Chapter 60 - The Alpha’s Goddess

~CALLIE’S P.O.V~

When we stepped out of the room, it was pure chaos. Were the servants scrambling around trying to locate me? Surely not. If they were, they would have stopped. Instead, they were all running around like a chicken with its head cut off.

I looked over to Leonidas with a confused expression.

“Do you have a clue what’s going on?”

“Not at all. I’ve been with you.” He says with a smirk.

“True. Sorry.” I said, shaking my head.

“Ma’am,” I said, waving my hands in the air, hoping to attract some of their attention.

After a moment of looking like a lunatic, one of the maids finally stops with a fear-stricken face.

“Are you okay?” I asked, concerned about the girl.

“It’s happening. The time has come.” She said as she scurried off.

“Well, shit, that answered absolutely nothing.” Leonidas comments.

“Yeah. Let’s go investigate. I say as we proceed down the stairs, toward the main entrance that leads to the dining hall.

Everyone was every bit scared and running for their lives as they were upstairs. I could vaguely hear screams ‘They’re here, everyone take cover they’re here!’

‘Mate!’ Emery howls in my head. I looked over at Leonidas, then back over at the people scrambling around.

“I think my pack has finally made it to rescue me.”

A huge smile spread across my face.

“We have to help,” Leonidas commented.

“Is your body ready for a battle?”

“As ready as I can be. Don’t worry about me, love, focus on protecting your pack and getting to safety. I’ll handle my father.”

I could feel my chest constrict with fear of losing him.

“I’ll be okay.” He says as he pulls me into his chest, kissing my forehead.

In the little time I spent with Leonidas I came to realize that I couldn’t bear to lose him, same with Gunner. My heart beats for them both, they were both meant to balance me, to keep me whole.

“Go get your books regarding the previous moon goddess, you need to take them with you when you leave.” He said as his eyes met mine.

“Stop talking as if you are not coming with me.”

I could see in his eyes the uncertainty.

“You’re coming with me. You have to.” My voice cracked with the last word, begging him to not give up.

“I need you to focus. I need you to put yourself first, so do you understand? Do not worry about me. I will be fine. I need to make sure you’re safe. Especially from him.”

I can feel tears springing in my eyes, this feels like a goodbye, but it can’t be a goodbye. I won’t allow it to be goodbye!

“Protect your pack and yourself, Railynn. Please don’t worry about my safety. You’ve got all the power you need. We practiced the magic; you know your stuff. Use it.”

I’ve come to get used to being called the name Railynn. Especially after gaining all of my memories back. It almost feels right to be called Railynn again. But in my heart, I will always be a Callie. At this point, why not be both? It may be confusing, but it’s who I am. Maybe I’ll just combine the names and go with that? Railie or maybe Callynn. They are pretty. I’m not entirely sure yet, but both names suit me. I’m sure, but what I do know is, when the time comes, I’ll know what will feel right.

“Rai, go get the books.” He says as he peers over my shoulder.

I turned my head to the side to see a very mad Jakus.

“What have you done!” He roars across the room.

“He can see me,” Leonidas whispers.

“How? I did the spell, it’s not time to renew it.” Panic etched into my voice.

“I broke it. It’s time I faced my maker… Go get the books, Rai. Please.” His eyes met mine once more, begging me to listen. I take a gulp and pull away from his chest. It’s time I did as I was asked. He is powerful, he has this under control. I have to have faith, I cannot worry, I have obligations. I have to protect my pack; I have to protect myself. But once I know they are safe, I will make sure to also protect my mate.

I stop mid-track; I can’t leave without knowing I did something to help. I turned around to see my Leonidas facing away from me.

“conserva dilectum ab omni noxa, meum lumen ad videndum” (protect the loved one from all harm, cast my light to give him sight)

I said as I stared at his back. After the words leave my mouth, I see a faint light glow radiating all around him, only visible if you know what to look for.

At least now I’ll feel better that my protection spell was cast.

We don’t have any ties like a mate-bond due to me not accepting him yet, so I have no idea if he’ll be okay, so I decide to cast one more, for both of us, to ease our worry about one another.

