bChapter /bb176 /b

Erys POV

bAs /bsoon as we step through the portal back to our pack, the air bes colder as I realise I failed her. None of it though eases the ifire /ithat’s burning ins my veins right now. My skin still burns where the mark was on her neck, and my muscles shake from exhaustion and fury all at once it’s twisting together, making it harder to focus, and I can feel my magic slipping from my control. The other step through and everyone’s face is grim, it’s like they know there’s no hope left, but there is, there has to bel

Their silence is heavier than any battle wound anyone could inflict on me right now, it’s like they’ve given up.

“Close it,” my father orders as soon as everyone is back through. His voice carries no softness right now, only hismand. “Eryx, close the portal, right now. It’s too dangerous to leave it open after everything.”

I hesitate for half a breath, the instinct to argue tight in my throat. I know that he’s right though, that pack is going to prepare for war right now and the portal will make it easier.

I lift my hands, focusing through the rage and the raw agony that is still wing at my chest. I find the other end, the one rooted near Wesley’s pack, and sever itpletely. That end now leads to nothing. It opens to nowhere. I force it closed, choking off that connection before they can use it against us.

If I close it, we’re back to the start.

“Other side too,” my father says, his voice sharp as a de.

“I know.” My voicees out strained, but I force the magic to respond. My body aches from the strain, but I push through it. Focusing I build a barrier around it, and then a veil as well. Before lifting the veil, I focus on the portal and make it appear it shatter. Then I quickly throw the veil up to hide it.

Satisfied, I let my hands drop to my sides, breath heaving as sweat beads along my brow. I can now use it to get someone else quickly if needed.

“Done.” My voice cracks, but I know it’s not true. “The other end’s gone. No one cane through.”

I don’t‘ need to look to know my mother is ring at me. I can feel the weight of it. “It’s still here,” she whispers, stepping closer. “I can feel it. It’s hidden, but it’s here.”

I meet her eyes and shake my head slowly. “Of course it’s here. I didn’t destroy the portal itself. Only closed the far end. Right now, it’s nothing but a door that leads nowhere.” I can’t close it! They don’t understand how important this is for me.

“You’re trying to leave it open,i” /ishe uses softly, though her voice trembles, unsure. I know she doesn’t like to use me, but it’s the truth, so she doesn’t need to worry about hurting or upsetting me right now.

“I’m leaving it ready,” I correct, my throat tightening. “If we find where Rnd’s taken her, we’ll need it. We don’t have time for days and days of travel. Not when every second could be the difference between finding April alive or finding her toote.” I look from her to my father. “Please, just let me keep it up, no one can use it, please,” I beg.

My father steps forward, his face lined with exhaustion but also understanding. “Is it safe, Eryx? Right now. Is the portal safe?” he assks.

I nod once, firmly. “It’s locked down. It leads to nothing until I choose otherwise. No one can use it, all that will happen is you walk straight through it, it won’t go anywhere!”

Silence stretches for a long moment, the only sound is my ragged breathing and the distant rush of wind through the trees. They need to agree, bI /bbwont /bremove it, not entirely. They can’t force me to either. It’s not right, it’s wrong. They know it is.

My father sighs, then nods. “Fine. As long as it’s safe, it stays. But we need to focus.” He nces between me and my mother, his jaw tight. “bLet’s /bge inside. We need to figure out where that bastard could have taken her.”

bI /bbturn /bwithout waiting and walk toward the pack house, every step heavy with dread butced with the need to move and to bact/bb. /bbMy /bbparents /bfall in bbehind /bme, along with the guards, though none of them speak as we cross the grounds. We’re all too aware of the weight of what we’re walking binto/b.

We have to find her, there’s no other choice right now. We find her, and if she refuses to ept me, if his im is btoo /bbdeep/b, I will buse /bbforce/bb. /bbI /bbdon’t /bbwant /bbto/bb, /b

bbut /bbif /bbshe’s /bloyal to a rogue purely because of the im, I will ensure it is removed.

When the heavy doors of the pack house swing open, I don’t pause. I take the familiar turns, leading them straight into the war room. We’ve got bh? /bb?c bto /bwaste, we have to find her, now, not tomorrow, not next week, now, I don’t care how many rogue settlements I have to travel into balone/bb, /bI will find her

The air inside the war room is colder, and sharper. The long table waits, maps already scattered from past conflicts, but none of those wars mattered, not like this. How can they, those wars aren’t ripping away my mate and trying to destroy her.

