Chapter-HundredThirty Four, Waiting Zoes Return,

Chapter-HundredThirty Four, Waiting Zoes Return,
Lara’s POV

The cabin felt wrong.

Too crowded.

Too tense.

Too full of death and magic.

Even with the fire burning low near the stone wall, cold seemed to crawl through every inch of the room. Shadows danced across the wooden floor while the wind outside rattled against the windows hard enough to sound like claws scraping against glass.

I stood near the far side of the room with my arms folded tightly across my chest, watching every single movement Maggie made.

I didn’t trust her.

Didn’t trust Emily either.

Not after everything.

Not after hell itself had practically opened beneath our feet.

My witch paced violently beneath my skin, restless and sharp, warning me over and over again that something about them felt off. The energy rolling off Maggie wasn’t normal anymore.

Not human.

Not spirit.

Something in between.

Something ancient.

In the center of the room Zoe’s body lay completely still inside the protection circle she’d created herself. Symbols burned faintly against the wooden floorboards while candles flickered around her body in uneven movements.

Her mates stood nearby like silent guards.

Logan leaned against the wall with his jaw tight.

Jayden kept glancing toward Zoe every few seconds like he expected something bad to happen.

Leo hadn’t moved from beside her once.

None of them trusted this situation either.

Maggie knelt beside Zoe carefully, her hands hovering inches above Zoe’s forehead while dark silver magic twisted through the air around them.

“She’s entering Sean’s consciousness now,” Maggie said quietly.

My stomach tightened.

Sean was trapped somewhere between life and death while Luicen was out there planning gods knew what.

And somehow these two women suddenly appeared with answers?

No.

I wasn’t buying it.

Not without forcing the truth out of them first.

Slowly stepping forward, I pulled a small black blade from the side of my boot before slicing the center of my palm.

Pain spread instantly.

Blood dripped onto the wooden floor.

Emily’s eyes widened slightly.

Maggie looked toward me calmly like she already knew what I was about to do.

That annoyed me even more.

I crouched low before dragging my blood into a circular symbol across the floorboards. Ancient markings formed around the edges while my magic crawled outward like smoke.

The air instantly thickened.

The candles around the room flickered violently.

“What are you doing?” Logan asked carefully.

“Making sure they tell the truth,” I answered coldly.

My witch surged forward eagerly.

Finally.

Control.

Power rolled through my veins as I began chanting slowly, my voice deepening with every word.

“Veritas sanguinis, audi vocem meam.
By blood and bone I bind this space.
No tongue shall twist,
No shadow shall hide,
No spirit shall deceive beneath my gaze.

Ancient mothers hear my plea,
Open the veil and force the unseen.
Let lies burn upon the speaker’s lips,
Let truth rise sharp from hidden depths.

By flame that watches,
By moon that knows,
By earth beneath and death below,
I seal this circle with sacred sight.

You shall remain until all is spoken.
You shall answer until all is revealed.
No demon shall whisper falsehood,
No soul shall flee judgment.

If deceit is carried within your heart,
Let your magic choke and fall apart.
If truth is spoken,
The circle shall release.

Veritas aeternum.
Truth eternal.
Truth demanded.
Truth obeyed.”

The second the spell finished, the entire room shook violently.

Wind exploded through the cabin.

The candles burned blue.

A sharp hiss escaped Emily’s mouth while Maggie slowly lifted her eyes toward me.

Interesting.

The spell worked.

Good.

“You really are your mother’s daughter,” Maggie whispered.

I ignored her.

Straightening slowly, I wiped the blood from my hand before staring directly at both of them.

“While Zoe’s trapped inside Sean’s mind and neither of them are here to stop me,” I said coldly, “I think it’s best you two answer some questions.”

Silence filled the room.

The tension became unbearable.

“Why are you back?” I asked sharply. “And how are you back?”

Emily lowered her eyes.

But Maggie held my stare.

“The gates of Heaven and Hell are cracking,” Maggie finally answered.

Her voice sounded heavier now.

Older.

“The amount of death, rage, and dark magic unleashed over the past few months weakened both realms. The balance is breaking.”

