HAPPY EARLY HALLOWEEN!

AND SORRY FOR THE LOOONG WAIT!

Dedicated to RrakshiithaA for all your that amazing review you wrote for Unconditionally and also just for being the incredible reader, supporter and person you are!

A huge shoutout for your amazing support and lovely comments. Thanks hon!

PLEASE DO NOT COPY MY WORK!

(QUITE A LARGE PORTION OF THIS CHAPTER IS IN ITALICS. IF ITS DIFFICULT TO READ, PLEASE LET ME KNOW AND I'LL CHANGE IT BACK TO THE NORMAL FORMAT)

This chapter is unedited so please excuse the grammatical errors. Enjoy!

_____

RECAP

"What the hell?!" Annabelle cried out, confusion and fear filling her face, "What's happening?! I just used magic! But I'm not- I'm not a witch. HOW?! How am I using magic?!"

Not just any magic. Prophecy's magic.

Annabelle was using Prophecy's magic.

And that meant...

Both I and Prophecy looked at each other, our eyes wide and filled with shock.

"INTERCESSION!" Rino, I and Prophecy cried out together before our eyes immediately zeroed in on the door behind Prophecy.

The door where Megan was.

Megan Houston was the Luna of Intercession!

Without wasting another second, Prophecy lunged at the door, pushing it open, and the minute she stepped inside, she shouted in panic,

"ALPHA! SHE'S GONE!"

****

Suzzanah's POV

It was her!

My eyes were wide in blatant disbelief as I gawked at nothing in particular, the inside of my head feeling like a chaotic mess.

All this time...it was her. It was Megan.

My vision blurred and my hearing dimmed as my body momentarily seemed to shut out everything around me. I felt like an amnesia patient who had suddenly regained her memories, and everything that had been seemed like a disorderly wreck until just a few seconds ago, suddenly made perfect sense.

Megan was the Luna of Intercession

But she was also...

A Shadower!

Clutching my forehead, I collapsed onto the chair behind me, unable to believe what was happening here. As though it wasn't bad enough to discover that there was one Shadower within the Royale territory, suddenly there were now two!

Just a second after Cole had broken the news of Megan being a Shadower to us, Zuerien had mind-linked us telling us that she was the Luna of Intercession.

And that she was missing.

She's running...

Again...

Marco, Zuerien's confident, strong voice sounded loudly in my head through our collective mindlink, Create a maze for Megan right now. Make it large enough to span the entire resort territory.

Okay

Marco immediately stood with his legs slightly apart, his brow furrowed in concentration. He clasped both his hands together a little distance in front of his chest, such that both his index and middle fingers remained straight and pressed together, while the rest of his fingers were intertwined.

He seemed like he was about to begin creating the maze when Zuerien added firmly,

And Marco...make it an Absolute Maze.

Marco's eyes widened in surprise before he nodded to himself determinedly.

Understood, King.

Marco closed his eyes and immediately, a transparent bluish glow began emanating from his body. Waves of translucent and mystical power seemed be flowing out of him in waves and I knew that his mysterious powers were currently at work.

Despite my state of complete befuddlement, I managed to mind-link, A-Absolute maze?

An Absolute Maze is one of the Alpha of Mazes' ultimate powers, Alpha Penson told me, Unlike the usual mazes created by Alpha Marco which capture people in a world of extremely real seeming illusions, an Absolute Maze is an actual barrier. It is an impenetrable barricade that works somewhat like an invisible wall. It prevents everything inside the maze from getting out, or everything outside the maze from getting in

I looked at Marco in awe as he continued, And unlike his usual mazes, when it comes to an Absolute Maze, there are no illusions involved whatsoever. It's just a barrier, and there are no magical tricks to disguise the presence of the Maze.

My eyes widened as he added the last part, So be it a human or a Supernatural, if they got trapped inside of an Absolute Maze, they would definitely know it. They would know that a paranormal power was at work, and that it was directed at them

I gasped softly as I realized what that meant. They weren't hiding anymore. Zuerien and the others weren't hiding their supernatural powers from Megan anymore. They had no need to.

Because Megan already knew everything!

I held my head in my hands, not knowing what to do now. The things I had been dreading most had happened. Megan was a Shadower, no-!

The Luna of Intercession was a Shadower!

And that meant...

My head shot up, my eyes wide in shock as a horrifying thought came to my mind.

"Will you kill her?" I choked out the minute Marco opened his eyes and the glow around him disappeared.

He immediately looked at me, his brow furrowed.

"Will you all...kill Megan?" I asked him and he cringed, hesitating.

"Marco!" I exclaimed in shock and he ran a hand through his hair, "I don't know Queen, I don't know"

"But-But you can't!" I said, feeling panicked, "She's Intercession!"

"That's the only reason why the King is still trying to remain calm", Marco told me, "But when we find her, and I assure you we will, I don't think there is any guarantee that the King will let her live, even if she is Intercession"

"No..." I breathed out in shock, "Zuerien wouldn't kill her. He wouldn't kill her"

"Queen, there are some things which will always outweigh others when it comes to making hard decisions", Marco told me, "Megan is Intercession, but she is also a Shadower. A Shadower who is very evidently hiding her true powers from us"

"I'm sure she has her reasons!" I said.

"Which will be heard", he said, "But that doesn't mean they will be enough to justify her being here"

"But why?" I said, feeling utterly helpless, "Megan is innocent!"

