Hunter’s POV
I was staring through the window, trying to get a hold of my emotions. I was looking in the direction of the cabin where my mate was.
“My mark will save you, Angel,” I mumbled quietly. “I promise. It will save you and it will bring you back to me.”
I gulped and closed my eyes, trying to control the sudden urge to cry. Anna’s words kept replaying in my mind and I couldn’t stop them no matter how hard I tried.
What if it didn’t work? What if my Sophia was gone forever? What if I never got to be with her?
‘Stop it!’ Holden screamed at me. ‘It will work! The mark will work! It has to work!’
I didn’t respond. I couldn’t respond. I couldn’t focus on anything except the pain I felt.
Holden whined and his pain washed over me, mixing with my own and creating an endless pool of desperation.
“Hunter,” I heard Emma’s soft voice behind me.
I opened my eyes and turned around. She was standing behind me with a worried look on her face. I felt a knife pierce through my heart. She looked so much like my Sophia and it made me miss her so much more.
“Are you ready?” she asked.
I tried to give her a small smile, but I failed. She sighed and took my hand in hers.
“She will be okay,” Emma said softly. “The mark will work.”
I studied Emma’s face for a few seconds. I was having trouble with voicing out the question I wanted to ask. I gulped and forced myself to speak.
“What if it doesn’t?” I asked quietly.
Emma sighed and pulled me in for a hug. I wrapped my arms around her and took a deep breath.
“It will,” Emma said as she rubbed my back gently. “I have a good feeling about this, Hunter. It is the same one I had when I was racing to save my mate bond. Everything will be okay.”
I let her go and looked down at her. She smiled softly.
“Thank you for forgiving my dad,” I said, gulping down the lump in my throat. “I wouldn’t get a chance to grow up with him. Maybe I wouldn’t even get a chance to meet my Angel. Thank you for forgiving him for what he did.”
Emma smiled again. “A part of me knew that he was a good man. A part of me knew that he would never have done it if it wasn’t for the curse. I am glad I forgave him too. I am glad that you are here, Hunter. I can tell how much you love my little girl and that is making me the happiest mom in the world. I know that you will always keep her safe and I know that you will always love her. I couldn’t have asked the Goddess for more.”
By the time she finished talking, we both had tears in our eyes.
“I do love her,” I said. “My whole heart belongs to her. I just want to be able to show that to her.”
“You will be able to show her that,” Emma said softly. “I am sure.”
I took a deep breath and nodded.
“Come on,” Emma said as she motioned toward the door. “Let’s go talk to my pack.”
I nodded and started walking outside. I could hear Alpha Logan speaking to his pack already. He sounded calm and determined. I knew immediately why his pack loved and respected him so much. Despite his own pain and fear, he sounded confident. He sounded like someone they could rely on.
“I just want to let you all know that Sophia is okay,” he continued his speech. “Her magic is unfortunately still out of control, but we are doing everything we can to help her.”
Emma and I stepped out of the packhouse, making Logan glance back at us.
“I called you here today to make a suggestion,” Alpha Logan continued, looking back at his pack members. “As I mentioned earlier, Sophia’s magic is still out of control and we can’t be sure if we will be able to help her.”
My heart clenched painfully. I held onto Emma’s words, trying to ground myself.
“We will do our best and your Luna will try to perform a spell today,” Alpha Logan said. “We can’t be sure what the results will be, but we want to make sure that all of you are safe.”
Alpha Logan stopped and looked back at me. I approached him, trying to look as calm as he did.
“Alpha Hunter, Sophia’s mate, and Alpha Drake, our friend, offered shelter to all of you until Sophia gains control of her magic,” Alpha Logan continued, making his pack members start to whisper amongst themselves. “We are hoping it won’t be for long, but we would like it if you accepted their offer and left the territory by the end of the day.”
The whispers got louder. I glanced around the crowd and all I could see on their faces was worry.
“When will we be able to come back?” someone in the crowd asked.
“We can’t be sure,” Alpha Logan sighed. “We are hoping that you could come back in a day or two.”
I took a small step forward, making the pack members look at me.
“My pack is more than happy to welcome you for a few days,” I said. “Everything is ready and everyone in my pack will make sure that you have everything that you need.”
“The same goes for Alpha Drake’s pack,” Alpha Logan added. “Everything is ready for those of you who would accept our suggestions.”
There were a few moments of silence.
“We don’t have to leave if we don’t want to?” someone from the crowd asked.
“Of course not, Neil,” Emma said softly. “This is your pack and you are not being chased away. We are just worried and we want to make sure that every one of you is safe.”
The pack members started whispering amongst themselves again.
“Please talk to Jake if you have any questions,” Alpha Logan said. “He has all the information you need. Your Luna and I will do our best to help Sophia.”
“Make sure that she knows that we are all here waiting for her,” someone in the crowd shouted.
“Of course, Beth,” Alpha Logan said warmly. “Your support means everything to her and to us.”
I smiled and warmth spread all over my body. It was wonderful to see how loved my mate was.
Alpha Logan started walking back inside the packhouse and we followed after him. I watched Jake as he stepped closer and started answering the questions his pack members had.
“Let’s go get my princess back,” Alpha Logan said with determination in his voice.
I took a deep breath and clenched my fists.
It was time to bring my Angel back.
