Chapter 462

105 – Ben

Arriving back at the packhouse is surreal. Elara’s pack, our pack has been so sufficient in recovering from this attack that the only sign of a problem is the teetering and singed packhouse itself.

There is no one else lying around injured, no cries for help or panic. Coven and Pack members aren’t milling about either. Everyone has a job to set this right, and for all of her father’s faults, this is a legacy he built. A small, tight nit pack that will rally around its Alpha in a time of need, no matter what has happened.

The eerie silence is what I notice first. Someone should be standing guard over the window Elara and Brianna went through. I see no sign of warriors or any patrol. Forgetting we have a passenger, my wolf starts to track for any sign of a problem. We hear an ‘oof’ and a curse. I’m glad she can’t see my face, it’d probably piss her off more. Marietta is sprawled out on her back, skirts tangled around her legs and leaning on her elbows scowling at us.

My wolf doesn’t waste time shifting back so we can explain. He snorts and goes right back to searching for scents that will tell if they are still inside or left. We do a full perimeter around the house. No warriors, no Jax, no Dev. That is what concerns me the most. Elara has one of the three of us with her at all times. A small glimmer of hope sparks in my chest at not finding Elara or Brianna’s scents leaving the area.

I think that, by now, Elara would mindlink me if she was changing locations. But we have had enough run-ins with magic, I have to assume the mindlink can be blocked at any time. We may have the strength and endurance, but we are clearly not the superior species. I reach out again anyway. We can feel her, it’s a warm pressure on the back of my skull, but no response. She could be able to hear me and is trying to respond. The problem could be me. I hate all the unknowns with this whole situation. Copyright © 2025 Miss L Writes and Ember Mantel Productions

I shift back, grabbing my clothes from the ground. Marietta tossed them in her fall from my back. She’s found a better sitting position on the ground watching my wolf pace.

“Elara is close, but I can’t talk to her. Can you feel any kind of magic that could be blocking her from me p>

“Nothing different from before. It might be where they are in the house. If there were wards, they might still be intact. This fire did not destroy everything p>

“Is it Eliza? Can you tell who made this happen at least?” I have to work hard to contain the frustration. It’s not her or the coven that is here, and I have to keep reminding myself, but they are at the root as much as Elara’s elders.

“It feels like her style.

Overcomplicated and confusing. She has always, liked the elaborate and outlandish. I don’t feel her essence in the magic here though. Which could mean someone she taught cast this curse. It could be like the Shadow Markers and cast by her on an object and placed and activated by someone else. She could very well have figured out how to mask her scent and essence, just as your Alphas can do when they need stealth on their side p>

“BEN!” I spin and run towards her voice.

Elara is hanging out of a window. What I can see of her appears to be unharmed,

but my heart doesn’t slow down. I need to see all of her, know she’s okay

“Are you okay?” I shout in her face as I reach for her to pull her out.

She stops my hands, but doesn’t push me away, she grasps my fingers hard enough to stop me from pulling on her waist I freeze looking in her eyes, is Brianna okay p>

I freezer

“Yes,” She breathes out. “I need you to help me explore and we found something. Are you good p>

I blink a few times, letting the information set in. “Uh, yeah, yeah, we’re good. Can I bring Marietta? Is it safe p>