Chapter 22 - Talking to Nia

Kaleigh was lost within the spell. Her chanting was getting faster as she was pulled into Amber's subconscious, where her wolf resided. Kaleigh could feel the wolf's presence and her fear of what was happening to her human. Kaleigh pulled Skylar forward to talk to the wolf while Kaleigh continued the chanting.

*"My name is Skylar. I am the wolf of Kaleigh, the next Luna of the White Raven pack. We have placed a sleeping spell on Amber so we can talk to you. We feel that something dark has come over Amber, and we would like to expel it from her, but we will need your help. Please let me know if you can hear me."* Skylar waited for the other wolf to speak to her. She could feel her hesitation. It would have to be her decision; this was not something Skylar could force her to do. Suddenly she got a response.

*"My name is Nia. I am Ambers wolf. Why would you and Kaleigh want to help after what Amber has done? How do I know you aren't here to pay her back and kill us?"* Skylar could tell that Nia wanted to talk, but she was scared and unsure. Skylar couldn't blame her. However, she and Kaleigh were different than most as they would help their enemies if they thought it was for the greater good.

*"You have my word; we are only here to help. There are three of us here. The current Luna Alannah is looking for the darkness inside Amber. Felicia, the Luna's daughter, is our anchor providing us with positive energy. I promise you, Nia, we only want to help. We have heard from several people about changes in Amber that have happened over the past year. Have you noticed anything that has caused these changes in her?"* Skylar could feel Nia's uncertainty but hoped she would start talking.

*"Yes, I have noticed it too. I warned Amber that if she didn't change, I would have no choice but to leave her. I was against her plans to hurt Kaleigh, but she wouldn't listen to me. A little over a year ago, Amber and I took a road trip to visit a friend in the Sacramento area. On the way back, we had car trouble, and the car ran off the road. We were unconscious for a little while. I am not sure exactly how long, but when we woke up, Amber was different. She hadn't met our mate yet, but she was suddenly all about mating with either Lenny or Dominick. When Lenny met his mate, she was fully invested in mating with Dominick. She even made her dad ask the Alpha that if Dominick didn't find his mate by the time he was twenty-five, he would force him to mate with her. The Alpha said he would consider it, but I don't think he meant it. Amber doesn't listen to me anymore. When we found our mate, she rejected him right away. She got past the pain quicker than I did, and she continued to try and get Dominick to take her as his mate. He told her repeatedly that he would never take her as a mate; he wanted his fated mate. You're right, Skylar, there's something dark inside of Amber, but I don't know what. It stays hidden from me, but I can feel its presence. Amber has not shifted in over six months. Do you really think you can do something for us?"* Nia was still unsure, but she wanted to save her human from whatever had changed her. If Kaleigh and Skylar were willing to help, she would do whatever they needed.

*"Yes, we think we can help. If the Luna successfully finds the cause of the darkness, it will help us eliminate it. Do you have any idea of what it could be?"* Skylar was not very hopeful that Nia would be able to tell them much after she had stated Amber had been blocking her out.

*"I don't know why I think this, but I feel it may be a spell of some sort. It's weird because I can tell that something is different, but there doesn't seem to be anything sharing space with Amber and me. That doesn't make sense, but that's how it feels. Almost like the source is there, but not physically."* Skylar knew exactly what Nia meant. There was a possibility that a black magic witch placed a spell on Amber. Hopefully, the Luna will be more useful in finding something.

*"Thank you, Nia. I will go back to Kaleigh now. We will be checking in with the Luna to see if she was able to find anything. Kaleigh will place a spell so that you and I can talk without Amber knowing. Just keep your eyes and ears open for anything that could help us. We will let you know what we find and what our plans are as well, okay?"* Nia was relieved. She felt like she finally had an ally and wasn't alone.

*"I will let you know if I notice anything else. Thank you all for helping. Hopefully, we can get Amber back to the sweet girl she used to be. Goodbye, Skylar."* Skylar was pleased with this outcome.

*"Goodbye, Nia, hang in there. You're not alone."* With that, Skylar returned to Kaleigh, who was still chanting.

Kaleigh had heard the entire conversation, but she was also focused on the Luna. She could tell there was something she was picking up on, and its energy was very dark. Kaleigh could feel the darkness in Alannah's hand that was in hers. Kaleigh trusted Alannah and knew she would stop when it became too much. Kaleigh was watching her, though, to ensure that whatever it was, it didn't pull her in before Alannah could stop it. Suddenly Alannah's eyes opened wide, and they were pure black. She stopped chanting and indicated to Kaleigh that it was time to end.

Kaleigh slowly stopped her chanting as well. Still holding hands, she could feel the energy of the other two and knew that they were all still in a good place. Kaleigh closed her eyes after letting go of Felicia and Alannah's hands. She had to take a few minutes to pull herself together. When she did spells that took so much energy, it was almost like she had an out-of-body experience. That's why Kaleigh knew she would be drained and was glad Dominick was outside to help her back to their room. She opened her eyes and saw the other two watching her. Amber was still asleep on the floor.

"You both did a wonderful job. Let's leave this place before we debrief about what we each learned." Alannah and Felicia were still recovering, although it was not the same as Kaleigh. All they could do was nod before turning to walk toward the exit.

Kaleigh made sure the cell door was closed tight, and everything was how they found it. When they walked outside the dungeon, Dominick was waiting. All three women sat on the ground, looking completely exhausted.

