33: Just the Five of Us

On the way to the garage, I rounded up Fives and Chris. Both were nearly ready to go, as they always were, Fives even had a bag in the garage with spare clothes. No birthday suit adventures for Fives.

Credit where it’s due, Nathaniel and Luke were actually there ready to go when Fives, Chris and I reached the garage.

The four of them nodded their greetings, jumping into the passenger seats whilst I settled in the driver’s side. There was a fight for the front passenger, because apparently both Luke and Nathaniel wanted it.

“We don’t have time for this!” The power was crackling in the air again, Fives and Chris both winced against it. “Fives, you’re up front. The rest of you in the back.”

I parked up a mile away from the packhouse. “We’re on foot from here. Nathaniel, Luke and Fives, go through the tunnel under the packhouse. Wait for my signal before coming through into the basement. Chris, you’re with me. We’re going in the front door.”

“You can’t go in the front door, Effie.”

“I can and I will, Luke.”

He looked like he was going to argue.

“Luke, do not fight me on this. Mate or not, out here, you follow my orders.”

His head bowed, defeated.

“Okay people,” I clapped once. “Let’s do this.”

I watched as Nathaniel, Luke and Fives stripped off, no one wanted to be shredding clothes when they shifted. Nathaniel’s brown wolf turned back to look at me, nodding once, before the three of them darted off between the trees.

Chris and I walked to the packhouse, our movements deliberate. I had no intention of covering my tracks. We needed Edward and Maximillian focusing on us, not on the wolves coming into the packhouse from the tunnels.

“Alpha,” Fives’ voice came through the pack link. “There’s a shield of some kind, we can’t get through it.”

“I see it, Fives.” I sighed, holding my hand close to the surface, feeling the magic. It pulsed against my hand, sparking over my fingers.

I touched the surface of the shield, letting the power run under my palm, in between my fingers. I pushed through it, and the shield fluttered. I stepped back, my face surprised. Whoever cast this shield didn’t really care if I got through or not.

“Nathaniel, Luke, Fives, Chris, all step back, at least five paces.” I paused for a moment, just until they had time to move. “I’m going to push through, I don’t know how long I can give you or how the barrier is going to react, so be ready to run, in whichever direction is necessary.”

I closed my eyes, pushing my power through my hands and towards the shield. It pulsed, rippling, before starting to split open. I pushed harder, the gaps were getting wider. “As soon as the cracks are big enough, run, I can’t hold this forever,” I groaned.

Nathaniel, Luke and Fives all let me know through the pack link that they’d made it. After one more push, the cracks were big enough above the surface. “Chris, let’s go.”

As soon as I stepped through and let my power settle, the barrier healed, the gaps we squeezed through sealing back up behind us.

“I don’t like this, Nathaniel. I’m not sure what your father is up to, but him and Maximillian let me through the barrier.”

Silence over the radio.

“Any truly powerful magic would have put up more resistance than that, they left a loophole for me to exploit.” I bit my lip. “Be careful. Eyes wide. Pack links only from here, Fives, Luke, Nathaniel. I don’t trust the radio.” I turned my radio off, and motioned for Chris to do the same.

“Ready?” I asked Chris.

Once he nodded, we set off.

The undergrowth was thick outside the pack house. The area had not been kept, it was a mess. It was a good thing we weren’t human or we would have been absolutely covered in stings and bites, insects and nettles absolutely everywhere. Sure, we felt it, but it healed almost immediately. Or most things did, anyway.

Wolfsbane.

“Wolfsbane!” I shouted down the pack link. “Nathaniel, your father is growing wolfsbane! Why the bloody hell is a werewolf growing wolfsbane?” I could feel Nathaniel’s shock through the pack and mate links.

Wolfsbane can be deadly in large enough quantities. Why would any alpha in their right mind be growing wolfsbane directly outside the pack house?!

“Chris, we need to move, and now. I’m not as susceptible as most, but this amount is still a problem.” We stalked through the shrubs, getting to the other side as fast as we could.

“Nathaniel, are you all good?”

“Just, Effie. There’s wolfsbane down here too, the walls have been sprayed with it.”

What on earth is Edward up to?!

I banged on the door of the pack house, unsurprised when there was no answer. I banged again, still nothing.

“Edward, Maximilian!” I called out. “You can either let me in, or I kick the door in, it’s your choice!”

Still nothing.

“Fine. The hard way it is.”

I motioned for Chris to do the honours.

The second we opened the door, the scent of wolfsbane hit us. It was strong, there must have been a lot of it in the house.

“Lyla, are you still underneath the pack house?”

“Yeah, one of the cells. Effie… we’ve just been soaked in wolfsbane, I can’t shift. Ali’s been knocked out, they tried to control him but it didn’t take.”

“Hold tight, Lyla. We’re on the way. Are Maximillian and Edward down there?”

“They’re in one of the offices down here, it’s on the other side of a one way mirror. They think I don’t know they’re there, but I can feel the evil pouring off them.”

“Any updates on your two MIA guys?”

“Negative.”

Whilst we were talking, Chris and I had made our way through the pack house, and were now in the basement. Edward and Maximillian were on the opposite side of the wall.

“Nathaniel, are you in position?”

“We are ready when you are.”

“Let’s do this thing.”