The streets are lit with the evening glow. A few she-wolves pass by, giggling, and one even winks at me. Before I can react, May takes charge.
'Shoo, shoo!' she shouts, chasing them away.
I try to contain my amusement, grateful for May's protective instincts. Finding my mate is the furthest thing from my mind right now. The only thing that matters is locating Nina and bringing her back home.
'Alpha Ryker said he will organize warriors from packs near here to help us free Nina and any other she-wolves he has,' Leon informs us.
'That could take hours, days even!' I growl in frustration. 'We need to go now,' I assert, my impatience fueled by the urgency of rescuing Nina.
The elderly woman laughs knowingly. 'Finding the pack isn't as simple as it sounds. There are many hidden traps, and the caves are like labyrinths. You could be lost forever if you go down the wrong one,' she chuckles with a subtle cackle.
'Couldn't you come with us?' May implores.
'I could, but I'm getting too old for these adventures,' the lady smirks.
May, undeterred, assesses her. 'You don't look a day over fifty-nine,' she smiles. 'Now hop in. You're coming with us,' May insists.
The lady's smile widens, and she nods, taking her place beside May in the back seat.
Curiosity gets the better of me. ‘What’s your name?’ I ask the lady over my shoulder.
'Mabel,' she responds with a wide smile.
'I'm...' I begin.
'Magnus, May, and Leon,' she interrupts, surprising me.
'How do you know that?' I ask suspiciously.
Mabel ignores my question, pointing up ahead. 'Take the second left from there,' she instructs Leon.
Following her guidance, Leon takes the left turn and drives for about twenty more minutes.
'The rest of the way will have to be on foot. No car gets through those trees,' Mabel informs us, gesturing towards the dense woods.
Leon pulls over, and May retrieves a backpack from the car and stocks it with snack bars and water bottles.
'Alpha Ryker wants us to wait for backup,' Leon reminds us.
'We need to find Nina and at least assess the situation first. If it's not safe, then we will wait for backup,' I decide, and everyone nods in agreement.
Once we enter the woods, Mabel picks up a thick, long branch. ‘You will all need one of these,’ she says.
Leon questions her, 'What for?' as Mabel skillfully uses her branch in front of her as if she were blind. A snap resonates through the air, and Mabel pauses with a triumphant smile.
'This is why,' she says, revealing a log tied to a rope that swings down, narrowly missing her by inches. May, visibly surprised, exclaims, 'Woah!'
Mabel instructs us, 'Use the branches to activate any traps. Stop as soon as you hear any sound. Then you can continue around the activated trap.'
Impressed by her cunning approach, Leon quickly grabs a branch for himself and May.
I survey the surroundings and find a perfectly placed branch on the ground. Just as I reach for it, Mabel yanks me back. I watch in shock as wooden spikes shoot up from the ground, exactly where I had just been.
'Not that branch,' Mabel smirks, revealing the rope tied around it, and kicks it. Sharp wooden spikes eject from the ground. It dawns on me that picking up that specific branch would have triggered the rope, causing the spikes to penetrate my chest. I choose a less conspicuous branch and begin sweeping it across the ground before me, following Mabel's lead. It becomes clear that Mabel has been here before. She knows the terrain well, navigating the hidden traps with familiarity.
'This way,' Mabel says, once again guiding us through the intricate trails of the woods. I roll my eyes, feeling a sense of impatience creeping in. At this rate, the pack warriors will likely reach the destination before we do. Mabel catches my eye and bursts into laughter.
'What's so funny?' I ask, somewhat worried as if she could read my thoughts.
'Nothing, nothing at all,' she replies with an amused glint.
May, who has been walking beside me, suddenly exclaims, 'There's a cave over here!' She points towards a seemingly inviting opening.
'Not that one, dear,' Mabel interjects.
'But it looks safe, and there's plenty of light,' May protests.
'Ah, to be young and naïve,' Mabel chuckles.
'And what is that supposed to mean, lady?' May retorts.
'It means you're young and dumb, my dear,' Mabel replies casually, eliciting a suppressed laugh from me.
The expression on May's face is nothing short of priceless.
'Why, you old crone!' May, indignant, reaches for a stick to throw at Mabel.
Leon intervenes just in time, grabbing May's wrist. 'May, she's old. You know to respect your elders,' he admonishes her.
'But she started it!' May pouts.
'I don't care. You are proving Mabel to be right, acting like a child,' Leon scolds her sternly.
'Well, I am only sixteen, Dad. Technically, I'm not an adult, so I'm only acting my age!' May retorts.
Leon rubs his head. 'The day you find your mate, I'll be worried for him. That's for sure,' he comments.
'Dad! How can you say that? You're just as bad as the old crone!' May shouts.
Leon raises his hand to silence May. 'Shh, do you hear that?' he says.
May halts her tantrum, and we all listen intently. 'No, what do you hear, Dad?' she whispers.
'I hear silence, and that's all I want to hear. Now be quiet so we can focus on finding your sister,' Leon instructs.
Once again, I'm forced to cover my mouth to stifle a laugh. May glares at me, and I maintain a straight face, although a mischievous smirk lingers. Meanwhile, Mabel wears a grin as wide as the Nile River, thoroughly enjoying the interplay between the father and daughter.
We follow Mabel in silence until she halts in front of a dark and foreboding cave entrance. 'The other cave looked much more welcoming than this one,' May whines.
'You wouldn't last five minutes in that cave, dear. Looks can be deceiving. This one here may be dark and gloomy, but it leads to the rogue pack,' Mabel says with an air of certainty.
Leon, opting for enhanced vision, shifts into his wolf form. The idea of shifting crosses my mind, too, but it would take too long, and my shouts of pain would risk revealing our presence to the rogues.
Mabel deftly flicks a stick, conjuring a tiny ball of light resembling a blue flame. She hands it to me and repeats the process for May.
'How did you do that?' May asks, wide-eyed.
I glance at Mabel with a newfound sense of awe. 'You're a witch?' I say in a hushed tone.
'Shh,' she smiles mysteriously. 'This way,' she gestures.