Aiden’s POV
Aiden’s POV
The weight of the past few days remained in the air, unresolved like some storm that I couldn’t dismiss. It was all weird Skylar returned, got to Zoey, and told her she was her mother, the pack looking unsafe. Shenaya had barely left Zoey’s side, and even when she did for a little bit, she was overly cautious for the fear that Skylar might come through the portal and find her at night.
I couldn’t blame her.
This means that we had been operating on adrenalin for weeks, with little sleep and lots of anxiety. The witch-the very one who has tormented me in the past, is back, actively messing with our lives.
I glanced at the clock. It was already dead in the night, and I thought to get some rest, but something in me told me I needed to go and see Shenaya in the pups’ room. Even though I knew they would be fast asleep by now, I still wanted to check and be sure.
The whole mansion was quiet except for the faint sound of the guards moving around the perimeter of the estate. As I stepped into the hall, the responsibility that came with the belt weighed me down more with every step I took. Suddenly, I felt something lurking in the hall.
I quickly made my way to the door to the pup’s room. I pushed it open gently so I wouldn’t wake them up. I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until I let it out, and my vision started to adjust to the darkness of the room.
They started right by giving an aura of normalcy. Shenaya was fast asleep, hugging Zoey tightly as the girl slept deeply, lying face down on the bed. I looked over at Leo, who was also fast asleep. I went over to the bed to turn off the lamplight that was on, and I placed a kiss on Shenaya’s forehead. I really want all of us to live happily; she deserves better than she gets. I left the room quietly just as I did and headed over to my room.
I tried to open Shenaya’s room, which is also where I stay, but it was locked, so I had to head back to the pup’s room to find the keys. As I pushed the door slowly without making a sound, I was surprised to see the bedlamp on again. I was sure I was off it. My eyes landed on Zoey, who was standing at the foot end of the bed as stiff as a statue. She was looking at Shenaya intensely.
Her hair fell clumsily over her face. I couldn’t explain the look on her face. Something was wrong with her eyes. They didn’t have that innocent, wide-eyed look I’d come to recognize. Instead, they were cold, distant-almost calculating. My gaze drifted lower, and that’s when I saw it-the glint of metal.
A knife.
“Zoey, no!” I shouted, echoing in the room and filling the unpleasant silence.
I would have killed her on the spot for what I saw in a spur of a second: Zoey standing over her mother’s bed, smiling wickedly with evil intent in her heart.
The knife fell from her hands and hit the floor when I shouted at her. She began to scream at the top of her lungs, and Shenaya shuddered awake, blinking in terror at what she saw. Zoey dropped to her knees and started to cry as if she just realized everything that happened was real.
Shenaya blinked, shocked, first at Zoey, then at me.
“What’s happening?” she croaked…”
I got down next to Zoey and wiped her face, trying to clear away her tears, but they were not the same. They were not the tears of a scared child. They seemed purposeful, as though planned out. There was a feeling something was off about this entire scene. For a second, it was as if Zoey was wrestling with herself about something inside her.
With tears, Shenaya got up from bed and hugged Zoey tightly.
“Zo, what’s wrong? Talk to me,” Shenaya urged, still holding her tightly, but all the poor girl could do was cry louder. Her thin shoulders shook as Shenaya embraced her.
My heart hammered. The knife and the smirk I saw weren’t Zoey. It just wasn’t her, and that’s the scariest part. It was Skylar’s influence. I could feel it.
“I don’t know what has gotten into her,” I said, my voice low. About ten minutes ago, she was fast asleep, and the next…”
“She’s not in control of herself,” she whispered, looking at Zoey, “Skylar’s trying to use her. I feel like she is testing our limits.
She wrapped her arms around Zoey as if she could protect her from the evil entering her mind. We had to obtain a strategy, and we had to get it quickly.
I resolve to call Aunt Belle; she is the only witch who can match Skylar’s powers.
Shenaya took Zoey back to bed and curled up until she slept off. She didn’t say a word to me, but I could see the sadness through her eyes and tears. I didn’t bother to give her comfort; I just let her cry until she drifted to sleep as well. I decided to stay there as the watchman until the daybreak because I couldn’t even imagine what I had just witnessed happening.
…
Last night was terrible. I didn’t believe it could have been worse today, but I was mistaken. The sunlight peeked through the window when my phone on the nightstand vibrated, bringing me back to life. Shenaya was still sleeping like a baby because she had suffered a lot of emotional turmoil the previous night.
I picked up the phone to see an unknown number on the screen. I blinked several times, trying to remember if I knew this number, but I didn’t, so I just picked up.
“This is Aiden,” I whispered.
I waited a few seconds, and nothing was said on the other end of the line.
“If you want to see your sister alive again, you’ll do as I say.” a surprisingly gravelly and electronically muffled voice said.
My blood ran cold.
“Go and get in your car now. I’ll give you directions, and you will come alone, no pack, no tricks.”
‘You’re such an idiot; this means nothing!’ I grunted; I knew where this was all leading to.
“Try me and see. Lucy is with us, and if you want her back alive, you should follow everything I tell you to do.
I held the phone so tightly that I wanted it to crack in my hand. Lucy.
“If you harm her-”
They made me listen to the voice, and the dark amusement was oozing on the line.
“Oh, she’s unharmed… for now. That can shift rather rapidly. So, listen carefully. You’ll come alone. There is no backup, no funny business. Just you.”
The line went dead.
Since hot red blood flowed through my veins, I started getting mad, and my heartbeat increased dramatically. They had Lucy. They expected me to walk right into their trap when they were capable of all this.
I put on my jacket and tiptoed to ensure that I didn’t wake anyone up. Shenaya grumbled a little but was still dozing off. That was a small blessing. If she had known, she would have stopped me.
I made my way to the car without being noticed unnoticed, my mind whirling with the idea of it all. Who had her? Was this Skylar’s doing? Or had one of my other enemies finally decided to come for me through Lucy?
It didn’t matter. The one thing I am very sure of is that I would not allow anyone to harm her.
The journey took longer than it seemed. It was getting colder, and with every step toward the pack’s territory’s edges, I felt like I was marching into a graveyard. In retrospect, this was more than counterintuitive, yet it was what I needed to do, and I had no choice in the matter. This was my sister’s life on the line.
As I reached the meeting point of the three of us, all my senses were fully activated. The trees stretched high like a sentinel above, and the fallen shade made everything look menacing. I looked around the place for any signs of hostile intent or any indication of an intended ambush, but none was in sight. It was quiet.
Then I saw him-another man standing in the center of the Space with Lucy in his grip by her arm. She was messy, her face pale, but she was alive.
“Aiden…” she mumbled, and her voice was faint.
I fisted my hands and moved forward. “Let her go.”
The man holding her giggled, and he had far too many teeth revealed.
“Oh, I will. As long as you play nice.”
“What do you want?” I stood still, my muscles all tightened up.
“Mighty will tell you what he wants,” he said.
“Mighty ?” I repeated after him. The shadow that has haunted me for years will finally get to meet me. I knew this had something to do with Skylar.
Before I could say anything, I saw some movement in the trees at the far end of the yard. I glanced at the surroundings and immediately regretted not looking closer; people were around me.
Twelve people came out, standing around me, Warriors. This was all Skylar’s influence.
“If you harm her-” I clenched my jaw.
“You are too naive to start threatening me,” the man replied aggressively. “But don’t worry. I’ll let you fight for her,” he said as he turned away and started walking ahead.
One of the warriors urges me to follow; one was dragging Lucy. I followed them quietly.
This is it. A fight that I could not afford to lose by any means.