Collecting the Pieces of the Shandhi Sword (Book 2 of Mark Series)

Chapter 8

I watched in hidden amazement as Malena, and one of her buds made a portal to Stone Mountain. I had talked Adele out of Carter and me fighting by wanting to get the piece of the sword quicker than she would have wanted us to. This had caused Carter to joke off, and I punched him in the face. My annoyance with him was growing thinner by the hour by the way that he was acting.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Monroe said from beside me. He watched as they performed the tricks before looking at me. "Watching them dance and make a portal."

I stared at it warily. I did not like what they were doing, but I understood that it was quicker to get there than actually flying and driving in a car. I silently agreed that it was beautiful, but even beautiful things could be deadly. "It's safe... Right..?"

"Of course it is, Princess," Carter said, slapping me on the shoulder. He held his hands in mock defeat when I gave him an annoyed look. There was a small smile on his face that I so badly wanted to slap off. "I've been through it a million times."

"Then I know it isn't safe," Cameron said, walking up to us in all black attire. He frowned, and I could see jealousy in his eyes at the nickname. "It is unwise to call an Alpha's mate by a nickname." His voice held a tone that I didn't like, but I knew that it was better to comment on it without others around because two Alphas clashing was always bad.

I pursed my lips and held my tongue, keeping a remark inside. I hated nicknames by any means and people trying to take away my title, even if they were Alphas. I had been an Alpha for ten years, and I had proven my worth over the course of that time.

"Her name is Jasmine," Carter said, looking at him in mock shock. There was a small smirk on his face when Cameron growled a warning. He was playing with something dangerous, and I knew that Carter knew it, also. "You know, the Princess? From Aladdin? It's not like I mean anything by it."

I gave him an annoyed look but didn't say anything when Malena and her friend were done with the portal. A soft growl escaped my lips when Malena looked at me with a smirk, and I couldn't help but want to attack her.

"Malena," Monroe warned. He glanced at me, and I saw this sadness in his eyes before it was gone. It was like he did not want us to fight but wanted us to get along. He cleared his throat and looked at Malena. "Enough, please."

Malena scoffed but didn't say anything sassy. "Ok, for those of you that haven't done this before..." She glanced at me with a sneer, and this time I did let out a growl that she could hear. She widened her eyes and quickly looked away from me, clearing her throat. A part of her was scared, and I couldn't help but be a bit happy about that. It meant that a part of her did understand the dangers of making a Wolf pissed. "Anyways, if you haven't done this before, don't move when you get into the portal. If you do, your limbs can be torn apart."

"Well, that sounds exciting," I muttered, and Malena glared at me. I gave her a blank look and folded my arms across my chest. "I'd like to keep my limbs. I need them to protect my pack."

Malena scoffed and rolled her eyes but didn't comment. She pursed her lips and looked at the others in the room. "Anyways, keep your eyes closed, also. That way, you will be able to see after you are out of the tunnel." She backed away from the tunnel. "Now, let's go and get a piece of this bitch's sword." She narrowed her eyes at me, and her father scowled and muttered her name.

I shrugged and stepped forward. "Don't bother me much," I replied. I smirked, showing a few of my sharpened teeth. "I am a female Wolf." With that, I followed Carter through the portal and did what I was told to do, hoping that I wouldn't die.

***

I took in a deep breath when I arrived at the place and opened my eyes to see that we were in the middle of the woods. My heart thundered in my ears, and I hated the feeling of being dizzy. A snarl was on my face when someone touched me, and I quickly brought my fist back to punch them.

"Easy there, Princess," I heard Carter say. Amusement filled his voice, and I couldn't help but slightly relax. "You are safe. You might just want to step out of the way and sit down."

I did what I was told to do, not wanting to fall on my ass. "That was..." I scrunched my face and shook my head. I didn't like the feeling of my stomach flipping, which was why I hated flying. It didn't help that it was enclosed, and I loved the feeling of open space.

"Don't worry, I know what you mean," he said. He patted my shoulder and helped my mate walk over to me. "By the way, you have been out a month. Your pack is safe or as safe as they could be."

I grunted my response and closed my eyes. I looked down and felt my hands shake. I hated having to rely on his word because I wanted to make sure that they were myself. However, Adele wanted to at least finish one sword, and I hoped that that wouldn't take long. Every day felt straining because all I wanted to do was get my pack back and not leave them for anything.

Cameron groaned from where he was placed beside me. He also had his eyes closed, and he looked like he was going to throw up. "This is why I hate roller coasters," he muttered, groaning.

I grunted, agreeing with him. As soon as I felt that I was able to stand, I stood and looked around. My body was relaxed when I felt the soft breeze blow across my face and smelt the freshness that the breeze brought.

"Which way?" Carter asked, looking around to see that whoever was coming with us was already out and starting to look around to make sure that we were alone. His whole body was tense, and I knew that he didn't like this open space with what felt like magical beings.

I took the necklace off my neck and looked to see that it was glowing. "I guess we follow this," I said. Instincts took over, and I let go of the necklace to see it glowing. I took a step forward, and the necklace moved in front of me.

"Great," Cameron muttered. He stood and ran a hand over his face as he stood. "Instead of the yellow brick road, we follow the yellow glowing necklace. What else will we have to face?"

I stayed silent, the warning of that worm lady coming back into my mind. I fiddled with the knife at my side and prayed that we wouldn't have to face anything that dangerous. I would not know what to do with Cameron if we did...