“Et cum hoc I vinculo mecum” (And with this, I bond him to me)

I prick my finger as the blood drops to the floor. I saw Leonidas look at his finger before turning to me. He knows what I did. I linked us. I feel what he feels, and he feels what I feel. If I get hurt, he will feel the pain, if he gets hurt. I will feel his pain. We won’t die if the other does, but it will sure feel as if we were. It was the best I could do to be able to know if he was okay. With Gunner, I can feel him already. We are mated. Now I am linked to both of my mates in some way. This way, I have peace of mind.

“Go Rai, HURRY!” He yelled across the room before turning back to his father.

I see a light shoot from Jakus at Leonidas as fear creeps back into my chest. However, Leonidas counter-blocks the attack with his own. I can’t worry, I have a mission. Together we will win.

I turned back around, running up the stairs to go gather the few books we were able to locate.

Once in my room, I shove them into a bag and dart back out. Time to find my pack.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

~GUNNER’S P.O.V~

Getting into the alternate universe was trickier than we had imagined. Since Lovett was the only one who had physically been, it made it harder to break into the barrier. Once we managed to get in, we were in the middle of nowhere.

“Lovett, do you know how to get there from here?”

“All I know is the palace is in the middle of the forest and before we reach the destination a protection barrier is placed to protect the inside from the outside.”

We already knew about the spell that was cast to make an outsider who is not welcome forget why they were there. We were prepared and had a volunteer that would walk ahead of us. That way, not all of us will be hit by the spell and we know exactly how far we have before we have to work on breaking it. As soon as the barrier is broken, Jakus will know, so we have to act fast. I’m not sure how long it’s been or if Callie is safe. Since she was taken into this alternate dimension, I have not been able to feel our mate's connection. I also could not mind-link her, making it hard to communicate. Even the tracking spell they made to penetrate my mind wouldn’t work for her. That barrier was extremely powerful, warding off absolutely anybody from contacting anyone from the inside. It worried me. I pray to the goddess she is safe.

We made our way forward, with Jake, a new pack member who volunteered to be our tester, walking ahead so he could run into the barrier first, so we would know when to stop. He has shown courage, it takes a level-minded hero to voluntarily lead. He would make a fine warrior one day. Once he is fully accepted into the pack, he has a chance to prove his worth, for being a warrior. After we got back home, we had already planned an acceptance ceremony for all our new members. I just hope we all make it back to actually hosting it.

“Dammit, why am I walking this way? Where am I going?”

We hear ahead of us. I raised my hand to make everyone halt.

“He must have hit the barrier.” Ashley’s soft voice spoke beside me.

“Hey, Jake!” I yelled to get his attention. His confused face meets mine as I wave him back to us.

He started walking back. As soon as he is outside of the magical barriers, the confusion vanishes.

“Holy shit, that was trippy. One minute I could barely remember who I was and then the next moment I remembered everything. That’s some powerful trippy shit.”

Having been there, I felt that same feeling. It was different for each of us, but losing one’s memory tends to be all the same. As he got closer, I turned around to address the pack.

“Okay. We must work fast. As soon as we penetrate that barrier, Jakus will know. Everyone knows their job and what they are to do. So, get in position and do it. If you are seen by anyone, make sure we are notified. Every minute counts, so act smart.”

I see heads nodding up and down all around as everyone breaks off into assigned groups to work on a portion of the barrier. I turned to look at Lovett. I made sure she was on my team. Not because of any infatuation, just because I don’t trust her.

“Okay. Let’s break into daddies’ layer.” She said as she walked off to the area we were to work on.

Her eyes gloss over, and she starts chanting the same line over and over again. A reddish-white light shoots from her palm, colliding with an invisible force. Her chanting became a little faster.

‘praevaricationem obiectu succumbunt’

A language I don’t understand. I look to the sides and see the others chanting the same thing as different colored lights leave their palms.

I wonder why they all have different colors. Maybe because they have different auras or maybe because they are different covenants to one another? Ashley and her children do have similar colors, while Jade and Jasmine do as well, while the other two had completely different colors from the others. Fascinating. As time passed by, their voices began to harmonize together, echoing all around the empty forest.

