Marked by the Alphas

Chapter 135: Chapter 135

Elara POV

“Wait,” Kane frowns. “Do you have some telepathic abilities connecting you to other vampires?”

“Like our mind link?” Axel adds.

“Well ... sort of,” I shrug. “I think.”

“You think?” Axel frowns. “Elara, we can’t risk things on thinking.”

“Do you want me to try or not?” I huff, glaring at them. Truthfully, I have no idea what I am doing or if my plan would even work. But I must try before these two get it into their heads to run off and find Mason. The council will find and kill them before they reach Stillwood.

“I guess,” Kane exhales deeply. “It’s not like we have unlimited options.”

“Okay,” I smile nervously, handing Stella to Kane. “Please take her inside. I will be gone for only a moment.”

“Gone?” Kane gasps. “Gone where?”

“To the enchantment line,” I reply nonchalantly.

“But your scent!” Axel argues. “They will smell it. For that, we might as well run after him ourselves.”

“I’m not going to frolic in the forest, Axel,” I shout back. “I’m going to step outside briefly, send a distress signal and return. It will only be a moment.”

“Elara, wait,” Kane calls, but I run as fast as I can to the edge of the enchantment line, pausing for one second before I cross it. The forest is pitch-black and silent, and blood pumps loudly in my ears.

I close my eyes, tapping into my feelings. I allow myself to feel the full extent of my fear, my frustration, and my sadness. Slowly, a breeze picks up and grows into a howling wind. I focus on it, forcing it to find Braden.

“Braden,” I whisper into the wind. “Braden, I need you.”

My voice echoes through the trees as the wind carries my whispers before silence settles over me.

My heart leaps into my throat when there is a rustle in the trees nearby. But before I can move, a hand claps over my mouth, and I am tackled to the ground.

Braden POV

Elara and I crash to the ground in a heap. She thrashes and kicks beneath me, but I do not care. I must get her back inside the spell’s protective borders. That is all that matters.

I let her go, and she scrambles to her feet just as Kane and Axel run out of the cabin. freewёbnoνel.com

Frankly, they both look like complete shit. They are scruffy around their jaws, and they have deep purple bags under their eyes. Maybe I overestimated their ability to deal with the close quarters.

“What the fuck is this?” Kane asks, his eyes bugged out and crazy. He sprints down the stairs and straight up to me, planting his hands on my chest and shoving me. I stagger back, but recover quickly, huffing out a humourless laugh. Axel stands behind Kane, his chest heaving and threatening me with those stupid wolf eyes.

“Kane, stop it!” Elara snaps, dusting herself off. “You knew what I was doing.”

“But he tackled you,” he argues.

“I had no choice,” I snort. “She was out beyond the border letting her scent seep all over the forest like some deadly siren’s call.”

“I was doing what I had to do to get you here!” Elara says furiously.

“Yeah, well, you’re lucky I was headed here anyway,” I reply. “But we might get unwanted company soon. By the way, nice work on using your power. It worked like a charm.”

“Really?” Her face blossoms, and I nod.

“Really,” I smile. “I was still miles away when I heard you and came in record time.”

I have no idea what possessed Elara to step outside the border. Her vampire side has been reawakened, and her in-heat scent is more powerful than ever. But when I heard her voice in the wind, I hurried.

“Why the hell were you out there anyway?” I look at Elara.

“And why do you two look like shit?” I ask, waving at Kane and Axel.

“Mason left,” Elara exhales deeply. “And he took the twins with him.”

Oh, shit.

“What?” My jaw hits the ground. “Where did he go?”

“To Stillwood,” Elara replies. “I think.”

Double shit. freёwebnoѵel.com

“We need you to find him before Orion does,” Kane says.

“Malachi is tracing Orion as we speak,” I explain. “If he finds Mason and the twins, then he’ll come and warn us.”

“These are our fucking pups we’re talking about,” Axel grunts. “We can’t just wait around to see if he comes back or not.”

“What my brother is trying to say,” Kane steps forward, glaring at Axel. “We’re worried sick, and the waiting and not doing anything is driving us insane.”

“Fine,” I inhale deeply. “I’ll go and check myself, see if Mason’s scent is still traceable.”

“Thank you,” Axel sighs, and for a split second, I think he might burst into tears.

“Braden, wait,” Elara calls as I turn around to leave. “You said you were coming here anyway. Why? Is it Selena? Is she okay?”

“Selena’s fine,” I reassure her. “Orion is frustrated. He tried getting information from Selena, and she could honestly say she had no idea where you were, so he had to let her go.”

“And what about the pack, and the Council?” Kane asks curiously.

“It’s only been a few days of lockdown, but every wolf in Constantine is growing restless,” I explain. “Anyone who’s broken out of lockdown has been imprisoned or taken to the hybrid facility for ‘tests’ aka torture, but it’s not calming people down any less.”

Honestly, it is absolute chaos, but without Stella, Elara, Kane and Axel, Orion and the Council are stuck. Pretty soon, they are going to need that hybrid army; otherwise, the shifters they have forced into lockdown are going to revolt against them.

“So, you came here to tell us what? That nothing has changed?” Axel frowns.

“A lot has changed, actually,” Malachi says, and we all turn around to face him.

“In a very short amount of time,” Malachi’s voice carries over the barrier, and I squint my eyes.

There is another figure standing next to him, a cloak concealing their identity.

“Who is that?” Axel whispers to me.

“Beats me,” I mumble.

The stranger steps forward and drops their hood.

“Mother?” Kane gapes at her, wide-eyed. “What are you doing here?”

“We have a big problem,” she replies, crossing the border with Malachi, and I notice for the first time how pale she is. She is afraid.