Chapter 39

**Alexander POV**

The wind was so strong as we were flying through the sky. 
I could see the electric bolts flashing in the clouds to my side, but that was not stopping me. 
My heart was beating so fast inside my chest as I couldn’t wait to get there as soon as possible. The thought that was passing through my head, that I will get to see her after so long, I looked behind me, checking on Ryder, seeing him he was following me, struggling a little with the harsh blows of ice-cold wind that would come our way. 
Cole was holding tightly to my back. His injuries were almost fully healed, leaving just the bloodstains on his clothes, showing he was once injured.
 It took us longer than expected to travel as we finally reached our destination, slowly lowering down onto the ground, near our final destination.
 I waited for Cole to slide down my back and soon as he was off; I didn’t waste a moment as I shifted back to my human form. 
Grabbing my clothes, I dressed up fast, noticing that Ryder was doing the same and soon as we were done, Cole asked us, “Where to now?”
“Up there where you can see that tree and rock next to it on the cliff,” Ryder told him as I was already making my way there.
Cole and Ryder both rushed after me and we all reached together at the top of the cliff where the hidden entrance to the Dark Fae world is.
All three of us stood there and watched at the tree and the huge rock, Ryder scratching the back of his neck while Cole was having a confused look, looking at the rock and the tree then back at the two of us, he asked us, “So what do we do now?”
Looking intently at the huge rock, trying to see anything that might be out of place, I said, “Now we just need to figure out how to use this bracelet and get inside.
Both of them nodded their heads as Ryder said, “So… we feel around the tree and this rock to see if there is anything in what bracelet will fit?”
“Sounds like an ok plan to go with,” I said and in the next moment, all three of us started to search around the tree and the rock for any or mechanism or crack, anything so we can use the bracelet on.
As what felt like hours but were minutes, have passed, we were all starting to feel irritated, making Cole say, “I don’t see anything unusual, do you?” 
“No, nothing,” Ryder said, exhaling deeply as he looked towards me in worry.
I looked at this huge rock with such intensity, hating it for making me feel so desperate and powerless.
Clenching my hands into tight fists, I roared out in frustration as I slammed down my fist into a huge rock.
The sound of my punch was loud, creaking a cracking sound as I didn’t care if it was my fist that broke down or something else.
“Damn! Are you ok?” Ryder asked me with wide eyes as both he and Cole were looking straight at my fist.
I nodded my head, looking down at my fist just to see a slight blood trail as the skin broke on few parts, making it bleed, then suddenly, the rumbling sound came from the rock as we saw the force of my punch made a little gap in the rock, revealing an opening in which was a glowing blue light.
“Whoa!” said both Ryder and Cole, peeking over my shoulder into the glowing blue light.
“I think this might be it,” I said, reaching into my pocket to get the bracelet.
“Go on, try placing it there.” Ryder encouraged me as I took the bracelet and cautiously started to drag it over towards the blue light.
“Here goes nothing.” I said as I moved my hand further ahead, making the bracelet touch the glowing blue light making the earth start to shake around us as I retreated my hand with the bracelet, placing it safely in my pocket, I looked at Cole and Ryder and said to Cole as I pointed my finger at him, “Remember, cross us and I will finish what we started down there in those tunnels, understand?”
He looked at me determined as he answered, “Yes, I do.”
“Good, now prepare yourselves because we have no idea what we will be facing when we get inside,” I told them as I stood with them both by my sides, watching as the huge rock was shaking, revealing giant cracks appearing over its surface, splitting it in half as it was slowly opening up to us, showing the same blue glowing light, shining inside it.
Soon as the rock stopped shaking, we all looked at each other as I said, “Ready?”
“Yes, let’s do this.” Cole said while Ryder rolled his eyes and said, “Yes.”
We all stepped one by one, crunching down as we entered the narrowed passage, stepping into the bright blue light that immediately transported us all into a dark forest.
“Wow, that was wicked,” Cole said whispering as Ryder and I were looking around us trying to get ourselves oriented.
Diving into my senses as they were on a high alert, I tried to use my heightened sense of smell and hearing to try to find our way around.
I pointed my hand the moment I caught onto something and said in a whisper, “This way.”
