Chapter 42 Forty-Two
"Is this truly safe?" Danica asked, eyeing the portal in front of her.
"Getting cold feet now?" Mason asked with a chuckle, teasing her. "Don't worry, it will be fine; we have used portals before."
"When?" Danica asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"Remember the entrance to the elders domain?" Mason asked, reminding Danica of that awful experience all over again.
"I had managed to forget, but thank you for reminding me." She said sweetly.
"Come on, you should stop holding grudges." Mason chuckled.
"Right," Danica hissed before turning her full attention back to the portal in front of them. "Easier said than done."
"If you two are done, we need to get moving." Chris grumbled.
Danica couldn't help but feel bad for Chris; because he was Mason's beta, he had no choice but to come along on this mission to the Darklands. That meant that he had to leave Bella behind, and no one knew just how long it would take to find the sorcerer and go back.
After fully opening up to Mason, Danica could understand Chris' frustration. If she was separated from Mason for more than a day, she would hate it. She didn't know if it was because of the mate bond or because of love, but either way, she didn't like it.
"Alright, let's go." Danica said, taking a deep breath.
Moving forward, she allowed herself to step through the shimmery portal, disappearing from sight and reappearing in what she could only explain as a land of night.
The sky above was pitch black and devoid of any stars; the only light available to them was a blood moon that gave off a hellish glow on the barren ground beneath their feet. Any trees that remained were leafless and shriveled up, looking as if even the slightest breeze would uproot them instantly. It was all so morbid and depressing that she felt her mood shift immediately.
Looking around, Danica couldn't help but feel a shiver run up her spine. She couldn't understand why anyone would want to inhabit this place, even if they were dark creatures.
"Why'd you go ahead of me?" Mason asked, suddenly appearing beside her, followed by Chris and the rest of their group.
Danica shrugged. "Just wanted to get a move on."
"But what would you have done if there was something here waiting?" Mason continued, sounding like an overly protective mother.
"Hhhhhmmmmm." Danica considered.
Chances were that if something was actually waiting for her on the other side, the minute she felt her life was in danger, the dark being would come forth and take control. That in itself made her less scared of the unknown these days.
"I retract my question." Mason muttered, shaking his head.
"What?" Danica asked, shocked. Was Mason able to read her thoughts?
"Mindlink." Mason explained. "Part of the mate bond."
A cough sounded from behind them, reminding Danica that they weren't alone; Chris and eight others were with them as well, and they were acting like they were in their own little world.
Blushing, she turned away as Mason faced his pack to begin giving orders. They were to begin moving to make some headway for the day before once again setting up camp. The Sarff clan dwelled deep within the darklands, and it would take a few days to get to them, meaning they were going to be stuck in this place for at least a week if everything went according to plan.
As he began to move, Mason warned everyone to keep their eyes out for any strange movements. Devilish creatures called abaasy resided in the darklands, and they liked to trick poor unsuspecting travelers by pretending to be innocent creatures that were lost. Once that traveler was in their snare, they would eat their flesh and save their muscles for the winter. The idea of that happening scared the hell out of Danica, and she kept hoping they wouldn't encounter one of those creatures along their journey.
"I thought you said the trolls, gorgons, and elves resided in the darklands." Danica said as they continued to move forward through the barren wasteland. "How can any creature survive here?"
"They have their own villages." Chris explained, smirking. "This is just the outer portion of the darklands; by tomorrow we should start reaching the villages."
"Will they be okay with us coming into their territory?" Danica asked, confused.
From behind, she could hear a snicker. Turning, she found the woman who had glared at her the day before laughing. She couldn't help but feel that she was laughing at her questions; after all, if she had grown up in the land of werewolves, she would already know all this.
"Got a problem?" Danica snapped as her irritation rose.
Beside her, she could hear Mason coughing, trying to hide the laugh that threatened to escape him over Danica's not taking anyone's bullshit. It seemed that the woman who had been called Christine didn't know who she had poked.
"No problem," Christine said, still snickering.
Behind her, the other warriors had begun to whisper amongst themselves as they looked from Christine to Danica.
"I believe you do." Danica said, stepping forward so she was standing an inch away from Christine.
She knew, as a future Luna, she couldn't let this woman get the best of her. If she were to just let this go, then it would make her out to be weak, and that would lead to a lot of problems in the pack in the long run.
"Listen pup...." Christine began, only to be stopped by Danica.
"No, you listen." Danica snapped, pressing a finger against Christine's chest. "I don't know who you think you are, but you aren't going to disrespect me, got it?"
For a moment, Christine's eyes widened before narrowing. "Are you really trying to act all high and mighty here?"
A growl rumbled in Christine's chest as her eyes darkened. It seemed that she was challenging Danica. Smirking, Danica looked at Chris and Mason. They watched on impassively, and it seemed that they too wanted to see what Danica was capable of after all that training she had to endure for the past month.
"I'm giving you one more opportunity to back down." Danica warned.
"Or what?" Christine challenged.
Without speaking, Danica reached out, grabbing her arm and pulling her forward while at the same time punching out, landing a hit directly in Christine's stomach. Lowering her mouth to Christine's ear, she giggled.
"It seems that I need to show you that you can't underestimate me." Danica said sweetly, moving back just enough to uppercut Christine, sending her flying backwards. "Agree to be obedient now?"
Rage building, Christine let out a guttural growl as she immediately began to change. It seemed that she wasn't willing to back down and that she was about to unleash her full wolf on Danica.
Bring it, Danica thought, positioning herself. Chrstine was about to learn that she wasn't the weak girl that she had been a month ago, and she was also going to help Danica set an example for all the others.