Chapter 23 - Annika
Darkness swallows me whole.
For a moment, I think I’ve fainted, that the room has simply spun out from beneath my feet after everything that just happened between Heinrich and me. But the darkness quickly gives way to something else entirely—something far more familiar.
The in-between.
Except, this time, it isn’t quiet, or blindingly white like the last time. It’s dark and loud.
Wind howls through the void like a living, breathing thing, carrying whispers that slither through the air like smoke. The space around me shifts, warping and bending until the darkness tears open like fabric, like a thin veil being stretched open around me.
This is a vision, I deduce, my heart racing because it’s my first time.
I’m no longer standing in Heinrich’s study.
Instead, I’m standing on a cliff while cold ocean wind lashes against my skin, whipping my hair wildly around my face.
The scent of earth and pine fills my lungs, soft and familiar, and below me, thick, voluminous rocks are being washed by gushing waters. This isn’t the Bitterroot Valley.
It isn’t even the mountains in Bitterroot. I know this because, apart from not recognizing the river, I can feel that this place is different.
I turn slowly, my heart hammering as realization creeps deep into my bones.
A forest stretches endlessly in both directions, wild and untouched. Towering cliffs plunge into a valley, and in the distance, a lonely sawmill stands against the storm clouds gathering on the horizon.
Something pulses nearby. I feel it before I see it, recognize it for what it is. Power.
Dark, ancient power, the scent so dense, but recognizable nonetheless, because I caught it a few times in the valley.
It overpowers the earthy, cool air, churning my gut.
The ground trembles faintly beneath my feet, and when I follow the pull of that energy, my gaze lands on a jagged tear in the air itself.
The portal.
It hangs above the sawmill like a wound in reality; threads of the clouds themselves appear like cobwebs torn from the inside out.
A swirling vortex of dark shadow and crimson light, twisting slowly as though the world itself is struggling to contain it, the center of it moving as if it has a heartbeat, as if it’s breathing, as if it’s alive.
My breath catches as my heart lurches. That’s where the demons are coming from.
Demons slip through the rift like shadows given form, their silhouettes flickering before vanishing into the storm-shrouded land beyond the cliffs. One stark realization is that the portal isn’t in the Bitterroot Valley.
Not even remotely.
The Bitterroot Valley doesn’t have a sawmill anywhere near it.
This is far enough that the mountains where the Bitterroot wolves live would be nothing more than distant legends here.
A second presence suddenly brushes against my mind, but this one is warm, familiar.
I turn just as a figure steps into the vision beside me, and a wave of relief washes over me as distinctly as the river gushing past the giant boulders and rocks.
The figure is a woman; tall, powerful, her dark hair braided down her back as the wind whips the ends of it like a banner.
Golden magic flickers around her fingertips, steady and controlled, nothing like the chaotic surge of power I sometimes feel when my abilities spiral out of control.
She isn’t a stranger.
I know her instantly, even if we’ve never met—but because I feel her. I feel her magic like a familial presence, the same magic that lives inside me, humming in recognition.
A witch.
The third witch.
Or rather, the third luna.
Her gaze meets mine across the vision, calm and knowing, her lips smiling warmly. Behind her, wolves move through the rocky terrain like silent guardians—large, powerful creatures with coats that shimmer silver beneath the stormy sky.
I recognize the wolves instantly, because I’ve seen the Iron Breath alpha in wolf form before, which means the woman standing with power in her fingers and a smile on her face is Conan’s mate.
I open my mouth to speak, to ask her who she is or what her name is, but before I can get a word out, the vision begins to fracture.
The portal pulses violently, the vortex swelling like a living thing, as if it senses that it’s being watched. The woman turns toward it, golden magic already gathering in her hands. And then the world shatters.
I gasp as air floods my lungs.
The study snaps back into existence around me, Heinrich’s desk presses against the backs of my legs, his arms still wrapped around me as he steadies me against his chest.
“Annika? What happened?!” His voice is tight with concern, but with a hint of panic underneath. “Annika, look at me.”
I blink rapidly, trying to ground myself as the remnants of the vision fade from my mind like smoke slipping through my fingers. “I just saw it, Heinrich,” I whisper, my voice barely audible.
Heinrich’s grip tightens around my waist, and I continue, “I just saw the portal, and it’s not in Nitterroot.”
His eyes sharpen immediately, his alpha instincts snapping into place. “Where is it, then?”
I shake my head slowly, still piecing together the fragments of what I witnessed in my vision. “It’s not here,” I say. “Not anywhere near our valley. That's why it's been impossible to find.”
Relief flickers briefly across his face before curiosity replaces it. “Then where is it?”
