Chapter 532

Nina

“Wait! Wait, I’m coming with you!”

At the sound of the familiar voice, both my mother and I whipped our heads around toward the noise. A moment later, I saw a lanky male form and a head of tawny hair break through the woods.

“Tyler?” my mother and I said in unison as he ran toward us, a bag slung over his shoulder.

“Don’t leave without me,” he pleaded without preamble, coming to a breathless halt in front of us. “Please, I want to come with you.”

My mother and I looked at each other, each too shocked to speak at first. Finally, my mother stepped forward and shook her head.

“No. Absolutely not, Tyler,” she said, grabbing his arm to stop him from going. “This isn’t safe.”

“Mom, I’ll be fine.” Tyler ripped his arm away from her and stepped forward, leveling me with a stern gaze as he adjusted his bag on his shoulder. “Please, Nina. I can help you.”

My eyes were as wide as saucers. “Tyler, I…” I swallowed, glancing at our mother and then over at Luke, who was still standing by the swirling portal. “I think you should listen to Mom.”

Tyler scoffed and whirled around to face our mother. “I have to go with her,” he said. “I’m tired of always sitting around, hoping that everyone will be okay. I’ve been watching them train, and—”

“No.” Our mother’s voice was stern and low, almost a growl. “You’re not going, Tyler. You’re too sick.”

“Sick?” Tyler scoffed again. “I haven’t been sick for months. And Nina is pregnant, yet you’re helping her escape!”

“That’s… different,” my mother said, her eyes shifting momentarily over to me. “Nina is a werewolf. You’re not.”

“Please, Nina, tell her!” Tyler whirled around to face me again, and at that moment, the moonlight overhead hit his face, outlining his strong jawline. Once again, I was reminded that my little brother was no longer a sick little kid; he was a young man.

Swallowing, I looked over at Luke for guidance, who merely shrugged. “We could use the extra help,” he said softly, hesitantly. “My scouts would keep an eye on him.”

Luke’s words sent a shiver down my spine. The thought of my little brother joining us on a potentially fatal mission made me almost sick.

And yet, when I turned to face him again, I saw nothing but determination in his eyes.

Meanwhile, behind him, our mother’s eyes were filled with tears. I watched as she grabbed his shoulder, whirling him around. “You really want this?” she asked.

Tyler nodded. “I can’t let Nina go like this. I want to be there, to protect her if…” His voice trailed off, but his words still struck home. Even as kids, back when he couldn’t even stand on his own, he had always said he’d be my protector someday.

My mother blinked at me. “You’ll keep him safe,” she said. “Don’t let him out of your sight.”

I nodded. Behind me, Luke tapped his foot impatiently; the portal was closing.

Finally, my mother threw her arms around Luke and pulled him close. “Dammit, I knew this day would come,” she half-cried, half-laughed. “Go. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

Tyler smirked as they pulled away. “Lately, I’m beginning to think there isn’t anything that you wouldn’t do, Mom.”

…

I stood in the middle of our headquarters, surrounded by my pack—my family.

Luke was rushing around, gathering last-minute supplies and sending out orders. Matt, Daphne, Lori, and Jessica lined the walls, determination etched on their faces. Tyler stood by my side, looking nervous but excited.

This was it.

We were finally going to bring Enzo home.

A soft knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts. Luke gave me an unreadable look before moving to answer it. When he opened it, I was surprised to see who was standing there: Mariah. Luke’s girlfriend, the witch.

It was rare that any of us saw Mariah, as she was often on her own, dealing with her own matters. In fact, the last I had seen her in person was right after the wedding. After that, it had been nothing but accounts from Luke’s lips, talking about various adventures and memories.

They seemed to hit it off, though; after all, they had been together for almost six months now, and showed no signs of breaking up.

She swept into the room with a stoic look on her face, her dark hair billowing around her. She walked up to me without a word and held a small vial out to me.

“Here,” she said. “It’s finished.”

I shot both her and Luke a quizzical look as I took the vial. “What is it?” I asked.

