Page 162 of Cursed Bonds: An Alpha's Destiny

He winced and shied away, but quickly grinned. “Ouch, that hurt. Like a bee sting.”

“Sorry,” I muttered and reined my magic back in, touching Jace’s medallion around my neck to steady myself.

“Okay, everyone,” Jace said as he stood. “Let’s move. I want most of you to shift and take the forest paths to Scottsdale. You’ll get there a few minutes before we arrive in the vans. Move.”

Most of the others rushed outside, shifting as soon as they hit the yard and sprinting into the forest. Jace, Tinsley, and I hopped into one van with Carter sitting beside me while Dustin, Shayna, and Ivy took the second. Tank followed behind in a truck as an extra vehicle to get Tinsley and me back once the vans headed for the new pack lands. As we drove down the driveway, the last rays of sunlight ducked behind the mountains, casting a reddish-orange glow on the horizon. It looked like the sky was on fire. Again, my magic pulsed out, crackling in the air.

Tinsley put a hand on my shoulder while we took the turn to get on the highway. “You need to mask that. Any shifter will smell you coming a mile away.”

“I haven’t learned how,” I said, my voice rising an octave.

“It’s easier than you think,” Tinsley said. “Imagine a heavy box inside your mind, then imagine a massive ball of energy. The ball is your magic, and the box is your way of locking it away until you need it. Close your eyes and try.”

Doing as she asked, I closed my eyes and visualized a pulsing, buzzing ball of energy—fire, electricity, and water, all writhing together as a globe. My breathing steadied as I concentrated more, and eventually, a heavy chest appeared in my mind’s eye. It looked ancient. Steel bands encased it, and a heavy latch on the top kept it closed.

The visualization seemed so real that when I reached out to grab the magic orb, I almost expected to feel it in my hands. I didn’t—it was still all in my head—but I urged myself to believe it. When I tucked the ball into the chest and slammed the lid shut, a new silence filled my mind. There had been a constant hum of power running through my head ever since I gained access to my powers. I’d become used to it. Now, the silence in my head was strange.

Opening my eyes, I smiled at Tinsley. “Did I do it?”

She was looking at me strangely. “Uh, yeah. That was… really fast. You didn’t even struggle with it.”

My cheeks felt warm as I shrugged. “I guess I’m a fast learner.”

“You got that right,” Tinsley said, settling back in her seat.

Jace kept his eyes locked on the road, knuckles white as he focused on getting us to Scottsdale. Carter had my arm in a death grip as we hurtled along the highway. Total darkness had fallen by the time we got to our agreed-upon meeting place: an old and decrepit single-wide trailer tucked deep into the woods on the highway about a half mile from Eren’s pack lands.

So far, we hadn’t encountered any of the Scottsdale Pack members on the highway. That was good. It meant Eren had them guarding the direct entrances and they weren’t fanning out too far from the town. A cluster of wolf shifters awaited us as we pulled into the driveway, parking behind the trailer to be somewhat hidden from the road.

When Jace got out, the shifters all morphed into their human forms. Langston came straight toward me, eyeing Carter.

“Hey, buddy,” he said, bending down to his level. “You want to piggyback? It’ll let Kirsten here run faster if you do.”

Carter glanced at me, worry written in his eyes. “Will you still be close?” he asked me.

“I will,” I said. “I promise.”

“Okay,” Carter said dubiously.

Jace stepped forward, pointing to people and separating them into teams. “Waylan, take Tinsley with you, Dustin, Shayna, Noah, and Hollis. Langston, you and Kirsten will go with me, Ivy, Reese, and Abigail. The other enforcers stay here to guard the vans and keep a lookout. I don’t want us rushing back here only to get caught in an ambush at the cars. Got it?”

The others nodded curtly, all eyes intent with purpose. At this moment, Jace was in charge. Pack allegiance and hierarchy had been pushed aside for the common good.

He winked at me. “Stay close?”

“Always,” I said.

Grinning, he looked at the others. “All right, everyone. Remember what this is for.” He pointed at Carter. “Kids. Innocent children. That fucker is torturing them to the brink of madness.” He pressed his thumb into his chest. “I, for one, will not let that happen. We do this for them. No matter what happens, we get them out. This is not a mission for cowards. If you want to back out, do it now.”

No one made a move. They kept their eyes on Jace, every face ready and willing to do whatever was necessary.

He gave a quick nod. “Let’s move.”

With silent and eerie speed, he shifted, then ran into the forest. Several others did the same, though a few, like Langston, stayed in their human form. Carter clung to the huge man’s back as we sprinted into the forest, the two teams breaking off once we were in the woods.

Stephanie had told us where to meet her and the kids. We’d broken into separate groups to ensure at least one team made it to them. Waylan’s group headed northeast while I followed Jace on the southeastern trail.

The shifters were all going much slower than they normally could have. Tinsley and I were both witches, but that didn’t grant us supernatural speed. If there was a spell for foot speed, I hadn’t found it yet. Even with the shifters going so slow, I was panting by the time we got to the outskirts of town.

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