Chapter 53 – Into Thin Air
The door to Rowan’s office banged open as he stepped inside, Beta Kalen close on his heels. The scent of the forest still clung to their clothes—dirt, moss, and the faint trace of old magic. He barely registered the sound of the door slamming shut behind him—his eyes were locked on the two figures already standing inside the room.
Charlie.
Luther.
Both of them wore matching expressions—tight-jawed and grim. The tension in the room was immediate, clinging to the air like fog.
Rowan didn’t bother sitting. “Did you find her?”
Charlie turned first. “No. But we found something.”
Luther gave a short nod. “It was faint. Buried under layers of earth and rot. We wouldn’t have caught it if we weren’t looking for what wasn’t there.”
Rowan frowned. “You mean it was hidden?”
“Cleverly,” Charlie said. “Whoever left that trail didn’t want it found. The scent was masked with decay—old blood, mud, even some kind of suppressing herb. It took us hours to even pick up the edge of it.”
Luther stepped forward. “But it was Elia’s scent. No question. We followed it west, past the high ridge. She was sneaking out—slipping through places with no patrol coverage.”
“And then?” Rowan asked, already knowing the answer.
Charlie stepped forward, brushing a loose curl from her cheek. “It just… vanished.”
Rowan frowned. “Vanished?”
“Like someone cut it from the earth,” Luther said darkly. “No tracks. No scent. Nothing. I shifted, Charlie shifted—our wolves couldn’t pick up a damn thing.”
“We spent over an hour combing that area,” Charlie added, her gaze sharp. “We even circled out. But it was like she disappeared into thin air.”
Rowan’s stomach sank. “No scent?”
Luther shook his head. “Not even residual energy. But there was something else…” Luther said, glancing at Charlie before continuing, “the air… it wasn’t natural. The smell was thick with it.”
"The air,” Charlie added. “It had that same oily weight. Witchcraft.”
Kalen’s breath caught beside Rowan. “Just like with Giselle.”
Rowan nodded, his mind moving fast. “That confirms it, then. Elia’s our spellcaster.”
Charlie blinked. “Elia? One of your Luna candidates?”
“Yes,” Rowan growled, pacing behind his desk. “It all fits. She was there the night of the attack. She conveniently disappeared when Sylah started asking questions. And now, she’s vanished again, wrapped in the same kind of magic that masked Giselle’s trail.”
“She knew what she was doing,” Kalen muttered. “Hiding her own trail like that takes knowledge. Practice.”
Rowan looked up, his eyes cold. “She didn’t do it alone.”
“She was working with Elder Malric,” Kalen added. “At least, that’s what Sylah suspected. But this… this is more than political sabotage.”
“It’s betrayal,” Rowan said flatly.
He moved behind his desk and finally sat down, folding his hands in front of him as he looked to each of them in turn. “We just returned from the witch’s hut. She tracked the remnants of the spell used at the clearing where Giselle vanished.”
Luther raised a brow. “Did she find anything?”
“She couldn’t see a face, but she could sense the caster. A young female. Confident. Familiar with the land. The spell was woven with shifter blood—intimate blood—meaning the caster is one of us. Someone who knows the terrain, the warding. Someone trusted.”
Charlie swore under her breath. “Elia.”
“She didn’t act alone,” Rowan added. “The witch sensed a second energy, male. Older. Unstable.”
Luther narrowed his eyes. “The rogue leader.”
Rowan met his Beta’s eyes and nodded. “That’s our working theory. If Elia’s helping him, then she’s not just a pawn. She’s integral.”
Charlie stepped around the desk and perched on the edge. “Do you think she helped him take Giselle?”
“She helped hide her. That much I’m sure of,” Rowan answered, voice rough. “Whether she was there when she was taken… I don’t know. But Elia was part of the cover-up.”
“She’s dangerous,” Luther muttered.
“She’s desperate,” Rowan corrected. “They’ve tried once to sever my bond with Giselle. The spell nearly worked. The next time, they might succeed.”
Silence fell thick over the office.
Charlie’s expression tightened. “You felt it?”
“I *almost* lost her,” Rowan said, his voice rough. “The spell was meant to rip her away from me. From the bond. And it would have worked if Giselle wasn’t so damn strong.”
“Or if your bond wasn’t,” Kalen said quietly.
Silence settled over the room for a beat, thick with the weight of that near loss.
Charlie was the one to break it. “We’ll find her.”
Rowan’s gaze softened slightly as he looked at his sister. “We have to. Before the full moon. That is likely when they will try again. If she finishes what she started…”
“She won’t,” Luther said firmly.
“I’ll start searching the Luna wing,” Charlie added, leaning her hip against Rowan’s desk. “If she left anything behind—notes, sigils, herbs, spell remnants, even a loose hair—I’ll find it.”
Luther crossed his arms. “I’ll work with your patrols. We’ll tighten up near the ridge. No one gets in or out without us knowing.”
Rowan met his gaze. “We need to keep eyes on the Elders. Malric most of all. If he’s shielding Elia, we need proof. And we need to be ready when she surfaces again.”
Kalen nodded. “And I’ll start pressing the Elders. Malric’s keeping something close to his chest. We just need to find the right crack to pry it open.”
Rowan drew in a long breath, then exhaled slowly. “Good. Keep your circles tight. No loose tongues. No unnecessary movements. The moment we tip our hand…”
“They’ll vanish again,” Luther finished.
“Exactly.” Rowan stood tall, his voice iron now. “This ends with Giselle home. And Elia unmasked.”
“I’ll start sweeping the outer wards after I speak with your warriors on patrol,” Luther said.
Rowan nodded, the weight of command pressing heavy against his shoulders. “Good. We’ve come too close to losing everything. I won’t let it happen again.”
They nodded, each of them focused, fire burning behind their eyes.
The war hadn’t ended. It had only just begun.
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