Zodiac Aligned

26

The Scorpio guards spotted us immediately. We approached the cave entrance slowly, trying to show we were not there to fight, with me on one side of Jordan, and Kaden on the other. More Scorpio guards arrived, but we kept walking forward without hesitation, though I prayed we weren't heading into an ambush.

"State your purpose here," one of the Scorpios said. He was a tall, muscular man with wavy black hair and striking cheekbones, who seemed to command some authority. The beta, I suspected.

"I'm Jordan Marsten, alpha of the Leo pack, and I demand an audience."

A few of the guards exchanged uneasy looks, but the one in charge nodded. "Come with us."

We were led inside, with the guards moving in front and behind us, caging us in. My shifter eyes adjusted quickly to the dim light inside the cave, and I was greeted by the musty smell of damp earth and the sound of dripping water. The cave narrowed to a thin tunnel, forcing us to walk one at a time through it. I ran my fingers over the rough, jagged walls, feeling the cool, gritty texture. I couldn't imagine living down here, though I couldn't deny that it did offer the Scorpio pack a lot of protection from attacks. It was also the perfect place for the Leos to hide, though I wondered if they missed the sun.

The narrow tunnel twisted sharply, and I had to watch my step to avoid tripping on the uneven ground. When it widened again, we encountered more guards, who were protecting an elevator built right into the rock. The Scorpio beta used his handprint and a code to open the elevator, which was huge, able to hold a large number of people or lots of heavy freight. We all clambered inside, and he used his handprint again to take us down, deep into the earth.

When the elevator door opened, I gasped. The Scorpio village was nestled in a large natural chamber, and dozens of holes in the ceiling let in beams of sunlight to light the space. Homes and structures had been carved into the cavern walls, creating a network of terraced levels with elevated walkways, staircases, and elevators connecting them. Pools of water broke up the various spaces, along with natural rock formations that hung from the ceiling or grew from the ground. In the middle of it all was a large, flat space with a huge Scorpio symbol on the ground, and that was where the beta led us now.

I didn't see anyone other than the guards who stood around us. There was not a single shifter out on the walkways or in front of their houses. Had the Scorpios and Leos been warned to stay inside? Were we being led into a trap?

As we reached the center, four Sun Witches appeared in front of us. I barely had time to recognize their orange robes before they were hissing something in ancient Greek, while the Scorpios ducked to the side. I threw up a shield as fast as I could, encompassing our entire group in just a heartbeat. Blazing hot balls of sun magic bounced off it and fizzled out, and the Sun Witches looked surprised. They tried a different spell, and I felt their control wrap around me, trying to bend me to their will, but my mother had taught me how to combat such magic. Moonlight blazed from my eyes as I fought them off. Everyone else in our group was immune, since they were in the Ophiuchus pack, or, in Jordan's case, wearing a moonstone necklace.

Jordan let out his lion roar, not even bothering to shift into his wolf form, and the Sun Witches cowered in fear, sent into a panic by his Leo pack power. It would only give us a few seconds, but that would be enough.

"Take them down," Kaden commanded, just before he shifted into his huge black wolf. The other Ophiuchus warriors shifted too and then they all went invisible, thanks to Stella and Kaden's Moon Touched gifts. I teleported myself and Jordan to a ledge overlooking the village center, and we watched as invisible claws and fangs took down the four women in orange robes. The Sun Witches tried to fight back, but it was over quickly. Only one of them managed to escape, disappearing into a cloud of smoke, likely heading back to Solundra to report what she'd seen. That wasn't ideal, but there was nothing we could do about it either.

When it was done, Jordan walked back down to the village center and called out, "A trap? Really? I thought better of you."

"It's good to see you again, Jordan." An older man emerged from behind a rock formation. His coppery skin was wrinkled and he had long black hair streaked with gray, but he had a magnetism about him that was both alluring and intimidating. I recognized him as the Scorpio alpha, though we'd never formally met. The other Scorpio warriors gathered around him, obviously prepared to defend their leader if we attacked.

"Did you send me the card, Dasan?" Jordan growled. "Were you hoping to lure me to my death?"

"I sent the card, yes, but it was not a trap. Everything I said in it was true. I simply left out the fact that the Sun Witches also had their swords at our throats." The older man spread his hands with a cryptic smile. "But I knew you could handle that problem for us. We thank you for your help."

"How convenient," Kaden muttered.

"Where is the Leo pack?" I asked.

Dasan raised a hand, and shifters from both packs began to emerge from inside dark caves and from behind closed doors. Only their coloring alone told me which pack was which—the Leos tended to have fairer skin and hair than the Scorpios. The shifters gathered around the village center like they were preparing to watch a show, while Jordan stood tall as he gazed among them.