My heart drops as I stand facing the source of the dark magic that had me acting crazy.
“Gwen?” I try again, but only a pair of blackened eyes stare at me blankly, reeling me into the throes of darkness as I feel the hairs on my arms prickle at attention.
The dark magic is in Gwen, in the air, it's everywhere, and I move—not because I want to, but because it's drawing me in, drawing me closer to its source. I try fighting it, but my mind shuts down as darkness consumes me and calls the shots.
Chapter 24 - Hunter
“Is the western border secure?” I ask Arthur, who nods firmly.
“Yes, Hunter. So is the east side. I'll go ahead and check the rest. The others are also on the lookout for anything suspicious, but they haven't reported anything yet.”
I nod thoughtfully, wanting to feel safe but suspecting that what happened to Delilah isn't just an isolated incident.
There's no coincidence, with the warlock still at large, and now we have to make sure that nothing else infiltrates the pack.
I round up my friends in the town square, and we discuss how to implement more safety measures.
“It'd be a good idea for Ari and Delilah to come up with something to keep the dark magic out,” Tyler suggests. “A spell or something.”
“I agree,” Dominic nods. “If the dark magic caught Delilah, then we'll have to take better precautions. Especially for them.”
“Yeah. Ari is pregnant, and the last thing you need is for something to happen to her,” Nicholas adds.
“Em's been working on a serum to keep away dark magic,” Sean reveals. “If they work together, perhaps they can perfect a method that'll work for witches, too.”
“Sounds like a good idea,” I muse, my brows furrowing when my instincts kick in, shooting the fine hairs on the back of my neck up.
I look down at my arms as goosebumps erupt across my flesh, my inner wolf's heightened senses snapping my head in the direction of the house I share with Delilah.
“Guys!” I call out urgently when I see thick black smoke circling the roof of the smaller cottage beside our house.
The place Gwen's been staying since we released her.
The energy my instincts pick up on is the same darkness that possessed Delilah and made her attack me last night.
Sensing the danger coming from Gwen's place, I bolt toward my house, hearing my friends following close behind.
Panic rises with drumming beats in my ears when I rush in, only to discover that it's empty.
“It's Delilah!” I yell to my friends, charging out of our place and rushing to the cottage beside ours. “She's with Gwen!” I cry out, fearing for Delilah's life after what happened last night, fearing for our lives, and the lives of the pack members.
Kicking in the door as soon as I get to Gwen's place, my friends are behind me, along with a group of other wolves who saw the smoke signal. Panic surrounds us, and fear grips my throat.
The curling smoke wafting above the cottage is coming from the woman seated at the kitchen table, black tendrils curling around her as if she's possessed. Standing in front of her, with her hand touching Gwen's, is Delilah, her eyes blackened by the force of the energy that consumes Gwen, her head lifted toward the ceiling as if she's staring into the void of the smoke.
“Delilah!” I call out, but she's frozen, not even blinking this time. I'm about to rush into the house, grab my mate, and get her out of there, when two hands grab me and pull me back.
“What the fuck?!” I bellow when Dominic and Sean step in front of the door, blocking my way. “Get out of my way!”
“No!” Dominic scolds me.
“Are you fucking insane?” I roar, hands curling into fists as I prepare to fight my friends. “Move, Dom! Don't make me fight you!”
“You can't go rushing in there, Hunter!” Sean appeals. “You told us what happened the last time she was like this! Now there are two of them. We don't know what we're dealing with.”
Nicholas comes up and places a hand on my shoulder. “Tyler's bringing the girls over. Maybe Ari can do something to fight the dark magic.”
“I can't just leave her in there!” I yell, but my friends are determined to keep me away. Desperate, afraid, and helpless, I finally relent, my heart hammering with panic when I glimpse Delilah stuck in a trance, knowing there's nothing I can do right now without endangering our lives.
