Chapter 192
\[Axle\]
I stood in the doorway watching Lexi head down the hallway, her hips swaying with a soft, teasing rhythm that set my blood on fire. For a moment, I seriously considered chasing right after her, tossing her over my shoulder, and carrying her straight back into our bedroom.
I imagined giving her a firm spank on her rear for teasing me like that before burying myself deep inside her until we both forgot the rest of the world existed.
However, before I could act on those wicked thoughts, Elric’s sharp, frantic tone cut through my mind via our pack link.
Axle, we have a major problem. Get to the office immediately.
I let out a heavy sigh, running a hand through my hair, and turned on my heel toward the study.
"What on earth is going on, Elric?" I asked the second I pushed open the office door and stepped inside.
The ongoing issue with the dark cult was currently being handled by the Witches' Council, so I was desperately hoping he wasn't about to inform me that we had another disaster brewing on that front.
"The Blackners were attacked," Elric stated flatly, though the tension tight in his jaw betrayed his immense anxiety. "We have to go. Right now."
"The Blackners?! How? Why?" I asked in absolute shock.
The Blackners were the witch faction of Elric’s family. During our last visit, they had become very dear to me, and they had stepped up to help our pack countless times in the past. Hearing that they were under siege made my chest tighten with dread.
"I don't have the full details yet," Elric explained hurriedly, clutching an object tightly in his hand. "Zefa gave me an enchanted necklace before she left. She promised it would glow brightly if her family ever needed urgent help. Look, it's glowing."
I glanced down at his hand. A dark red stone suspended on a leather cord was pulsing with a harsh, urgent crimson light.
"How are we going to get to them in time?" I asked, my mind racing through the distances.
"Lexi needs to come with us," Elric urged, looking up at me. "She's a powerful witch. She's bound to know how to navigate their magic, and she might be the only one who can help us once we get there."
"Agreed. I'll mind-link her right now," I told him, tapping into our bond.
I reached out through the mate connection, but Lexi deliberately ignored my first few calls, still keeping a bit of emotional distance between us after everything that had transpired. However, the second I projected Zefa's name across the link, her tone snapped sharp and focused, and she responded immediately.
"She said to meet her down in the garden," I informed Elric, gesturing toward the door. We exited the office at a brisk pace, taking the stairs two at a time.
As we hurried through the corridors toward the rear patio, I mind-linked the perimeter guards, ordering them to put the entire estate on maximum lockdown and double the watch on the gates. I also reached out to Mina, quickly filling her in on the situation so she wouldn't panic when she noticed our sudden absence.
When we stepped out onto the lush green lawn of the garden, Lexi was already standing there waiting for us, her arms folded tightly across her chest. She looked straight at Elric, completely ignoring my presence.
"What happened?" Lexi asked him urgently, her green eyes wide with concern.
"This necklace," Elric answered, stepping forward and holding out the string. The red stone swung between them, casting an eerie, steady red radiance over the grass. It instantly reminded me of my own family's heirloom necklace that represented our pack line, except ours featured a blue stone that glowed with a similar mystical light. "Zefa told me that if they were ever in danger, this stone would activate and lead us directly to them."
"Okay, I think our first step should be checking her local house to see if there are any physical clues left behind," I suggested, looking between the two of them.
They both gave a grim nod of agreement.
We made our way quickly to Zefa’s secluded house on the edge of the pack territory. When we arrived at the porch, the front entrance was completely locked tight with protective magic. The deadbolts were useless, but Lexi stepped up, raised her hands, and murmured a low incantation under her breath. The spell unravelled instantly, and the heavy door swung open with a soft click.
We cautiously stepped inside, our senses on high alert, but Zefa was nowhere to be found. In fact, the entire house was in pristine condition. There were no signs of a struggle, no broken furniture, and no spilled blood.
"Now what?" Elric asked, glancing around the silent, empty living room with growing frustration. "Where do we even start looking?"
"Lexi will have to take us straight to the Land of Darkness," I said, turning to my mate.
Lexi shook her head immediately, her expression laced with uncertainty. "I've only ever been to the central circle, Axle. I have no idea where the Blackners actually live within that realm. The circle is hidden away from the rest of the land, so as far as I know, it's the only stable place existing there that I can reliably transport us to."
"Zefa said the stone would lead us to her wherever she was," Elric reminded her. "And it's still pulsing."
"Let me see that," Lexi murmured, taking a step closer and carefully lifting the warm stone from his hand.
She held the glowing crystal up close to her face, turning it slowly under the ambient light. Her eyes narrowed as she inspected the fine metallic rim encasing the gem.
"There's something written along the border," she whispered, tracing her thumb over ancient, etched runes. She held the stone straight out in front of her chest, closing her eyes as she concentrated her power.
"Sesame Ephatalio Portenia," Lexi chanted aloud, her voice ringing with clear, resonant power.
The moment the final syllable left her lips, a sudden, howling gale burst out of thin air, ripping through the quiet house.
"What's happening?!" I called out over the roaring air as the floor beneath us began to vibrate violently.
"I think the stone is transporting us!" Lexi yelled back over the storm.
She turned her head to look at me, hesitation flickering in her eyes for a split second before she reached out and firmly grasped my hand.
"Just for today," she added loudly, her fingers tightening around mine in an unspoken truce.
"Just for today," I agreed softly, holding on as tightly as I could.
She stretched her other hand out to Elric, who grabbed her wrist with an iron grip.
The howling wind grew deafening, whipping around us in a wild, blinding hurricane. The room spun out of focus, the walls blurring into streaks of brown and white. I caught a fleeting glimpse of a massive, swirling black void tearing open in the center of the air before the overwhelming pressure crushed down on us, and everything went pitch black.