Cautiously we rushed through the forest, keeping ourselves hidden as we came across the town, seeing in mostly empty except the little group of Fae that were heading straight ahead.
“Something is off,” Ryder said as he looked around the silent town.
I couldn’t help but not to agree, but something was telling me that we should follow after the group.
“We should follow after them and see where they are going,” I said.
Cole and Ryder agreed with me and we all slowly followed after the five Fae who slowly walked ahead.
As we followed them, we reached the crossway, making me notice a giant mansion not far away from us.
The five Fae we were following continued on to follow the gravel white road that seemed to be leading towards the forest as I stood there and looked over the mansion.
My eyes took every window and balcony in, trying to see if anyone was inside if Nerissa was there, but all I could see was darkness coming from inside it.
Byrneshu opened our link as he said to me, “Something is wrong, and we need to hurry and find our mate!”
Panic flooded inside my heart by the urgency in his tone as I asked him, “Can you sense her anywhere?”
“Give me the control and I will find her.” He said to me as I agreed to his request and closed my eyes, giving him the control of my body as I sat back and watched him move.
Ryder noticed that it was my dragon in control, saying, “Alpha, where to now?”
Byrneshu inhaled deeply, catching a very faint   fragrance of all so familiar scent, orchids, as he turned towards Cole and Ryder with a slight growl rumbling inside his chest, “Follow me.”
With just a nod of their heads, Cole and Ryder followed as Byrneshu led the way, following the faint scent all through the opposite side of the woods.
Entering the maze, we could see torches lighting the path on the one side, making it easy for us to follow until we reached close enough just to see a huge crowd of Fae, looking straight ahead towards something.
I forced my way to take back the control so I can see better as reluctantly Byrneshu gave it back to me.
I followed the line of sight to see what they all were looking at with so much interest, making me freeze in my place when I saw Nerissa up on the stage with my brother next to her.
I had to force myself not to growl or roar out when I saw them up there, together with another male that seemed to be a higher ranked Fae as he was emitting a strong aura and a dark witch.
Ryder whispered, asking, “How are we going to get her? And what will we do with Reynard?”
I looked straight at my brother who stood there covered in black markings, looking adoringly at my mate which made my blood boil.
Taking in the whole scene, I said slowly, whispering to Cole and Ryder, “I have no idea what they are doing but I don’t like it and we need to stop this now. O…” I said, looking at both of them seriously, “Reynard is mine.”
Cole nodded his head, looking confused as he asked, “No problem, only…who is Reynard?”
If the situation was different, this would make me laugh but not now, so I said, “See that dragon the only one on the podium that is Reynard.”
He looked at Reynard and nodded his head, not arguing as we silently made our way back from where we got, walking through the maze, trying to get the other way around where it is easier to reach the podium.
As we were searching in a hurry, we could sense the shift in the air as a cold wind started to blow stronger around us.
The next moment, I smelled blood.
Different types made Cole, Ryder, and me confused until I smelled hers, drawing a growl out of my chest, making Ryder and Cole both jump up by surprise.
But what happened next was what made my blood go cold.
A loud, ice-chilling scream made my heart stop as the pain hit me like a truck.
“Fuck!” I said as I clenched my hand over my heart, trying to ease down the pain that ripped through it.
Ryder and Cole were fast to rush to me and catch me before I fell down on my knees.
“Alex! What is wrong? Are you ok?” Ryder asked in a hurry as I tried to figure out why am I feeling such a pain in my heart.
I opened my mouth to answer him and say yes I am but stopped when realization dawned on me that the pain must be coming from Nerissa.
Standing up fast, feeling rage as the fire inside me was boiling from it, I said through my clenched teeth, “I am going to fucking kill them all.”
Not stopping me as I rushed without stopping straight ahead, crunching down, jumping in the air as I climbed on the top of the hedge, they followed me without a second thought.
Soon as all three of us were standing on the hedge, I scanned fast through the crowd, searching for Nerissa.
Then I saw her, tears streaming down her beautiful, soft cheeks, markings covering her arms as her wrists were handcuffed to the stone table as well as her feet.
My heart stopped as I heard her screams for a second longer until they died down.
Not able to breathe, I focused my eyes on her, seeing her chest go slowly up and down, two, three times, and then stopped.
