Chapter 257: Episode 257.

The Wolf Realm had become quiet again.

Not peaceful, just quiet.

Their hope had been stretched so thin it no longer knew how to breathe. The ancient basin sat motionless at the centre of the chamber.

Its waters reflected nothing except the vaulted ceiling overhead. The silver light from earlier had disappeared completely.

Even the witches had stopped whispering.

There was nothing left to speculate, and nothing left to test.

If another portal could be opened, none of them knew how.

Nate sat on the stone steps surrounding the basin with both elbows resting on his knees. He hadn’t moved much since the last discussion.

Every few minutes his eyes drifted toward the water, then disappointment settled in his expression again.

Xander leaned against one of the massive pillars nearby.

For once, he wasn’t pacing. He looked exhausted with dark circles rested beneath his eyes.

His arms remained folded tightly across his chest. He kept replaying the same question over and over again.

What if she’d already tried to come back?

Alaric stood closest to the basin. His fingers rested lightly against the edge, and his eyes were closed.

Everyone assumed he was meditating.

He wasn’t. He was listening. He was trying to listen to something only he could hear. The bond had grown so faint it barely existed.

It now sounded like a heartbeat heard from the bottom of the ocean.

King Elijah stood beside the witches.

His expression hadn’t softened all morning. Neither had his opinion.

“They took her.”

He had said it enough times that nobody argued anymore.

The eldest witch finally broke the silence.

“If she’s alive…”

Nate looked up.

“…then she’ll keep looking for us.”

His jaw tightened.

Outside, the wind rustled through the towering trees surrounding the sacred chamber. Birds called somewhere far beyond the cliffs.

For one impossible moment, everything almost felt normal.

Meanwhile, outside the chamber, the wind changed first. It changed in direction. It stopped flowing through the valley the way it always had and instead circled the sacred chamber in slow, tightening spirals, as though drawn toward the ancient basin.

The towering trees outside bent lower from the wind. Their green leaves trembled all at once without a single branch bending.

Flocks of birds burst from the forest canopy in startled waves, only to wheel back again, refusing to leave the sky above the chamber.

The forest itself fell unnaturally still.

The insects stopped singing, and the distant waterfall that usually echoed through the cliffs seemed to grow strangely quiet, as though the world were holding its breath.

Above them, the clouds began to move toward a single point directly over the sacred chamber. Threads of silver light flickered briefly between them before vanishing again, too quick to be called lightning.

The air thickened with an ancient pressure that settled against every living thing. It wasn’t hostile, and it wasn’t gentle either.

Alaric’s head snapped upward.

His eyes flew open, and his entire body stiffened.

“Nate.” His voice came out hoarse.

Nate was already standing.

“What?”

Alaric pressed a hand against his chest.

His breathing changed.

“It…” His heartbeat accelerated so violently everyone in the chamber could almost hear it. “The bond.”

Xander pushed himself away from the pillar.

“What about it?”

Alaric looked toward the basin. His breathing became uneven. “She’s coming.”

The words had barely left his mouth, when every witch screamed. All of them screamed together at once.

Their cries echoed through the chamber as every single witch collapsed onto one knee clutching their heads with both hands

Sharp silver light erupted beneath the basin.

The water exploded upward.

BOOM!

The chamber shook, and everyone stumbled. The ancient runes surrounding the basin ignited all at once.

The witches cried out again.

“It hurts!”

One of them screamed. “The gateway!”

“The realms are tearing!”

King Elijah caught the nearest witch before she struck the floor. “What is happening?” He inquired, his eyes wide with caution.

Nobody answered.

The air itself began twisting, and the space folded inward. The air became so violent. A circle of brilliant silver light ripped open directly above the basin.

A portal suddenly appeared. It opened itself.

Nate forgot how to breathe.

Xander took one stunned step forward.

“It’s her…”

Alaric never moved. His entire body had already gone into instinct. The bond was roaring now, and not whispering.

Roaring.

A figure burst through the portal.

Not gracefully. She was thrown out of the portal, like someone had been hurled with impossible force.

“AIRE!”

Nate shouted.

Alaric turned to the sound of Nate’s voice. Before anyone else reacted, he caught her. His arms wrapped around her just before she struck the stone floor.

The impact drove both of them backward one step.

“Aire—”

She looked unconscious. No, she was unconscious. Blood stained one of her shoulders.

Her silver hair had come loose, and her breathing was frighteningly shallow. Alaric quickly reached for her pulse.

There was a pulse.

Relief hit all three Alphas at once.

She was here. She made it. The witches were all around, and the part greatest healer would be sent for.

She’d be cared for until she wakes. All that matters was that she made it through the portal.

The portal hadn’t finished closing.

Then, something black shot through the portal behind her, cutting short the relief and excitement growing in the Alphas.

There was no warning or hesitation from the black ball, but just death.

A monstrous mass of dark vines screamed through the closing gateway with terrifying speed. Straight toward Aire.

Time stopped.

Alaric saw them first.

He didn’t think, hesitate, or call anyone’s name.

His body simply moved.

With one violent motion, he shoved Aire sideways into Nate.

“TAKE HER!”

The vines struck forward.

CRACK!

They slammed directly into Alaric’s chest, missing Aire. The force sounded like a mountain breaking.

His body lifted completely off the ground, and he flew across the chamber, and straight into the stone wall with a teeth rattling crash.

The entire chamber trembled, and the wall cracked behind him.

Silence.

Absolute silence fell upon the chamber.

Then, blood poured from both of Alaric’s nostrils. His head dropped forward, and his body slid slowly down the wall before collapsing onto the stone floor.

He didn’t move again.