The next day, everyone gathered outside the pack house to get ready to leave. Alpha Zack and his crew left early to prepare his troops. Everyone was going to meet there before heading to the castle Alaia was holding up at. Isaiah walked to one of the cars and saw Zira and James talking to her parents. He knew it was going to be hard for the Lakes to let her go again, but Zira was adamant about saving our son. Isaiah looked at her with admiration.
“Take a picture and it’ll last longer.”
Isaiah turned to see his sister, Victoria, and Hunter walking towards him. He looked at them confused and they returned the look.
“Wait, what are you guys doing?”
“We’re coming along, duh?” Isabella tried to put her bag in the car but Isaiah stopped her.
“You guys aren’t going,” Isaiah said, looking at all of them. “I need you guys to stay here. I need to make sure the pack is in good hands in case…well…in case I die.”
Hunter and Isabella exchanged looks before looking back at Isaiah.
“You can’t be serious, Isaiah. I’m the strongest warrior here and you’re gonna need us to keep you alive,” Isabella said, standing her ground.
“We’ve always fought together, man. It’s my duty as Be-”
“No,” Isaiah yelled at them. “Look, I know you both want to help and I get that, but you are helping by staying here. These past few months I realized I failed this pack as their Alpha and I saw how you two stepped up. So I need you both to stay here. Besides, Ashlee is about to give birth any day now and, Isabella, you have to look over our mother. She’s gonna need you when she wakes up.”
Isabella couldn’t believe what her brother was saying. She wanted to fight and he was benching her. Isaiah could see Isabella was determined to fight him.
“Please don’t make me use my Alpha command.” Isabella glared at him before turning to stomp over to Zira, even Hunter looked defeated. Isaiah knew this was going to be hard for them but he felt he was making the right choice. The first in a while. As everyone said their goodbyes, they left in their cars for Alpha Zack’s pack.
Two hours later, everyone was situated in a conference with Alpha Zack and Alpha Isaiah at the head of the table. They went over the plan one more time to make sure everyone was on the same page. Both decided to bring half of their warriors, since no one knew how many people Alaia had on her side.
Even then, they stood with about three hundred wolves ready to fight. After the meeting, everyone went their separate ways to prepare to leave. The castle they believed Alaia was holding up in was only an hour or so away, so they had time to spare. Hitting Alaia at night seemed like the best option, since the castle was surrounded by a thick forest minus the waterfront.
Zira sat on the porch watching everyone get ready. She was nervously tapping her feet on the steps when she felt hands travelling around her waist. James sat behind her, pulling her onto his lap. He gave her a tight squeeze and she could feel the tension slowly melting away. She closed her eyes as she leaned into him.
“What’s on your mind,” James asked, hoping to help relax her a bit.
“Honestly, Arias. He never left. I want to see him, hold him, and as weird as this sound, take in his scent. Right now, I’m completely losing it, not knowing.”
James could feel the sadness in her heart. He planted a kiss on his mark, making her shiver in response. “This plan is going to work, Zira, and we’re going to get him back. I promise you that.”
Zira turned around to look at him. She smiled a bit but the tears in her eyes still fell down her cheeks. “I know. I’m trying to stay positive but she might hurt…”
“She won’t. Believe me. She won’t jeopardize a chance to have me.”
“And that’s another thing, James. I get Arias and I lose you. It’s a no-win situation for us all.”
James didn’t know what to say to that. They had a plan but if it failed, no one but Alaia would win. That wouldn’t be good for anybody. He wiped her tears away and smiled.
“Then I guess we’re gonna have to make sure this plan works. For you. For Arias. For our little family.”
James pulled Zira into a passionate kiss. For a moment, everything around them disappeared as they both gave in to their passion for one another. Zira turned around to straddle him and it gave her the opportunity to deepen the kiss.
“If I had known you guys were going to give this kind of show, I would’ve brought popcorn.”
Zira broke away to see George and Harry walking towards them. Zira moved away and ran towards them, jumping into a hug.
“What are you guys doing here?!”
“You think we’re going to leave you going against a crazy witch without our help. Besides, I have never seen a grimoire up close before,” Harry said with a sparkle in his eye. Zira looked at George, who rolled his eyes as Harry gushed about the books Mirja let him keep.
“Well, I appreciate all the help I can get,” Zira smiled just as Alpha Zack signaled it was time to go.
Everyone packed up the cars and started on the way. Although they ran deep, there was still a sense of anxiety in the air. After about an hour's drive, we all gathered in a clearing with Alpha Zack standing on a tree trunk.
“We’re going to go the rest of the way on foot. It’s only about 15 miles through these trees. Try to stay with your group and if you get lost, just follow the sound of the water. When we get to the castle, we get into position and we wait for the signal.”
Everyone nodded and separated with their groups as they continued the trek through the woods. James held Zira’s hand the whole way. They knew when they got there they were going to have to cut the PDA. Didn’t want to add to Alaia’s crazy fire.
It was starting to get dark, which was fine for the wolves as their vision heightened during the night. Thirty minutes later, they came upon a huge castle lit up by invisible candles.
While Zack pulled James and Isaiah away for a moment, Zira kept her attention on the castle. Zira couldn’t hide her anxiety. She just wanted her son back, safe and unharmed.
Three narrow towers surrounded the castle, making a diamond shape. They were connected by huge walls made of silver-looking stone, simple round windows scattered thinly around the walls in perfect symmetry. Across the white-stone bridge stood a massive drawbridge connected to the only in and out. Zira felt the urge to cross right at that moment, as if someone was calling out to her.
Arias. Zira started to move when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see James smiling behind her.
“Alright, I’ll see you guys inside,” Zack said to all of us before going back to his group.
“Alright, you guys ready to do this,” Isaiah directed to Zira and James. They both nodded and started to walk towards the bridge. Isaiah held Zira back. “Please, be careful. I don’t want to lose you.”
Isaiah reached up to cup her face and Zira grabbed his hand just in time. She didn't want to cause any problems with James.
“Isaiah, don’t…”
The moment she touched his hand she felt a spark travel up her arm. She gasped at the sudden shock, but Isaiah just smiled. She quickly dropped his hand and stepped back, looking at him confused.
“Sorry, I didn't mean to overstep. Seriously, be careful.”
Zira laughed nervously. “Don’t worry. It seems death wants nothing to do with me since I’m still here. You won’t lose me.”
Zira quickly turned around to catch up with James. Her mind still wondered about the spark she felt with Isaiah, but she ignored it. James stared across the bridge at their destination before looking back at Zira. He noticed a pensive look on her face.
"What is it? Is something wrong," he asked her.
Zira looked at James for a moment. She wasn't sure how this was going to play out and she wasn’t ready to give him up yet. Before they continued their trek across the bridge, Zira pulled him into a kiss. James seemed surprised by it. Along with saying goodbye for now, Zira wanted to get the sparks trailing from Isaiah’s touch out of her mind.
Strangely, she felt something from kissing James, but nothing as strong as Isaiah’s touch. Their kiss was interrupted by a growl. They both turned to see Isaiah stomping their way. James quickly stepped back as Zira walked towards Isaiah. She needed to keep him out of sight. The moment she touched him, trying to hold him back. Isaiah grabbed her and pulled her flushed against his chest.
“Mine,” he growled as his dark, gray eyes stared holes into James.