Lena’s POVI sat holding onto Hera’s hand as she lay on the hospital bed, stressed and breathing hard. Alexandrios injected some medicine into her body and her condition improved a little. After he left, Hera’s hold upon me relaxed and she fell into a deep slumber. I stayed there at her bedside, not leaving her even for a second. I hadn’t expected her to soften towards me at all when I woke up in the morning today. Zephyrus had already left, and I panicked at the prospect of facing Hera. However, when she didn’t emerge from her room all morning, I was worried. Yet I didn’t disturb her. Maybe she was resting and didn’t want me to interrupt her. I went out to Hazel’s house to check up on Aunt Cassie. I didn’t wish to return home and face Hera. Hazel informed me about Zephyrus and Stavros’ whereabouts. The sun was about to set, and I left for home, expecting Zephyrus back.Strangely, Hera was still in her room. Worried, I peered inside to see her lying on the floor. I rushed to her side

Zephyrus’ POV “Attack them,” snarled Felixe and his warriors rushed forward, baring their fangs, ready for war. “Go Lucerians, defend our pack and motherland,” I yelled at my warriors. They all surged ahead to face the encroaching warriors while I, Stavros, and Homer, my Delta, went on a killing spree, facing his skilled warriors fearlessly. It wasn’t an arduous task for me. A bite or a scratch from my sharp claws was enough to kill them. There was utter chaos all around me. Blood spattered on the snowy ground and painful howls pierced the air. It was a scene I was accustomed to but tonight I acted half-heartedly. From my peripheral vision, I noticed Felixe watching his warriors attack us but didn’t involve himself in the warfare. It was strange that he stood there with a grim look on his face. We were winning, yet he didn’t plunge in to save his army. What was going on?“We have wiped out the enemy!” exclaimed Stavros, slaying the last of Felixe’s wolves. “Victory!” yelled Ho

Zephyrus’ POVI went inside Annabeth’s house, hoping to get some lead on Lena’s whereabouts. Annabeth gestured for me to sit on a couch while she sat opposite. Under the dim light, I saw the bright, highly reflective crystal ball on the table, the size of a grapefruit. I sat down, watching her work on the crystal ball. She lighted two candles on either side of the obsidian crystal ball. With her half-closed eyes, Annabeth placed her hands on the orb, muttering some chants to create a perfect scrying spell. “Follow me,” she whispered, and I did. Soon my mind relaxed, and I entered a spiritually relaxed state. She released the ball and guided me to focus all my energy on the ball. “Who do you want to see?” she whispered, as if in a trance. “Lena.” She breathed deeply and gazed into the crystal ball for minutes, chanting some obscure things to herself. I watched hazy black smoke forming inside the crystal ball. Soon it filled up the entire ball and a hazy image of Lena trudging ahead

Lena’s POVHe intended to stay by my side despite knowing how hazardous this was! He loved me truly! I had never imagined I could see him again in this life, but he pursued me. He went through shit to find me! I felt a warm surge of emotions course through my mind and heart at his announcement. Maybe it was relief, comfort, trust, or something else. I wasn’t sure. I was pretty bad at understanding these warm emotions I started experiencing ever since I met my mate. Was I warming up towards him? Or was it love?He pulled me away with him and I just tagged along. His presence relaxed me. I knew now we would rescue my mother from Evelyn’s clutches. “We should shift to cover the distance faster,” he suggested, strapping his sword and rucksack to his body. Soon we shifted, and I picked up my clothes with my mouth and dumped them in the rucksack for later use. We hiked through the gray limestone, slate, and sandstone landscape as fast as our legs could carry us. The desolate place looked

Lena’s POVMy head was spinning from the exhaustion and I couldn’t travel anymore.“Please, can we rest a little, Zephyrus?” He looked at me with concern and turned to Romanov. “Is there anywhere we can take shelter for the night?” “Yes, I’ve found a vacant cave close to the rapids. It’s a popular canoeing spot inhabited by humans. It lies in a restricted area and we can easily take shelter there in the night. Most of these monsters avoid such places.” We negotiated sharp, rugged peaks as he led us to a cave near the gushing rapids. On the leeward side, facing the drier grounds, the place was dry and we could easily rest in the night. Zephyrus arranged some leafy branches on the floor for me to rest on. “I’ll get some trouts for dinner,” said Romanov. “I’ll help him. Don’t go anywhere. We’ll be right back.” I nodded, and Zephyrus left with Romanov to the river outside. I could hear them outside and it comforted me to know they were nearby. I rested my tired body on the makeshift