Chapter 106

Chapter 106

Morgan grabbed hold of my forearm and pulled me out of my cell and down the hallway lined with other chambers like mine, preventing me from falling face down on the floor. Eventually, the chambers made way for hundreds and hundreds of cages, each one containing a fluctuating wolf population. They snapped at the silver-coated bars as we passed them, and Gabriel caught hold of my other arm and guided me to a particular cage before the beta could identify a feral wolf like a lucky dip.

The wolf before me was smaller than some of the others we had passed, but her teeth were just as pointed. She had her rear legs tucked beneath her, her chestnut brown fur up, as if she were ready to strike. Every time we moved, she would snarl, her gaze fixed on the delta to my side.

Instead of jumping at him like the other wolves did when he put his hand against the cage, she gave a menacing snarl.

"She's your mate." Morgan scowled at my side, and although Gabriel appeared taken aback by my conclusion, he remained silent.

Now he saw why his delta had been so insistent on having me try out his theory. His delta had been so insistent on having me try out his theory because I could be the only one to save his partner, who was stuck in wolf shape.

"Are you sure you want me to do this? I'm not as adept with my magic as you think I am." I wavered. "To keep me hidden from my mother, my powers were bound together in a binding spell for nearly ten years; they only began to show themselves again when I found my mate. My level of control is limited, and there are moments when I struggle to keep it in." As I nervously gulped, the tension in the room increased.

Even though I had been the one to withhold the truth from them, I couldn't hold it against them for their sour presumptions before they had even asked any questions.

"You seemed pretty in control of your magic when you protected us with that force field a few days ago." With a quick statement, my heart pounded violently inside my chest.

"That was different," I said to myself.

At any cost, I was not going to allow him to suffer harm.

"No, it isn't; if you can do this, then you'll be saving him from the war that is about to come." Gabriel insisted on forcing me into the cage when he had opened it.

It appeared as though he valued quick thinking over preparation and disregarded the art of it.

The savage wolf lunged towards me, shoving me to the ground with a growl and snarl of aggression that I heard Vera let out in panic.

Before I knew what to think, my magic shot out of my hands, shielding me even if it had chosen to leave me alone in my cage. I looked in wonder as the wolf backed away from me, head lowered in respect, whining all the while.

Gabriel was correct in one regard: there appeared to be a direct correlation between my magic and a feral wolf's command.

"I'm not going to hurt you." As I got myself off the solid floor, I shook my voice. I was getting a bit impatient with the crowd, but I had to take action to accomplish this. I had to show them that I was completely different from my mother.

As I approached the wolf and put my palm on its head, it began to whine once more.

I touched her, reaching out for my energy, and closed my eyes. My magic was feeble at first, but it appeared to get stronger as I focused on it. The silvery energy ignited my finger, my magic seizing hold of the wolf's soul. I moved along the tethers of her soul, following its familiar flow, until I came to the issue.

A tremendous surge of energy was felt at the center, trailing behind like a web of spiders. It twisted and twisted, the silver sparks darkening at the edges. I stroked my fingers across the twining lines, getting closer to them as if they could sense my presence. There was a maze of cables where there should have been something sleek and simple.

The thread next to me snapped back into place once I untangled it.

I continued on to the next, weaving through the knots until none remained and nothing untoward occurred.

My body shivered with cold, and my head pounded as the light around me started to fade. Then everything fell into place all at once. My vision dimmed as my magic rushed into her, throbbing brightly. My eyes opened, and the power gushed forth, rejuvenating me.

My power closed around the wolf in front of me like a fist, and she whimpered before letting out a howl that shook the ground.

Watching his companion convulse against the cement floor, Gabriel shoved his way into the cage, his eyes wild with fear. She whimpered and writhed as her limbs began to retract and turn into skin. My magic retreated once the last bit of her had transformed back into its human counterpart.

"I don't know how I did that." I gazed down at my hands in full disbelief.

Vera was at my side in seconds, hugging me close to her.

"You were out of it for hours; I was so worried, and that damn Delta wouldn't let me intervene." She mumbled as the new information churned inside of me.

Untangling the spell from her didn't feel like it had taken so long, but she had no motive to lie to me.

I glanced back at the woman as Gabriel held her in his arms.

If I could accomplish this for one wolf, then that would mean it affected everything.

"It seems you'll get your audience with your king after all," Morgan stated before he lifted me from the ground and forcefully dragged me along with him.