Atlas

Being home in the pack lands felt different. Since I gave up my “would-be” title, I felt as if I could blend in with the rest of the pack. The only thing separating me from them is having both and alpha and omega wolf, which didn’t really matter all that much because I hardly shifted, much to my wolf's dismay.

I went on hikes by myself, almost as if the forest was calling me to it for whatever reason.

“You know the full moon ceremony with the announcement of your cousin taking over and your arrival home is tonight, correct?” My dad said as I packed a bag for me to go out for a hike. I shrugged my shoulders.

“They didn’t miss me for 7 years. What’s another month or so of me not being there?” I shrugged. “Plus, I’ll probably be home by then anyway.”

“You’ve been going on a hike almost every day since you got back.” My dad pouted, continuing to scrub the counters clean.

“I don’t know how to explain it, Dad, but for some reason, I’m more at peace in the woods. It’s weird.” I furrowed my brows. “It’s almost like it’s calling me.”

“There are rogues in the woods. You need to be careful.” His voice grew tighter, almost as if he were struggling to stay calm and keep himself from crying.

“Dad–” I met his eyes. “I’ll be fine. You realize I’m still half alpha?” I asked.

“I know– I know…” He stopped for a second. “I didn’t see you for so long, baby. I don’t think I can bear it if something were to happen to you.” I stepped away from the table, and I approached my dad, wrapping him into my embrace.

“I promise you I will be okay,” I said into his hair. “I promise I will come home.”

His shoulders sagged, and he rubbed his scent onto me to comfort himself. He sighed and looked up at me. “You’re my little bambino still. I can’t believe how much you have grown.” He kissed my cheek.

“I love you, Dad,” I said, releasing him. “I’ll try to be home by the ceremony, promise.” I grabbed my bag off of the dining table, zipping it up, and slinging it around my back.

“Be careful,” He said.

“I will, Dad.” I waved to him, exiting the house.

– – –

I lay on the blanket I had packed and listened to my surroundings. The rustling of the wind, the birds chirping and fluttering about. It was tranquil and a place I wanted to be. I knew I shouldn’t have left the pack lands, but I felt more at peace out of them than I did within. My mind was calm, alert, and aware of my surroundings.

I pulled my book out of my bag, and I rolled over onto my stomach and began to flick through the book, losing track of time, until it began to get a bit difficult to see the book.

I packed my belongings up to return home, and I got to my feet, ready to leave my comfort zone. I didn’t want to go back home, but I knew I would have to make it to the ceremony, not only to appease my dad but to show that I was willingly giving my position away.

I furrowed my brows, realizing there was an almost translucent border that reflected in the silver moonlight. I put my hand out to touch it and instantly pulled it back when it zapped me. I shook my hand and furrowed my brows in confusion. I hadn’t seen it before, not even when I went out of the pack lands with my papa. Something within me, though, made me want to break through the glass-like border. What if it was in danger, rearing its ugly head, not even a couple of miles from home?

I dropped my bag off of my shoulder and put my hand against the glass-like border, it stung me again, but this time I was prepared for the feeling. I pushed against it, and it almost bent with my hand. As the moon rose, it felt easier to push against the border.

“Gage– Gage, what are you doing?” I heard a voice shriek as I pushed further into the thick barrier. My heart began to race, and I tried to push through again, but this time it felt as if there was a stone wall that I couldn’t penetrate.

“Get back, Rion!” I heard another voice, deeper, I could almost feel the power in it. It made me want to drop to my knees and submit to whoever it was. I couldn’t even see past the border anyway, which in itself was somewhat annoying.

Who were those two voices attached to? How did we not notice this border outside of our pack lands? How did I not see it until now? Did anyone else in the pack know about this?

The only explanation I could come up with for this was a witch had probably put it up. The only person that could put it up would be a witch anyways.

“Gage, what’s happening?” The voice almost sounded as if it were underwater, and it felt like their voices were muddled.

“Maeve’s border is being penetrated!” The deeper voice shouted, sounding closer than the other. “Get back inside, Ri, I just need to strengthen it.”

And just like that, I couldn’t see the border, nor could I hear them any longer.

My heart was still beating a million miles a minute, and I didn’t know what to do. When I reached my hand out again, it went through the air as if the border was never there. As if it were an illusion of my mind. Like it never existed.

If I hadn’t experienced it myself and someone told me this even happened. I’d think they were out of their mind. But it was real. I knew witches could do masking spells and things like this. But this was no ordinary witch, this was a powerful witch. I’d never come across a spell as strong as this one. An illusion so strong that it was almost like another realm in the world.

For all I knew it was another realm.

Were those two voices, warlocks? Or were they shifters like me?

I left my bag where it was and I turned to find a stick to mark where the border was. I wanted to come back and see if there was something I could do to meet those two voices. Something called me to them when I heard them. My alpha and omega were acting wild in my head still, I couldn’t make out their thoughts because of how loud each of them was.

I found a stick thick enough to mark the ground right in front of the border. I got down on my knees and I began to carve an X out in the dirt, making it deep enough just in case it rained. I stuck the stick down in the middle and I hoped whoever they were, that they wouldn’t take the stick out of the ground.

I knew that people that wanted to be left alone needed to be left alone, but something told me not to leave this alone. What if it was a threat to my family? To my pack?

I didn’t even remember the walk back home. My mind and my heart was focused on my discovery. I so badly wanted to go back there and break through. But whatever the deeper-voiced person did, it strengthened the border.

When I returned to pack lands, I had forgotten that we were supposed to have a full moon ceremony. My mind was so focused on the two voices. I wanted to go back, but I knew I would have to find a way to break whatever border was in place.

I needed to break it.

I didn’t know what had made me driven to do whatever it took to do so. But I knew that I needed to.

“There you are!” My dad’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. “The ceremony is about to start. I was worried.”

I couldn’t form words on what I had just seen, so I nodded in response. I blinked a few times, hoping to fall out of the fog I was in. “Sorry, something distracted me.”

If I knew anything, I knew to keep my discovery to myself. If I told my dad, he would tell my papa, and my papa would take it as a threat to the pack.

For whatever reason, I wanted it to be my secret. I wanted to be the one who discovered who they were and who they were associated with. And I knew my papa would only scare them.

“Well, your papa is about to announce your arrival home, and your cousin's take over.” He ushered me to follow him up the stage.

“Yeah,” I replied.