Chapter 142: The Girls Are Gone

Maddie Pov

I stood in the middle of the training field. The grass was crushed in some spots where the girls had been practicing their footwork only an hour ago.

Now it was quiet, it was too quiet. The wind blew a piece of loose athletic tape across the dirt. I watched it roll until it hit a fence post and stopped. I looked at the equipment shed.

The door was swinging open and shutting again with a small clicking sound.

"Elara," I said but my voice did not go very far.

Nobody answered me. I walked toward the bench where I usually kept my water bottle. I saw something sitting there that was not there before. It was a white rose. It looked very bright against the dark wood of the bench.

I reached out and picked it up. I felt a sharp thorn prick the side of my thumb. A small drop of red blood came out and smeared on the white petal. I did not drop it. I looked under the rose and found a small piece of white paper.

I opened the paper. The handwriting was neat and the ink was dark.

"Come alone or they all die at midnight," the note said.

I looked at the woods. The sun was almost gone now and the shadows were getting long. I felt a cold feeling in my stomach that had nothing to do with the weather. These were my girls. I had been teaching them how to stand and how to move.

They were young and they were fast but they were not ready for Theo. I looked at the rose again and then I crushed it in my hand.

I heard footsteps behind me. I did not have to turn around to know who it was. I could smell the rain and the pine needles that always followed him.

"Maddie," Calix said.

"They are gone," I said and I did not turn around.

"I know. Leo told us what happened at the mines. We are getting the fighters ready."

"You cannot take the fighters," I said and I finally looked at him.

Calix was standing three feet away. He had his leather jacket on and his hair was messy from the wind. He looked at the crushed rose in my hand and then he looked at my face.

"What is that?"

"A note," I said and I handed him the paper.

Calix took it. He read it fast and I saw his jaw tighten. He crumbled the paper into a ball and threw it on the ground.

"He is lying," Calix said.

"I do not think he is."

"He wants to get you away from the pack house. He wants you alone so he can use those stones."

"He already has the girls, Calix. He has Elara. If I do not go, he will kill them."

"We will find them before midnight."

"How? The mines are huge. There are tunnels that go for miles under the mountains. By the time you find the right one, it will be too late."

"I am not letting you go there by yourself," Calix said and he took a step closer.

"If you come with me, he will see you. He has scouts everywhere."

"Then I will hide."

"You are a black wolf, Calix. You do not hide well in the snow or the moonlight. He will smell you from a mile away."

"I do not care."

"I care," I said and I put my hand on his chest.

I could feel his heart hitting his ribs. It was fast and it was heavy. He was scared for me. I could see it in the way his eyes kept moving across my face. He grabbed my wrist and held it tight.

"Stay here," Calix said.

"I cannot."

"My father is coming. He is bringing the elders. We will make a plan."

"We do not have time for a plan. It is almost eight o'clock. It will take me two hours just to get to the border."

"Then we go now. Together."

"No."

"Maddie, listen to me."

"No, you listen," I said and I stepped into his space. "Theo does not want the girls. He wants me. He is using them because he knows I will not let them get hurt. If I show up alone, he has what he wants. He will let them go."

"He will not let them go. He will keep all of you."

"I am the White Wolf, Calix. I am faster than him. I can get them out."

"Not if he uses the purple stone."

"I will be careful."

"Being careful does not stop magic," Calix said and he shook his head.

"I have to try."

"I am coming with you."

"You are the Alpha's son," I said. "The pack needs you here. If this is a distraction and they attack the house while you are gone, everything is lost."

"The house can take care of itself."

"It cannot."

"I love you," Calix said and his voice was very quiet.

"I love you too," I said.

I reached up and grabbed the back of his neck. I pulled him down and kissed him. It was a hard kiss. It tasted like the salt on his skin and the cold air. I poured everything I was feeling into the bond. I wanted him to know that I was coming back. I wanted him to feel the strength I was trying to keep in my legs.

Calix wrapped his arms around my waist and held me so hard I could barely breathe. He buried his face in my hair and I felt him shudder.

"Do not leave me," he whispered.

"I am not leaving you," I said.

I pulled back just enough to look at him. I memorized the gold in his eyes and the small scar on his eyebrow. I did not want to move. I wanted to stay right there in the middle of the field where it was safe. But then I thought about Elara. I thought about the way her hands had been shaking in the archives.

I pushed off his chest and took three steps back.

"Maddie, stop," Calix said and he reached out.

I did not stop. I did not think. I just moved. I called on the white wolf. The heat started in my chest and moved down my arms. I felt my skin stretch and my bones shift. It was a fast pop-pop-pop sound. I hit the ground on four legs. My fur was white and it was thick. I felt the power of the Moon Goddess moving through my muscles.

I looked at Calix. He looked so small from down here. He was reaching for me but I was already turning away.

"Maddie!" Calix shouted.