Mason’s POV
I was sitting on a tree stump and staring up at the trees above me. I was focused on the canopy of leaves and the tree trunks that were reaching up toward the sky. The sunlight filtering through the leaves was creating a serene atmosphere. It was the direct opposite of my soul which was anything but serene. My soul felt torn apart. There was a storm inside it and I saw no signs of quieting down.
I was terrified.
Sophie was my cousin and my best friend. We grew up together and I couldn’t imagine my life without her. She was my pranking partner and the only person who could make me laugh when I was in a terrible mood.
Sophie and I always did stupid shit together. We tried to include Alex as well, but he was always too serious. He would be the one to scold us alongside our parents and he would talk my ear off if Sophie was in any kind of danger because of some dare she did. The problem was that Alex’s definition of danger and my definition of danger weren’t always the same. He thought that everything Sophie and I did was dangerous. I disagreed. We did some stupid stuff, but most of it was harmless.
One time Sophie decided to prank me by running off into the woods while we were playing outside. She hid behind the tree and watched as I panicked. She started giggling just as I was about to cry. I was so angry at her, but so fucking relieved that she was okay.
When Alex told me that she had disappeared, a part of me was hoping that she was pranking us again. I was hoping that I would hear her giggle and run toward us. I was hoping that she was hiding behind that same tree.
But she wasn’t pranking us.
She wasn’t hiding.
I didn’t hear her giggle.
“I don’t care if it’s dangerous,” Alex said angrily, making me look away from the canopy of leaves. “We need to focus on that part of the territory.”
I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. Alex and Jake were still fighting about how deep into the rogue territory we should go.
We knew that it was pointless to search for other packs again. Our warriors already did that and they found nothing. She had to be in rogue territory.
“We can’t help her if we get ourselves killed, Alex,” Jake sighed, making Alex growl.
I glanced at Hunter. I could tell that he was on Alex’s side.
I understood where Jake was coming from, but the rescue mission we were on didn’t make any sense if we were just going to search the outskirts of the territory.
“I promised your parents that I would bring you back alive,” Jake mumbled, making Alex roll his eyes.
“We will be fine, Jake,” Alex sighed. “We need to search this part too.”
Alex pointed at the map, making Jake sigh worriedly for what felt like a hundredth time.
As Alex pointed to the map, his finger hovered over a particular area. The space he was pointing at was a dark blot on the parchment as if the ink had pooled and thickened in that spot. It was the most dangerous rogue area, a place where Alex, Hunter, and I wanted to go and a place Jake wanted to avoid.
The Howling Woods.
The name of the territory came from the haunting howls that could be heard echoing through the trees at night.
I heard stories about that place. I knew that the forest in that area was dense, with trees that stretched up toward the sky like towering spires. The canopy was so thick that barely any sunlight broke through, leaving the forest floor in darkness. The trees were ancient and gnarled and their branches were twisted and tangled. The forest floor was littered with dead leaves and fallen branches, making it difficult to move quietly and undetected through the woods.
The area was heavily inhabited by rogues. They roamed the woods, their razor-sharp claws and gnashing teeth ready to tear apart any intruders who dared to enter their territory.
It was said that once you entered the rogue area, you would never come out of it. The forest was a maze of twisting paths and hidden clearings, with dangers lurking around every corner. Even the trees themselves seemed to pose a threat, with dead branches and unstable trunks occasionally falling without warning.
I could imagine what that place looked like and just the thought of being there sent shivers down my spine. Was my Sophie really there? Was she afraid? Was she hurt? The mere thought of Sophia being trapped in that place, surrounded by the most dangerous rogues in the land, filled me with a seething rage. The idea of her being held captive by rogues and witches was almost too much to bear.
“I agree with Alex,” Hunter spoke, his voice quiet and raspy. “We have to go there, Jake. She could be there. My Angel could be there.”
“I am sure that she is there,” Alex mumbled, keeping his eyes on the map. “It makes sense. If they wanted to hide her, what better place to do so than The Howling Woods.”
He was right. It was the perfect place to hide her.
“The rogues would never let the witches inside their territory,” Jake said. “Anna said that the witches took her, not the rogues.”
“Who knows what kind of deal that fucker Richard made with rogues,” Alex said angrily. “She is there, Jake.”
Jake sighed again. He closed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair.
“Fine,” Jake mumbled as he opened his eyes and looked at Alex. “But we are getting out of there if it gets too dangerous. Am I clear?”
“Sure,” Alex mumbled as he started putting away the map.
He wouldn’t leave until he found her. None of us would and Jake knew that.
“Come on,” Hunter said as he stood up. “We are wasting time.”
He shifted into his wolf form and started running. Jake followed right behind him.
Alex shoved the map into his backpack and shifted into his wolf form. We agreed that one of us would stay in our human form so we could communicate with Hunter who couldn’t mind-link us.
Axel looked at me and laid down so I could climb on his back.
“We are coming for you, Soph,” I mumbled as Axel stood up and started running behind Hunter and Jake. “We will find you.”
Yes, we will. Alex mind-linked me. We aren’t coming home without her.