"Queen you can't let yourself be blinded by your kindness right now", Marco told me, "We have to be rational here because from everything we have discovered so far, it is obvious that Megan isn't even that innocent. She had been playing games with us all! Hiding her true identity from us. Entering our territory even though she knew it was forbidden!"

"But she hasn't done anything wrong!" I exclaimed.

"Really Queen?" he said, his face turning grim, "She used her Shadow to let another Shadower watch you"

"She used her Shadow to help me!" I said firmly.

"But that doesn't necessarily prove that she isn't involved with Terrence Magnifis", he told me, "And until we become completely sure that she isn't working with him, we can't trust her"

My fists clenched in aggravation as all the memories I had of Megan suddenly flooded my mind. All the times she had helped me, the times she had supported me, the times she had laughed with me, the times she had...been my friend!

I couldn't forget it. I couldn't just forget it all just because she was a Shadower. To me, what she was wasn't important. It was who she was that was important.

Who she was to me...

"Suzzanah...please be okay"

The sincere words I had heard her mindlink me when I was locked in that dark wardrobe resounded in my mind and determination welled up inside of me.

Megan...

"Please stay here Queen", Marco said, turning to leave the room, "I've called for Annabelle to come and guard you. I'm going to go help the King look for Megan"

"I'm coming with you", I told him, making him stop abruptly in his steps and turn around again.

"You've got to be kidding me", he said, "No"

"Yes", I said, "I'm going with you"

"I can't take you with me Queen", Marco told me, "The King won't approve"

"It doesn't matter", I replied, walking towards him, "I'm coming and that's final"

"Queen, please understand. This is no time to be stubborn!" Marco reasoned with me, "You're still injured"

"I'm fine", I told him, "I can't just sit around and do nothing while you guys do all the work. Especially not when Megan could actually be killed at the end of all this!"

"She will only be punished for the wrongs that she has done", Marco told me.

"And if there are none?" I asked.

"Megan is hiding, Queen", Marco said, "Why would she hide if she hadn't done anything wrong?!"

"Because she knows that there are people here who won't believe her even if she told them she was innocent", I replied, "They'd kill her just because she is a Shadower"

"Because she's dangerous!"

I shook my head, "She isn't to me"

Marco's exhaled a defeated breath and his shoulders slumped as he stared me, incomprehension welling in his blue eyes.

"Why Queen?" he asked me softly, "Why do you trust her so much?"

Why?

Because...of who she is...to me

I took a deep breath, letting all the memories I had of her etch deeply into my mind, before replying unwaveringly,

"Because she is my friend"

****

The minute Marco and I stepped outside the cottage, a strong cold wind crashed into us hard. I shivered before wrapping my arms around myself and looking up at the sky wide-eyed.

The clear bright sunny sky from this morning had now turned dark and stormy, thick clouds weighing it down heavily. The wind was frosty and everything was tinged in an ominous grey. It was so dark and gloomy outside that it looked more like nightfall than the middle of the afternoon.

"What's going on?" I asked worriedly, "Is Rino alright?"

"He's fine", Marco replied, "The King told him to do this"

My brow furrowed, "Zuerien did?"

Marco nodded, "The light from the sun strengthens Shadowers by allowing them to cast stronger and darker Shadows", he told me, "By blocking the sun, a Shadower's powers can be weakened, especially if he or she isn't very strong"

Walking down the stairs, he added, "Megan is currently hiding from us, and the easiest way for her to do so is by taking on her Shadow form. But without the sunrays, she won't be able to maintain that form for too long"

Shadow form...

I frowned, letting the new information sink in and followed Marco as he made his way towards the cobblestone pathway.

The minute I took a step forward, all the Werewolf guards who had been stationed around the cottage bowed deeply, making me cringe in discomfort. Now that they all knew that I was Zuerien's mate, it was mandatory for them to respect me.

And though ordinarily I would have smiled and told them to not bow to me, after what happened with me this morning, I couldn't bring myself to want to converse with any of them whom I didn't know.

I couldn't help it, but my wounds were still open. The words those werewolves had said to me as they beat me and mocked me were still very fresh in my mind.

"You're nothing but a dirty gold digger. A weak, pathetic leech! Just the sight of your kind makes me want to throw up!"

"You weak lowlife humans have no place in our society!"

"Don't you show you face anywhere near Alpha Royale, you weak worthless piece of shit"

I squeezed my eyes shut and swallowed down the pain that those memories brought me. I had forgiven those people, knowing very well that Zuerien had probably punished them far more than I could even imagine.

But I couldn't forget. Not yet.

I couldn't forget it all just yet.

"Queen?"

I opened my eyes to find Marco looking at me worriedly, "Are you alright?"

I hadn't even realized it, but I was clutching my chest and breathing heavily. My hands were trembling slightly just from the memory of that terrible ordeal and even when I tried to, I couldn't get them to stop.

"I-I'm fine", I replied, my voice coming out feeble and unconvincing.

"Queen", Marco said, concern etching into his features, "Please just stay here. You're in no condition to be running around right now"

"I'll be alright Marco", I told him, hugging myself tighter, "Let's get going"

Marco didn't seem to believe me, but still nodded dejectedly. Just then a large light blonde wolf came running out of the woods towards us and I immediately recognized him.

"Cole", I said as he came to a stop in front of us.

He looked at the warrior wolves who had been guarding the cottage and jerked his head to the side. They immediately nodded to him and dispersed.

"Go with Cole, Queen", Marco said to me, "I'm going to the borders to ensure that the Absolute Maze I put up is secure"

I nodded and he added in aggravated, "And for heaven's sake be safe, will you?"

