An Alpha's Duty

Chapter 61

They walked through the trees that rested between the neutral territory and the Northridge pack's land. No one spoke as they let Lenah led them further into the unknown.

She could feel the magic flowing over her face, sending ripples through her body as it forced her to follow. Magic pulsed and weaved its way around them allowing her to still feel Oliver, Musette and Garth spread out somewhere around them, despite the distance between them.

It was like the whole forest was alive and watching them; everything felt amplified and much more powerful. Her own magic felt stronger as if it recognised the old magic still floating around the air. She had no idea how the spell remained this powerful after so many years. It was one thing to see its effect on the she-wolves but it was another to feel how alive it was.

The pull she felt got stronger as they approached a break in the trees. Making sure her cloaking spell was still surrounding all them, she stepped out of the tree line, Ryan and Morgan following behind her.

Everywhere she looked, the remnants of the spell seemed to cling to the very air. Out of the corner of her eye she swore she saw wisps of black shadow curling and twisting in amongst the trees and yet they disappeared when she turned in their direction.

It may have looked like a normal break in the trees but Lenah knew better than that. This was the place where all their destinies had been tied together. Her's, Ryan's, the werewolves', the shadow walkers'. They all bore scars from what happened here.

Ryan gazed around the clearing, keeping a cautious eye on a now still Lenah. His unease growing by the second, mirroring the growing agitation of his wolf. His wolf had been pacing in his head but its hackles were now raised in protest of them being here.

Ryan kept his eyes wide open following his wolf's advice. He'd never been to this part of the forest. It was firmly in neutral territory, miles away from what was once his pack's land. His wolf was snarling in his head and Ryan echoed his assessment.

They had encounter no obstacles as they'd made their way to the clearing and yet he'd found himself getting increasingly troubled. Even now in this empty, unassuming clearing, he felt fear skate down his spine.

There was something about this clearing; it was almost as if he could feel how much it didn't want them there. The only sounds he could hear was them. All the usual sounds of a forest were absent, and he realised with a start, that since they'd been here, he hadn't seen or heard one creature. No birds chirping, no animals burrowing, it was silent.

He'd been so focused on sounds of threats approaching them he'd completely missed the silence that encompassed them. Now he'd noticed, the sound of silence was deafening to him, even their own heartbeats sounded muffled to his ears.

"Something isn't right about this place. It's too aware, too knowing." Ryan jumped as Morgan spoke.

Any other time the sight of the big Alpha jumping in fright would have made the two girls laugh but the ominous feeling of the clearing stifled any such happy emotion.

The look in Morgan's eyes as she gazed at both of them made his body freeze. Acute terror was written all over her face. Her hands were wrapped around herself in comfort and her body was half turned as if she might make a quick escape back into the trees at any moment.

"It's here. I can feel it." Lenah stepped forward, her hands raised, letting the magic direct her.

She knew the truth in Morgan's words but the clearing didn't feel bad to her, at least not yet. It wasn't affecting her in the same way as her companions.

Stepping further into the clearing, she walked right into the centre where the magic soared in front of her like a homing beacon. Magic always left its mark. Hopefully, the curse the shadow walker had buried was right beneath them. But how were the supposed to get it?