Prologue - Emma
“We can’t keep waiting. Now that we know, if we act, maybe we can get ahead of them and actually save lives,” said Emma, sitting cross-legged on a wooden stump.
“Emma’s right,” Aaron added, walking up to the man who stood opposite them.
Emma stared down Bingwen, not willing to take no for an answer. She picked up on the man’s features, his already graying hair now thinning out from all of the stress they were all going through. Bingwen was a man who did not bend easily, but they had to do something.
“If we break up the pack any more, we already risk lives being on the loose. I have been trying to find Garret and the others myself. IfIcan’t find them, what makes you thinkyoucan?” Bingwen spat. He shook his head, looking around at the rest of the pack.
Emma piped up. She had to stand up to him. “No one is saying you’re not doing enough, but let us help. We know you’re working with the Dragons, let us do something to help.”
“The Dragons are protecting the city, plus, you have your little stowaway here,” Bingwen replied, nodding at Lenna.
Emma watched Aaron flare his nose at the sorcerer as he nodded at her. Emma shook her head and got between them. “Then let me do something. Look, we get it. There are portals opening up everywhere, and we don’t want to leave Ridgeshire unguarded, but at the same time, we still want to do more.”
Aaron nodded. “Garret could be amassing an army to attack us, and we wouldn’t know it. We have to be proactive,instead of sitting on our asses and letting him make all of his plans.”
Bingwen shook his head, and Emma could see the glint in his eyes. They had gotten through to him, and he would have to give in. “If she’ll be the one going, that’s fine. The rest of you need to hold down Ridgeshire. I don’t know why this is the epicenter, but as much as you think you’re doing nothing, you’re doing quite a lot.”
“No demons have shown up in a week,” Aaron retorted.
“Which is good. They know that with you Werewolves here, they can’t take this town. I want to keep it that way. But if the pack leaves, they win.”
“Fine.” Emma got to her feet. “So where are we going?”
“We?” Bingwen raised an eyebrow. “Trust me, the places I go, you wouldn’t survive a minute there. I have other things to do, you’re not coming with me.”
“So how are we going to help?” Emma pressed, irked by the foul mouth of the sorcerer.
Bingwen had saved their lives on several occasions. His magical prowess was behind some of their biggest victories against the paranormal forces. But somehow, he always did his best to remain a first tier asshole to everyone who met him. It was easy to see how he had so many enemies.
“You’re going to find someone who can help us find Garret. I’ve never met them, but they’re a paranormal tracker. The best in every plane of existence. Last I heard, they had tracked a Wyvern down to Orin City. You can start there.” Bingwen finished, “But Emma, I know how dangerous that place is. It is the worst of the worst. Be smart, don’t die. Just find who we’re looking for, and get them to help you find Garret.”
“Why don’t you go along with her?” Aaron pressed.
“Because Garret isn’t working alone. He’s with Caspian now, and ever since he took the fucker, there’s been some odd shit happening with magic. I have no idea what it is, but I have to find out.”
Emma took a breath, knowing she had her work cut out for her. From what Bingwen was saying, Garret and Caspian and whoever else had come to work with them were looking to bring about a lot of trouble to the world. Somehow, Garret had survived after a fight to the death with Levi.
After basically returning from the dead, he had paired up with evil forces to bring even more trouble to the world. Axle, a Dragon in another city, had faced off against Kanai, a powerful demon who had been killed by a single blow. Emma’s pack, along with a rogue Dragon, Lenna, had faced a group of Hunters. In the end, the leader of the group, Caspian, had been abducted by Garret.
After seeing Garret kill Kanai for a powerful mystical bracelet and recruiting Caspian to join his group, it was only fair to assume that he was planning something terrible by amassing powerful allies and artifacts. Garret and his team were planning something huge, and they had to be prepared to stop them.
“Shouldn’t be too hard. Find the tracker, track down Garret. We got this,” Emma said, forcing confidence into her tone.
“Be careful,” Aaron said to her. “You know Jackson can’t sleep if he doesn’t have someone to put him in his place.”
Emma laughed, knowing she would hate to be away from her pack. They centered her, they allowed her to be her best. It was going to be quite a struggle, but she was going to do her best. She reached into her pockets and grabbed the keys to her car.“I’ll be back in a few days, and then we can stop Garret once and for all.”
“Sure,” Aaron replied as he began walking off with his mate, Lenna. “Keep in touch. Be safe.”
“Will do,” Emma replied.
“Jesus, enough of this. Get in the damn car, let’s go,” Bingwen yelled as he got in the front passenger seat. “An old man got places to be. Get a move on!”
Emma shook her head and got in the car. It was going to be a long drive, especially with Bingwen on her shoulder. He would stop between cities to do something else, leaving Emma all on her own. As beta of the pack, she had to do her part, and finding the tracker was her way of doing so.
Chapter 1 - Emma