I smiled, "I will"

Exhaling heavily, he gave Cole a nod and raised his hand in goodbye to me before hurrying into the woods and disappearing between the rows of trees.

I turned to Cole whose large blue wolf eyes immediately softened on looking at me.

You sure about this? He asked me, The Alpha won't be happy

I nodded, "I'm sure"

Nodding his large head, he lowered himself onto the ground.

Then hop on

Taking a deep breath, I quickly climbed onto his back, ignoring the pain in my side. Once he was sure I was steady, he stood up. His blonde wolf was nearly as large as Kai, as I could feel his powerful muscles ripple underneath me.

He turned his head to look at me, concern shining through his blue eyes.

Okay?

Inhaling deeply, I bent down, clutched his neck and nodded.

"Okay"

****

The cold wind assaulted my skin and wildly ruffled my hair as Cole's large wolf- Wade- tore through the darkened and misty woods. It was eerily quiet in the woods despite the fact that a lot of Werewolves were on the lookout for Megan right now.

I hung on tightly, barely even able to keep my eyes open against the force of the wind and Cole's incredible speed. He was taking me to Zuerien, who I knew wouldn't be happy to see me, but I needed to talk to him. I needed to ensure that he wouldn't let anyone hurt Megan.

You're very protective of Megan for some reason, aren't you Luna? Cole asked me and I stared at the back of his head.

She's helped me in a lot of things, I told him, It's only right I return the favor

But that's not all though, is it?

I sighed and shook my head, In a way...I feel like we're a lot alike, Megan and I. I can understand what she must be going through

Cole's wolf briefly turned his head to look at me before turning back to look ahead, waiting for me to go on.

I sighed and said quietly, I know what it feels like to be hated for being different

Wade's muscles tensed underneath me and he slowed his pace ever so slightly.

I'm sorry Luna, Cole said and I shook my head.

Please don't be, I'm not blaming anyone, I told him, Megan is my friend. And even if its small, I want to hold onto the hope that she is a good person. I...trust her.

Cole didn't reply and for a brief minute we fell silent. But just as I thought our conversation had come to an end he spoke up again.

I'm sure she feels it, this unconditional trust of yours

Completely taken aback by what he had just said, my gaze shot towards him in surprise.

In the CCTV footage that I and Talon found of her, Cole told me, she seemed like she too was in pain. John was right. She could feel your emotions, just like all of us Werewolves could.

I gasped, fisting his fur tightly as he continued, But you know what really surprised me? It was the fact that despite seeming to be in pain, she still sent out her Shadow to look for you.

My eyes widened slowly as he told me, In the footage, when her shadow detached from her body, she was kneeling on the ground and looking extremely weak, and a few minutes after her Shadow had left, she passed out. But despite being unconscious bodily, her Shadow...still managed to help you.

Megan...

My eyes suddenly stung with unshed tears as my heart welled with emotion. I knew it. I knew I could trust her.

I don't know exactly what kind of a bond it is you feel with Megan, but I think she feels it too Luna, Cole told me, And if I can...I'd like to believe it too, that Megan is in fact, a good person.

I smiled at Cole wholeheartedly, Thank you Cole, I told him.

You don't have to thank me Luna, Cole told me, Believing isn't something that has ever been hard for me, his voice softened, But I hope you know that the Alpha is very different from you and me. He has suffered an irreplaceable loss in the hands of the Shadow people. He won't be convinced easily.

My smile immediately faded and I lowered my head, I know Cole, I replied quietly, I will never blame Zuerien for his way of thinking, nor will I force him to change, because he isn't wrong. But as far as I can, I will try fight for what I believe in, without hurting him

Cole exhaled a quiet laugh, The Alpha is lucky to have a mate like you who understands him so well

I watched him fondly, He's even luckier to have a Beta like you who is always looking out for him

That's what friends are for, right? he said and I immediately thought back to Megan and smiled softly.

Right

As Cole's wolf ran through the rows of thick, fog-laden trees, something extremely bright in the distance suddenly caught my eye and I turned to look that way. My eyes widened when I realized that it was a huge red-orange bonfire burning brightly in between a hedge of tall trees.

I stared at it as we sped past it, wondering why there was a fire burning so deep in the woods with no one around it. While I was still wondering what that was about, I suddenly found yet another blazing bonfire burning a considerable distance away from the earlier one, surrounded by the thick mist.

And then another.

And then another.

What is going on?!

I stared in confusion at the many mysterious blazing flames that seemed to strategically decorate various parts of the grey, foggy forest. On closer observation, I had also noticed that the very bonfire seemed to only be burning within a constrained area, never crossing its invisible hearth to engulf the tall trees around it.

It was as though some unseen force was keeping them in check, keeping them contained.

That's...not normal...

"Cole, what's with the bonfires?" I shouted out loud, trying to be heard over the sound of the wind.

They're the Alpha's flames, Cole told me, They're meant to lure Megan's shadow out

"What?" I asked in utter puzzlement, "How?"

Speak via mindlink Luna, Cole told me and I nodded, Right now, Megan is probably hiding in her Shadow form. But with the sun gone and no other form of artificial light available, she won't be able to maintain that form for too long without approaching a light source to rejuvenate

My brow furrowed, So...we provide her with a light source to lure her out? Isn't that just too obvious?