“We know this already,” I snapped. “Tell us something we don’t know.”

My annoyance showed clearly now.

I was tired.

Tired of riddles.

Tired of secrets.

Tired of everyone acting like we were children too fragile for the truth.

Maggie slowly stood to her feet.

The shadows near her feet moved unnaturally.

“The dead are no longer staying dead,” she said quietly. “Souls are slipping through cracks between realms. Some return damaged. Some return corrupted.”

Leo’s expression darkened instantly.

“You mean demons.”

“I mean worse.”

That shut the room silent.

Even my wolf went still.

Maggie looked toward Zoe’s motionless body for a long moment before speaking again.

“Luicen isn’t trying to raise an army.”

My stomach twisted.

“He’s trying to destroy the barrier completely.”

A cold chill slid down my spine.

“What barrier?” Jayden asked.

“The barrier between Earth and the Underworld,” Maggie answered. “The same barrier created thousands of years ago to stop Hell from consuming humanity.”

Logan pushed away from the wall instantly.

“That’s impossible.”

“No,” Maggie whispered. “It isn’t.”

The candles flickered harder.

Outside thunder cracked across the sky violently.

Emily stepped closer nervously.

“He’s using bloodlines tied directly to the original guardians,” she explained softly. “That’s why he wanted Zoe. Why he wanted Sean. Why he needed Gemma.”

At the mention of Gemma’s name, Leo cursed quietly beneath his breath.

Maggie continued.

“Zoe’s blood carries creation magic.”

My chest tightened.

“Sean’s blood carries celestial wolf lineage.”

“And Gemma?” I asked quietly.

Pain crossed Maggie’s face.

“Gemma carried death magic.”

The room fell silent again.

Everything suddenly started making horrible sense.

Luicen wasn’t collecting powerful wolves randomly.

He was collecting pieces.

Ingredients.

Keys.

“He’s trying to open Hell permanently,” Logan said slowly.

Maggie nodded once.

“Yes.”

A violent growl left Leo’s chest.

“And what happens if he succeeds?”

Maggie looked him dead in the eyes.

“Hell rises.”

The words hit the room like a physical blow.

Emily started shaking.

“The dead won’t stay buried anymore,” she whispered. “Demons won’t need hosts. Darkness will spread through every realm.”

My heart pounded harder.

“No,” I said firmly. “There has to be a way to stop it.”

“There is,” Maggie answered.

Every single person in the room looked at her.

But something about her expression made dread crawl through me instantly.

“And?” I demanded.

Maggie’s eyes slowly moved toward Zoe.

“The gate can only be sealed by the blood of the original trinity.”

Silence.

Pure silence.

Then realization hit me like a knife.

Zoe.

Sean.

Gemma.

“No,” Leo said instantly.

Maggie didn’t respond.

“No,” he repeated louder. “You’re saying they have to die?”

“I’m saying sacrifice may be required.”

The room exploded.

“Absolutely fucking not,” Logan snarled.

Jayden slammed his fist into the wall hard enough to crack the wood.

“You come in here after months missing and suddenly tell us Zoe has to sacrifice herself?” he shouted.

Emily flinched backward.

Maggie remained still.

“She was born for this,” Maggie whispered sadly.

Rage burst through me instantly.

I crossed the room so fast even Leo looked surprised before grabbing Maggie by the throat and slamming her against the wall.

“You don’t get to decide that,” I hissed.

Darkness exploded around me violently.

My witch clawed forward furiously.

“You don’t get to walk back into our lives speaking in riddles and death sentences.”

Maggie didn’t fight back.

Didn’t even look afraid.

“She already knows.”

My grip tightened.

“What?”

“She’s seen parts of it already inside Sean’s mind.”

Fear hit me instantly then.

Real fear.

Not for myself.

For Zoe.

For Sean.

For all of us.

A loud crack suddenly echoed through the cabin.

The protection circle around Zoe burst with silver light.

Everyone spun toward her instantly.

Her body arched violently off the floor.

Candles exploded around the room.

Magic slammed outward in a brutal wave that knocked all of us backwards.

Zoe suddenly gasped sharply—

Then bolted upright screaming.