CHAPTER 19
After finishing my breakfast, I decided to go for a walk on the beach. I didn’t ask for permission; I slipped out the back door of the packhouse, just like always, and started walking along the beach toward the familiar bend in the sand. I knew that the boulder was just around the corner, and that’s where I intended to go.
Once I reached the bend, I walked around it but stopped short as soon as I saw what lay
ahead.
“What the f**k?” I muttered to myself.
The boulder was gone. How could such a massive rock simply disappear? No one knew that I
had spent the night out there recently, let alone on that boulder.
I stood there, confused for a moment, before I started to walk forward slowly. I glanced around
to ensure I was in the right place. It had been dark the other night, and I might have made a
mistake. Perhaps the location was further up the beach than I had thought.
As I continued walking, I suddenly stepped past a threshold I hadn’t noticed before. In front of
me stood a large boulder, and the beach and ocean appeared different from what I had seen outside the pack.
I turned around to look behind me, and everything appeared the same. I could see the curve in the sand that marked where I needed to turn since the beach wasn’t a straight path.
I slowly walked toward the boulder and touched it, trying to push it. Even with my strength and Meadow coming forward to help, we couldn’t move it. Something didn’t add up, and I was baffled by what had just happened.
“Maybe it’s a portal,” Meadow suggested.
“A portal?” I asked, perplexed.
“Maybe only fae can see this place,” she replied.
“Huh, that actually makes sense,” I said.
“That would explain.how your mother was able to bring you here to another pack’s territory without them ever knowing. It also explains why Harper couldn’t find you the other night when they were searching for you–because they can’t see this boulder,” she explained.
“Meadow, you’re starting to make too much sense right now,” I said.
<CHAPTER 19
“I’m here to help,” she responded.
“I know,” I replied.
+8 Points >
I climbed on top of the boulder and looked out at the ocean. This time of day, it was definitely
different. The color of the water was more of a coral hue than blue. It was strange–beautiful
but strange.
I think I finally found my spot in this pack that can be just mine and mine alone. A place I can go when I really want to get away from everything. It’s something I had been wanting ever since I got here. I just wasn’t sure how long I’d be able to keep coming back. I mean, Landon is going to realize that I’m disappearing to a place he doesn’t know about, and he’ll do everything he can to keep me locked in the packhouse.
Whatever he wants, he gets. And he always wants to make sure he knows where I am.
I still don’t think he trusts me, even after I showed him the scars and explained how much I hated Vincent. If he truly knew what Vincent put me through, he wouldn’t question my loyalty.
He would understand that I wasn’t acting as a spy.
I heard Harper calling out to me, and I looked down the beach. I could see her from a distance, but she couldn’t see me. She walked right past where I was sitting, but somehow I was shielded by a strange force, making me invisible to her and the massive boulder I was perched
upon.
I didn’t want her to see me suddenly appear out of nowhere; that would lead to too many questions I wasn’t ready to answer. If I could teleport from this spot to the jetty, I would. But I know I can’t teleport while in a fae Kingdom to their realm, and that’s where I was at that moment–within the fae Kingdom–though she couldn’t see it.
I waited for her to head back toward the packhouse, going around the bend and out of sight,
before I got off the boulder.
As I started walking toward the packhouse again, I heard something splashing in the water. I turned around to take a look and noticed that some of the water was disturbed, but I couldn’t
see what it actually was.
When I rounded the corner back to the packhouse, I found Harper sitting on the stairs. As soon as she saw me, she rushed over and hugged me tightly.
“Where were you? I just looked around there,” she said.
“Sorry, I was in the forest, not actually on the beach,” I replied.
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“Well, that’s why I couldn’t see you. Are you alright?” she asked.
“Yeah, why?” I responded.
“Because of Addy,” she said.
“Harper, I don’t care about Addy. She’s full of it,” I replied.
“Yeah, no kidding,” Harper agreed.
“And just think, one day you’re going to be her sister–in–law,” I teased.
“Oh, shut up. She is not!” she protested.
“You and Hayden are definitely going to end up together. Deny it all you want, but you two won’t be able to deny it forever,” I said as we started walking back up the stairs.
45 Points 2
“Whatever.” She said, trying to brush it off as if it were nothing. But we both knew it wasn’t just
nothing. There was something between them, no matter how much she denied it.
When we returned to the packhouse, Landon was waiting at the back door.
“Where the f**k have you been?” he screamed.
“Excuse me?” I asked.
“Don’t talk to her like that!” Harper yelled.
“Harper, stay out of this. One of Vincent’s warriors is here. He wants to see you,” Landon
shouted again. That’s when I saw Cooper come running through the kitchen to where we were
standing.
“Cooper,” I called out, confused.
“What’s with all the yelling?” Cooper asked, arching an eyebrow in confusion as he stepped
into the room.
“I was having a conversation with my wife,” Landon growled, his tone low and menacing, thick
with frustration.
“It didn’t sound like a conversation to me,” Cooper shot back defiantly, crossing his arms as he
stood his ground.
I turned to Cooper, my brow furrowing. “Hey, Cooper, what the hell are you doing here?” I asked,
a mix of surprise and gratitude washing over me.
“I’ve got a couple of days off and thought I’d check in on you,” he replied, concern etching his features. “I’m glad I did, because this d**k shouldn’t be talking to you like that,” Cooper
3/5
CHAPTER 19
asserted, his voice firm with the authority of a true friend.
* Paint>
“I will talk to my wife however I want,” Landon growled, his eyes narrowing as he bristled at the challenge, ready to defend his ground.
“Landon, baby. What is happening in here? What’s with all the commotion?” Addy inquired, stepping into the room with a concerned look, her arms instinctively encircling Landon in a
protective embrace.
I exchanged a glance with Harper, our eyes rolling in unison at the unfolding scene, while Cooper stood frozen, his expression a mixture of disbelief and outrage.
“Are you f*****g kidding me? You’re actually doing this in front of your wife?” Cooper burst out, his voice a sharp contrast to the tense atmosphere.
“It’s none of your business,” Landon shot back, his tone dismissive as he pulled away from
Addy, a defiant glint in his eyes.
“It is now. She’s leaving right now with me,” Cooper demanded, grabbing my wrist and starting to pull me through the packhouse.
“Cooper, what the hell are you doing? You can’t do this!” I pleaded.
“I don’t care about Vincent. He can send whoever he wants after me. I’m not leaving you here,” Cooper insisted.
Landon rushed up behind us, grabbing my other arm and pulling me back toward him.
“She’s my wife. You’re not taking her anywhere,” Landon asserted.
In response, Cooper swung his arm back and punched Landon in the face.
Just then, Hayden burst into the room and grabbed hold of Landon before turning back to look
at us.
“Go, now.” He mouthed the words, but no sound came out. Cooper grabbed me again, and we ran out of the packhouse and straight to his car, where he sped away from the scene.
What the hell just happened? Did that really occur? Did Cooper just start a war between two packs? Am I responsible for igniting a war between two packs? Are we about to trigger the
next werewolf conflict?
Oh my goddess, I think I’m about to have a panic attack.
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