Chapter 209: Three Times Worse Than That

Chapter 209: Three Times Worse Than That
Evelyn's POV

Early the next morning, I stood outside the pack house waiting for Juniper to finish prepping. The sun hadn't fully risen yet, and the air carried a chill.

Juniper walked out with a small vial and stuck it in my hand.

"Drink it," she said. "Helps stabilize your aura."

I pulled the cork and immediately regretted it.

The smell hit me like a wall. Rotting bark mixed with moldy dirt and something that might've been dead animal. Like someone left the whole mess in the sun for a week.

"You didn't warn me about the smell," I said, pinching my nose shut.

"Nope," Juniper said, completely unbothered. "Does it matter?"

"What is this stuff?"

"Doesn't matter. It works. Drink."

I closed my eyes and knocked it back.

Worse. So much worse than the smell. Everything exploded on my tongue at once, and I nearly spit it straight out. Somehow I got it down, then shoved the vial back at Juniper with my whole face scrunched up.

"Can you make it taste better?" My voice came out strangled.

"Flavor affects how well it works."

I stared at her. "Really?"

"No," she said. "But now you won't complain as much."

Someone made a choking sound nearby.

I turned. Orion was standing there trying not to laugh, his shoulders shaking.

"What?" I glared at him.

"Nothing," he said fast, fighting a smile. "Not laughing."

Lucian appeared out of nowhere. "Let me smell."

"You're gonna regret that." I held out the vial.

He leaned in, took one breath, and jerked back like he'd been slapped. "Holy shit." He looked at Juniper with actual respect in his eyes. "How'd you even make something smell like that?"

"Practice," Juniper said.

"Yeah, I'll pass on that kind of practice."

I kept swallowing, trying to get rid of the taste. Didn't work. The stuff had basically moved into my mouth permanently.

You look terrible, my wolf said.

Feel terrible.

Could be worse.

How?

When we headed out, Orion fell into step next to me. Mark and Sophia walked a bit behind us. Juniper brought up the rear, nose buried in that notebook she always carried.

Mark tried to peek over her shoulder. "What's that say?"

"Nothing you'd understand," Juniper said without looking up.

"How do you know?" Mark squinted at the page. "Oh. Yeah, no idea what that is."

Sophia snorted.

Magnus and Lucian had stayed back to check the other four plant locations with a team. 

Orion kept his voice low. "Nervous?"

"No."

"Your hand's sweating."

"It's warm out," I said.

He didn't argue. Just said, "I've got you," and held out his hand.

I looked at it for a second, then took it. My face went hot and I immediately stared straight ahead.

Your heart's beating really fast, my wolf observed.

The first vertex sat in the southeast corner. Juniper said the plant there had been growing longest, which meant it packed the most energy.

"Start with the worst one," she said. "Makes the rest easier."

"Okay."

The plant grew at the base of an old tree. Looked normal enough—dark green leaves, little purple flowers. But getting close, the air felt heavy. Wrong.

Juniper started setting up. She pulled herbs from her bag and placed them around the plant in some specific pattern. Every time she set one down, she muttered something under her breath. I watched, trying to memorize it.

Ten minutes later, she was done.

She stood in front of me. "Here's how this works. The herbs burn and make purification smoke. I do the main chant. You push your Beta aura through the whole time, forcing the purification energy into the roots. The plant's gonna fight back hard. There'll be backlash. You have to hold until I finish the last word."

"What's backlash feel like?"

She thought about it. "Remember when you were breaking those charms? That pulling sensation?"

"Yeah."

"Three times worse than that."

I took a breath. Three times. Great.

"You'll need an anchor," Juniper said. "Hold his hand."

Orion already had his hand out. I grabbed it without saying anything. My face heated up again.

You're completely red, my wolf said.

Juniper lit the herbs.

White smoke curled up slow. She started chanting, steady and rhythmic, like building something invisible in the air.

I released my aura and pushed it toward the plant.

The backlash slammed into me instantly.

It felt like something grabbed my insides and yanked down hard. I stumbled. Orion's grip tightened immediately.

I locked my jaw and steadied myself. Kept pushing.

The further I pushed, the worse it got. Sweat broke out on my forehead. My back went damp. The plant was fighting me, its roots twisting underground like they were alive, trying to shake me off.

I pushed harder.

My aura flooded into the plant deeper and deeper. The backlash kept building, trying to drag me bodily into the ground.

Orion's voice came quiet by my ear. "I'm here."

I couldn't answer, but it helped.

Juniper hit the final lines of the chant. The purification energy kicked in and the plant went wild. Its roots thrashed underground like they wanted to rip up the whole area.

I held on.

Last word.

The second Juniper spoke it, the smoke exploded outward in a wave. The roots made a small cracking sound and that heavy feeling vanished.

I let go of my aura and fell backward.

Orion caught me and just picked me up.

My legs were useless. I leaned my head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

Juniper walked over, checked the plant, and nodded. "First one's done. That's it for today. Tomorrow we keep going."

I spoke from Orion's arms, still breathing hard. "What time?"

"When can you do it?"

"Seven."

"Too early," Juniper said. "Eight. You need sleep."

Mark raised his hand. "I need sleep too."

Juniper glanced at him. "You didn't do anything that drained your aura."

"I carried herbs."

"Appreciate it," Juniper said. "Still doesn't count."

I laughed once, then realized laughing took effort and stopped.

Orion started walking back with me still in his arms.

"You can put me down," I said. "I can walk."

"You sure about that?"

I tried moving my legs. Nothing.

"...Never mind."

He made a quiet sound like a laugh. "Thought so."

"Stop laughing."

"Sure." But his mouth was still curved up.