I hadn’t seen a single warrior scouting the land. I wonder if he thinks of himself so mighty that we couldn’t locate him?

I looked back at his daughter, her red hair moving with the wind, her eyes fixated on her target. A tinge of guilt courses through my body. At first, I was trying to think of why I would feel guilty. I'd done nothing wrong until it dawned on me.

It’s working, the barrier is thinning, I can feel Callie’s feelings! Holy shit!

But why does she feel guilty? This isn’t her fault. She couldn’t possibly think this was her fault. She was abducted. Callie is a goddess by birth, she just hasn’t had the chance to master her abilities yet. She wasn’t prepared for this kind of head-on fight. None of us were.

‘Cal, can you hear me?’ I tried pushing through the blockage.

Ugh seriously! The barrier is thinning yet I still can’t link her! I can feel her feelings but forget communication! It’s so frustrating to know I’m so close yet so far away.

‘Almost there!’ Jade links. Callie would be so proud of seeing her best friend embracing her witch side and learning. She would love seeing that happy glow on her face.

I look at the invisible force as it becomes a blurred dome. A few moments pass as a gust of power bursts knocking us all off our feet.

“It’s broken!” Jake yells as he stands back up.

I could hear a horn sounding all around me.

“That’s the warning, alerting all villagers and warriors that the barrier has been broken,” Lovett states.

“Everybody do as discussed, let’s go!” I yelled as everyone jumped to their feet, most transforming into their wolves, running through the now broken barrier.

We knew that once the barrier was broken Jakus would know. Which also meant we had very little time to make it to the castle to get to Callie. I also promised Lovett that I would rescue her brother because of her helping us get here. Without her assistance, I don’t know if we would have gotten here, let alone in. Ashley knew of the place but wasn’t sure how to pinpoint a location since it changes so frequently, never in one spot.

Just ahead, I saw a castle coming into view, but guards were forming a unified line outside of the castle to protect the inside from us.

It felt wrong being the one to attack one’s home, but he kidnaped my Luna and there is nothing I wouldn’t do for my mate.

Timber jumps through the air as we get close enough to the guards, taking one in his mouth while colliding with another. He rips the guard's arm smoothly off, dropping his body. We turn to our next victim as blood drips from our mouths. The other guard in front of us was now trembling with fear. I inched closer to the attack.

“Fuck this shit, he isn’t worth it!” The man yells as he snaps his fingers, disappearing instantly. Smart man. His fight-or-flight response definitely was flight. Cowardly, but smart if he desires to live. I rush another as screams echo all around. My eyes zeroed in on my goal. The palace. I see some wolves jump out to attack us. This man has wolves working for him. Rouge wolves. He is a man of high places for sure. Rouges don’t take orders from anybody. The payout must be nice for them to fight for a warlock.

As I got near the front door, a body that was not there before barreled into my side, knocking me down.

“All hail King Jakus!” he yelled. Is this some kind of fucking cult?

I get to my feet, charging the little man, but he only disappears into thin air and a moment later his body lands on my own as he straddles my back. Timber shook him off of us, the man’s body hitting the ground with a grunt.

We didn’t do much fighting at Alpha camp with other species. Mainly because our kind doesn't mix well with others, we practiced the best we could with the royal witch that works for them, but she was easy to read. This man seems a bit spontaneous and not so well planned out, making it harder to get a read on. I can’t speak to him since I’m in wolf form, so I growl. The warm air leaving my mouth has a foggy effect as it mixes with the cold crisp air.

“Awe come on, be nice now, I only wanted a little ride. Big bad wolf shouldn’t take it so personally.” He said with a mocking tone. I snarled, my teeth showing, letting him know I was not the one to play around with.

“Hey hey, nothing personal buddy. It’s just my king has waited for his queen for a long time now and we are ready to not have to walk on eggshells around him.”

I leaped forward for him just to disappear into thin air again. God damn warlock! Unpredictable and hard to get! The transportation spell works every damn time in their favor!

Next thing I know, 3 enemies are attacking me at once. Two wolves and one warlock. I’m pinned to the ground with a binding spell by the warlock as another bites down on my calf. FUCK! The other wolf was circling like I was prey. As the rogue lunges into the air, another Wolf tackles him midair, tearing his throat out. The blood flowed from his neck, and his eyes were lifeless instantly.

