Chapter Forty Eight
The drive was a quiet one. But it was a comfortable silence, the hum of the engine filling the silence as the forest blurred past. I sat in the passenger seat, my mind racing. My mates had been unusually quiet, I was nervous. Elijah’s knuckles were tight on the steering wheel, and from the back seat, Alex occasionally glanced my way, his expression unreadable.
I wondered what the Umbral society headquarters would be like, But wait ain’t they in Europe? I don’t have a passport. I’ll just bring it up with Eirs once we made a stop.
“Stormi“, I felt Isaiah shake me awake. I opened my eyes and realised we had stopped at the base of a mountain. We got out of our cars and Eira walked up to us as the other witches began walking up trail.
“This way“, Eira said and we began following her after giving each other questioning looks.As Eira led the way, I trailed behind my mates, watching as the witches moved with calm determination.
“So, where exactly are we headed?” Austin asked, his tone casual but laced with curiosity.
“To the Umbral Society’s headquarters,” Eira replied without turning around.
“In Europe,” added one of the witches, a petite woman with a soft voice but sharp eyes.
I stumbled slightly, catching herself before anyone could notice as I remembered something. “Wait, Europe? I don’t have
passport!”
a
And my mates turned to look at me, and I crossed my arms defensively. “What? It’s not like I’ve ever had a reason to leave the
country.”
Eira chuckled, her voice carrying an amused lilt. “Don’t worry about that, Stormi. We don’t exactly rely on commercial flights to get where we need to go.”
I frowned, exchanging a skeptical glance with Elijah. “What does that mean?”
“You’ll see,” Eira said cryptically, gesturing for the group to follow her as we began to ascend a narrow trail into the forest.
The path wound upward, the dense trees casting long shadows across their way. My wolf stirred uneasily, sensing something unusual in the air. It wasn’t threatening–more like an ancient energy that hummed beneath the surface, pulsing with life.
“Does anyone else feel… weird?” Isaiah asked, voicing what everyone else seemed to be thinking.
“It’s the magic of this place,” Eira explained without breaking her stride. “This forest is one of the gateways between realms. You’re likely feeling the energy shift as we approach it.”
I didn’t like the sound of that. “Realms? What do you mean, realms?”
Eira stopped abruptly, turning to face all of us with a knowing smile. “Patience, Stormi. You’ll see soon enough.”
We reached a clearing where an ancient, gnarled tree stood. Its bark was dark and cracked, with bare branches that reached skyward like skeletal fingers. At its base was a large, hollowed–out hole, big enough for a person to crawl through.
“Here we are,” Eira announced, gesturing to the tree.
I blinked, glancing at Elijah,Isaiah and the twins, who looked equally confused. “Here we are? What’s that supposed to mean?”
Eira only smirked, clearly enjoying our reactions. Without further explanation, she motioned to the witches behind her. One by one, they stepped forward, kneeling slightly to crawl into the hole. As each witch disappeared into the dark opening, My jaw dropped.
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Chapter Forty Eight
“What the hell?” Austin muttered, taking a cautious step back..
“They’re just… gone?” Isaiah asked, eyes wide.
“Gone,” Eira confirmed, her smirk widening.
My wolf growled softly in my mind, unsettled by the display. “Are we just supposed to crawl into some creepy tree and hope we don’t get stuck?”
Eira chuckled. “It’s not as bad as it looks. Go ahead, one at a time. The tree will transport you to the other side.”
“Elijah,” Eira said, motioning toward him, “you first young Alpha.”
Elijah hesitated for only a moment before stepping forward, his jaw set with determination. “Sure let’s do it.” he confidently said.
He crouched down, glancing briefly at me before crawling into the hole. Within seconds, he vanished.
I stared at the dark opening, my heart racing. “He’s really gone?”
“Gone where?” Austin asked, inching closer to inspect the tree.
“To the other side,” Eira said simply.
“That doesn’t explain anything!” Austin retorted.
“It’s safe,” Eira assured them. Go ahead, Stormi.”
I took a hesitant step forward, the pit in my stomach growing. I turned to look at Isaiah who looked at Eira and said she is not going in there“,
Eira smiled reassuringly “she will be fine“, she said and place a reassuring hand on my shoulder.“We’ll be right behind you,” she
said.
Taking a deep breath, I crouched down and crawled into the hole. The moment i entered, I felt as though the ground had dropped out from beneath me. I was falling, my stomach lurching as I spiraled through a dark void. The air around me was thick, almost suffocating, and a strange hum filled my ears.
Just as i thought I couldn’t take it anymore, a pinprick of light appeared in the distance. I reached for it instinctively, and as I did, the light grew brighter, enveloping me entirely.
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