Invisible Mate ( Mate Series Book 1)
Departure

As soon as Adele left, the twins woke up and cried so loud that they had almost awakened the whole Packhouse. Everyone rushed to their room, fearing the worst. Ariel and Daisy relentlessly tried to pacify the kids, but they didn’t stop crying.

" Where is Adele? Why is she not here?” Ariel asked, exasperated.

" It’s strange. She would have never ignored the kid’s cries,” Daisy remarked.

" I will go and get her,” Axel said and went towards Adele’s room. Having failed to locate Adele in her room, he walked around the Packhouse looking for her. When he found Adele’s letter in his office, his blood ran cold. He immediately took out his phone and dialed Chris’s number.

" Why are you calling me at this time? Everything okay?”

" Is Ade with you?” Axel asked, worried.

Chris was fully awake now. ” What? How can she be here? What happened?”

" F**k!!! Axel cursed. ” She’s gone.”

" What do you mean she’s gone?” Chris asked in dread.

" She’s left a letter saying she will be back once she’s destroyed the moonstone.”

" The f**k are you saying? How can she leave just like that? I will be right there,” Chris said and hung up.

Even Liam was fully awake and got worried after hearing the conversation.

" We have to go,” Chris said to Liam, and they both transformed into their wolves.

“How could she be so reckless?” Adele’s mom Ariel asked in frustration.

" I checked everywhere. There is no trace of her scent outside her room,” Axel said, getting worried by the minute.

" I think she has masked her scent,” Liam remarked. ” That means she’s got the potion from Sera.” He immediately took out his phone and dialed Sera’s number.

Sera was at the Silverlake pack within minutes, as she was already expecting the call.

" Did you know about her plan?” Axel asked her.

" Yes,” Sera whispered.

" How could you let her go?”

" I tried to convince her, but she wouldn’t listen to me.”

" Then you should have told us,” Ariel screamed. ” Don’t you know about Alexa’s condition right now? She’s become aggressive and impulsive. She’s out of control. What if something happens to her?” Ariel choked up.

Sera’s worries increased after hearing Ariel’s words. ” I-I tried to...”

" There’s no point in discussing this. Do you know where she went?” Chris asked.

" I am not sure, but I think I saw her with a book in the library,” Sera said and ran towards the library, others following close behind.

Luckily, a book was left on the table with a few pages torn.

" Do you have another copy of this book?” Chris asked Axel.

Axel found a copy of the book and looked for the page which was torn. ” It tells about the places nearest to the moon.”

" Why would she want to know that?”

" Alexa said that she had met the Moon Goddess while in the moonstone,” Sera whispered.

" What?” Everyone asked, surprised.

" They talked about how to get rid of the witch permanently.”

" She has mentioned that in her letter too,” Axel remarked. ” But what does it have to do with the place mentioned in this book?”

" I think that’s where she has gone,” Liam said. ” Chris, we should leave right now.”

" I will come with you,” Axel said.

" No, the problem with the witch is related to our family, so I can’t let you risk your life,” Chris said. ” And above all, I need you to take care of my kids.”

" But this place seems too dangerous,” Axel said, pointing towards the book.

" Don’t worry about us,” Liam said with a smile.

" You guys might need this,” Sera said and handed Chris a potion. ” This will mask your scent from Adele. Stay hidden, and don’t let yourself be seen until absolutely necessary.”

" Thank you.”

" Can you get my daughter back safely?” Ariel asked, feeling nervous.

" We will not let anything happen to her Mom,” Chris assured her. He then faced Axel and said, ” Please look after the Blackwood pack until we return. We will be leaving now. ”

" Wait...” Axel interrupted them. ” Don’t you need any supplies? Weapons? Medicines?”

" We have no time for that. If we are late, we wouldn’t be able to catch up with Adele.”

Chris and Liam took the book from Axel and observed the place mentioned.

" This is over a hundred miles away from here. Did Adele take her car?” Liam asked.

