Pemberly continued to follow Hudson to keep his eye on him and keep him from getting into trouble. It was the least he could do to help the Luna from worrying about her son. They kept a reasonable distance from the King, hoping he didn’t suspect someone following him. Pemberly yanked Hudson into a dark alley when he saw the King stopping to pick up his phone. Hudson leaned out slowly to pick up the conversation.

“Reece, what is it? Did you find that wretched girl Rita?” the King asked into the phone.

“What? You found the girl; are you sure?”

Hudson couldn’t get the exact details of what was being said on the other end, but he was worried it had something to do with Amanda.

“Alright, I’m on my way. You better be right about this, or heads will roll, and I’ll start with yours,” he threatened.

Hudson growled as the man disappeared into the grey mist and floated away. He closed his eyes as he dropped his head to his chest. How was he going to find his wife now?

“Hudson, heads up. We’ve got company,” Pemberly warned.

Hudson leaned out and saw large groups of people walking down the street. “What are they doing out here so late?”

“It’s not late; Silver City never sees daylight. It’s the nightlife all day, every day.”

Hudson shook his head in disbelief; he didn’t understand how the factions could live here and not experience the warm sun on their skin. But it wasn’t his place to judge. His only job was to find his wife and get home.

Pemberly pulled out his phone when an alert came through. “A meeting has been called for everyone to attend. It looks like they might address what’s going on with the city.”

“Let’s go; we might be able to find Amanda at the meeting,” Hudson told him before stepping out of the alleyway.

“Whoa, Hudson. You can’t walk out there like a mighty Alpha that thinks he owns the place unless you want a death wish,” Pemberly warned.

Hudson snarled at the comment but understood. This wasn’t his pack or town; he was a visitor and needed to show his respect to the other wolves. He was worried about his mate. Whenever Amanda went missing, it was due to something about her being a hybrid or super powerful. Somebody was always trying to kill her to gain her power. Hudson rubbed his face as he took deep breaths to reign in his anger. When Hudson found himself at a calmer level, he walked out from the alley and joined the people heading to the same destination.

***

Malakai, Deak’s wolf, continued to run, trying to escape the darkness that clouded his judgment when it came to making decisions about Vita. Deak had been silent this whole time, allowing his wolf to decide for them. Malakai was worried that the darkness and the voices were getting to Deak. He could still feel their love for Vita burning inside them, but he knew Deak would rather die than do anything to hurt Vita, even if it helped them eliminate the curse. Malakai understood the fears his human had if they rejected Vita for their own foolish reasons. He didn’t want conflict in his heart. Malakai knew that if they went through with the rejection, then he would no longer see Vita as their mate but as just a woman in their life.

As fearful as Deak was of Malakai taking over his actions, the kid was smart. There was something that the bond allowed them to experience more than normal feelings that only humans could feel. The sense of them being close to their mate without even feeling their touch, being psychically connected to them, and knowing their feelings and emotions before they even say something about them. Malakai howled as he understood why the kid was doing all this. Deak had opened his mind for Malakai to see where he was coming from. Malakai realized something at that moment; the curse wouldn’t break them; together, they would break it. Malakai halted to a stop and turned around. It was time they showed this curse, who it was messing with.

***

Everyone stepped out of the hotel together, showing a united front to the residents of Silver City. As they walked down the streets of the once-illuminated place, they all began to see the broken pieces of the falling place. It was only a mirage displayed to trick people into coming here and persuading them to stay for eternity. Things needed to change within the city limits, or there would be nothing left for the people of Silver City to save.

As Zachary and Ruby led the group to City Hall, they could see the different factions lining up, separating themselves from the others as they assembled outside City Hall waiting to hear what the faction council would tell them. Tension from the sections filled the air like a thick blanket. The City shook, showing its unhappiness to its people, but no one listened to it or understood why it was happening. If only the people would unite to fix the damage they caused and heal together as the community they once were.

The faction council walked out of the building and stood before the masses. Felicia walked over to the podium to address the people. “People of Silver City, thank you for joining us today; we come together at a desperate time. Our city is cracking, and our community has been divided. We have lived together within these city walls in harmony for many years, but something has caused a tear in our community, causing a rip to our peaceful setting. We must unite to show our city we haven’t given up. We must put our differences aside to forgive and forget these recent events and heal together as a community. If we don’t, people will continue to die as our city crumbles, leaving nothing but broken pieces and ash for us to live in. We need to find the cause that broke our city and put an end to it. But we are going to need help.”

“How are we going to do that?” a woman yelled out from one of the groups. “The covens magic only works when the city is at its strongest. How are the witches going to help reconnect the community?”

Felicia looked out into the crowd and spotted Zachary with the rest of the group. “We ask for help from people connected to the outside world. An old friend came to visit asking for help from the council. Maybe if we ask them, they will reciprocate the offer.”

Zachary folded his arms over his chest before he responded. “Why should we help a city that, from the moment we got here, tricked our minds and sucked the time we’ve been here away from us? They turned us away when we asked for help and are responsible for my mother's death.”