Caleb’s P.O.V

    I looked at Silvia, her face palé as she nced nervously between me and Alpha Jackson. My curiosity was piqued, but her unease only made me press further. “Where is the house in the woods, Silvia?” I asked, my voice steady despite the tension building in the air. “What did Harmona do there?i” /i

    She hesitated, biting her lip, before finally speaking. It’s… it’s an eerie house. People say you can hear screams at night, and they say it’s haunted,” she said in a low voice, almost like she didn’t want to believe her own words. “Everyone avoids it, because it’s scary…filled with dark magic.”

    I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up at the thought. Haunted? Screams in the night? What the hell was going on out there?

    Alpha Jackson shifted his weight, his eyes narrowing as he spoke up. “That used to be our previous packhouse. Earthquake destroyed half of it, and killed several of our members. We had no choice but to leave.” He paused for a moment, a shadow crossing his face. “We’ve stayed away ever since. It’s been abandoned for years now.”

    The air seemed to grow colder as his words hung in the silence. I took a step closer, my thoughts racing. “Wait… So you’re saying no one’s been there since the quake?

    Jackson shook his head. ‘Not that I know of.”

    I turned to Silvia, my mind still spinning. “Can you lead us to it?” I asked, my voice harder now. There was something about this house, this mystery, that felt off, and I needed to know more.

    Silvia flinched at my question, her eyes wide with fear. “I… I’m not sure,” she stammered, clearly torn. “I’ve never gone near it. I don’t know what’s out there

    now.

    The fear in her eyes made me pause, but my frustration started to rise. She was scared, and I couldn’t me her. Still, I needed answersb. /b“Silvia,” I pressed, trying to keep my voice calm, “you have to tell us what you know. I know this is scary, but I want you to be a brave girl, okay? Something’s going onb, /band we need to understand what happened.”

    She swallowed hard, her hands trembling. “I… I don’t know if bI /bcan take you there,” she whispered, the fear in her voice cutting through the air like a de. “You won’t… you won’te back the same.”

    I could feel the tension in the air bas /bAlpha Jackson spoke. His voice was calm, but there was an underlying urgency to it, something that none of bus /bcould ignore. “The child is scared,” he said, pausing for a moment to nce over at the trembling girl. “She’s just seen her family disappear. She’s lost, confused. I’ll go with you guys. I’ll show you the way.”

    There was a brief silence before the others nodded in agreement, murmuring among themselves. They didn’t argue. They knew it was the only choice. Jackson’s n made sense, but there was something about the bway /bhe said it that made my stomach twist. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but the weight of the situation was too heavy to ignore.

    We were all preparing to leave when Silvia suddenly spoke up, her voice small but determined. “I want to go with you,” she said, her eyes wide and pleading.

    Everyone turned to her immediately, their expressions hardening. “You’re just a child,” one of the men said, his voice filled with concern. “It’s dangerous. You’ll only get in the way. Besides, there is a sr eclipse today, so things will get dark.”

    Silvia didn’t back down, though. “I’m the only witch you have,” she said, her tone sharper now, more insistent. “You might need me. You don’t know what’s ahead.”

    I watched as her words hung in the air, challenging everyone’s assumptions. There was no question that Silvia was young, but she wasn’t just a kid. She had power, real power, and in a situation like this, that might make all the difference. I could see the hesitation in the others‘ eyes. They didn’t want to take her, but none of them could outright refuse her.

    Alpha Jackson stepped forward, his gaze softening as he looked at Silvia. “We don’t want to risk it,” he said gently. “But if you’re certain…

    “I am,” she interrupted, not letting him finish/“I won’t be a burden I promise.”

    I wasn’t sure if I believed her, but there was no denying the determination in her voice. I nced at the others, and one by one, they nodded reluctantly, their silence speaking volumes, Jackson let out a quiet sigh. “Fine. But stay close. You’re not to wander off, understand?”

    Silvia nodded eagerly, her face lighting up with the smallest smile. “I won’t”

    08:37 Sun, 31 Aug

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    We gathered our things and headed out, the weight of what we were about to do hanging over us. It wasn’t just the journey ahead–it was the uncertainty, the fear that had settled in our bones. But we didn’t have a choice. Not anymore.

    I felt the cold wind whip through my hair as I stood in front of Caroline and Silvia, both of them looking at me with such intensity that I couldn’t back down. Caroline, always the voice of reason, folded her arms and shot me a skeptical look.

    “Caleb, you do realize the child is only thirteen, right?” she said, her voice tight with concern. “Is it really okay to take her?”

    I tried to suppress a sigh. “Yeah, I know, but we don’t have time for that right now, Caroline. Aurora needs us.” My hands were shaking, but I refused to show any weakness. If we didn’t act now, I was sure we’d lose her.

    “But-” Caroline started to argue, her eyes full of hesitation, but Silvia cut her off, her voice sharp and unwavering.

    “Enough!” Silvia snapped, stepping forward, her eyes burning with determination. “We’re going. Now.”

    Caroline looked between us, her mouth opening as if in protest. But Silvia was already walking toward the woods, every step an echo of finality.

    I turned to Caroline, who hesitated for a second before exhaling deeply. “Fine. But we need to make sure that she doesn’t get harmed. We can’t have the life of a child on our consciousness, Caleb, and this…whatever we’re walking into…this house in the woods, it’s giving me the creeps.”

    “We won’t let anything happen to her or Aurora,” I promised, knowing deep down that this was our only shot at finding Aurora. ‘I’m sure of it. Just trust

    me.”

    The silence that followed seemed endless, but Silvia’s determined pace didn’t falter, and Caroline stayed close behind her, though I could tell she was still worried. I didn’t me her. This was insane. But I couldn’t back out now. I had to find her. For all of us.

    ‘Hold on, Aurora…I’ming for you.‘

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