" No,” Axel stated.

" Then I suppose she’s taking public transport. She wouldn’t have gone too far,” Chris said, and they all dashed towards the parking lot.

" Let us know once you replace her,” Axel said once Chris and Liam were seated in their car. ” And stay safe.”

" Where to now?” Chris asked Liam, who was checking the map.

" Train station...?”

At the train station, they found out the train had already departed an hour ago, so they immediately left in their car. They were at their destination at record speed. It was almost the time for sunrise, and they parked their car as the road ahead was too narrow. They took out a bag that was always in their car for emergencies. It contained a few of their clothes and other essential items like toiletries and medicines. They walked for about an hour down the narrow path when they reached a clearing.

" Are you sure this is the place?” Chris asked again, looking at the landscape in front of him. The area surrounding them was covered in grass, and rocks rose from the ground as if they had reached the sky. The woods extended deep into the cozy night. The expanse of trees ahead of them was never-ending. The canopies provided a light glimpse into the overcast weather, which turned the shades of greenery even darker. There were unnecessary crisscrossed pathways with crickets chirping and occasional sightings of insects. The serrated mountains loomed in the distance. The legs of the hills were extensive, and the peaks were like harpoon tips shrouded by ghost-grey mist. The air was chilling and numbing.

" The map says it’s around here. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Liam said, staring into a distance when they heard a menacing, growling sound.

" What was that?” Chris asked, immediately alert.

" What if Adele’s in trouble?” Liam said, glancing at Chris.

Without thinking, Chris dashed towards the trees, Liam following closely behind. They ran in the direction of the sound and found themselves in front of a frozen lake.

" How come the weather is suddenly so cold? Just now, it was so pleasant with greenery all around, ” Chris asked and turned around to see the path they had come from.

" The f**k is going on?” The place had entirely changed. The lush and green forest was now filled with cold and snow-covered trees. ” How is it snowing in summer? It’s as if we have come to some other dimension.”

" This is more sinister than we thought,” Liam stated. ” I am sure there’s magic involved. This place is enchanted.”

They heard another whooshing sound and slowly followed in the direction along the path of the frozen lake. Suddenly the floor beneath Liam cracked, and he fell into the water. Chris was too fast to react. He held Liam’s hand and helped him out of the freezing water. Liam’s teeth were clattering, and he was shivering from the cold.

Chris took out his damp clothes and rubbed his hands and feet to provide some heat. ” Are you okay?” he asked in concern.

" I am fine, Chris,” Liam said, standing up. “We can’t waste our time here. Adele is out there alone.” He then noticed a few pieces of torn clothing at a distance and pointed to Chris. ” Look there. I think it’s Adele’s. She must have shifted to her wolf.”

" It’s better if we shift too,” Chris said and took out his clothes. He found the potion in his pant pocket and said, ” We should take the potion now as Adele is nearby.” He took a sip of the potion and handed it to Liam.

Chris kept his clothes and the bottle in his bag and shifted into his black wolf while Liam turned into his light brown wolf.

Conan and Lex raced in between the trees feeling excited. " Oh!! I missed this feeling,” Conan said as he had shifted after a gap of three years.

" Me too,” Lex added. " I can sense her. She is somewhere close.”

" How do you know? ” Liam asked.

" Can’t you smell her?” Lex asked.

" I can smell her too,” Conan said and increased his speed. " The potion’s effect must be wearing off.”

As they were running through the forest, they noticed the landscape around them change again. The forest was green again, and the morning air was fresh. Conan abruptly halted and said, " Lex, stop.”

" Why?”

" Look there.” Conan pointed in the cliff’s direction, where they saw a snow-white wolf standing and staring at the orange and yellow bright ball. The sun began to rise higher and higher very slowly, and the colors became more vibrant. The sounds of birds chirping and the breeze were gentle and gave a sense of peace.

" She’s beautiful,” Conan said, staring at his mate in awe.

" Breathtaking,” Lex added.