Just as thundering steps shake the ground, I turn to see Tyler coming back with Arianna and Emily. But that's when I notice the crowd of Shadow Fang Pack members gathered around the house, fear all over their faces as they witness what's going on.
“I'm gonna check my journal,” Arianna hurriedly announces as she rapidly flips through a leather-covered book with trembling fingers. Her face pales after seeing Delilah inside, and her emotions seem all over the place, prompting Emily to take the journal and flip through more calmly.
“If you need to wield magic to counter whatever's happening to D, you need to calm yourself,” Emily appeals to her, taking charge of the situation.
I run a hand through my hair, panicking, taking a deep breath that hardly calms me down. Fear trickles through every fiber in my being as Emily and Arianna find something to combat the dark magic, and the pack members watch in horror. Feeling their fear as my own, I pull myself out of my panic, knowing I have to take charge while the alpha's daughter is stuck in a trance.
It's the least I can do until we get the situation under control and the girls figure out a way to fight the dark magic.
“Excuse me…” I push through the crowd, leaving my friends at the front of Gwen's house. Clearing my throat when I'm behind the crowd, I pull their attention away from the cottage.
“I want everyone to clear the area!” I call out loud enough for my voice to carry over to everyone at the back. “We're dealing with dark magic, and no one is to touch the smoke! It's the source of the dark magic, and it'll affect anyone who goes near it!”
To my relief, the crowd moves away, and Arthur comes to me, wearing dread on his face.
“Gwen's in there, too, isn't she? She's also affected?”
I nod measuredly as I pull him aside. “She's in there, but she's gonna be fine.”
“Can't we pull them out, Hunter? Get them out of the dark magic?”
“It's too dangerous. We have to wait for my friends to figure something out.”
Just as Arthur nods slowly, Delilah's parents come rushing forward.
“What's going on, Hunter? What is happening to my daughter?” Alpha Gabriel asks with panic, his dark brows furrowed.
Sighing, I decide to tell them everything, including what happened last night. They deserve to know what threat we're facing, and Luna Layla gasps when I tell them about the warlock.
“He's still alive…?” A hand flies to her throat as her face pales.
“It appears so, and he must be behind this. That's why Arianna saw him in her vision.”
“My mother fought in the war,” Luna Layla reveals, turning toward the cottage. “I think I know what needs to be done.”
“No, Layla!” Alpha Gabriel grabs his wife's hand and stops her from going forward. “I can't lose you, too!”
Luna Layla steps forward and presses a reassuring kiss to her husband's lips. “You won't. I need to get our daughter out of there. But I'm going to need her fated mate.”
Nodding, I turn to Alpha Gabriel and place a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “I promise to do whatever it takes to get Delilah back, Alpha Gabriel. I love your daughter.”
Alpha Gabriel appears stunned as he stares at me momentarily, his eyes growing wide. He pats my hand and nudges me to follow his wife.
“Go on, Hunter! Do whatever Layla tells you.”
The three of us rush toward the cottage, and Arianna and Emily turn to us, their eyes full of panic.
“We couldn't find anything!” Arianna wails.
“Azura's journal won't contain any spells to combat the dark lord's curse,” Luna Layla explains. “She sacrificed herself on the final night of the Blood Moon War, and that was the same night the witches discovered how to break the curse.”
“Tell me what to do,” Arianna says as she straightens up.
“You will have to harness all your white magic into your palms. Every last flicker of it. Can you do that?”
“I'll try.”
While Arianna turns to the cottage door, Luna Layla turns to me and nods me over.
