Chapter 192

Fiona

This time, as I leave, Mr. and Mrs. Denton send me off.

“Don’t forget your journal,” Mrs. Denton calls from the kitchen.

“Stay safe and stay with your guards!” Mr. Denton shouts from his study.

“Thank you!”

I grab my journal from the table and slide it into my bag. Knowing that Laxus and two other Gammas are waiting on the other side of the door, gives me confidence. I know they’ll protect me and help me find what I’m looking for.

It’s almost like I have teammates who want to see me succeed. The feeling brings warmth to my heart, even as I open the door and smile down at Laxus. The two men standing with him are just as large as he is and lethal looking. I bet if I tried, I’d never be able to push them over.

“Hi, are you ready?” I ask, looking at the men. Laxus nods, but when he doesn’t move, I glance at the other two.

“These are your new guards.” Laxus motions to the men who then step up, “Michael, is our highest-level Gamma other than me.” The first man bows as Laxus speaks, his brown hair flopping over his forehead as he moves. “Robert is our third rank Gamma, also one of the highest-level fighters in our pack.” The next man bows, and I notice his hair is shorter than Michael’s hair, but they look a lot alike.

Brothers, maybe?

I bow slightly, unsure how to respond to their respect. I haven’t really done anything to earn the respect of high-level fighters, so it feels strange.

“Michael and Robert are part of the Alpha guard, which is the section of the Gammas that is specifically tasked with keeping the Alpha family safe,” Laxus informs me. When I don’t say anything, he nudges me, and I realize he means me. I’m part of the Alpha family now.

“Right. Right. Um, thank you for your service?” My statement comes out as more of a question and all three men smile in amusement. “Yeah, yeah. Make fun of the clueless little human. Can we get to work now?” I wave them off and turn in the direction of the forest.

Before I can even take two steps, all there men are at my sides, and Laxus is barking orders. Michael and Robert then shift into their chocolatey brown wolf forms and take the lead while Laxus follows at my side.

“I still have several plants to find other than the Moonlight Fire Lily, and they might be around here. Have you seen any of these before?” I ask Laxus after pulling my journal out. He looks over my shoulder at the page, and I watch as his brows pull together in thought.

For someone who is supposed to be in charge of a bunch of fighters, Laxus’s face is very telling.

“I know for a fact my grandmother has Ran leaves and a mixture of Bloodroot and Fieldcress Leaf. She always has those on hand. Michael, search ahead for Icori Root and Honeydew,” Laxus orders, then calls out to Robert, “And also see if you can find Ariani leaves and Lannin berries.”

The wolves bark in response and slink off into the darkness of the trees. I hadn’t thought of asking one of them to help look. With their senses, they may be able to find the plants way faster than me. I’m sure they give off smells, plus, they’re familiar with the area.

“They won’t go more than fifty feet away without letting me know, so while they search for the easier plants, you and I can search for the flower,” Laxus says, and I nod.

I see why he’s in charge of a group like the Gammas. He’s thoughtful and decisive, but he also delegates tasks to others in order to have the best results. I like that he doesn’t take all the weight on his own shoulders and shares responsibility.

“I thought of two locations while you were sleeping earlier that may have your flower. One isn’t far from the falls we were at before, which is where I think is most likely, while the other is to the south, near the ocean,” he tells me, grabbing me and lifting me over a fallen tree.

“Let’s try the closer location first, then if it’s not there,” I duck under a low hanging branch, “we can check the other place.”

Nodding, Laxus gets that faraway look in his eyes that Ethan gets sometimes, and I realize it must be their mind talk. The healers mentioned it but didn’t go into detail, and I feel like I remember Ethan or Ryan saying something about it before.

He must be talking to Robert and Michael, letting them know where we’re heading. Honestly, it seems like that would be very helpful, and it explains a lot about why Ethan wouldn’t keep up with his phone while he’s over here.

I follow Laxus through the trees, thanking him quietly each time he helps me not trip or not get hit by something I can’t see. I still wish it was Ethan with me, but I tell myself that having Laxus here will help me and Ethan get back together faster.

So, I push on, focusing on my goal.

Find the flower. Save Ethan.

“Careful,” Laxus says as we make our way down the steep hill off to the side of the falls.

“Are there any bad wolves out tonight?”

“No, I had my guys sweep the area before we came, and if there were, we would’ve already taken care of them,” he answers, leading us to the left this time. “It’s just ahead. There’s a clearing that—”

“Look!” I cry, noticing a blip of red right past a patch of trees ahead.

“Wait, Luna,” Laxus calls, but I’m already running toward the splash of color. I squint to see through the darkness, but there’s just enough moonlight that I don’t hurt myself as I sprint through the trees.

“We found it!” I scream, bursting out into the clearing where two Moonlight Fire Lily flowers grow in the moonlight. Tears prick at the back of my eyes, but I blink them away. I don’t have time to cry as I fall to my knees and touch the soft red and yellow petals.

The flowers are in full bloom, soaking in the moonlight like the book said. The bright red petals reach up toward the moon, displaying the yellow and orange streaks that make them look like fire.

“Don’t run off like that,” Laxus growls, crouching next to me. “Is this really it?”

I nod, pulling my hand away.

“I should only take one,” I mutter, but my instinct screams to take both. What if one isn’t enough? I don’t want to come all the way back here again. “Never mind. We’ll take both of them just in case.”

Pulling my satchel around, I dig inside until I find the bag for the Moonlight Fire Lily. Carefully, so I don’t damage any of the flower, I dig through the dirt, loosening it enough to pull the flower and the roots out.

Once I have them both, I slide them into the large baggie and seal it off. A weight lifts off my shoulders, and I look at Laxus.

“Did Michael and Robert find the plants you assigned to them?” I ask, hoping they did. If so, I can immediately start the antidote when we get back to the hospital.

His eyes go all distant again, but a second later, he focuses on me again and smiles.

“They did?!”

“They did.”

“Yes!” I pump a fist in the air and stand, pointing in the direction we came from, “Then let’s get back and heal my mate.”