Obvious or not, soon she won't have a choice, Cole told me, The day will only get darker from now on. In the end, she will either have to approach the fire to strengthen herself or risk changing back into human form and being seen

But I don't understand, I said, I thought you guys told me that supernatural Shadows can't go into the light or they will be destroyed

Oh supernatural shadows and a Shadower's Shadow form are two different things Luna, Cole told me, When we say 'Supernatural Shadow' we are referring to a Shadower's shadow alone. But when we say the 'Shadow form' of a Shadower, we are talking about the Shadower as a whole and not just his or her Shadow.

I frowned, not understanding, and thankfully Cole chose to elaborate without my questioning.

When a Shadower lets his or her human body blend with that of their supernatural Shadow's, it's called taking on a Shadow form or Forme d'ombre, he told me and I remembered Alpha Penson having told me about this last night, after I had seen that shadow underneath the table at the archery field.

Taking on a Shadow form is an extremely powerful technique because in their Shadow forms, the Shadow people are nearly invincible, Cole went on, They can mold their bodies to take up any shape, blend into any darkness, slip out through the smallest of crevices or cracks, just like their Shadows can

He turned his head to briefly glance at me again and added, That's probably how Megan managed to escape from the changing room at the infirmary without anyone knowing, he told me, She could have just slid out from under the door in her Forme d'ombre and no one would have noticed

I squinted in the fog, So how do you tell whether what you're seeing is the actual Shadower in his or her Forme d'ombre, or merely just the supernatural shadow of Shadower? I asked.

If it's just a supernatural Shadow and not the Shadower itself, then it won't be able to directly expose itself to a light source- like sunlight for example, he told me, A supernatural Shadow can't go into the sunlight or it will get destroyed. But if it's a Shadower in his Shadow form, then it won't be harmed by the light. On the contrary, it will probably get stronger.

Somehow, that felt like a lot to take in. The more I learnt about these Shadow people, the more I felt like they were impossible to defeat. But then I remembered Alpha Penson's words from last night.

"Alpha...are the Shadow people...invincible?" I had asked him, and he had replied with a,

"No..."

They weren't invincible, but they were pretty darn close to being so.

Shuddering slightly, I watched yet another large, mysterious bonfire slip into my peripheral vision. I looked around to see if anyone was watching the flames but I couldn't see a thing in the thick fog.

There are so many of the bonfires, I said to Cole, How are we going to know if she does approach one of them in her Shadow form? I can't see anyone keeping an eye on the flames

There are people watching Luna, he assured me, You can't see them because they're very well hidden. But even if they miss her, it'll be fine. Marco has a small maze cast around every bonfire. If Megan passes through one, he'll know

I nodded before asking hesitantly, And if one of those people watching finds her before Zuerien, Marco or you do...will they hurt her?

No, Cole told me, They are under strict orders not to hurt her, only to capture her and present her to the King immediately

I bit my lip worriedly, And how did the rest of the Werewolves take the news of the Luna of Intercession being a Shadower? I asked him quietly.

We haven't told them that she is the Luna of Intercession yet, Cole told me, making my eyes widen, Just that she is a Shadower who needs to be found immediately

A strange heaviness tugged at my heart at the thought of what would happen when they did find out, but I shoved that thought to the back of my mind, not thinking about that now. There were more important things we needed to think about now.

It had been a while since we had entered the woods but there was still no sign of Zuerien. I was about to ask Cole how much farther away he was when my mind suddenly clouded and the now familiar feeling of a new mindlink being established obscured all my other thoughts.

Suzzanah, it's me, Alpha Penson's voice filled my head, Where are you?!

My eyes widened and I clutched Cole's fur tightly, Uh...why? I asked.

Because I'm in Alpha Zuerien's cottage right now, and you're obviously not, he replied worriedly.

I gasped, You're back!

Yes, I am. Now where are you?

I cringed, I'm in the woods

WHAT?!

-with Cole, I added quickly, He's taking me to Zuerien.

Suzzanah, Alpha Penson didn't sound pleased, Why are you so reckless? You're still injured! I wanted to see you and make sure you're alright

I am alright, I swear, I told him, But I couldn't just sit in that cottage and wait for Megan to be found. I was afraid that the Werewolves would...

I stopped short and the Alpha sighed, That the Werewolves would hurt Megan, he completed and I hummed quietly.

Suzzanah, you need to get back to the cottage immediately! Alpha Penson told me firmly, and I was disturbed by how urgent his tone sounded, You shouldn't be in the forest! It's dangerous!

What?

Cole's pace faltered and he slowed down slightly, before looking around and speeding up again.

I-I don't understand, I said to Alpha Penson, You've never been one to discourage me from venturing into the woods Alpha, so why now? Is it really because of Megan?

YES! Alpha Penson replied hurriedly, Come back right now!

Alpha, Megan won't hurt me, I told him trying to hold on as Cole's pace faltered once again, She isn't dangerous

You're wrong Suzzanah, Alpha Penson's tone turned cold and hard, Megan is dangerous. She is very dangerous

My heart rate sped up as a wave of fear suddenly washed over me at the sound of the Alpha's grave voice. Had it been anyone else, I would have told them that they were worrying for no reason, but when it came to the Alpha of Wisdom, I couldn't say that.

Because there was always a reason.

Is it because...she is a Shadower? I asked quietly.

Suzzanah, it isn't the Shadower part of her that I'm worried about! Alpha Penson told me, Megan is only half Shadower. But the other half of her isn't human either!

WHAT?!

