Page 14 of Wolf Revealed

It was a place we all knew, a tranquil haven not far from Magic Mountain, nestled amidst the verdant greens of the forest. Our father often took us there as children, where the flowers that only bloomed under moonlight flourished along its shores that we had recently learned were magic.

Mira's eyes flashed as she seized this new piece of information. "Alright," she said, her voice stronger. "Hold on, everyone."

Closing her eyes, she centered herself, her hands moving in the familiar pattern that opened her transport portal. The air around us shimmered and twisted, and a feeling of vertigo swept over me.

In an instant, the lushness of the rainforest gave way to the cooler, danker surroundings of a vast cavern. We were standing near a placid lake, the soft glow of moonflowers illuminating the darkness. But the beauty of the sight was marred by the scary scene that greeted us.

Dane was sprawled on the ground, unconscious, his usually vibrant eyes closed, his face deathly pale. My heart pounded against my ribs, and a quick look at my sisters confirmed they were equally horrified.

"Dane!" Jezebel gasped, rushing forward to kneel beside him.

"Where's Petra?" Mira asked, her voice filled with concern.

I scanned our surroundings, but there was no sign of our sister. A cold knot of dread settled in my stomach. One look at my sisters' faces told me they felt the same.

"Petra," I screamed, a sense of foreboding washing over me.

Our joyous break in the rainforest seemed like a distant memory, replaced by our situation's harsh reality.

"Petra," Bastian breathed after a quick search of the cave. "is gone!"

Chapter Seven

Aching Absence

Artemis

When Dane's eyes fluttered open, the urgency in his gaze caught my attention. I leaned in, anticipation coursing through me. "What happened?" I asked, my voice trembling with concern.

"It was Petra," Dane began, his voice filled with a mix of worry and disbelief. "She knocked me out... she wanted to go after Kadence herself. We had seen her sneaking through the woods, so we retreated to the safety of the cavern."

I felt a sudden rush of awe and apprehension as my heart skipped a beat. We'd been worried that Kadence might have reached the top of the mountain, and now we had confirmation.

Dane shook his head. "Despite my attempts to reason with her, to convince her to wait for assistance, she couldn't bear the thought of our loved ones alone to fight off Kadence."

"But Dane, attacking Kadence and her pack alone... it's a suicide mission," I protested, my voice filled with worry for Petra's safety.

Dane nodded, his eyes reflecting the concern he felt. "I tried to convince her, Artemis. But she couldn't just sit around and do nothing. She didn't want to wait for help."

A mixture of pride and fear washed over me. Petra's bravery and determination were undeniable, but I was petrified by the thought of leaving Petra to face Kadence with only our mothers and a handful of shifters as protection.

As we absorbed the weight of Dane's revelation, a stunned silence fell over our small group. It was uncharacteristic of Petra, the level-headed and strategic thinker, to rush headlong into danger without a plan. But our mother, Luna, was in jeopardy, and Petra's love for her had propelled her forward.

"We can't wait any longer," I spoke up, my voice laced with determination. "We have to save Petra and our mothers. But how?"

The reality of our situation settled heavily upon us. Clearly, Kadence had already established her dominance over the mountain, and we were severely outnumbered. Charging in recklessly, as Petra had done, would only lead to our downfall.

Gathering inside the cavern, we sought solace and a momentary respite from the chaos. We huddled together, our minds racing as we tried to devise a plan that would give us a fighting chance.

With her innate magic, Mira possessed the potential to create a diversion, distracting Kadence's pack while the rest of us attempted to rescue Petra and our mothers. But doubts and concerns seeped into our discussions, casting shadows over the plan's viability.

"It's too risky," someone voiced their apprehension, their words echoing the unspoken fears in our hearts.

Mira's eyes burned with determination. Her voice tinged with vulnerability. "We can't let fear paralyze us," she asserted. "If we don't take this chance, we'll always wonder what could have been."

Mira's words resonated with us, stirring a flicker of hope amidst the uncertainty. Though the plan had flaws, we couldn't afford to let fear hold us back.

Amidst the deliberations, a collective realization dawned upon us. We needed more than our small group. We needed strength in numbers, a united front against Kadence and her pack. It was clear that we had to gather the shifters from our father's fractured pack, rallying them to join us in an attack against Kadence at the mountain's summit.

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