“Okay,” my father says without waiting another minute. His voice is hard and clear as he stands at the head of the table. “We need every possible location. That means every den Rnd’s ever

sed before. Every hideout, or even packs that he has used before. We need them all”

I swallow hard as I move to stand beside him, staring at the maps like they might hold the answer. But I know it won’t be enough. I know Rnd isn’t hiding her anywhere familiar.

Not after what he’s done, not after what he ns to do.

Standing beside my father, I stare down at the maps that are still sprawled across the table. It’s like a nightmare wing at my chest, the lines are dram in ink and blood from past wars. This should get me answers, and help me find her but I’m inot /isure. I’m still hopeful, but I know enough about rogues to know they move, constantly.

My mother’s hands are already moving, smoothing out creases in the parchment, her jaw set tight. She says nothing at all, she just waits for my father to

continuè.

“Okay, let’s ensure we have a list of every ce he could be. Everyone start, pick a section and begin to list them.” My father looks between everyone. “If he’s using one of his old routes, we will find him.”

“He won’t be,” I mutter before I can stop myself. “He’ll know we’re searching.”

“Maybe so, but we still have to rule them out, because if we’re wrong, you won’t like it,” my father snaps, his eyes flickering to me. “You don’t go hunting by assuming you know. You check everything. Because if you fail and it turns out he is at the one ce you said not to check, you will hate yourself.”

I bite back what I want to say, because I know he’s right. It doesn’t stop the fury building under my skin, though. Every second we spend talking feels like a second lost. I want to destroy it all, just rip apart everything until I find her.

I don’t care how many rogues and packs I have to face. I’ll burn it all down until she’s back with me.

“Okay, get marking them,” my mother says softly breaking her silence atst. She steps forward and rests a hand on my shoulder, but removes it quickly and goes to help pinning the ces. “He’ll need somewhere that is isted, somewhere she can’t run from.”

I swallow hard and nod ionce/i, forcing myself to focus.

“Rnd rarely stayed anywhere more than a week,” my father continues as he moves around the table. “He knows how to disappear. He doesn’t care aboutfort, only privacy and control.”

Which limits where he can go but doesn’t solve it.

“He’ll keep her somewhere she can’t scream,” I say tly. Rogues won’t care, but he won’t want to share her, and if they hear her, they will expect to

share her.

My words silence everyone.

After a moment, my father sighs, scrubbing a hand down his face. “I still have contacts. Rogues who owe me favors. I can call them and passed through their territories.”

I blink, shocked enough that I look up from the map. “You still have rogue contacts?” Why would he still have contact with rogues?

Rnd’s

His jaw tightens. “I was living with rogues before I brought your mother to this pack, Eryx. Those ties don’t vanish just bbecause /bbI /bbstepped /bbaway/b. I bwas /bbstill /bseen as the most ruthless rogue despite not really being one.”

15:47 Thu, 17 Jul

“Why didn’t you say that sooner?” I demand, voice cracking.

“Because they won’t answer if you’re the one asking. They fear me, owe me, not you.”

My throat closes, but I nod. He’s right and as much as it kills me, they trust him, not me.

“Right, I’ll start now,” my father says as he moves toward the old desk at the other side of the war room. I can see it’s not something he wants to do it’s clear he hates calling on old debts, but he’s going to do it. For me, and for April. I guess after how he treated my mother, now he feels like he has to help save April.

“Each den he hasn’t been to, we cross off,” my mother says, stepping beside me. “Every one we rule out brings us closer.”

“And if he’s not in any of them?” I ask, my voice hollow.

She doesn’t answer. I hate that, I hate that she doesn’t have an answer.

I grit my teeth. “Then I find every unmarked den and tear the ground apart until I find her,” I say, seen as no one else has an answer for me.

My mother ces a hand on my arm, but I pull away. It’s not from anger, more from desperation because I can’t have her touching andforting me right now when I’ve no idea what is happening to April and she has no one tofort her.

“I’ll find her,” I whisper to myself.

Because if I don’t, no one will, and I won’t stop until there’s nothing left to burn down.

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