A-Alpha, I don't understand-

I just spoke to Prophecy, Alpha Penson told me, And she told me that though very faint, there was definitely an evident presence of magic in the room from which Megan disappeared

My breath caught in my throat at the exact time that Cole's large wolf came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the woods.

Magic...that meant-

Suzzanah, Megan is a witch!

Something's wrong

My eyes shot towards Cole's wolf's head when his tense voice suddenly filled my head, interrupting Alpha Penson's mindlink. His wolf was looking around frantically, his blue eyes filled with confusion and apprehension.

"Cole, what's wrong?" I asked anxiously, bending closer to his head. I was still feeling slightly dazed as I tried to let the new information about Megan being a witch sink in.

Luna, we're not moving forward, Cole told me, his voice low and wary, I've seen that tree at least three times in the last 5 minutes. Something's wrong, we're going around in circles!

I nearly fell off his back on hearing his horrifying revelation. WHAT?! Tension flooded my veins and my mind felt completely muddled, unable to understand anything.

A-are you sure?! I breathed out, feeling panic slowly flooding my body.

I'm sure, he told me cautiously, his eyes keen and observant, ears sticking up in the air, We've been stuck on the same stretch of land for the past several minutes. If we hadn't, we would have crossed the heart of the forest, the Sequoia forest, the library and maybe even reached the Alpha by now

Oh God, no!

W-what does this mean? I asked him, clutching my chest worriedly.

Cole's wolf sniffed the air before taking a few steps forward, towards the tree closest to us. Bending his head close to the roots and then scanning the area around us, his muscles tensed underneath me.

Magic, he growled out making chills run down my spine, It's a spell. We're stuck in some kind of magical territorial loop which has us going in circles

L-like in Marco's mazes?! I asked bewildered.

No, he replied, taking careful steps ahead, Marco's mazes are illusions and they keep changing. This is more like some sort of magical portal which keeps sending us back to a distant part of the forest every time we cross a particular point

I exhaled a ragged breath before gasping out, Its Megan!

Cole's wolf's head whipped towards me, his eyes portraying confusion.

I gulped, Megan, she's a witch Cole!

His eyes widened, What?!

Alpha Penson just mind-linked me, I said, he said Megan is half Shadower and half witch!

Bloody-!

His wolf immediately tensed, his powerful legs crouching slightly, claws digging into the wet ground underneath us as though in anticipation of an attack.

I hurriedly tried to mindlink Alpha Penson again and the minute I did, his worried voice filled my head,

Suzzanah! Are you alright?!

Alpha, we're stuck, I told him, looking around nervously as Cole's wolf scanned the surroundings keenly, We're trapped in some sort of magical spell that's making us go around in circles. We aren't moving forward at all!

A territorial loop, Alpha Penson breathed out gravely, Its Megan's doing. Cole! he said, now including Cole in our mindlink, Bring Suzzanah back immediately. The spell is preventing you from moving forward but it probably won't hinder you from coming back

Understood Alpha, I'm bringing her back now, Cole said, his wolf turning around.

COLE! SUZZANAH?!

Both I and Cole's wolf cringed in unison, Shoot!

Z-Zuerien, I stammered even in my head.

Where the hell are you both?! he shouted, making Cole turn and look at me with troubled eyes.

Alpha, we're in the woods, Cole replied.

WHAT?! You brought my mate into the woods?!

It wasn't his fault-

I know you must have asked him to do this, Zuerien snapped, cutting me off, But Cole should have known better than to give in to your demands! And what the hell were you doing while they ventured into the woods Marco?!

Hey! What was I supposed to do? Marco cried out, I couldn't help it! I'm not in the habit of saying no to beautiful women!

MARCO-!

They couldn't refuse me Zuerien, I'm their Queen, I told him, Besides, they were trying to get me to you!

Cole, I want Suzzanah out of the goddamn woods right now! Zuerien growled out, ignoring my comment.

I'm on it

WAIT! Alpha Penson's voice filled all our heads, Cole, which part of the forest are you in right now? Which territory

Cole's wolf looked around, The Western territory

And according to you, what is the farthest limit you could go to before getting sent back through the territorial loop spell, to a location you had already crossed before?

TERRITORIAL LOOP?! Zuerien and Marco cried out in shock.

That's right, Alpha Penson said, there's a spell on the part of the forest that Cole and Suzzanah are in right now

But wait...who-

Megan, Cole , I and Alpha Penson replied to Marco's incomplete question, she's a witch

Bloody hell! Zuerien roared in rage, Are you freakin kidding me?!

Prophecy told me that she could sense a very faint aura of magic in the changing room from which Megan disappeared, Alpha Penson said, It was almost unnoticeable. She only picked up on it after examining the room for several minutes after you left to look for Megan outside, Alpha

But if the magic was that faint then it couldn't have been a teleportation spell, Zuerien said, What other spell could she have used that would allow her to escape with the use of such little magic?

Probably the same spell she used that day outside Prophecy's cottage, right after Suzzanah's soul was teleported to Canada, Alpha Penson provided, Which was why I sensed magic, but it was too faint to have been a teleportation

Damn it! Cole said, And after we had inspected all the witches at the Games and realized that none of them were the Luna of Intercession, we had given up on the idea of Intercession being a witch.

That was our very first mistake, Alpha Penson said, But it's too late to worry about that now. Cole, about what I asked you earlier...

Oh right! Cole replied, his wolf's eyes wandering our surroundings, I think the farthest point to which I can go on Western side without getting teleported away, is about a few hundred meters from the heart of the forest.

