We get a couple more hours of sleep before we have to be up for training. I’m tired, but I still feel better getting actual sleep than I have felt in the last couple days.
As we head downstairs to get something to eat, I hear my name from the stairwell. I stop and look at the twins behind me. They both shrug.
“You all might as well come on in too. You’re going to follow her anyway.” Alpha Lucas says.
We walk into the Alpha’s office and I can feel the tension. Something happened. “What’s going on? Is everyone okay?” “Why don’t you take a seat, this is not going to be a fun conversation and I know you all have plans today. They are all alive, but your warrior friends were ambushed. Osiston just got into contact with me.”
“That’s why no one has checked in yet? It must have been really bad.” Lil stands behind me.
“Yes, clearly they had other priorities. There were no casualties on your side, they just confirmed with everyone in the last hour. Your friend Wyatt was sent back to the Royal pack though. He was cut with a blade that had something on it and he’s having a bad reaction. Full disclosure, I do not think any of this information is helpful for you, but I was told
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you need to hear everything I am about to tell you.”
He takes a deep breath and rubs his face, like this is the worst information he could give me. But he just said all of the warriors survived so what could be worse than that?
“The rogues still appear to be moving in this direction, but they are dispersed among several packs, so it looks like whatever this attack is going to be it will be big, we need to prepare and since you seem to be the main target now…” Growls sound all around me. “Knock it off, she’s been ‘a’ target we have always known that. Now we believe she has become ‘the’ target now that they know of or suspect your abilities.” He looks right at me.
“What in the hell are you talking about?” Mateo blurts, forgetting who he is talking to.
Alpha Lucas ignores him and looks right at me. “Elena, said your training is more important now so she brought this.” He shoves a bound package to me. I already know what it is without even looking. “There is a note with specific instructions. That’s all I was told.”
I nod and pull the book close to me. I have to train myself in magic, this should be interesting.
“Alpha Reggie has his pack on lock down, right now, no one in or out and he has advised the same for the surrounding packs. Which means you ladies are here for the foreseeable future. You will still receive training and orders so pay
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attention to your link, but they are focused on the injured warriors and resetting their plan of attack so it might be a couple days.”
He stops talking and closes his eyes. He takes three deep breaths and I can tell whatever comes next I’m not going to like. I hear a faint growl from his chest. Is he talking to his wolf?
His eyes fly open, but they aren’t their usual soft blue, they are a deep crimson, the eyes of an alpha, and I jump back in my seat. His wolf has never come forward to me before.
“A message was delivered for you, Lucas does not want to share this information. It is not pleasant and we would both like to shield you from horrors like this, but it cannot be helped.” He leans over and picks up another small box. My hand flies to my mouth, but I have no idea what could be inside. They said all of the warriors were accounted for and alive. I just start shaking my head.
“What is that and why do you look like you’ve seen a
ghost?” Jena asks. I yelp. I completely forgot they were all in here with me.
“The last time we had a box like that in the pack, the severed fingers of a Luna were in it.”
A chorus of different curses come from all of my friends.
“Have you looked at it?” Cam asks.
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“We can’t, it won’t open for anyone who has tried so far. My guess is it was sent specifically for Skylar.” He slides the box towards me.
“Absolutely not! What the hell Alpha?” Oliver slaps my hand down as I reach for the box. “We know they are using magic now, what if they put some kind of spell on this to
incapacitate her, or worse?”
“A dozen people have touched it and Elena looked at it while she was here. She did confirm magic, but nothing she tried would open it. She suggested that Sky open it and we all be ready for anything.”
“NO! We don’t know this Elena, what if she is working with them.” I can feel Oliver vibrating with anger next to me.
“I’m with Oliver, find someone else to try it. My sister isn’t going anywhere near that thing. Did you see Luna Ava’s face when we found those fingers? Not happening.”
“Yeah, Alpha, it seems like too much of a coincidence to me. We need to look more into it first.” Kotas says from somewhere else in the room.
“Bitty, you’re giving me a migraine. You need to calm down. Please. I know this is scary…”
“You think I am scared?! You are all morons. Why don’t we start with ‘let’s as Skylar what she thinks about the mysterious package,’ Before you go making decisions for
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her while she is sitting in the f*cking room!” I get loud. “Let me see the box.”
“Bitty, no. It’s not safe, we need to…”
“Oliver, I love you, but if you want to maintain the use of your arm and vocal chords, stop talking and step away from me… now.” I look up at him and he stares at me for a long moment. He must see something that lets him know I have this.
Alpha pushes the box towards me and I hover my hand over it and I can feel the magic radiate off of it. The sensation is like feathers tickling my skin. Now that I know how to feel for magic in a space or on an object, I can’t turn it off, I sense magic everywhere. Elena taught me how to feel for different types of magic. It’s not really the magic, it’s the intention of the spell that makes it good or bad. Good or light magic feels like feathers. Dark magic feels prickly, like when your foot falls asleep and you have pins and needles running up your leg.
The box is simple, off white, nothing exciting at all, and tied off with brown string. Well I’m sure if anything was on here to poison then all the other people who touched it would be sick now. I untie the twine and slowly lift the lid off of the box and drop the lid as soon as I peek inside.