Daxton. Relief overwhelmed me as I saw Laken’s wolf come into view as he attacked the warlock binding me, freeing me from the Magic’s hold. I kicked the runt off my leg, his body crashing into the door with a thud, breaking off its hinges. I stalked up slowly, my growl echoing all around. This is for my mate!

I lunged forward, my teeth slinking into his neck, tearing through his carotid artery. I release his body as it hits the ground. I turned to check on my pack. I see everyone still in battle but has it under control. I turned back, rushing the door with my body, barely hanging on the hinge to bring the door crashing to the ground. I scan the entrance, maids, and butlers scurrying across the ground. I wouldn’t kill someone for fun. These are innocents. They have no reason to fear me. But if I was in their shoes, I’d understand why they would need to take cover and be terrified. Not every day does someone break into your world for just a casual visit.

‘I’ll burn this whole place to the ground and then in here too if mate is hurt!’ Timber roars in my head. At least one of us can think rationally.

I heard glass break and screaming coming from down the hall. I follow the sounds, hoping they’ll lead me to my destination.

When I finally got to the foyer, I saw my target, Jakus. But he is fighting another man. Tall, dark hair, pale skin. He didn’t come with me. I wonder if one of his own turned on him. It wouldn’t surprise me honestly. As much as I’d love to be the one to end Jakus’s life, finding my mate is more important. While he is distracted fighting him, I will go find Callie. She most likely will be in one of these rooms. Possibly unconscious, like Lovett said her brother was. While I’m searching for my mate, I can look for her brother too. A promise is a promise after all.

As I rounded the corner, my nose was invaded by the smell I longed to smell again. The smell brings me nothing but comfort and joy.

‘Mate is near!’ Timber howls with happiness.

That’s when her body comes into sight. She looks just as breathtaking as the first time I laid eyes on her. A smile spreads across her face when she starts running to me. Her body collides with mine, she gets on her knees caressing Timbers' neck. I hadn’t shifted into my human form because I wasn’t sure how many guards were indoors. I could sniff out multiple bodies but there was no way to differentiate between friend or foe. Meaning I couldn’t tell if the smells were of the innocent maids and butlers or the attackers. Most likely both. I take a big breath, breathing in her smell. Something is off. Her smell is a little different. She didn’t mate with someone, no matter the barriers, I would have felt that. No magic could mask that feeling of betrayal. Even if it was an accidental betrayal or even a forced betrayal. But she smells differently. It’s not a bad smell by any means. Her normal lavender and morning dew but with a twist of a woodsy masculine smell other than my own.

“I missed you!” I quickly transformed into her arms. Her body now flushed against my naked skin.

“Oh goddess, I’ve missed you too,” I said as I kissed her head. Her head lay on my shoulder. Her hair slightly revealed her mate's mark. But it is also different. What once was a half-moon with a wolf was still there, but now it shines white and has what looks like a halo around the entire thing, almost like a protected barrier. It was magnificent and beyond anything I’ve ever seen.

She quickly covers her neck, noticing I’ve seen it.

“Gunner, we need to talk.” She said as a rush of guilt sprang inside my chest again. Those were her feelings. Why does she feel guilty? Was it the mate mark and how it's the same yet in the same breath it has changed, or the fact that she smelled different? And why aren’t I even the slightest bit upset or questioning those things more? My face must have looked confused because Callie decided to speak again.

“We will talk after the fight. But for now. We have a warlock ass to kick.”

She is right.

“Let’s go fight so we can go home,” I replied.

“But first I have to find someone. I made a promise that I have to keep.”

“Who?” She asked as we started walking down the hallway.

“Lovett’s younger brother, his name is Leonidas. He has been trapped for years and I promised Lovett if she helped me get here, I would free him.” She nods her head in understanding.

“Follow me.” She said as she took my hand, leading me back to the way I had just come from.

Callie must know where he is trapped. Good. The sooner we find him, the sooner we can all go home. Once Lovett’s brother is rescued, I can go back to the foyer and end Jakus’s life, that is, if the other man hasn’t already done so himself or vice versa.