The heart of the forest...Alpha Penson repeated, Alright. Alpha Zuerien, where are you right now?

I just reached the Sequoia forest in the Eastern side of the woods, Zuerien replied, So far, I haven't noticed any magic or territorial loop

Okay, keep moving forward towards the heart of the forest and keep a sharp eye out in case you suddenly get teleported to a distant spot that you've already crossed before, Alpha Penson said

And have someone approach the heart of the forest from the Northern and Southern sides of the woods as well, to check for the limits on those two sides, he added, That way we can determine the boundaries of her territorial loop spell. The area enclosed by those boundaries is probably where she has chosen to take refuge

I'll take the Southern side, Marco offered.

General Reginald is on the Northern side, Zuerien said, I'll mindlink him about this immediately. In the meantime, get Suzzanah out of the woods Cole

Cole's wolf picked up his pace and I held on tightly as he cut swiftly through the thick eerie mist.

But there is one thing I don't understand John, Cole said, Megan is a Shadower, so why would she need to use magic to escape the changing room? It would have been easy to use her Shadow form to just blend into the background and slip out unnoticed

That's actually something I've been wondering as well, Cole, Alpha Penson said, Ms. Houston is a smart girl. She obviously anticipated that we would discover her Shadower identity soon, but I don't understand why she would use magic and disclose her identity as a witch too. If she hadn't done so she could have used her magic as a secret weapon

Shouldn't we be happy she didn't think things through that thoroughly? Marco asked, sounding annoyed, She screwed up a little and that worked in our favor. Now that we know she is a witch, we know what to expect!

Perhaps, Alpha Penson said, sounding unconvinced, But something just doesn't seem right. The only magical spell that would have allowed Megan to suddenly vanish from a completely closed room, is a teleportation spell. But that requires a lot of magic and Prophecy barely sensed any magic at all in that room, so it couldn't have been a teleportation spell Megan used to escape

My brow furrowed in confusion as I tried to figure out what Alpha Penson was trying to get at.

So what I think is that Megan probably did use her Shadow form to escape, like Cole suggested, Alpha Penson continued, And the magic she used wasn't meant for escape purposes but for something completely different

Like what? I asked nervously.

I'm not sure, Alpha Penson replied pensively, But I'll bet you anything that it's something very important, especially if she was willing to disclose her secret identity of a witch for it

I closed my eyes, trying to figure out what exactly Megan was thinking. I could understand why she was hiding, she was obviously afraid because she knew about the Werewolf-Shadower enmity, and how werewolves do not tolerate any Shadower on their territory. But if she knew then why did she choose to get employed in a Werewolf headed organization? Why did she choose to come to the Games this year?

Megan had joined the Royale Industries branch in Sydney 6 months ago, long before Zuerien ever discovered that I was his mate, so even if she was involved with Terrence and the other Shadowers, her purpose for joining the Royale Industries couldn't have been anything related to finding or capturing me, as most of my companions seemed to think. At least, not initially anyway.

And there was also the question of how Megan has never emitted any Supernatural aura, she had been human until just this morning! How had she done that? Why had she done that? What was the real story here?

Damn it! Zuerien's aggravated voice filled my mind again, halting my troubled thoughts, John, there's a problem

What is it Alpha? Alpha Penson asked him immediately.

It's that you miscalculated, John

General Reginald's voice resonated in our heads and my eyes widened at his sharp tone. Alpha Penson didn't reply immediately, but when he did, his voice was cold.

Reginald

John

My brow furrowed in confusion at the cold greeting exchanged between both Zuerien's teachers. What was going on?

Care to explain yourself? Alpha Penson asked stiffly.

Gladly, General Reginald replied in a taciturn manner, I found another territorial loop in the Northern part of the forest, but it's nowhere near the heart of the forest. And Del just informed me that he has located a territorial loop close to the edge of the border, near the cottages. So it means that it isn't necessary that she is hiding in the heart of the forest

She's cast multiple spells all over the forest to ensure that we can't easily pin-point her exact hiding spot, Alpha Penson said thoughtfully, taking in the new information

Damn, damn, damn! Marco growled out in frustration, This Megan chick is a bloody smartass! What do we do now? The woods are too vast for us to go around searching every nook and cranny for her Shadow form!

She can't maintain her Shadow form forever, Zuerien said, So she has probably picked a spot in the woods which would provide her shelter even when she is in her human form

I agree, Alpha Penson replied, and since Marco hasn't felt her pass through any of his mazes, she is probably not moving around right now, but is stationary. She's hiding in a place which she doesn't think anyone will think of looking for her in, and even if they do think of it, they won't be able to get to it thanks to these spells of hers

Well she won't be able to hide forever, Zuerien growled out determinedly, I've already had our pack wolves gather all the witches and wizards present here at the Games, including Prophecy and Rino. They're going to try and break these territorial loops that Megan has so painstakingly created to try and protect herself

Megan is a smart girl, Alpha Penson said grimly, I'm sure these spells are just an attempt to buy time so that she can think of a plan to escape. We need to figure out where she is hiding before she finds a different spot to take refuge in or changes the limits of her territorial loops to further confuse us

Isn't there an easier way to do this? Marco asked, Because this way of finding the limits of her spells from every direction is taking too damn long!

We don't have any other choice Marco, Alpha Penson said, We can't just guess where she may be hiding, can we?

Guess where she may be hiding...

