bChapter 163 /b

Eryx POV

My room is quiet, which is exactly what I need. Sitting on the floor, I focus on things around me. I’ve been trying out things that my magic can bdo/b, and b! /bwant to see if I can pass strength onto others.

I know my mother gave Xander her power to help defeat someone, so maybe it isn’t limited ito /imagic. What if we can temporarily give someone strengthb, /bor something simr? Killian has agreed to this.

Although it’s easier doing it here, when I’m alone, than with him, as people will question why he’s speaking to me. The guards, betas, and such were ordered not to discuss things with me.

Closing my eyes, I reach out through my mind to Killian, and I feel it the moment I slip into consciousness. He realises as I feel the slight resistance, like he’s worried, then he realises who it is and lets me in.

Okay, focus, that’s all I need to do. I’ve done small maniption things using just my mind, so this is something I can figure out. With ball /bmy focus on Killian, I try to imagine him stronger, how he would look, the way he would move.

“Eryx!”

I jump and lose the connection to Killian.

“Mother?” What the hell just happened?

“I have been here for twenty minutes, ten minutes knocking, and ten minutes shouting your name.” She stands looking at meb, /bworried.

“Sorry, I was trying to rx and recharge. I must have dozed off,” I lie.

“I don’t believe that for one moment. Now, though, isn’t the time. Your father may not have noticed, but I did.” She leans against the doorframe and watches me, waiting for me to say something, but I say nothing.

“Eryx, the pack where April lives is four days away. You haven’t travelled for a day, let alone four.”

She’s always too smart, always got her foot just slightly ahead of me, so she uncovers the truth.

“I have other ways,” I say quietly.

Laughing, she nods. “Which I want to see and understand,” she says.

“You won’t tell Alpha?” I ask.

“You mean your father? No, I won’t, as you will do. Not right now, butter. And maybe calling him Father will make him able bto /bepit easier?b” /b

He won’t ever ept it. Whether I call him Father, Killian, or Alpha, it won’t change him. “If I must.”

“For me, please? He’s going to speak to youter and fix things. He’s epted that you’re not a child, and he agreed not to judge April based on her

father’s actions.”

He says that, but I doubt it will be the truth, Standing, I brush off my trousers. “You promise not to tell him?b” /bbI /bask, and bshe /bnods. “bYou /bneed bto /bbmake /bbhim /baware we’re going into the Hollow,” I say.

She stares at me. “Eryx.”

“You said you want bto /bsee and know how. I’m willing to share that with you, and Alp–Father–won’t bhave /ban issue as bI’m /ballowed bto /bgo bin /bbthe /bbHollow /bbwith /byou.”

I bwait/bb, /bwatching as she stares at me. b“/bbOkay/bb, /be on.” She does something with her phoneb, /bbno /bbdoubt /bbmaking /bbhim /baware bthat /bbwe’re /bbgoing /bbinto /bbthe /bbHollow/b.

09:27 bSun/b, b6 /bbJul /bGM

and I follow her out of the pack house.

i76/ib% /bS

“Your father will, at some point, realise that you can’t have physically travelled that far, so be prepared to make him aware of this secret,” she exins.

“I will, once he stops treating me like a child.”

Stopping, she looks at me. “I understand him, Eryx. Ten years ago, you were just born. It’s hard for me to ept that you’re old enough to bhave /bba /bbmate /band such, so give him time.”

We continue to walk and get to the guards. They don’t even question it, they let us through without any hesitation. It’s how it always is. If it was me alone, they would have made Killian and Garrick aware of what I was doing and made them tell my dad.

“Okay, lead the way,” Mother says as she steps back. I do. I step into the Hollow, and the magic wraps iaround /ime.

“You know this ce is powerful, right?” I ask, and she hums.

“I do know, Eryx. I watched it change over the years.”

“Well, it’s powerful enough to do many things,” I exin. “Including a cloaking spell to ensure things stay hidden bthat /bshouldn’t be seen by anyone but me,” I say.

Waving my hand, I push the magic aside, and watch the mirror ripple and hear her gasp. “Eryx,” she whispers.

“It’s fine. Had iyou /iikept /iwalking forward, you would have just continued to walk forward and nothing would have stopped you. Think of it like it’s not really here–more in another dimension.”

As the veil drops entirely, she gasps again. “What is that?”

I look at the swirling and smile. “Apparently, this ce is powerful enough to open a portal. It’s how I’ve been getting to ckmoor pack. The thing is, if I go through it, I can also keep myself connected to this side, so I feel it and hear it when you call out to me.”

“This isn’t good,” she says and turns to face me. “Do you have any idea the power this uses? The rare magic used? If it bes twisted or tainted from someone else, it could create all sorts of dangers.”

i“/iiNo /iione /ican see it, Mother. I made sure of it.”

“Did you consider it though?” she asks and watches me. “You didn’t,, did you? This thing connects two ces together. If it’s manipted, bit /bcould be a portal to the dead, to the Fae, the dragons–anywhere. And it’s here, in our pack!”

Well, ithis /iisn’t what I expected. “I thought you might be proud, say well done, because I’ve done magic that no one else ever could.”

“Not at the cost of the world. Not when this very thing could cause a war,” she whispers and walks around it, but sighs quietly. “You’re bstrong/bb, /bbEryx/bb. /bYour magic is powerful, beautiful, and unique. Well done, but your need to consider the risks more.”

Maybe she’s right, but I had to escape ithis /ice, and this was the way I could,