ritual to find Nico, since the witches have made no progress with interrogating Marcus Hale. He refuses to speak, even now. And just when Amalia was on the brink of using a ritual to uncover the truth from him, Nico turned up missing.
Magic crackles through the chamber as Amalia kneels inside the circle, her palms pressed flat against the stone floor. The candles flare violently all at once, plunging the room into eerie golden light.
Then Amalia gasps.
Her back arches sharply as magic explodes outward from the circle in a violent pulse. Annika cries out beside me, clutching Heinrich’s arm as the vision force ripples through the room.
“Amalia!” Shanice shouts, and Milly holds her arm to stop her from approaching the High Sister. Nothing should break the circle, or the ritual will be useless.
The older witch doesn’t respond, her eyes turning completely white as she stares up at the ceiling. And then she screams.
The sound tears through the hall with enough terror to freeze every person in place.
I stumble backward instinctively while Conan grips my arm to steady me.
“Children…” Amalia chokes out weakly. “Dear Goddess…” Blood trickles from her nose as the vision continues assaulting her. “They’re using the children…” she whispers brokenly. “The hybrids…”
The room goes deathly still as she continues to murmur the truth.
“The hybrid children are what they need to power the portal.”
A cold wave of horror crashes through me.
“No…” I breathe, and Conan clings to me.
Amalia trembles violently now, tears streaming down her face. “Their magic…their blood…it feeds the gateway between worlds. It keeps the portal stable long enough for the demons to cross over.”
My stomach twists so violently I nearly collapse.
Clarissa.
Nico.
Every hybrid child who exists in this world is in danger.
“They’re harvesting them,” Amalia sobs. “Like batteries for their dark cause, their dark magic.”
Orlando makes a strangled sound of rage somewhere behind us.
Conan’s arm wraps around my waist instantly as my knees weaken beneath me. His grip tightens possessively, protectively, like he’s terrified I’ll break apart.
And maybe I already have, because all I can think about is Clarissa sleeping peacefully in Red Moon territory while monsters hunt children like her.
Amalia suddenly jerks again, her voice turning frantic. “They’re running out of time. The portal is unstable. That’s why they need more power. More children.”
Shanice pales. “How many?”
Amalia looks up slowly, horror consuming every inch of her face. “Enough,” she whispers, “to tear the veil between worlds completely open. We have to move fast. And we have to know who is behind this. Annika was right. The portal will be opened in Milford.”
“I’m on it,” Alpha William says before he leaves the hall.
Alpha Theodore Haines from the Goldfang Pack steps forward. “We need to go. Now,” he says to Orlando, gripping his shoulder. “My wolves are ready.”
“We are ready, too,” Conan announces, and turns to me. “Don’t worry, Hannah. Clarissa is safe.”
“I should have stayed with her, Conan. What if—”
He shakes his head. “Nothing will happen to her. I trust Damian and Sophie.”
Amalia comes toward me, and Conan steps aside to give us privacy. “Iron Breath wolves are on their way to Bitterroot Valley with a fresh dose of potion,” she assures me. “I am glad you are here, Hannah. You’ve finally taken my advice, and stand on the frontline of this war now.”
I look down at my palms, pulsing with magic that’s ready to burst forth, my awareness turned sharper than ever. “Yes, I am ready, Sister Amalia.” I look up with a controlled frown. “You knew my destiny before I did.”
“Yes, child,” she says with a nod. “But the war has only begun. We have much work to do. And when we rescue little Nico, you will be the one who interrogates Marcus Hale.” She gently presses a finger to my chest. “I have seen it. You are the key to finding out what it is the demons are after.”
I nod my acceptance, fully understanding why Amalia did what she did to lead me to this moment. Just then, Alpha William rushes back into the hall, panic written all over his face.
“My wolves have found the location of the portal in Milford. It’s starting.”
“They’re using Nico already,” Orlando growls, fists curled at his sides. “We have to go. Now.”
With that, everyone rushes out of the building, ready to fight, ready to save the child the demons are using to open their portal. Conan joins me again, taking my hand to lead me outside.
“Conan, wait,” I stop him as everyone passes us. He turns back, fury, determination, and protectiveness all wrapped into one neat parcel of dark eyes.
“What is it, Hannah?”
“I don’t know what’s going to happen out there, but I want you to promise me that you’ll take care of Clarissa.”
“I’m not letting anything touch you, Hannah. I don’t care about what happened in the past. You and Clarissa are my future, and I will protect that with everything I have in me.”
The fierce determination and sincerity in his eyes and in his voice crack my heart open in a way that has never happened before.
None of it matters when so much is at stake, and I realize how foolish it was to hold a grudge against him for so many years when he’s right here now, by my side, ready to fight for our daughter and me.
And I will fight for him now.