As I clung tightly to Cole's wolf as he flew across rows of thick trees, I thought back on what Cole has told me the minute he had noticed the presence of a spell on the forest, on what he had told me,

...We would have crossed the heart of the forest, the Sequoia forest, the library and maybe even reached the Alpha by now!

Wait a minute...

Megan most likely isn't hiding in places which are crowded, or places where a lot of Werewolves are looking right now, Alpha Penson said, so that rules out the Game Grounds, the restaurant, the pool, the cottages, the hospital and the gym, and once again points more towards the woods

What about the orphanage? Zuerien said suddenly, What if she's hiding there?

She isn't, General Reginald replied, I had the orphanage evacuated and thoroughly searched, and it's still being guarded right now

I released a silent breath of relief on knowing that the children were safe and my thoughts returned to Cole's words, or more specifically, the places he had mentioned.

We've checked the abandoned training hall where the Queen had been locked up this morning, Marco said, She isn't hiding here either

My heart constricted painfully at the thought of that hall and that dingy wardrobe and Zuerien let out a low growl. Cole's pace faltered and exhaled a sharp breath, clinging on tighter, trying not to think about this morning's torture.

Megan, concentrate on Megan!

There are plenty of buildings within the woods where she could be hiding, General Reginald said, searching them all really will take too long, especially because we will have to search even tiny boxes, trashcans, cupboards and what not!

There is no way Megan knows all the buildings within the woods, Alpha Penson said, Pressed for time, she probably chose to hide in the one building she knows best

And how, pray tell, are we supposed to know which one that is, John? General Reginald asked, a hint of irritation in his voice.

Last night, while under Alpha Zuerien's Absolute Command, she verbally told us that she never saw any animals in the woods, Alpha Penson said, So even though that doesn't tell us how deep into the woods she was able to go and how much she was able to explore, it does imply that she chose to stick to more isolated parts of the woods, where not many wolves patrol or gather

Isolated parts of the woods...

Think Suzzanah, think! What do you know about Megan that no one else does? What do you know that could give you a clue of where she could be hiding?

I thought hard about every conversation I had ever had about Megan. She was an incredibly quiet person who preferred being by herself and didn't like crowds. Her father was in the military. She often took walks by herself, and she had told us that she did go into the woods too, a couple of times. She had once met Tony in the woods.

What else? What else?

I told Rino to go through Megan's things, Zuerien said through mindlink, He just called me and said he didn't find anything out of the ordinary

What exactly did he find? Alpha Penson asked while I continued thinking hard about Megan.

Clothes, one pair of spare shoes, a small first aid kit, and- Zuerien halted, before growling in exasperation, Rino will you please concentrate! I don't want to know the story of that book!

My eyes went wide and I gasped- that it! BOOKS! The one thing Megan seemed to love doing most! Reading! She was always reading!

Apparently she has a shit load of books in her luggage, Zuerien said irritably, A few of which that fool Rino really likes

Cole's wolf slowed down and I sat up excitedly and cried out, WHAT BOOKS?!

Everyone fell silent before General Reginald said, I commend your enthusiasm my dear, but this doesn't seem like the time to be worrying about Megan's taste in reading

No! I exclaimed, shaking my head, What books as in, are they her own books? Does she own them or are they-

Library books! Alpha Penson finished my sentence, That's brilliant Suzzanah! Alpha, tell Rino to check if they are library books

Rino, are they library books? Zuerien asked immediately and I held my breath, waiting for a reply.

Megan was always reading. There was always a new book on her bedside table. And her luggage, I had noticed, had been just as small as mine, so she couldn't really have brought that many books with her.

And yet, it seemed like she had endless supply of books! Also, she had told me that she had met Tony in the woods when he had a lot of books in his hands. He had probably been returning from-

THEY ARE! Zuerien cried out, They're all library books! And guess what, they're from our library in the woods!

YES!

I immediately recalled the places Cole had mentioned earlier one more time, the places we were supposed to have crossed.

The heart of the forest

The Sequoia forest

And...

A place protected on all sides by her territorial loop spells! One that no one could get to!

THE LIBRARY!

That's where she is! I cried out excitedly, Megan's hiding in the library!

The minute I said those words through mindlink, Cole's wolf Wade came to an abrupt halt. An alarmed shout escaped my lips as I was almost thrown off his large body. My hands fisted his fur tightly and his head immediately turned and his body curled to support my frame, preventing me from falling off.

What?! Suzzanah! What happened! Are you alright?! Zuerien cried out worriedly.

I was still gasping for breath, unable to answer when I saw the tense expression in Cole's wolf's eyes as he stared ahead of us.

"Cole", I breathed out, "What's wrong?"

Another one, he breathed out, It's another territorial loop. This one hadn't been there before

That means it was cast a just few minutes ago! Alpha Penson said, his voice rising, Cole, Megan is preventing the two of you from leaving the woods!

Zuerien's thunderous growl resonated in our minds and he shouted, Where? Which part of the forest are you trapped in?!

Before Cole could reply, something burst out from behind the tree closest to us and grabbed both Wade's hind legs before pulling him hard. I screamed in alarm as my body slid off his back and I hit the ground hard. Pain flooded the side of my body and I whimpered out loud, clutching my side.

A loud growl escaped Wade's mouth as his body was hauled backwards powerfully and flung onto the large pine tree on the other side.

My eyes went wide in horror, "COLE!" I yelled as the large wolf's body crashed into a pine tree so hard the tree trunk cratered and broke.

It took less than a split second for Wade to get back up on his feet and rush towards me.

