Page 34 of Wolf Proclaimed

"Things to do with nature…" Cyrus began, gesturing up at the forest's canopy. "It's summer, but some of the trees are full of their fall color."

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. This was too familiar, too similar to what was happening back home.

"This isn't good," I muttered, my mind racing. If the pattern was consistent, then Mira...

"No, it isn't," Cyrus agreed, his voice heavy. "But we must be strong for the pack. For our people."

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. There was nothing left to say. I had to go back, back to Mira. I just prayed I wouldn't be too late.

A sick feeling began to churn in my stomach, a sense of unease that wouldn't release. I retraced my steps, wandering through the empty quarters that once held the women. The place felt cold and deserted, like a ghost town. It was as if they had vanished into thin air.

Remembering the day I had followed Mira to her mother's old cave, I set off in that direction. The terrain was rough, but my wolf body moved easily, covering the distance quickly.

Arriving at the cave entrance, I shifted back into my human form and walked inside, my heart pounding with a mixture of hope and dread. It was exactly as I remembered it—full of old books and potions that Gretel had left behind. But it was empty, devoid of any signs of recent habitation.

I felt a chill in my bones. Mira's strange behavior, the unexplainable happenings on my territory, the disappearance of Gretel, Luna, and the sisters—I couldn't shake off the feeling that all these were connected. A wave of fear washed over me as I thought about Mira, left behind with the pack. I had to go back. I had to find her.

As I trekked back home, the weight of the mysteries and disappearances bore down on me like a millstone. The wind that whipped around me felt colder, crueler. The ground beneath my paws seemed more unforgiving. The forest that used to sing with life now murmured with hushed apprehension.

Home. I needed to get home.

The minute I crossed the border of my territory, something felt off. The air was too still, too quiet. A wave of unease washed over me, and I quickly shifted back into my human form, my heart pounding uncontrollably.

"Mira," I called out, filtering through the surrounding trees. No answer. An icy chill of dread slithered down my spine.

I sprinted towards our cabin, my feet barely touching the ground. As I neared it, my worst fear was confirmed. The cabin was empty. Mira was gone. A shudder of sheer panic rattled through me, my knees buckling at the crushing realization.

"No," I whispered, my voice raspy with desperation. I moved through the cabin like a ghost, touching the items she had last used, her scent lingering on them, now too faint. The emptiness of the space mocked me, each corner echoing with her laughter, her whispers.

I collapsed onto the floor, my mind a whirlwind of fear and desperation. All the strange occurrences, the bizarre incidents... They all led to this moment. Gretel, Luna, Petra, the sisters, and now Mira. Gone. And something inside me, some deep, primal instinct, screamed that these weren't coincidences.

Tears welled in my eyes, but I didn't let them fall. No. I had to be strong, and I had to find her. For Mira. For us.

"Mira," I whispered into the hollow emptiness, my voice a broken promise. "I will find you."

As I vowed to the silence of our home, a terrible realization settled in my gut. We weren't safe anymore. None of us were. Something was coming. Or perhaps, it was already here. The last thought made the hairs on my neck stand up, and I shuddered.

I stood up, renewed determination coursing through me. I would find Mira, uncover the truth behind the mysterious happenings, and fix this.

But, as I stepped out of the cabin, the daunting reality of the situation hit me. I had no idea where to start.

Chapter Sixteen

Mira’s Gambit

Mira

We began far apart, scattered like wayward stars across Petra's territory on Magic Mountain. The distance meant nothing to my magic, my renewed abilities transcending such mundane barriers. I stood alone on the secluded cliff, overlooking the roaring river below, the secret spot hidden by time and nature, undisturbed by Bastian or his shifters.

Petra, my other sisters, Luna, and Gretel, didn't know I was there or were about to be swept off their feet and thrust into a reality they didn't think was possible. My heart fluttered with excitement as I extended my hands, tracing an intricate pattern in the air as I whispered the incantation under my breath. It was an old spell, a relic from a past life I was only beginning to remember.

A strange thrum began to build in the air around me, my magic humming with potential as I poured my energy into the spell. It was like casting a net, wide and thin, stretching it out across the expanses of the mountain. I could almost see the shimmer of it, a gossamer thread of magic linking us together.

In the next moment, a torrent of energy surged from me. It rushed forth like a shockwave, crossing the distance between us, invisible but palpable. I could sense the spell finding its targets, clinging to them like a magnetic pull before yanking the women from their locations.

Then, as suddenly as they disappeared from Petra's territory, they appeared beside me on the cliff, the spell's energy pulling them through time and space with barely a whisper. A soft, ethereal light faded from around them as the magic completed its work, leaving us in the shadowed seclusion of the cliffside.

Their wide eyes and open mouths told me all I needed to know. Their shock was almost palpable, the confusion evident as they took in their surroundings. They looked at me, the spot they had just been standing moments ago, and back to me.

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