No!.. I screamed in agony inside my broken heart as I saw her take in her last breath.
I saw a male on the floor near her; it was that high-ranked Fae, but I didn’t care about him as the need for revenge filled inside of me.
I roared out so loud, making the ground shake all around us as I half shifted and jumped down in the middle of the crowd, fighting every each one of them who dared to stand on my path as I made my way towards my mate.
“Stop them!” I heard the witch yell out as a few Fae warriors followed suit and tried to stop us.
I set my eyes at the witch and saw her gasp when she looked at me, standing in her place for a second before she turned her eyes and looked over at Nerissa.
She ran towards her, and I saw her place her hand on Nerissa’s making me growl out as I tossed another warrior into the hedge. I said, “Get the fuck away from her, or I will kill you!!”
Rushing towards the podium, I lifted myself up, jumping with a loud crash on the stage, making the witch turn and look at me as I started to walk straight towards her.
Her eyes darted towards the unconscious male Fae that was laying down near the stone table, making her remove her hand from Nerissa and rush directly to the fallen Fae, saying lowly some chant that created a dark swirling mist of dark shadows to appear in a circle around them, turning fast like a tornado.
I could hear her words as I reached Nerissa, saying loudly, “We will meet soon again, handsome.”
Before I could react, the dark mist swallowed the two, leaving no trace of them.
I placed my hand on Nerissa's cold one, feeling my heartbreak in tiny pieces, hating myself for being so late, making my eyes tear down as I let one tear fall down onto my cheek.
Then I felt it, the tingles slowly growing stronger underneath my touch, making me look at her beautiful sleepy face as I called her name, “Nerissa!”
My heart started to beat again in my chest as I rushed to take off those chains, but as I freed her out of the last ones, a loud roar sounded behind me as in the next second I was pushed from behind with a strong and heavy force, making us two to fall down onto the ground as his sharp talons ripped down into my skin.
I was pressed down onto my front, being attacked from behind, making me growl out in anger as I managed to turn over and push him down off of me.
My eyes landed on my own brother, Reynard, who was looking at me with pure hate as we both stood fast up on our feet, I asked him, “Why did you do all of this?”
He laughed at my question, making me narrow my eyes as we circled each other. He said, “Because I hate you!! I am supposed to be an Alpha of Draconis, not you!!”
I growled out hearing his answer, “Is that why you took my mate away? Fuck with the title! If you so wanted it, then you should have confronted me directly and fought me for it! Hell, I would have even just given it to you, I don’t want it!!” I roared out at him as the fire burned inside my eyes, I added, “But you crossed the line taking and hurting my mate as you did, brother.”
Growling louder, I continued, “And that is something I cannot and will not forgive you, not even you.”
He narrowed his eyes at me and said, “She is mine! She is not yours! You do not deserve her!!”
Not wanting to hear more, I let go of my control and rushed right at him as we started to fight, hitting each other everywhere we got a chance.
There was blood everywhere coming out from both of us, but I didn’t care. The more I saw him bleeding, the better. I saw him take a swing with his right hand, extending his sharp, bloodied talons, aiming directly at my chest, I moved away fast, grabbing his hand and with a fast, hard motion, I snapped the bone inside in half, making him scream out in pain.
Not stopping, I kicked him hard, punching hard at his face, making me hear a snapping of his jaw when two hands, grabbed onto my arms and tried to get me away from him, saying, “Alex, we need to leave now! Demons are here!”
My eyes went towards the entrance into this maze, finding the ones I was looking for as his eyes saw me, recognizing me as they narrowed.
I left Reynard, bleeding down on the floor, unconscious as I rushed towards Nerissa. Picking her up gently, I turned to Cole and Ryder, saying, “You will shift and carry Cole and me and Nerissa back home. Hurry!”
Ryder wasted no time as he was not caring for his clothes started his shift, making everyone around scream out in panic.
Soon as his shift was done, Cole jumped onto Ryders back as I followed, not once letting Nerissa go.
“Go!” I yelled an order to Ryder, who roared out and started to stretch his wings and lift us off of the ground.
I saw Allister watching after us in pure rage, but I didn’t care. I pressed Nerissa’s unconscious body closer to me, feeling the sweet tingles as we made our way out from the Dark Fae world.