Chapter 26

**Zoe**

I sit against the wall next to Max, and they have chain us to the wall. I have learned that silver does not affect me. Max has to be careful not to move too much, as it burns his wrist.

“You better not die,” Max says.

I roll my eyes at him; I was not planning on it, I retort.

“Good, ‘cause I do not wanna deal with an angry alpha”, Max says.

Then he mumbles under his breath, her probably going to end me anyways.

I gaze at him, my heart heavy with regret. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save you, too, Max, “I whisper as I lean my head against the wall.

He chuckles, the dynamics of our relationship clear. “I wouldn’t have allowed it,” he reassures, “I am the gamma of my pack, and it’s my duty to protect the Luna. Jackson would have my hide if I let you come to harm.”

Besides, he continues, I like you, and I like the effect you have on him, he says.

I start feeling a strange, almost otherworldly sensation creeping over me. “Max, I feel like someone is calling me,” I tell Max.

I grab Max’s hand as the feeling gets stronger, The next thing I know, I am standing with Max in the Garden of Eve. Jackson, Katelynn, Tyler, Aliza, Beth, and Belinda are here. I hear Belinda say it works. But I was too focused on Jackson. He looked so mad, but I could not help myself. I drop Max’s hand and run to him; if he rejects me, so be it. Of course, he does not; he swoops me up, and I wrap my legs around him. He growls in my ear, you are in big trouble.

“He threatened to tie you to the bed,” Aliza says with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. Her suggestive tone makes me giggle uncontrollably.

Can you port back? Belinda asked me.

I shake my head, but our determination to escape is unwavering. The guards are always watching, but we’re constantly seeking an opportunity to portal back. The silver on my wrist weakens my powers, but I’m not giving up. The uncertainty hangs in the air, but so does our resolve.

Jackson urgently instructs me to keep trying. The guards are closing in on us, and we’re running out of time. We can’t be too far from the border, so we need to narrow down our location quickly.

I tell them that Wyatt and my father are there. Jackson and Tyler growl simultaneously and tell us they know Ryker told them.

“Is Ryker okay?” I ask, my worry for him evident in my voice. I’ve been concerned about him since he left through the portal. Tyler reassures me that he’s okay and resting, and that he’ll recover. He gives me a comforting hug and tells me to take care of myself.

Back in the cell with Max, cold and chained to the wall again, I felt a surge of resilience. The guard looked at us weirdly, like he knew something happened but did not see our bodies leave. But we’re not giving up. We’ll find a way out of this, I thought, a spark of hope igniting in my heart.

Max looks at me and smiles so that I can see the Garden of Eve that Jackson has always talked about.

“Yes,” I tell him

How long have you known Jackson? I ask Max.

“All our lives,” Max says.

“Tell me about it.”

Max settles in and begins to tell me about Jackson, Cole, and himself. They all grew up together, their lives intertwined in a shared history that was as rich as it was deep. Their fathers, the Gamma and Beta for Jackson’s dad, were a part of this history. Tragically, they fell in battle five years ago, leaving Jackson to take over. Max shares a plethora of stories about their childhood, each one a testament to the depth of their connection. By the end, I was laughing.

Laugh at my misery,” Max says, and I laugh again.

Then we both hear the door open and watch as Wyatt and my father approach our cell.

“Miss me already, boys,” Max says as he blow kisses to them.

Is he trying to make them mad?

“What’s on the agenda today,” Max says.

I nudge Max because I do not want him to make them mad, but I am too late. The heavy metal door creaks open, and Wyatt, his face contorted with anger, is inches away from Max.

“I am going to enjoy breaking you,” Wyatt sneers at Max, the tension between them palpable.

“At least buy me dinner first,” Max quips, his resilience shining through even in the face of impending conflict.

Wyatt is fuming as he and my father drag Max away. I beg them to stop, and they won’t listen. I try to stand up when the guard watching us smacks me back to the floor.

I am in the cell, tears streaming down my face. I must figure out how to get us out of this situation. I can not let them hurt Max. If only I could melt the silver on my wrist. As I start thinking about the silver melting, I feel the magic build in me, like when the portal appeared. It’s not as powerful because of the silver cuff, but it’s there. Something is telling me to focus the power on the cuffs, which is what I do. The next thing I knew, the silver cuffs were gone; they had melted to the ground. I freeze, not daring to move a muscle. I can’t let the guard see what I’ve done. I sit there, heart pounding, waiting for them to bring Max back.

My heart stops beating, and I can not control the gasp that leaves my mouth when I see Max, my brother. They ruffed him up pretty badly; I can tell he is in pain. But he smiles at me and says, “You should see the other guy.” he laughs, which makes him start coughing. They broke his ribs, and I can tell that he is hurting.

Whispering, I ask Max why he pissed them off, knowing that any wrong move could lead to our capture.

His words hit me like a punch, and I realize the gravity of our situation. We need to escape, and I need to save Max. Now.

“If I had not pissed him off, they would have taken you.” I am not dealing with Alpha if I return you to him looking like I do now.

With tears streaming down my face, I tell Max how grateful I am that he would do that, but do not do it again. He shakes his head.

“Max, I can get us out of here,” I declare with unwavering determination. He looks at me, surprised, but I use my eyes to direct his gaze behind me. He sees that I have melted my silver cuffs. I tell him I just need to figure out how to melt his cuffs.

Max, If I focus on your cuff, I can melt them off, and we can portal out of here.

“Okay, but do not melt my hands off,” I need the Max to say with a wink.

I laugh at him; he can never be serious.

I can feel my magic inside me as I focus on Max’s cuffs. I picture them in my head melting. Slowly, I start feeling them melt away, and Max is free.

Max stays where he is, smiling, not wanting the guard to see us yet.

Max told me that we would stand up and open this portal when you were ready.

He plans to keep the guard away when I get the portal open. Then, we will go through the portal. I tell Max we will wait a bit; Max is healing fast with the silver off him. He says he will be healed mainly within the hour.

I sit in anticipation as Max heals and my Fey magic surges back to its full strength. The more I harness my Fey magic, the more potent it becomes, a force to be reckoned with.

Finally, Max says, “Are you ready to get out of here?” I smile at him and nod my head. He tells me that once we stand up, we will have to move. The fact that none of these guys understand Fey witches was a plus for us. They thought silver would stop me like it does other wolves and witches. Though it made my power weaker, it did not stop them. But in order to conjure a portal, I need a lot of magic, and the silver stopped that. Conjuring a portal is not a simple task. It requires a deep connection with the Fey realm and a significant amount of magic. The silver, while not lethal, was a hindrance to this process.

I exchange a determined look with Max and declare, “Let’s make our move.” As we rise to our feet, the guard’s voice rings out, filled with surprise, “What in the world?”