Page 53 of Fortune Fae Academy

Except, there wasn’t any wind. It was a disturbance in the Web that sent the forest purring to life.

There you are.

A glimmer, like a reflection of a mirror in the distance, betrayed its location.

As I followed the faint pull on my broken soul, the silver strands grew denser, intertwining with the branches of the trees, until I felt like I was walking through a fine mist. Dust clung to my Astral form, making me feel both light and heavy at the same time.

Are you fighting me?I wondered at the Web. Maybe it feared what would happen if I rekindled my shattered soul.

But it didn’t get a choice. I was done running. Donehiding.

Done pretending that pieces of me didn’t exist.

I’m doing this whether you like it or not.

Determined, I continued on, stepping into the glorious fractures of light as if I’d ventured into a painting. One where every stroke of color was imbued with magic.

Flowers bloomed along my steps, emerging in a riot of colors that defied any earthly palette. Their petals pulsed with gentle luminescence, all in sequence as if echoing a distant heartbeat.

I brushed aside a branch, moving deeper into the dreamlike alternate reality of liquid moonlight. A masculine whisper floated on the air, finding me with ease.

“Where are you, little Omega?”

Seif’s voice was unmistakable, but his past self merged with the present one still asleep by my side. His fingers curled into my hip, the soft pressure reminding me of where I belonged.

And who I belonged with.

“I’m tracking a piece of my soul,”I told him, deciding to be honest. A vibrant pool of silver stood between me and my destination. I waded in, enjoying the cool sensations playing along my spiritual form.

“Do you want my help?”he asked. This time, his voice didn’t hold an echo to it.

The past rode the strands of the Web all around me, conflicting with this caring and trusting version of Seifiek.

“I’ll let you know if I do,”I said, my attention drawn to my goal ahead.

Except, when the mist parted, a male form blocked my path.

Frowning, I wondered why Seif would pretend to ask for permission if he’d already joined me.

But then my spirits sank when I realized the Alpha in my way wasn’t Seif at all.

The burn at my throat gave the entity away. It seemed that even in Astral form, his proximity was enough to awaken the device around my neck.

“Amell,” I said aloud, earning a rush of panic from Seif.

“I can handle this,”I informed my Alpha before he came rampaging after me.

To my surprise, his presence retreated from my mind, but I could sense he was rousing Axel.

I probably had about thirty seconds before both my Alphas called me and forced me back into my body.

Then Tunneled me far out of sight.

There was nowhere to run, though. I knew that the moment Amell grinned at me.

As if he’d allowed all of this.

Perhaps even counted on it.