Between Two Worlds

Chapter 21 Operation Save Neve

Jake POV

We arrive back at Sangue Luna Pack just as the sun is beginning to rise over the rainforest. I mind linked my parents to meet us at the Beta’s house. Samuel mind linked Anita for her and Fleur to meet us also. By the time we reached Beta Jonty and Angie’s house there are more people than I expected waiting for us. Gamma Rex, Samuel’s father is also there which is odd as the Gamma is only usually involved in Luna business. I explained my dream again, and when I got to the part about having wet muddy feet, my parents and Beta Jonty and Angie started to shift uncomfortably.

“That was the same thing that happened to Neve,” Fleur whispered, all the colour draining from her face.

“What do you mean?” I challenge her.

“Neve has been having dreams about teleporting to the woods, there is always snow everywhere and she is with her parents. The people you described sound exactly like them,” she looks at me, her eyes wide with fear. “What if something has happened to Neve?”

Without hesitating, I run inside the Beta’s house and up the stairs to Neve’s room. I burst through the door without knocking, praying to the moon goddess that I am wrong. Neve’s room is empty. I can smell her intoxicating scent intermingled with the metallic smell of blood. My heart begins to race as I scan her room. Her bed is stripped, and the sheets are bunched up in a ball on the floor next to her desk. This is the source of the bloody scent. My parents, Jonty and Angie peer into the room from behind me as I am still blocking the doorway. Angie gasps when she realises that Neve is not in her room. I move towards Neve’s desk. She has several books open, all appear to be about the Winter Realm. I run my finger along the spine of one of the books- the pages are torn out. I scan her desk and see a folded page from a book and open it to reveal an image of a white wolf with glowing emerald eyes.

“That wolf looks like Neve’s wolf, except the eyes, hers are an amethyst colour,” I look at Anita quizzically.

“I saw Neve’s wolf when she shifted on her birthday,” she explained.

I read the caption under the photo: “Fae x Werewolves are easily distinguished by their white fur. Royal faewolves have jewel coloured eyes and possess very strong, mysterious magic”

“She knows.”

I spin around to look at my father. “What do you mean ‘she knows’?”

My father gives his Beta and Gamma an anxious look before Angie mysteriously says “I think it is time they all knew the truth.”

“What?” I look between my parents and the other three adults in confusion. “What aren’t you telling us?”

“Honey let's go take a seat in the living room,” my mum soothes, as she puts her arm around my waist. “There is lots to tell you.”

As we each take a seat in the lounge room, Angie is the first to speak. “Now, we need to talk quickly, as judging by your dream, Edgar is aware of Neve’s powers awakening. But considering her sheets are bloody, and she removed them from her bed, she isn't in any immediate danger.”

“How do you know that?” I demand angrily.

Angie flinches at the aggression in my voice.

“Calm down, son!” Commands my father in his alpha voice. “We just know, ok? We need to go back to when Neve was born”

“Why that far back?” Duke asks.

“Because that is when this all started.”

He then proceeded to explain that Neve’s father, Nathaniel was the King of the Fairies as well as the Alpha of the Winter Realm Pack; his father was the Alpha and he met his mate the Queen of the Fairies. Nathaniel’s uncle was a purist and thought having a hybrid on the throne was an abomination and believed his son, Edgar, was the rightful heir to lead the Winter Realm Pack. Edgar, being brainwashed by his father’s misaligned beliefs, set about planning a coup to take over the throne. This plan involved imprisoning all those loyal to King Nathaniel and Queen Noelle in the trees within the woods surrounding the Winter Realm palace, and a plan to assassinate the King, Queen and baby Princess Neve. The witch Edgar had employed to help with his coup, had an attack of a guilty conscience and decided to betray Edgar by helping the King and Queen escape to get Neve to safety. Noelle, before meeting Nathaniel, was a member of the Sangue Luna Pack. She is Gamma Rex’s younger sister…

“I’m sorry, what?” Samuel interrupts my father’s explanation.

“Erm,” Gamma Rex clears his throat uncomfortably. “Yes, Neve is your cousin.”

Duke, Samuel, Anita, Fleur and I all exchange incredulous looks.

“Aren’t you glad now that I was a c**k block and stopped you from pursuing Neve?” Duke joked, nudging Samuel. Anita and I both growled. Everyone understood Anita's growl. My growl, however, made everyone look at me suspiciously.

“Keep going with your explanation, dad,” I said quickly, not wanting anyone to question my anger at Duke’s comment. I wasn’t ready to deal with that conversation just yet.

My father continued to tell us about King Nathaniel and Queen Noelle. My parents agreed to protect Neve and placed her in the care of Beta Jonty and Angie as it may pique Edgar’s suspicion if Gamma Rex, Noelle’s brother, suddenly had a daughter the same age as her. King Nathaniel placed a concealment spell over Neve, suppressing her true identity and her powers until her 18th birthday. He also placed a spell on Duke to protect Neve.

“I knew it!” cried Duke. “I knew there was no way I could be that possessive and protective of Neve by choice!”

Beta Jonty and Angie glared at Duke as he mutters an apology.

My dad spoke with great fondness and familiarity of the king and queen, explaining how they returned to their pack lands to try and figure out a way to help free their people. The way he spoke it almost as if he had only spoken to him recently.

“Dad, I thought Nathaniel and Noelle were dead.”

My father shook his head. “No, son. That was just a story we told Neve so she wouldn’t ask questions about her parents or go looking for them. They are very much alive and living in the Winter Realm.”

“But, if your dream is correct, Jake, then it is very likely that Nathaniel and Noelle are in danger, and if Neve has gone to save them, she could be putting herself in danger too,” added Angie.

“Well, we have to go save her!” My heart is starting to race.

“It’s not that simple son.”

“What do you mean it is not that simple?” I reply frustrated.

“If Neve has gone to the Winter Realm, we cannot just travel there. The only way to enter the Winter Realm is by using fae magic or through a portal,” explains Gamma Rex. “Before Edgar’s coup, there was a portal within the palace. Now the only portal is the Cristallo.”

“The what?” Asks Duke.

“The Cristallo is the glowing crystal that Jake saw in his dream,” answers Beta Jonty.

“So where do we find a portal?” I ask Gamma Rex.

“Portals can be created by witches,” he replies.

“Didn’t you recently contact Trina about the possibility of a compulsion spell affecting you three boys?” my dad asked me. I nod in affirmation. “You need to get her here asap to create a portal for us.”

“Already on it,” I say taking out my phone.

Trina orbs herself into the Beta’s living room within 60 seconds of me hanging up from explaining what we need.

“Have you got an object that I can use to make a portal?” Trina asks, wasting no time. I hand her my father’s Alpha ring. Trina begins chanting a spell in Latin. After several minutes the ring briefly glows a brilliant white and then returns to normal. Trina points to an inscription that is now on the inside of the ring. “To activate the portal, you need to recite this incantation inscribed here. If there is more than one person using the portal, you must all be touching one another to be transported. This portal will only travel between these pack lands and the Winter Realm. Got it?”

I nod my head. “Thank you, Trina. We are indebted to you.”

“I’ll ask you to return the favour one day,” she chuckles, as she orbs out of the living room.

“Are we ready to go?” my parents, Beta Jonty, Gamma Rex, Angie, Duke, Samuel, Anita and Fleur hold hands. Fleur places her hand on my shoulder as I begin to recite the incantation inscribed on the inside of the ring. I fell my stomach lurch as we portal into the middle of the woods from my dream. The forest floor is carpeted in thick snow, and right before us is…

“Neve!”