Oliver straightened. “What do you mean?”
“It feeds in the Otherworld,” she replied. “That’s where it finishes its victims. That’s where it’s strongest.”
“So it’s with Sally right now and we can’t get to her,” I said. A chill ran down my spine. “That’s what you’re saying?”
Sarah grimaced and nodded. “Yeah. Our only shot at it is when it’s hunting potential victims. Once they’re gone, it’s too late.”
I locked gazes with Daniel, who looked just as horrified. “How do we cross into the Otherworld? Can you make a door or something?”
He shook his head, his eyes troubled. “Even if I knew how, I don’t have anywhere near that kind of power. Accessing the Otherworld takes a circle of witches who know what they’re doing. I’m sorry.”
Tamrand cleared his throat. “Someone in a liminal state could cross over without the aid of spellcraft.”
“A liminal state like a werewolf?” Lacey demanded, speaking up for the first time.
“No. When you’re a wolf, you’re a wolf. And when you’re in human form, you’re that too.” He paused. “It would require someone to be right on the border of life and death—someone who isn’t quite in this world and isn’t quite in the realm beyond, either.”
“Great, that’s so helpful,” Lacey said, rolling her eyes. “So unless we find someone on their deathbed, willing to go traipsing through the woods after a monster that feeds on suffering, we’re basically screwed.”
I hated it, but she wasn’t wrong. The Algea had taken Sally. And now we knew, more or less, where she was. But we had no way to reach her. And if we didn’t do something, she was doomed.
The knowledge sat between us like a live wire—dangerous and impossible to ignore. I could feel every pair of eyes flick toward me and then away again, as if they weren’t sure whether they were allowed to look.
This was usually the part where an alpha barked orders.
Jeremy would have. So would the alphas before him. He would’ve given the pack his decision, unilaterally made—a plan handed down and obedience expected.
It would’ve been clean and efficient. Strong and in control.
But I wasn’t Jeremy. And Harris was right. I couldn’t be him or any of the other alphas who came before. I could only be me and pray it was enough.
“Alright,” I said.
Every pair of eyes turned to me.
“We can’t do nothing. But we’re not charging into this blind. We know what this creature is now. We know where it’s operating. That means we can plan.”
I looked around the room at my pack. For the first time since becoming alpha, I reallylookedat them. At Emma’s lined face, carved by generations of loss and survival. At Lee and Hunter, both of them fidgeting on the couch, their restless energy barely contained. At Daniel, pale and worried, probably already thinking ten steps ahead of the rest of us. At Sarah, who had pulled back from the thick leather-bound journal as if it might bite her. At Lindsey, who was watching me steadily, her gaze locked on mine.
“This only works if we work together,” I said. “I’m not assigning roles without hearing from you all first.”
That earned me a few startled looks.
Oliver blinked at me, visible surprise on his face. “You… want our input?”
He’d been with the pack throughout Jeremy’s reign and he’d heard plenty about Hank, Jeremy’s father. This wasn’t the way things had ever been done.
“Yes,” I said simply.
“Sarah,” I went on, turning to her. “You figured out this is an Algea. Do you want to stay on research?”
She glanced down at the journal and nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”
“Good. I want every reference you can find about it. I want to know its weaknesses and patterns—anything that can help us. We need to know how long Sally has.”
“I can do that.”
“Lee. Hunter. What are your thoughts?”