“It’s a tincture that Mariah and I—well, mostly Mariah—have been working on,” Luke explained.

Mariah nodded. “It’ll keep you from getting sick when traveling between realms,” she said. “Luke told me that you were getting sick when using portals, so I did some research and foraging and developed this. Go on, try it.”

My eyes widened a bit as I took the vial from Mariah’s hands. The liquid inside was nondescript and clear, like water. But when I popped open the bottle and took a small sip, it tasted surprisingly minty and refreshing.

Within a few moments of taking a sip, I felt my spirits lifting. It was subtle, but I could feel my shoulders pulling back, my chest puffing out, my lungs filling with just a little extra air and my entire body felt lighter, like I could jump a mile high.

“Well?” Mariah asked, folding her arms across her chest.

I couldn’t help but grin. “I feel great,” I said.

Mariah smiled ever so slightly. “Perfect; that means it’s working. Just a few drops a day should be enough to keep your spirits up, and you shouldn’t get sick anymore when you use portals.”

“Wow, um… Thanks, you two,” I said with a smile. “I don’t know how to make it up to—”

Just then, a sudden commotion from the hallway made us all freeze. Instantly, I recognized the fizzling sound of a portal opening, and I felt my heart sink. And then, before any of us could even react, the door burst open, and there stood my father—chest heaving and eyes blazing.

“Nina, you’re coming back with me!” he boomed, already reaching for me. “Enough of this!”

Before anyone could say or do anything, I was darting forward, using my small stature to slip past his outstretched arms.

“No!” I cried out. “I’m not going back!”

The room fell into a flurry of chaos. As the others watched, wide-eyed and full of shock on the sidelines, my father attempted to catch me. But what I lacked in size compared to his hulking form, I made up for with agility.

I slipped past him with ease, evading his repeated attempts to grab me and pull me back through the swirling portal. It must have been a funny sight, honestly, watching me evade my own father like a toddler on the loose, but it felt anything but funny during those moments.

Finally, I managed to slip past my father one last time, just missing his hand by a millimeter. “Just let me go, Dad!” I cried out. “I have to do this!”

My father’s eyes narrowed, and for a split second, I thought I saw a flicker of recognition there—like he was looking at someone else entirely. He reached for me one last time, and this time, he caught me by the arm.

“Selena,” he breathed. “We’re going home.”

A hush fell over the room, the weight of that single word suffocating us all. I could feel the shocked gazes of the others burning into me, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from my father’s haunted expression.

“Dad, I’m not… I’m not…”

My father stared at me for what felt like an eternity, his own eyes wide with shock from what he had said. Finally, he let out a shuddering breath and released his grip on my arm. He took a staggering step backwards, as though he’d been burned.

“Nina, I’m… I didn’t mean to… It’s just…”

“It’s okay,” I breathed. “But dad, I’m not her… And I’m sorry about what happened to her, and I wish it didn’t, but… keeping me cooped up forever won’t bring her back.”

There was a long, palpable silence after that. We all watched as my father, the great and hulking Alpha King, slowly sank down into one of the chairs and buried his face in his hands. I glanced at the others, especially Tyler, before I stepped forward and touched my dad’s shoulder.

“You remind me of your mother, you know,” he whispered through his hands, his voice muffled. “All of her intelligence and grace. Yet somehow, both you and your sister inherited my stubbornness.”

I squeezed his shoulder, blinking back the tears that threatened to spill over. “I just… I have to do this, Dad,” I whispered. “Please understand.”

For a moment, I thought he might protest again—that he might try to lock me away to keep me ‘safe’.

But then, his shoulders sagged, and he nodded slowly, looking up to meet my gaze.

“Go to Mila’s palace first,” he instructed, his tone reluctantly resigned. “Infiltrate and get Enzo out, so she can’t hurt him. I’ll gather backup and follow close behind, and then we’ll take her out. But Nina…”

He gripped my shoulders, his gaze boring into mine. “Be careful. I can't lose you too.”