Dominick went and sat behind Kaleigh so she could lean against him. She was thankful for his comfort and warmth after how cold she felt in the dungeon. Dominick had many questions about what happened, but he could tell no one was ready to talk. Kaleigh looked like she would pass out; his mom and sister didn't look much better. Kaleigh turned toward the Luna.

"Luna, can we go to your office to talk? I don't want to risk anyone overhearing us." Kaleigh was tired, but she wanted to tell them what Nia had told Skylar and find out what Alannah had discovered. Then she would be ready for a nap. She hoped that Dominick would lay with her.

"Yes, Kaleigh, let's go. Felicia, how are you holding up?" The teenager was still looking shocked about everything, but she gave them a huge smile to everyone's surprise.

"I feel great. That was beyond amazing." Kaleigh laughed at her enthusiasm. That's one thing she loved about Felicia; she radiated positivity and happiness.

"Alright, let's go back to the packhouse. I already asked the guards to return, and they should be here in a few minutes." Dominick stood up, pulling Kaleigh up with him. He could tell she had very little energy, and he figured the sooner he got her back to their room to rest, the better.

It had been creepy sitting outside the dungeons during their spell. Dominick could see a green light seeping around the door. He could also hear the slight echo of his mother and Kaleigh chanting. An eeriness had surrounded the area giving him chills. He had wanted to run in there, pulling them all out. Kaleigh had told him before they went in to stay put, so he did.

The four of them walked back to the packhouse in silence. Dominick had his arm around Kaleigh's shoulders, holding her tightly to him.

The Alpha was waiting for them on the house's deck when they arrived. He walked over to his mate, kissing her temple before leading them inside.

Alpha Dillon wanted to know about the status of Amber just like his Beta, and Carla wanted to know. When they got to the Luna's office, Dillon shut the door, and they all had a seat.

"Ladies, were you able to get any answers?" Alpha Dillon was concerned about the paleness and exhaustion he saw on their faces.

"Kaleigh, I will let you go first. Were you successful talking to Amber's wolf, and did she reveal anything?" Alannah, Dillon, and Felicia were all sitting on the couch together. While Dominick and Kaleigh were sitting on the loveseat facing them.

"Nia did talk to my wolf Skylar. We were right; Nia was on the verge of leaving Amber because of the changes she had seen in her. She is willing to help us and will keep our little visit to herself for the time being." Kaleigh went on to tell them about the conversation between Skylar and Nia. She saw the worry on their faces when she got to the part about Nia feeling like something happened to Amber that night her car ran off the road.

"Did any of you notice the changes in Amber beginning after her accident?" She saw the four others in the room all exchange glances.

"To be honest, I don't think any of us put two and two together. Amber was not injured from the accident, but now that you mention it, that was when she started changing." Alannah looked toward her son and mate for validation, and they nodded in agreement.

"Even though it has been over a year, I think we need to visit the site of her accident. I would like to see what type of energy is in that area. Luna, were you able to get anything from your end?" Kaleigh looked toward Alannah, anxious to see if she was able to add anything.

"I could feel the darkness in her, and I could tell it was some type of spell. It was very dark and binding, though, so I could not break through to see its purpose or who put it there. Whatever was there, it didn't like me poking around inside of Amber. It started pushing back and tried to reverse the energy to enter me. That was when I knew we needed to stop. Kaleigh, my gut feeling is that a witch did this to Amber, but I can't be sure. I'm also worried that whoever placed that spell may know that we are on to them, so they may try to kill Amber or come after us. We all need to take extra precautions. Kaleigh, you are more powerful than I am. Can you place a protection spell not only on the packhouse but also on everyone in the pack? I just want to be sure that we are all prepared if something comes. If you're okay with doing this, I will have Dillon mindlink the entire pack, so they know." Alannah sounded worried, and that concerned Kaleigh. If a black magic witch placed this spell, it would be better to know what coven they came from so they would know how to fight it.

"Yes, of course, I will, Luna. Do you think the pack will be okay with that? I don't think they know that I'm a hybrid." Kaleigh didn't like the idea of placing a spell on everyone without their consent.

"Trust me; they will be fine with it. The pack is used to me placing spells on them for battles or other reasons. When Dillon mindlinks them, he will inform them that you are a hybrid and the spell is for their safety and the pack's safety." Alannah sounded positive, so Kaleigh relaxed some.

"Okay, I will do it after I have rested a bit. I don't have enough energy for that large of a spell right now. Also, I think we should talk to Amber's parents and let them know what we've found. I'm sure they will have lots of questions. Unfortunately, the protection spell will not be able to cover Amber right now. It could make whatever witch put that spell on her aware that we are on to them. They could then look for a way to break the spell. I still want to visit the place of Ambers accident; maybe we can do that tomorrow." Kaleigh was looking at Alannah, but it was Dominick who answered.

"I'm coming too. There is no way I am leaving my mate and mother to search for evil on their own." The look Dominick gave Kaleigh caused her to smile.

"Dom, I was not thinking about leaving you behind; of course, you are coming with us." She saw him relax a little before bending down to kiss her forehead.

"I'm coming too. I'm too invested in this not to be included." Felicia put on a brave face, but inside she was worried they wouldn't let her go. In her brothers' and parents' eyes, she knew she was just a kid, but she hoped Kaleigh saw her as a friend. She was looking at her pleadingly.

"I have no problem with you coming, Felicia, as long as it's okay with your parents." Felicia's grin turned into a frown until she looked at her parents.

"Yes, you can come as well." They all laughed when she let out a squeal of excitement. Everyone agreed it was time to rest, so they all went their separate ways after leaving the Luna's office.