Now that there was a moment to think, I shifted down to a human and sat down on the dirt. I opened my mind to all those I could connect to, and reluctantly decided that I should signal the other Alpha before talking to Jake. He'd be in danger as well now, but the others were still following the princess' plan to activate the glacier crystals. If the skits were released it'd be hell on earth.

"What should I say to get them the message?" I asked myself. Communication between wolves was limited over long distances. I had to choose a clear message to make them stop. However, there was a chance that I was already too late and they'd already activated the crystals. I was fighting for a long time already. "I need them to stop and gather."

One more deep breath, and then I shifted back into a greater wolf. I leaned upward and howled into the night sky as loudly as my lungs would allow. The wordless message would carry my instruction to all shifters that heard it.

A few moments later, another wolf echoed the howl. I recognized it as my father's voice. Then a second later, my sister. The voices of my pack sounded in waves as they propagated the message. Finally, three stronger howls carried a slightly different message, but one that was clear. Incoming. They would come to join up with me and the pack.

The relief at hearing the voices of my friends and family even for a moment took layers of fatigue off my shoulders. With that settled, I started running to the home base and turned my attention to my mate.

Jake seemed to be annoyed by something, but he responded to my link immediately. Hunter, what the hell is happening? Everyone is falling asleep and it's too early in the year to be this cold in Viridian.

It didn't take much to put together the pieces once he said that, but I couldn't hold back a scowl at the realization. Jake, listen carefully. You need to get somewhere safe right now. Run home if you can, or hide out in the nearest building- whatever it takes- just don't stay outside! There were two explanations for what he was seeing, and both were dreadful.

The drop in temperature meant that at least some of the glacier crystals were active already and spreading cold. There was now a chance that skits could be released at any moment.

People falling asleep suddenly meant that the demons had moved up their plan to hunt us like they warned. The news of one of their strongest dying must have erased any hesitations they had left about wiping us out.

These two things happening at the same time spelled for the worst-case scenario. There would still be humans outside at this hour, and now they'd all be scattered outside with rampaging beasts looking for food and demons hunting shifters that had gathered out in the open. I needed to get to my pack to let them know the specifics of what we faced, but I also needed to make sure my mate would be safe.

I came to a sudden halt at the edge of the forest. Jake was miles from his home, which felt like a long way to drive at the moment. And I could tell the drowsiness was affecting him based on how weakly he stood. I burned with the desire to be by his side right now and protect him. Yet I couldn't just ignore my whole family either. Damn it! I growled in frustration.

"I think I understand the situation, Hunter. I can take care of myself right now, go to your pack and we'll talk more later." Jake's voice was loud and clear despite miles between us and his feelings were even clearer. He'd read every thought I just had and felt every bit of my frustration. Then responded with a firm desire to comfort and reassure me. I felt his resolve to handle himself independently as well as his energy rising through our link. My own will seemed to resonate with his and my doubts cleared away.

Everything we would do; we would do it together. Everything we felt, we would share. All of the problems we would face, we would face together regardless of how far apart we were. That was the nature of our bond moving forward, and it made me feel invincible. 

Hey guys! I hope you've been enjoying the last few chapters. I know they're a bit shorter than average, but this way I can keep a more reliable pace for right now :3