Ethan paced back and forth outside the bar, dread twisting his insides. His every instinct screamed that something was terribly wrong, yet he could sense nothing through the mate bond. The silence from Sophia's side gnawed at him, like a weight pressing down on his chest. Panic rose, cold and unrelenting, as he thought of both his mate and their unborn child.
“Why can’t I feel her?” he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper, but thick with anguish.
Jacie, standing a few steps away, closed her eyes, focusing. After a moment, she looked up at him, her expression tense. “I can sense her, but it’s faint… barely there.”
Ethan’s heart skipped a beat. “What? How?” His confusion mixed with an even deeper worry. “You’re saying you have a way of finding her even if I can’t?”
Jacie nodded, her eyes filled with a strange combination of apprehension and urgency. “There’s something I haven’t told you, Ethan. My family… we’ve been protecting Sophia’s lineage for almost 500 years.”
“Five… hundred years?” The words felt surreal. None of this made any sense, yet an unshakable feeling in Ethan’s gut told him to listen.
Jacie nodded. “Sophia’s family line has a distant werewolf heritage. We’ve observed her family through the centuries, positioning ourselves as close friends, lost cousins, or neighbors whenever possible to stay close, just in case. We needed to be certain whether the werewolf gene would ever resurface.”
Ethan was speechless, his mind racing with this revelation. “The last ancestor in her bloodline with werewolf traits was Sir Alfred James, in 1524,” Jacie continued. “His father was a pureblood Alpha, but his mother was human. Sir Alfred carried the gene but didn’t pass it down in a way that allowed his descendants to transform. My coven made a decree: since the gene was still faintly detectable in their aura, we would keep watch and assist if ever another werewolf were to emerge.”
It all started to click for Ethan. “This makes so much sense now,” he murmured, the pieces of a strange puzzle beginning to fall into place. “So you’ve known about me and Luke?”
“Yes,” Jacie replied, meeting his gaze squarely. “Both of you. When you came into Sophia’s life, we hoped that one of you would be there to guide her… to help her transition if her werewolf genes began to awaken. And you did.” Her tone softened. “Her werewolf blood is faint, but she belongs to a rare lineage—the White Wolves.”
Ethan’s face shifted from confusion to shock. “White Wolves?” He’d heard legends, whispers of their strength, but no one in his lifetime had ever met one.
“If she truly is one,” Jacie went on, “Sophia would have abilities far beyond most werewolves. Enhanced strength, stamina, speed, even the ability to sense looming threats before they arrive. And…” Jacie paused, her eyes flickering, “she may possess magic.”
Ethan’s eyes widened, trying to process what he was hearing. “Magic? Sophia?”
“Her unique lineage gives her the potential,” Jacie said, glancing away. “And other traits. She could go into heat like a werewolf, bear powerful werewolf children, and strengthen any pack she’s part of.”
Ethan’s mouth dropped open. “So… you know she’s been in heat?” He could barely contain his disbelief, still reeling from the idea that Sophia was anything but a regular human.
Jacie nodded. “Yes. I also know her werewolf genes are stronger now because you marked her. That accelerated her transformation process. Right now, she’s almost ready to transition… though the pregnancy complicates things.”
Ethan and Luke exchanged stunned glances, each realizing just how little they’d known all along. The enormity of what Jacie was telling them left them both speechless.
Sensing their shock, Jacie straightened, her expression resolute. “Look, I’ll explain more later. Right now, we need to find Sophia. I’ll do a summoning spell to track her location, but I’ll need something of hers for it to work—a personal item. Hairbrush, t-shirt… anything.”
Luke snapped out of his daze. “She has a locker in the staff change room. I’ll check to see if there’s something there.”
He darted to the back room, returning a moment later with a purple scarf. “She keeps this here for the colder nights,” he said, handing it to Jacie.
Jacie took the scarf, laying it out alongside a map she had pulled from her bag and a crystal tied to a silver string. Holding the crystal over the scarf, she began chanting words in a low, melodic tone. The air grew heavy as she spoke, and Ethan felt a pulse of energy ripple through the room.
Slowly, the crystal began to move, swinging back and forth before it settled on a spot on the map. The middle of the forest.
Ethan’s heart leapt. “That’s where she is?”
Jacie nodded, rolling up the map with an urgency that matched his. “Yes. Let’s go, boys. We don’t have much time.”
She turned to Luke. “You drive. I’ll keep track of her location with the spell. Ethan, you make sure we’re not being followed.”
Ethan started to protest, not wanting to sit idle while his mate was out there. “I should drive. I know the area—”
“No,” Jacie cut him off, her voice firm. “You’re not in the right frame of mind, Ethan. Trust me on this. We’ll form a plan once we see what we’re up against.”
Ethan clenched his jaw, ready to argue, but he knew she was right. His emotions were too raw, too frayed. Every fiber of him was on edge, and driving would only distract him. With a reluctant nod, he agreed.
They hurried outside, piling into Luke’s black Range Rover. The engine roared to life, and they sped off into the night, the headlights slicing through the darkness. Ethan kept his gaze fixed out the rear window, every sense attuned to any potential threat.
Jacie sat in the front passenger seat, the map spread across her lap, the crystal swaying as she continued to murmur spells under her breath. Her face was set, determination shining in her eyes.
“Keep us posted on her location,” Ethan said, his voice tight with tension. His mind was racing, running through every possible outcome, every potential danger.
“I will,” Jacie promised. “And don’t worry. If there’s any magic involved, I’ll sense it.”
Luke gripped the steering wheel, his jaw clenched as he pushed the car faster along the dark, winding roads. Ethan glanced at him, both of them united in their unspoken resolve. They didn’t have to say it, but the weight of responsibility hung between them—this wasn’t just about Sophia; it was about something much larger, something woven into their lives from a legacy they’d never fully understood.
“Whatever we find out there,” Ethan said, his voice a low growl, “we do everything in our power to bring her back.”
Luke nodded. “Agreed.”
As they neared the forest, Jacie’s chant grew louder, her voice steady and sure. “We’re close,” she murmured, her gaze intense. “Get ready.”
Ethan braced himself, every muscle taut, as they approached the spot. The forest loomed ahead, dark and silent, and somewhere within it, his mate and child were waiting for him. He would stop at nothing to reach them.