Victoria
The ditation room was bathed in soft, amber light when I entered. Carson had outdone himself—potted plants lined the walls, creating a miniature indoor garden. The scent of earth and green things filled the air, instantly calming my frayed nerves. In the center of the room sat a plush ditation cushion surrounded by a circle of small river stones.
"Will this work?" Carson asked, hovering uncertainly by the door. His usual confidence had given way to awkward curiosity.
I smiled, already feeling the plants reaching out to my consciousness like curious children. "It’s perfect. Thank you."
After he left, I settled onto the cushion, crossing my legs and resting my hands on my knees.
"Ready, Ava?" I whispered.
*We need to find them,* Ava’s thoughts flowed into mine. *The pack needs its Alpha.*
I closed my eyes, breathing deeply as I had in the nexus chamber. "Show how," I murmured.
I felt Ava’s instincts guide , drawing from ancient mories that seed to belong to neither of us but to sothing older, sothing that ran in my blood from my mother’s lineage. I extended my awareness outward, past the potted ferns and succulents in the room, seeking the wild green things beyond the compound’s walls.
At first, there was nothing but a jumbled chorus of disconnected sensations—sunlight on leaves, water moving through stems, roots pushing through soil. I felt myself growing frustrated, my concentration wavering.
"Focus," I whispered to myself. "Rember what it felt like in the nexus."
I thought of the chamber with its glowing crystals, the way the ancient tree had reached for , recognized .
Sothing shifted. The cacophony of plant voices began to organize itself, like an orchestra tuning before a performance. I felt my consciousness expanding, flowing outward along invisible green pathways that connected every growing thing in the territory.
"Show ," I breathed. "Show Enzo and Aurora."
Images flickered through my mind—sunlight through canopy leaves, mist rising from forest floors, underground root systems spreading like neural networks through soil. I pushed further, guiding my awareness toward the northern mountains where Marcus’s territory lay.
Suddenly, I felt it—the strange, artificial environnt of the mining facility. Plants grew there too, albeit stunted and struggling in the harsh industrial landscape. Moss clung to damp tunnel walls. Determined weeds pushed through cracks in concrete. A single, pitiful tree stood in what must have been a break area for miners.
Through the eyes of these botanical witnesses, I began to piece together fragnts of recent events.
The moss had seen them—Aurora and Enzo, bound and blindfolded, hustled through the tunnels by ard guards. The moss rembered the vibrations of their footsteps, the scent of their fear.
The weeds in the courtyard had witnessed vehicles arriving—black SUVs with tinted windows and the Crimson Claw insignia barely visible on their sides.
And the lonely tree had stood sentinel as Marcus himself had exited one of those vehicles, barking orders to his subordinates: "Take them to the main compound. I want full security. No one approaches without my direct authorization."
The main compound—not the mining facility where we’d found the blood. They had been moved to the heart of Crimson Claw territory.
I pushed harder, trying to follow this trail of botanical mories, but the distances grew too great, the connections too tenuous. I felt myself straining, reaching beyond my capabilities.
*Careful,* Ava warned. *We’re new to this power.*
But I couldn’t stop now. I pushed further, stretching my consciousness along the green network, searching for any plant life within Marcus’s main compound that might have witnessed our targets.
Pain lanced through my head as I overextended. The ditation room spun around , even behind my closed eyelids. Still, I pressed on, desperate for confirmation that Enzo and Aurora were alive.
I tried to see more, to catch a glimpse of my brother or stepmother, but the strain beca too much. Pain exploded behind my eyes, and I felt myself falling backward, losing my connection to the plant network.
"Victoria!"
Leo’s voice cut through the darkness. Strong hands caught before I hit the floor. I blinked, disoriented, to find myself cradled in his arms, his face tight with concern.
"How long..." I croaked, my throat painfully dry.
"Four hours," he answered grimly. "You weren’t responding to knocks, so I ca in. Found you like this."
I struggled to sit up, wincing as my head throbbed in protest. "I found them," I managed. "They’re alive. Marcus has taken them to his main compound, not the mining facility."
Leo’s eyes widened slightly, the only indication of his surprise. "You saw this? Through plants?"
"Yes." I accepted the water bottle he offered, drinking greedily. "The plants rember things, Leo. They witnessed Enzo and Aurora being transported from the mining facility to Marcus’s main compound. And I heard Marcus himself say they were to be kept alive and unhard—at least until I arrive."
Leo’s jaw tightened. "So it’s definitely a trap for you."
"Yes, but now we know where they are and that they’re safe for the mont." I rubbed my temples, trying to ease the pounding headache. "Marcus is planning so kind of binding ritual. He ntioned needing the right moon, preparing an ancient circle."
"The Dark Moon," Leo said imdiately. "It’s the traditional ti for forced bonds. When the moon is completely dark, a wolf’s resistance is at its lowest."
"When is the next Dark Moon?" I asked, dread pooling in my stomach.
"Ten days from now." His expression darkened. "We need to move quickly."
He helped to my feet, steadying when I swayed. "You pushed too hard," he admonished, though his voice was gentle. "This new ability—you can’t master it overnight."
"I had to know," I said simply.
Leo sighed, brushing a strand of hair from my face. "Always so determined. Co on, the others are waiting for your report."
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