Hunter’s POV
“Anna found the spell,” Alex said quietly, making my heart stop beating.
I looked at him and my eyes widened.
He motioned for me and Mason to follow him.
I looked back at my mate and saw her looking around the room with a bored expression on her face. She kept trying to find a way to escape. She kept using bits and pieces of magic she had. She wasn’t paying attention to us at all. At least it looked like that.
I gulped and wished for a millionth time since we came here that I could go inside that room and take her into my arms.
“Come on, Hunter,” Mason mumbled quietly as he grabbed my upper arm and started pulling me away.
I wished that I could stay and keep my eye on her. She looked at us and smirked.
“Leaving so soon?” she asked as she approached the glass.
Mason and Alex growled. I had to hold back a whimper. That wasn’t my Sophia, no matter how much I wanted her to be.
I let Mason drag me outside. Alex was already there, pacing around nervously.
“What did they find?” Mason asked.
Alex stopped pacing and looked at us. “Anna found the spell, but my mom is the only one who can perform it. They will come once my mom rests a bit.”
My heart raced and I glanced back at the cabin. Would I get my love back today?
“Oh, thank Goddess,” Mason mumbled as he ran his fingers through his hair. “I am one sarcastic word away from strangling that thing.”
A quiet growl escaped me. That thing was still my mate.
Mason looked at me apologetically.
“I am sorry, Hunter,” Mason sighed. “I am just so angry at it.”
I gulped and took a deep breath.
“I know,” I mumbled quietly. “I am angry too.”
I was furious. I wanted to kill, but I didn’t know who to kill. The person responsible for my mate being in that room was already dead.
“I miss Soph,” Mason mumbled, his voice laced with sadness.
I looked at him and gulped. Sophia was my mate and the pain I felt couldn’t be compared with his. I couldn’t even begin to explain how I felt or how much it hurt to see her locked up. I couldn’t explain how much it hurt to be so close but so far away from her. I couldn’t touch her and I wanted to. I couldn’t kiss her and I wanted to.
But Mason’s pain was as big as mine was. Sophia was his cousin. They grew up together. He said more than once that she was his best friend. I couldn’t comprehend his pain, just as he couldn’t comprehend mine.
“I miss her too,” Alex mumbled, making me look at him. “I miss her like crazy.”
Alex looked terrible. He looked deranged. His face was a mixture of hope, pain, excitement, and anger. He looked like he was on the verge of insanity.
Hunter? My dad mind-linked me.
Yes, Dad? I responded immediately.
Can you come to Emma’s office? My dad asked. We need to talk.
Sure. I said. I will be right there.
I cut the mind-link with my dad and focused back on Alex and Mason.
“My dad called me to Emma’s office,” I said, making them look at me. “He wants to talk to me about something.”
Alex and Mason nodded.
“Go,” Alex said. “We will stay with it until my mom is ready.”
I nodded and glanced back at the cabin. I wanted to go back inside and see her again.
“Call me if anything happens, okay?” I said, gulping down the lump in my throat.
“Of course,” Mason said.
I forced myself to turn back around. I gave them a small nod and started walking toward the packhouse.
My mind went straight to my mate and I started imagining spending time with her. I imagined kissing her. I imagined what our first time making love would look like. I imagined kissing and sucking on her neck as I removed her clothes slowly. I imagined how her skin would feel under my fingertips as I ran my fingers up and down her body. I imagined how it would feel to be inside her. I imagined how she would moan and call my name. I imagined it all and the pain exploded inside me.
I was in pain because it was all just in my imagination. I couldn’t do any of that because she was locked up inside that room. Well, no. My Angel was trapped inside her own body and I couldn’t reach her.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to extinguish the flames of pain inside me.
“Hunter?” I heard my dad’s voice and looked up abruptly.
I was already standing in Emma’s office. I wasn’t even aware of my surroundings.
Alpha Logan, Anna, and my dad were standing there. All three of them were looking at me worriedly.
“Are you okay?” Anna asked softly.
I took a deep breath and ran my fingers through my hair.
“I will be as soon as she is out of that room,” I mumbled, trying to hide the pain in my voice.
Alpha Logan’s jaw twitched. I could see the pain and fear in his eyes.
“What did you want to talk to me about?” I asked, wanting to get it over with so I could go back to my Angel.
I knew that I would be able to go inside that room, but both Holden and I were a lot calmer when we could at least see her.
“We need to talk to the pack before we do any kind of spell,” Alpha Logan said. “We need to explain what is going on and offer them a safe place to stay.”
“That safe place would be our pack and Alpha Drake’s pack,” my dad added. “You are the Alpha so you need to be the one who will offer them to stay in our pack while we deal with Sophia.”
I furrowed my eyebrows and looked at Alpha Logan.
“Do you really think it will be necessary?” I asked.
Alpha Logan gulped and gave me a small nod.
“It’s just a precaution,” Alpha Logan said. “I need to keep my people safe and the best way to do that is to keep them away from here.”
“We can’t be sure what will happen, Hunter,” Anna added. “We can’t be sure if your mark will destroy the darkness and we need to be prepared if that thing gets away.”
I gulped and tried to take a deep breath.
My mark would work. It would bring my Sophia back. It had to work because I couldn’t spend another day without her. It had to work because I was on the verge of losing it.
