Chapter 73: The rules

"Then we're playing right into their hands," Elena finished. "I know. But what choice do we have? If we don't go after Lucas now, they'll complete the ritual."

"What ritual?" Harrison asked sharply. "Elena, what aren't you telling me?"

Elena exchanged glances with Katherine and Isabella. Over the phone, they could hear the sounds of combat, snarls, shouts, the clash of weapons.

"Harrison, I need you to listen carefully," Elena said. "Lucas wasn't just kidnapped. He was taken because of his bloodline. Because he carries magic from the Original Pack."

The line was silent for so long that Elena thought they'd lost connection. Then Harrison spoke, his voice barely above a whisper. "How do you know about the Original Pack?"

"You knew?" Elena asked, stunned. "You knew about the bloodline and didn't tell me?"

"My father told me when he passed down the Alpha position," Harrison said. "He made me swear never to speak of it. He said it was a secret that had been kept for generations, that if the wrong people learned about it, our family would become a target."

"Well, the wrong people learned about it," Elena said bitterly. "And our son paid the price. Harrison, they took Lucas to steal his magic. There's a ritual that can transfer bloodline power from one person to another. They're going to use Lucas to remake the supernatural world."

Another explosion sounded through the phone, closer this time. Harrison shouted orders to someone nearby, then came back on the line. "Elena, listen to me. If what you're saying is true, you can't let them complete that ritual. Whatever it takes, even if it means..."

He trailed off, unable to finish the thought.

"I know," Elena said softly. "I'll do whatever is necessary to protect Lucas. And to stop them from using his power."

"There's something else you need to know," Harrison said urgently. "About the Original Pack magic. It's not just powerful, it's sentient. It has a will of its own. When I manifested my first transformation, I heard a voice. Ancient. Primal. It spoke to me in a language I shouldn't have understood but somehow did."

"What did it say?" Elena asked.

"It said, 'The blood remembers. The blood endures. And the blood demands balance,'" Harrison recited. "I never understood what it meant. My father said the Original Pack magic comes with a price. That every generation that carries it has to make a choice."

"What kind of choice?"

"He wouldn't tell me," Harrison said. "He said I'd know when the time came. Elena, if Lucas has this magic, if it's awakening in him, he might be facing that choice right now. And if they interrupt the process with their ritual, there's no telling what could happen."

Elena's hands tightened on the steering wheel. "Then we stop the ritual before it begins. We get Lucas out of there and figure out the rest later."

"I'm sending you coordinates," Harrison said. "A safe house about forty miles north of your current location. If things go wrong, if you need to run, go there. There's a panic room with supplies and communication equipment. Promise me you'll run if you have to."

"Harrison…"

"Promise me!" His voice cracked with desperation. "I can't lose you both. If it comes down to a choice between saving Lucas and saving yourself, you run. You get out. You let me handle the rest."

"You can't ask me to abandon our son," Elena said, tears burning her eyes.

"I'm asking you to survive," Harrison said. "Because if they get both of you, I'll have nothing left to fight for. And this pack needs their Alpha to have something to fight for."

Before Elena could respond, the sounds of battle through the phone intensified. Someone shouted a warning, and Harrison cursed.

"I have to go," he said. "They're pushing toward the main hall. Elena, I love you. Whatever happens tonight—"

"Don't," Elena interrupted. "Don't say goodbye. We're both walking out of this alive. You hold the pack house, and I'll bring Lucas home. And tomorrow we'll figure out how to put our family back together."

"Tomorrow," Harrison agreed, and Elena could hear the desperate hope in his voice. "Be safe."

The line went dead.

Elena wiped her eyes angrily and focused on the road. Beside her, Katherine was studying her tablet with a worried expression.

"What is it?" Elena asked.

"The communications I've been monitoring," Katherine said slowly. "There's been a spike in activity in the last ten minutes. They're moving Lucas now. Not in six hours—now."

"Why?" Isabella asked from the back. "What changed?"

"I think they know we're coming," Katherine said. "Or at least they suspect. They're talking about 'the Luna's interference' and 'accelerating the schedule.'"

"How fast can we get to the monastery?" Elena demanded.

"At this speed? Ninety minutes," Katherine calculated. "But if they're moving him, we might not make it in time."

"Then we need to slow them down," Elena said. "Katherine, can you access their communications? Send a false message?"

"Maybe," Katherine said uncertainly. "But if they figure out their system has been compromised, they'll go dark. We'll lose our only source of intelligence."

"Do it anyway," Elena decided. "Send a message saying there's been a complication. A problem with the ritual preparations. Buy us whatever time you can."

Katherine's fingers flew over her tablet. "I'm in their network. Sending a message from one of their coordinators saying the ritual space needs additional purification. That should buy us maybe thirty minutes."

"Every minute counts," Elena said, pushing the truck faster despite its protests.

They drove in tense silence, watching the GPS countdown the miles to their destination. Elena tried to reach out through her maternal bond with Lucas, but the distance and time made it impossible to sense anything concrete. Just a faint pull toward the north, like a compass pointing toward her missing piece.

I'm coming, baby, she thought desperately. Hold on just a little longer.

They were about forty minutes from the monastery when Isabella suddenly gasped from the back seat. "Stop the truck. Now!"

Elena slammed on the brakes, sending the semi skidding to the shoulder. "What is it?"

Isabella was staring at her hands, where a glowing symbol had appeared on her palms. "A warning spell. Someone I trust triggered it. Elena, we're being followed."

"The tracker—" Katherine started.

"Not the tracker," Isabella interrupted. "Someone physically following us. And they've been tracking us since before we left pack territory."

Elena checked the rearview mirror. The road behind them was dark and empty. "I don't see anything."

"They're masking their presence," Isabella said, her eyes glowing with magical sight. "But they're there. About a quarter mile back. And they're not alone—I count at least three separate magical signatures."

"Council enforcers?" Katherine suggested.

"I don't think so," Isabella said. "The magic feels wrong. Corrupted. Like the attackers at the pack house."

"They knew we'd leave the SUV," Elena realized. "The tracker was just to make us think we were being clever. They had people waiting to tail us when we switched vehicles."

"Which means they know exactly where we're going," Katherine said grimly. "And they'll be ready for us."

"Good," Elena said, her voice hardening with determination. "Let them be ready. I'm done playing defense. It's time we took the fight to them."

"Elena, we're three against who knows how many," Isabella pointed out. "We need backup."

"We don't have backup," Elena said. "Harrison is fighting for the pack. The Council is compromised. We're on our own."

"Not necessarily," Katherine said slowly. "There is one person who might help us. Someone who has reason to want this conspiracy stopped."

"Who?" Elena asked.