Larkin stood in the shadows, away from everyone else, watching and listening. I felt a flash of regret go through me. Had I made the right decision to have her come with me? I needed her help, but look at the world I'd brought her into. A world where she didn't belong.
Everyone in the clearing was quiet, and most were wounded, tired from the battle, and covered in ash. Some looked like they couldn't quite believe this had happened, and others were obviously heartbroken. The attack had been so unexpected and brutal, leaving us all shell-shocked. My mate bond tugged me toward Jordan, who was still unconscious a few feet away. This is his fault.
“We lost so many,” I whispered to Kaden. He met my gaze, and his eyes were haunted. I couldn't imagine what he was feeling after being brought back from death only to be thrown into another desperate fight for his life.
He clenched his jaw. “There's nothing we can do for the dead right now. What matters is getting everyone who survived back to safety. The fire is going to consume this area soon, and we need to get everyone up and moving quickly. We don't know where the enemy packs went, or if any Sun Witches are waiting in the shadows to pick us off.”
I looked around the group of remaining shifters. Getting them to move quickly would be impossible in their current state, and we'd left our cars back by the cabin. Kaden was right—this would be the optimal time for the Sun Witches and the Leos to make their big move to take us out. We had to get out of here somehow—and there was only one safe way to do that.
"I have an idea, but I don't know if it will work," I said, though the thought of it exhausted me even more.
Kaden gave me a skeptical look. "Why do I not like the sound of that?"
"Just gather everyone over here," I said, before walking over to Larkin. "I need your help."
She hesitated, her eyes wide. "With what?"
"I'm feeling a bit drained and I need a lot of power for this next bit—can you help somehow?" I asked.
She nodded. "I can do that."
"Good." I let out a long breath. "This might be the only way we're getting out of here alive."
She gulped at that and immediately called forth the moonlight into her hands, then shot it at me. Power filled me up like water pouring into a cup, and I drew upon my own connection with the moon too. There were soft gasps as I started glowing and people gathered closer around us, especially once Kaden called everyone over.
Once I felt like I held as much power as my body could hold, I let it out like a breath. The entire clearing became covered in moonlight, shimmering in the twilight gloom. Many of the shifters reached out to touch it, and I closed my eyes and focused on transporting us away. I visualized the Ophiuchus pack's hideout in Canada, trying to spin up the image from memory and hold it in my mind's eye as clearly as possible. I'd never transported myself this far, let alone with a group of people, but I'd also had my full magic unlocked and spent months training to use it and grow stronger. I just had to believe it would work.
With a rush, I felt the power take hold of my intention, and there was a huge pull to my gut. I almost lost grip of the magic as a wave of exhaustion washed over me, but at the last second I was able to hold onto it, and then we were gone.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
I opened my eyes to a glimpse of the Ophiuchus hideout as we all arrived, but then my vision swam. The moment the spell was complete, my knees went weak, and I stumbled forward a few steps. Every single lesson Kaden had taught me about falling rushed through my mind as I tried to land gracefully, but I never hit the ground. A pair of big, strong arms encircled my waist, halting my swift descent, and then I was held against a muscular chest. I gasped, everything still spinning, and sagged gratefully into Kaden's arms.
He pulled me tighter against him with a low, protective growl. "That was reckless."
"No, that was necessary to save our people," I said with a small smile. It must have worked, or he wouldn't be so annoyed with me. I basked in the feeling of his body against mine, so solid and real. I laced my hands together behind his neck and snuggled closer to him. “I thought I'd lost you."
He tightened his hands around my waist. “It's time you finally told me what's going on."
We had so much to talk about, and we needed to get the injured shifters cared for, and we all needed a good night's sleep. But before any of that happened, we needed to talk about our next steps, and what we planned to do.
“I'll tell you, but it's a long story, and the other alphas and betas should be here for the discussion. What I have to tell you will affect everyone.”
"Fine, but I expect another report later...once we're alone." He set me down, making sure I could stand before letting me go.
The door of the alpha's cabin burst open, and Stella came running out. A few other Ophiuchus shifters gathered around us, trickling out from their own cabins at the sound of the new people outside.
Stella skidded to a halt in front of us, eyes bright. As she looked at the state of everyone, she frowned and then turned to us. “What happened?"
I stepped forward and hugged her, unable to stop myself. I hadn't realized just how much I'd missed her until she was here in front of me. “I missed you so much."
Stella drew back and gave me a questioning look. “I missed you too,” she said. “But it's only been a few days.”
I shook my head. It was an odd feeling, knowing I'd been gone for so long, while for them almost no time had passed. "We need healing, food, and shelter for everyone here. And I need to talk to the alphas and betas about what happened."
"Understood," she said and moved away to speak to some of the other pack members.
Kaden turned to Dane, who was carrying Jordan now. “Get him tied up and put somewhere where he won't escape."
Jack joined Harper and Dane as they took Jordan away. I watched them go, but it didn't feel real. After all of this time seeing Jordan as the ultimate enemy to defeat, we had him in captivity, and Larkin would help me take the mate bond off. This would all be over soon.
"Everyone else, please join me in the cabin," Kaden said, addressing the others who had come back with us from the meeting.
Some of the others began moving inside, but before we could join them, Clayton rushed over to us. He looked harried, almost frantic, as he moved to speak with Kaden in a low voice. “We have a problem."
"What is it?" Kaden asked.
Everyone in the area could hear the conversation, but at least they all pretended to give Kaden and Clayton a moment of privacy, though I noticed the Pisces and Libra alphas lingering outside. Probably waiting to see if this new problem affected them too.
"Tanner left around the same time you did for the solar eclipse meeting." Clayton's brows furrowed. “They haven't returned yet, and they took a small group of Ophiuchus with them. Another shifter who stayed behind said they were going to the Sun Witches.”
"Tanner betrayed us to the Sun Witches?" Kaden growled low in his throat, and I felt the tension pouring from him. He was pissed and rightfully so. If Tanner had done this, he had condemned so many shifters to die, including his own pack members.