Chapter 146

Evelyn’s POV
Thunder Creek looked exactly like the photos we’d received—a small logging town tucked deep in Veridia’s southwestern forests.
Our convoy of mud-caked SUVs wound through stands of towering pines before finally pulling into the town’s single main street, where the late afternoon shadows stretched long across the weathered storefronts and empty sidewalks.
Ever since Leon told me about the Stellaris Moonbane Root in Thunder Creek, I sent Eryx to check it out. He’d barely finished briefing me upon his return when a series of chaotic incidents began unfolding.
Leon’s leg got hurt, so I had to speed up my plans to find the Stellaris Moonbane Root. I’d been reading about old plant medicines, and this one was supposed to be really good at healing people. Scientists think it can make cells work better and fight off bad stuff in the body.
Alex has been sick a lot, and it’s always worried me. I think it happened because of what I went through when I was pregnant with her. When werewolves reject their mates, it’s really painful, and I think that hurt Alex before she was even born. Regular doctors can’t help her.
Now that Leon got injured, I realized this could be my chance to start working on a cure I’d been thinking about. If I could find this special plant and figure out how to use it as medicine, maybe it would help Leon’s leg heal faster. Even better, it might help fix whatever’s wrong with Alex.
But first, I had to find the plant. That meant I had to go to Thunder Creek myself.
I stepped out wearing black tactical gear and sturdy boots, my face mostly hidden by a baseball cap and sunglasses. I dressed for the job, not to look good.
Eryx and Jackson were right behind me.
Eryx told me, “Evelyn, when I came here last time to look around, I didn’t find anything. This forest is huge. But when I was leaving, I met this old local hunter. I paid him a lot of money to help us find what we’re looking for.”
I asked, “So he’s going to be our guide when we go into the forest?”
Eryx checked his watch. “Yeah, I already called him before we came. He should be here soon.”
Jackson was bundled up in thick clothes, staying in the car with his laptop. He complained, “I’m not going into any forest with you guys. The tech world can’t afford to lose someone like me.”
Eryx laughed. “You mean the hacker world? If something happened to you, I think all the banks and companies would be relieved. At least they wouldn’t have to worry about someone breaking into their security systems and stealing money.”
Before Jackson could come back with a smart reply, a middle-aged man approached us slowly, back slightly hunched, a cigarette hanging from his lips. Even though he looked like he’d seen better days, his eyes were sharp and smart. This was someone who knew how to fit in while staying alert.
“You must be the lady Eryx told me about,” he said, looking at me. “Here for those special plants?”
I nodded, studying him. Behind his carefully practiced look of just another local hunter, I could see he was actually pretty smart.
Eryx stepped closer to my side along with my security team. Ever since someone attacked me coming back from the airport, he’d been extra careful about protecting me. After the second attack, he made sure I had guards even for short trips. Today’s trip into the mountains definitely needed a full team.
The older hunter took a long drag from his cigarette, and his weathered face relaxed a little.
“Name’s Chuck Blackburn,” he said. “Sun’s getting low. You all can stay at the lodge tonight and we’ll head out at dawn.”
He led us to several cabins just outside the town, about two hundred yards away from the main buildings.
“I set these up for hunters during hunting season. Make yourselves at home,” he said, then his voice got serious. “Just so you know—whatever you hear out there at night, stay inside. Trust me on this.”
His dark eyes looked right at me, completely serious. I nodded to thank him.
After he left, I checked out the three cabins with Eryx. They were about thirty yards apart from each other. For safety, we picked the biggest one with four rooms that could fit about ten people each. I would stay with four of my female guards while the other thirty-five guards would split up between the other two cabins.
Jackson set up a schedule for keeping watch at night. I didn’t think I’d sleep much anyway.
Before bed, something was bothering me. My gut feeling told me something was off about this place.
I asked Eryx seriously, “Does this area belong to any wolf pack?”
Eryx said, “No, it doesn’t. This place is pretty remote. As far as I know, even the closest pack territory is about 400 kilometers away”
I nodded, thinking about this. Then Eryx left to start his night watch shift.
Forest nights were cold, but the wood-burning stoves and thick blankets kept us warm. Still, I was awake before sunrise, my mind too busy thinking and worrying to let me rest.
Chuck showed up early, carrying an old hunting pack with patches on it. Even though it was cold enough that the wind felt sharp, he had rolled up the sleeves of his flannel shirt and was wiping sweat off his forehead with a bandana.
“Ready to go? We need to move fast,” he said.
I walked over to him with a smile. “Yes, we’re all ready. Thanks for helping us, Mr. Blackburn.”
I wore the same clothes as yesterday, but now I had a black face covering over the lower part of my face and neck. It was practical, but I knew it also made me look serious and professional.
“Let’s go then,” he said.
He led us around the town center. After we crossed a small creek near the edge of town, the path got much narrower with tall bushes and plants on both sides.
I saw Chuck finding his way by looking at small marks on certain trees. Eryx and I started making our own marks too, so we could find our way back if we got separated. Chuck saw us doing it but didn’t say anything.
“Ma’am, how’d you hear about these plants?” he asked. “Been hunting in these forests for twenty years. Never heard anyone give them such a fancy name. What was it again? Stella-something?”
“The Stellaris Moonbane Root,” I said.
Chuck pulled out a cigarette and put it behind his ear, ready to light it when we stopped.