LUNA! LOOK OUT! He shouted.

My alarmed gaze immediately zeroed in on the dark force that had attacked us and I gasped in shock when I saw it lunge at me, its black tentacles outstretched.

SHADOW!

I cried out in shock trying desperately to get away from it, but just before it could grab my leg, Wade blocked the Shadow's path, tearing into its pitch black body with his claws and teeth.

The Shadow wrapped its dark appendages around Wade's muzzle and legs only to have them torn off by his sharp claws. It seemed like even though the Shadow wasn't strong enough to win against Wade, it also wasn't taking too much damage. Whatever Wade severed from its shapeless form, it simply regenerated within a second.

And I clutched my chest in horror realizing that Megan was doing this!

LUNA, RUN! Cole shouted hurriedly, GET TO THE NEAREST BONFIRE!

Gasping for breath I immediately scrambled to my feet and dashed towards the closest fire, ignoring the pain in my side. I could hear Zuerien and the others calling out to me and Cole through the mindlink but I was too freaked out to reply. Suddenly, I heard an ear-splitting growl fill the air before the dark Shadow suddenly appeared in my peripheral vision and dove towards me.

I threw myself on the ground, barely avoiding its outstretched limbs. But before I could even move I felt something wrap tightly around my ankle and tug me away from the fire into the mist.

I screamed as my body was dragged against the mud and gravel, kicking my legs furiously, trying to get the Shadow off me. Wade was by my side in a flash, ripping the Shadow away from my ankle. He flung the dark creature towards the blazing flames but the creature emitted a shrill cry before barely dodging the fire.

Wade tore a thick branch off a nearby bush with his teeth and set it aflame before lunging for the now retreating Shadow. He flung the blazing end of the branch in the Shadow's face and this time, the raspy cry of fear that it emitted made my heart nearly stop in terror.

MEGAN!

It was Megan's voice!

Wade roared and thrust the burning branch into its dark arm and I cringed as a sizzling sound like that of scorching oil filled the air, followed by a high-pitched pained cry.

Jumping to my feet, I was about to shout 'Don't hurt her' to Wade when suddenly the dark shadow dashed to the side and slid past Wade's large frame. A terrified gasp escaped my lips when it dashed across the dark grass, slithering at an incredible speed and coming right at me!

I jerked backwards in panic but my limbs slipped in the wet dirt, making me fall to my knees. And the minute my head shot up, the dark Shadow was upon me, its body stretched out like a dark sheet to capture me. My heart stopped beating and my breath caught in my throat as Cole's shout filled my mind,

LUNAAA!

A burst of bright light suddenly surrounded me, encircling me on all sides making an inhumane cry escape the Shadow's dark lips. A wave of immense heat hit my body all at once and I watched in shock as a wall of flames engulfed me, shielding me from the dark creature.

My eyes went wide in recognition, a wave of relief washing over me,

ZUERIEN! He's controlling the flames

The flames flew at the Shadow making it jump backwards, away from them, only to be trapped on the other side by Wade's enormous form. Now cornered, the Shadow's head whipped from side to side, trying to find some way to escape.

But just as we thought we had it trapped, in front of our very eyes, it suddenly disappeared.

WHAT?!

Wade dashed towards the spot where the Shadow had been standing just a second ago before both our eyes darted everywhere in search of it. It hadn't slipped away like it had been doing all this time, it hadn't moved at all. It had just vanished!

Its Magic! Cole said via mindlink, The Shadow was teleported away! But how? Supernatural Shadows cannot be teleported alone if they aren't attached to their caster!

The flames around me died away and Wade was by my side immediately, making sure I was shielded while we searched the area for where the Shadow may have gone to. There were no traces of any dark abnormally motile shadows anywhere for a few seconds, till suddenly it appeared again, a few feet in front of us.

Wade immediately lunged at the dark Shadow which looked like an absolute replica of Megan's frame. And when it didn't even so much as budge from its place, my heart rate immediately spiked in alarm.

But before either I or Cole could realize our mistake, a powerful energy burst forth from right behind me and out of nowhere a pair of hands shot out and wrapped themselves around my body in a vice like grip.

A pair of human hands.

Familiar red locks floated in my peripheral vision making my heart stop in shock. And my lips parted in a silent scream as I was hauled backwards into a dark magical portal behind me, by none other than the Luna of Intercession.

Megan...!

Having realized that the Shadow was just a distraction, Wade lunged in my direction to save me. But he couldn't make it in time and the portal closed the minute my body had been dragged into it.

The last thing I saw before the darkness engulfed me, were Cole's bright blue eyes, staring back at me terrified.

The last thing I felt was an overpowering wave of immense guilt.

And the last thing I heard was my mate's desperate voice crying out to me,

SUZZANAH...!

****

A/N

Hey my darlings!

How are you all?

I know I've been MIA for too long, but I couldn't help it. Exams are killing me. I have another two weeks of exams starting from tomorrow *sigh*

I know this chapter isn't very long but this is all I could manage given my schedule. I really hope you liked it!

A HUGE THANK YOU to all those of you who sent me best wishes for my exams as well as get well soon wishes. I'm feeling much better now.

If you enjoyed the update please do VOTE, COMMENT and SHARE!

Next update, really not sure but hopefully sometime in November lol

Until next time

All my love

Angel

P.S HAPPY EARLY HALLOWEEN! I HOPE YOU GUYS HAVE A CREEPYLIOUS HALLOWEEN THIS YEAR!