Chapter 14
Gray
Rhett, Levi, Nix, and I were standing at the edge of our pack lands, just a couple of feet away from the barrier. It was brimming with power, more alive than I’d ever seen it, the static tangible even to me.
“It’s like a warning mechanism,” Nix said, gesturing at where the barrier was.
“The energy lets other paranormal beings know that you’re a strong pack and not to be messed with.
Of course, there’s the option of containing that energy, of hiding it.
That’s up to you. When I got here, I worked with what I found and organically restored what’d once been there. ”
Looking at him now, the way he explained things with a firm voice, a smile on his lips as the wind kept blowing his silvery hair right into his face, was such a stark contrast to the pitiful bundle down in the cells stinking up the place with his fear. Down there, I’d only seen misery.
Out here, I saw potential.
Our mage, my wolf said, puffing out his chest. Strong.
He was strong. One of the strongest. And he’d come to me. Twice.
I’d been fighting myself the whole night, physically battling against the urge to go upstairs and check on him.
I tried distracting myself by waiting until I could call my parents without waking them up.
And then he’d been at my door, all hesitant and unsure but clearly longing for me just the way I longed for him.
“Everything has magic. It’s its essence, its life force, if you will,” he explained, blue eyes wide open, sparkling with joy.
“Plants, people, animals, doesn’t matter.
The spark is there. It’s not usable magic as mages have it, not something you can access.
But it’s there. Mages can feel it. And mages can connect it.
Ultimately, that’s what’s keeping the barrier alive. ”
He gave Rhett a pointed look. “You said you’re connected to the barrier, but you’re not. Not individually. The pack is, and as part of the pack, you are. And since you’ve studied the barrier, you have a better understanding of it than most in your pack. But it’s not a direct connection.”
“So, what I’ve been doing for years has been for naught?” Rhett asked, arms crossed in front of his chest, posture rigid. My heart hurt for my friend. Rhett had always taken his responsibilities seriously. Finding out he’d spent years doing something that had no effect at all must be crushing.
“No, not at all,” Nix said quickly, traces of fear mingling with his natural scent as he took a step back, away from Rhett and closer to me.
As if he was trusting me to protect him.
“You nurtured the pack’s connection with the barrier, which is important.
Otherwise, the barrier’s decline would’ve been much faster.
No one in this pack is individually connected to the barrier.
And while the older trees still are, plenty of newer ones aren’t.
Those old connections are what’s keeping the barrier strong.
You’ve kept a strong pack connection going.
It might not have been what you thought you were doing, but if you were the only one doing it, you’re solely responsible for the strong pack connection. ”
Rhett let out a breath, shoulders dropping. Levi smiled at Nix, his eyes shining with gratitude.
“So, what you’re saying is that you need to connect us as individuals with the barrier. And the pack lands.”
Nix nodded, biting his bottom lip as he averted his eyes. “I started connecting the pack lands, but uh… it was starting to take a toll on me. I-I ran out of food, and the weather got progressively worse, which made staying out here harder. In the end, I needed to stop.”
My wolf surged forward, and I found myself pulling Nix in for a hug before I came to my senses. He flinched, stiffening in my arms, his breath hitching. The stench of his fear agitated my wolf, but I pushed his whining down, focusing on my mate.
I was about to let him go and apologize when he slowly started relaxing and melted against me.
“Sorry,” I whispered, leaning in to discreetly sniff the top of his head.
He chuckled.
“It’s okay. I think.”
Not the glowing review I was hoping for, but a start.
“Where have you been staying, anyway?” Levi asked, trying to get Nix’s attention. “I’ve been wondering for a while.”
“Uhm…” Nix tensed in my arms. I growled and hugged him tighter.
He had nothing to be embarrassed about. “I have a tent in the woods. I wove a barrier into the fabric, so it’s hidden from view…
think of it like an invisibility cloak, but with a tent.
I can… I can show you when we’re done here.
I’d like to get my stuff. If that’s okay? ”
“Sure.”
I wanted to see where he’d been hiding. How he’d been living.
“Okay,” Rhett said. “Back to the barrier. How exactly does this whole ‘connecting a shifter to the barrier’ thing work? Could you do it now?”
Nix nodded as he stepped out of my arms and toward the barrier, a tentative smile on his face. “Yes. It’s not complicated. More like a tedious job than a demanding one. The question is, do you trust me to do it?”
