As soon as Marisol crossed the border, her bond with the Dark Moon pack crackled back to life, their connection restored.
All the messages she'd been trying to pass across from the moment she realized that she was in trouble were now relayed back to them at the speed of light.
At the same time, she could feel the concern of her Pack members.
Her mother was afraid. Her father was raging mad.
'We're coming.' She heard them say through the link.
She giggled, grinning widely as she punched the air victoriously. She'd felt so restricted and alone for the past few months, and now she was free.
Cedric watched her with a big smile. The administration she saw in his eyes when they met hers surprised her. He was looking at her like he'd somehow discovered some rare gem.
Marisol didn't feel like that, though. In the midst of all this, she felt mostly confused. She couldn't understand most of what was happening to her. All she knew was that there was a thrum of newfound energy that flowed within her.
Sometimes, it felt like it could overwhelm her, like something she couldn't control or fathom, and she wouldn't pretend and say the possibility of that didn't scare her. At first, she thought that it was caused by the activated mate bond with Cedric, but now she understood that it was her hybrid powers.
It seemed to be as old as time. It seemed like an entirely new and different entity on its own, residing within her. All of it was new and happening all too fast now. Fear of not being able to control it like how she'd done with the door churned in her guts.
Now, she needed guidance more than ever, and all she could think about was her family. She needed her mother. Nicole Hallows always had answers to every query she had. Her parents did everything they could to prepare her for that moment, yet she felt incapable and unprepared.
Just then she was wrapped in a warm embrace, Cedric's breath warm on her ear as he murmured right into it, "It's okay Princess," He said, gathering her in his arms "I'm here. You're not alone. You're not incapable, either. You're just new to all this. It's okay to feel a little overwhelmed."
His presence alone seemed to calm the storm brewing within her. Marisol would trust him with all that she had, and, right now, she trusted that nothing could go wrong so long as she had Cedric with her.
"How cute." A feminine voice cooed right next to them, startling Marisol and Cedric both. "Too bad there isn't an ongoing competition for 'couple of the year' because I'm sure you both would be taking it." she drawled, and their senses flared simultaneously.
Witch! Cedric's senses snarled as they turned to face the intruder.
Marisol frowned as she studied the woman's features. She looked to be atleast a decade older than Marisol, her eyes an odd purple as she stared lazily at them, her hair glowing an eerie white.
Cedric made to lunge at her, seemingly in attack mode at the sight of a witch, which was considered a threat, but surprisingly, Marisol stopped him with just a hand around his bicep. She had to make sure if this was a friend or a foe before anything else.
"The barrier was your creation." Marisol accused, eyes narrowed, and the witch chuckled, taking a step closer at the same time as Cedric took one in front of Marisol too, a protective arm stretching across her figure
"Unfortunately, you seem to have trumped it." She sighed, "Now I have to think of a way to make a bigger spell."
Cedric let out a growl, and she took a step back.
Marisol smirked, the witch was afraid, and she was doing a good job of hiding it.
"We both know that you can't. You'll literally die trying."
Marisol is suddenly filled with an odd sense of confidence. She couldn't explain it for the life of her, but she was convinced, for some reason, that the witch's abilities were nothing compared to hers. That seemed to calm Cedric down. His tense shoulders relaxed, but the witch's presence still had him on high alert.
The witch sighed, waving her fingers around as she spoke, "Yes, yes. You're a witch bane just like your mother and still a full witch. What an anomaly."
Marisol's smirk grows, "Yet here you are on your own will. I bet you'll offer to help me next."
The witch scoffed, arms coming to fold across her chest, "Are you drunk on all that power already? It'll do you no good to be egotistical now. I liked you better when you were humble."
Before Marisol could think of a response, the witch called out behind her, "Alpha and Luna, you can come out from hiding now."
Cedric growled, "Mind the way you talk to my mate."
Marisol could sense the fear that bubbled beneath the witch's masking spell. She could feel her trembling within, at Cedric's underlying threat, yet she carried on with her unfazed facade.
"Oh, my bad. I'm sorry, Alpha Cedric. It seems like you're back in charge. I hadn't realized it, trust me, I wouldn't have referred to your brother as Alpha."
Another growl rumbled out of Cedric's throat, his eye twitching in annoyance. The only thing stopping him from ripping the witch into two was Marisol.