“It is a valley, but not ours,” I explain, closing my eyes as I summon the memory again. “There are fierce, sharp cliffs, a river, and an old, abandoned sawmill in the distance. It’s far from here, Heinrich. I don’t know where it is.”
His brows knit together. “Far enough that the demons would need a network to move through the human world before reaching Bitterroot…” he mutters.
I nod slowly. “Exactly.”
Heinrich's eyes narrow as he slowly and thoughtfully nods his head, digesting that this means something important.
The demons’ immediate foothold near the valley has been broken. The warehouse raid destroyed their weapons supply, and the portal itself isn’t even close enough to launch direct attacks without help.
Heinrich exhales slowly. “That explains why the valley feels quiet.”
“There’s more,” I add softly, and his attention snaps back to me. “I saw someone else in the vision.”
“Who?”
“A witch,” I say. “But not just any witch.”
Recognition flashes across his expression before I even finish the sentence. “The third luna.”
I nod. “She was standing near the portal with wolves behind her,” I explained. “Iron Breath wolves.”
Heinrich’s lips part slightly. “Conan’s mate.”
“Yes.”
For a moment, neither of us speaks. Then, Heinrich’s expression shifts into something far more serious.
“We need to tell the council about your vision,” he says before pressing a kiss to my lips and helping me off the desk.
***
The council chamber fills quickly the next morning.
Word spreads fast when a vision is involved. Heinrich stands beside me at the long table, his hand resting firmly at the small of my back as I explain everything I saw. The cliffs. The river. The portal itself. Even the sawmill.
Amos taps rapidly on his tablet as I describe the landscape. “There are only a handful of valleys that match that description,” he mutters.
“There’s only one close by, and there have not been any reports of demon activity there. Although we wouldn’t know, because the packs out there aren’t exactly friendly.” My father-in-law—Mortimer—leans forward slightly. “Perhaps they feel threatened by us.”
Low murmurs ripple across the room.
Damian leans back in his chair with a slow grin. “Well…” he begins dryly, “perhaps it’s time to reach out to them and find out if they know about this sawmill. Or about demons.”
Conan crosses his arms, clearly processing the information. “And my mate?” he asks quietly.
“Maybe you’ll find her near that portal,” I tell him. “She’s already there. Maybe not physically, but in spirit, or energy. But I think she's what will lead us to it.”
Something fierce flickers in his eyes, like destiny finally clicking into place.
My gaze drifts toward Heinrich as the council continues discussing logistics and patrol strategies, but for the first time since arriving in the valley, the tension feels different.
Lighter.
Hopeful.
The demons are still a threat.
But they’re not right on our doorstep anymore, and that changes everything.
***
Later that afternoon, Heinrich and I stand outside the cabin watching the sun dip behind the snowy mountain peaks.
The valley glows gold in the fading light. It's peaceful. Safe.
At least for now.
Heinrich slips his arms around me from behind, resting his chin lightly against my shoulder.
“So,” he murmurs softly. “Your vision just made my decision easier.”
I lean back into him. “How so?”
“Because if the portal is in another valley, the human world isn’t nearly as dangerous as it was a few days ago,” he says, and my heart skips a beat, prompting me to turn in his arms slowly.
“You mean…”
His lips curve into a warm smile when my voice tapers off.
“I made you a promise, Annika.”
My breath catches as a smile toys on my lips.
“You said you wanted to see your sister.”
Emotion tightens my chest, and he continues.
“And I meant it when I said I’d take you.”
Hope flutters through me so suddenly that it almost feels fragile.
“Soon?” I whisper.
Heinrich brushes a strand of hair away from my face, his thumb tracing gently along my cheek.
“Very soon.” His gaze softens, something deeper flickering beneath the surface.
“And when we do, there are a few things I’d like to say to you.”
My pulse quickens now.
“Oh?”
Heinrich chuckles softly, pressing a lingering kiss to my forehead. “Patience, Luna.”
I nod gently, closing my eyes when his lips meet my forehead again. For the first time since everything began, the future finally feels within reach.
“I was thinking…” I begin, and he hums against my forehead.
“Hmm…?”
“We shouldn't have to give up our lives in the human world. The company…the research…the help Alpha Pharmaceuticals has been extending thanks to Anastasia…I don't think we should give it up.”
“Are you saying that you want to live a double life with me, Annika Singh?” he asks as he draws back and stares into my eyes.
“Yes, Heinrich. That's exactly what I'm saying.”
His lips curve into a smug smile. “Good. Then you make the next part of my plans so much easier.”
As our lips meet in soft reacquaintance, I don't probe for any more information, deciding to put my full trust in him, knowing that just like he leads the wolves of his pack, he will lead our lives into bliss.