Rhett pulled his brows into a frown. “Does it hurt?”
Nix quickly shook his head, extending his hand as he stopped about a foot away from the border. His fingers hit the invisible wall, and sparks flew. Literally. Purples and white, swirling, surrounding his fingertips as part of the barrier became visible.
“It doesn’t hurt per se. If you’re used to magic, you probably won’t really feel much of it, but seeing as you’re unaccustomed to magic, I guess you’ll feel a zing.
I can’t really describe it because it’s part of me, and the wolves I’ve previously connected to their respective packs’ barriers would rather have chopped off their tongues than show weakness, but from what I gathered, it feels a bit like touching an electric fence. ”
Rhett hesitated. Just a second, but long enough for my mate to notice. He didn’t comment on it, though, just nodded, face a carefully crafted blank mask, but his icy eyes were speaking volumes. At least to me.
“We have time,” he said, giving Rhett a quivering smile. “We don’t have to do it now.”
“I’ll go first,” I found myself saying, and stepped up without even thinking about it. Then again, I didn’t need to think about it. I was the Alpha. It was logical for me to be the first one connected to the barrier.
Nix cocked his head, eyes boring into me, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“Okay.” He nodded, reaffirming his answer to himself. “Let’s get you more in touch with your barrier, Alpha.”
I didn’t need people to call me Alpha. Hell, I didn’t even really like it. But with Nix saying it… it wasn’t so bad. A special brand of honour.
Ours, my wolf said, eagerly perking up, almost giddy as he heard Nix acknowledge our position in the pack. Alpha mate.
He wasn’t yet, but he would be. One day. Whenever he was ready.
But the way he smiled at me made me hope that one day would be sooner than I imagined.
“Are you okay?” Nix asked for the tenth time since connecting me to the barrier.
It’d been quite anticlimactic, so much so that Rhett had decided to go next.
He was brimming with joy at having even more of a connection with the barrier—and a more personal one at that—but I was thoroughly distracted by the fact that I was going to see where Nix had been hiding for months, trying to prepare for all the emotions I might feel upon seeing his tent.
My wolf was already agitated, or maybe he was simply mirroring my emotions.
“Yes,” I said, even though I wasn’t sure if I was lying or not.
We’d parked the ATVs a minute ago and were now entering an empty clearing.
It was nice, beautiful even, the afternoon sun hitting the untouched snow, making it sparkle like millions of tiny diamonds, the blue sky above setting a peaceful scene.
I could just imagine Nix sitting at the edge of the clearing, leaning against one of the thick oaks, watching, revelling in the quiet calmness of nature.
Was that why he’d picked this spot?
“I can feel something,” Levi said, scrunching up his nose as he turned to Nix. “It hurts my brain. Something is telling me there’s something here, but there isn’t.”
Nix smiled, eyes kind as he nodded. “I haven’t bothered guarding the tent against other magic users. The witches weren’t after me personally, so wasting energy on that extra layer of protection seemed wasteful. Your magic is telling you there’s something here. Do you want to try finding it?”
“How would I go about that?” Levi wondered.
Nix grinned. “One way is to just walk around until you stumble upon it. Then again, that’s something your mate and Gray could do too. If you want to try using your magic, I can guide you.”
“That,” Levi said excitedly, grabbing Rhett’s hand as a wide smile split his face. “Option number two.”
Nix snorted a laugh and nodded. His nose and cheeks were red, his breath puffing out above the thick scarf I’d wrapped around his neck before we’d left. His eyes were sparkling, but the dark bags beneath them and the way he had to suppress a yawn let me know we needed to keep this lesson short.
“Okay. Uhm… Close your eyes and listen to that feeling that you’re missing something. I bet it’s your magic.”
“Okay…” Levi let go of Rhett and followed Nix’s instructions.
“Can you feel it?”
“Kinda?”
“I want you to move your head. Keep your eyes closed, but at the same time, study the clearing. Do you know what I mean?”
“You want me to scan the clearing until I find something? But since it’s not something I can see, you want me to keep my eyes closed so I don’t get confused?”
“Yes.” Nix breathed a sigh of relief. “That. Now, slowly scan your surroundings.”
To me, it looked weird. Levi was standing at the edge of the clearing, face scrunched up in concentration, eyes squeezed shut, as he stared at nothing, moving his head slowly from left to right.