Chapter 127: _ The Portal

Chapter 127: _ The Portal

One of the demons slams his fists into the dirt. Another claws at his own chest. Heidi looks away in pain, jaw tight. She hates herself for the relief blooming in her chest when there are others

Movement flickers at the edge of her vision which signals the presence of the said jackasees. Morgan and Grayson step out of their treehouse like twin shadows, identical in posture yet somehow radiating opposite kinds of arrogance. Morgan’s hair is disheveled, his shirt is half-buttoned as though he couldn’t care less. Grayson, sharp-eyed, takes in the scene with that calculating gaze of his that Heidi’s learned to both despise and respect.

The images of their unending threesomes for the past three days flash across her field of vision. The touches, the thrusting... oh, the pouncing, the sheer pressure of it, and how much pleasure it drives into her.

OH...

Oh, shit. She’s doing it again! This isn’t the time for sinful thoughts.

"Well, looks like the wannabe Alpha wolf possessing Moon Blessed is right," Morgan calls out, stretching like he’s just woken from a nap. "Running blind will get you killed."

Grayson’s eyes land on Heidi. "Smart girl," he says smoothly. "Waiting it out instead of bolting."

Heat pricks her face, not from his words but from the dozen pairs of eyes that immediately turn to her. She folds her arms, scowling. "I didn’t wait for you. I waited because everyone needed to get out. So let’s move before that portal closes."

For one suspended breath, everyone freezes at the intensity of her voice.

Then the shouting starts again. A clamor of questions, fears, and arguments bellows. Wolves shove at one another. Demons sob at their feet. The portal is still blazing in the distance, humming like a heartbeat. And Heidi, standing in the middle of it, feels the weight of the lives pressing against her ribs.

This is it,

As Morgan and Grayson bark instructions that are sharp enough to halt the chaos as the Alpha sons that they are, Heidi drifts away from their commanding presence. Her eyes dart past the frenzy of Moon Blessed who are already fumbling with their weapons and backpacks, and are literally vibrating with hysteria now that escape is finally, finally possible.

But Heidi’s attention fixes on Junie.

The girl is on the ground, legs splayed awkwardly, her half-grown hand dangling awkwardly. Her expression is hollow and glassy-eyed, as though she’s already written herself out of the story. Her shoulders tremble, and every so often a dry, bitter laugh escapes her lips.

Val crouches beside her, trying to shake her out of the spiral.

"Junie," Heidi says as she approaches, lowering herself until her knees brush the dirt. The ground is cold, damp from the mist that clings to everything in this cursed labyrinth, and her thighs ache from crouching, but she doesn’t move.

Her voice softens as she speaks. "Don’t you dare check out on us now."

Junie’s head lolls toward her, and her laugh comes sharper this time, soaked in sarcasm. "Don’t you get it? My hand isn’t fully grown. And the rune, it didn’t come back. It’s gone. The fairy who drew it never once said it could sink into my blood. Never."

Her voice cracks on the last word, and she presses her teeth into her lip so hard, Heidi swears she tastes the iron tang in the air herself.

Val pushes her hair back from her sweaty forehead, eyes wide under the pair of glasses she doesn’t seem to want to let go. "But maybe it did. Maybe it’s inside you now, not on your skin. The magic could’ve adapted. We’ve seen stranger things in this place. Junie, it’s better than nothing. Don’t throw away hope before we even try."

Junie stares at her like she’s insane, but there’s a flicker in her gaze. Heidi sees it—it’s hesitation, the smallest but in her despair and she immediately seizes it like a wolf spotting weakness in prey.

She leans closer, lowering her voice so only Junie and Val hear. "Listen. I don’t care what that fairy said or didn’t say. If there’s even a scrap of a chance, you’re taking it. You’re not dying here, Junie. Not when we’re this close. Not when freedom is literally humming through the air right now."

Junie scoffs bitterly again. "You’re too optimistic for someone who’s spent four days trapped in a labyrinth with flirty Alpha twins and demons trying to rip her throat out."

W-What? How on earth would Junie attribute those jerks to her?

Heidi’s lips twitch as she clears her throat. "Ugh, Junie. What nonsense are you spewing now?"

"We know they own those bites on your neck, girl." Val rolls her eyes.

Heidi immediately grows defiant. "Of course, not! How can I get marked by two men? It’s... It’s bites from demons while fighting."

"Bites that leave a scar on a wolf? From Ms. Vesper’s class, I’ve learned that those are mate marks." Val argues.

"No, they are not! Sure you also heard Ms. Vesper say one can’t be fated to more than one mate." Heidi counters.

Val blows off a stray hair. "Chill, girl. No one is judging you. I didn’t hear her say anything about twins. Maybe because they are twins, they can be fated to one girl. Who knows? That might not be an abomination."

"And Heidi! You’re mated to Alphas! You should be happy, not denying it." Junie playfully smacks her elbow despite herself.

Oh, God. It seems no matter how hard she tries to hide it, there’s no viable explanation for the twin’s mark that she now bears on her neck. Heidi ponders.

Argh!

She blames those crazy jerks for not being able to control themselves!

"You know what? Let’s discuss this when we all get back, okay?" She raises her hands in surrender, rolling her eyes.

Junie sighs sadly. "Well, I appreciate your optimism, girls. But we all know this is the end for me."

"Optimism? No. Call it sheer stubbornness. I refuse to let this hellhole keep one more of us." Val interjects.

"You don’t have the luxury of giving up. I’m not leaving you here. Val isn’t. None of us is. If there’s even a chance, you’re taking it. And if that portal rips you apart, then it rips us apart too, because we’ll be right there beside you." Heidi adds.

Before Junie can reply, Grayson’s, loud and commanding voice interrupts their debate. "We need to move now!"

Val nods instantly. "You’re coming. End of discussion."

She seizes the opportunity, levering Junie up with both hands while she groans like an old crone dragged to market.

The shout from Grayson isn’t just a command—it’s a trigger. The remaining Moon Blessed jerk like puppets on strings, panic shoving them into motion. Heidi doesn’t wait for Junie to change her mind. She grabs her friend’s good hand while Val pushes from the back, and together they stumble forward into the current of bodies streaming toward the portal’s direction.

Morgan and Grayson flank the movement, but Heidi notices something unsettling: their eyes keep flicking back to her. Not the general sweep of an Alpha keeping track of his people, no. This is pointed at her.

One of them even murmurs something low to the other, and though she can’t catch the words, the effect is palpable. Murmurs spread among the other Moon Blessed, whispers filled with suspicion. She knows what they’re seeing—the faint twin marks on her neck, the way both brothers seem magnetized to her, guarding her path as though she’s a doll while the others scramble like wild dogs.

Heat flares in her cheeks, anger and embarrassment twisting together. She hates that mark. Hates that it betrays her every time she wants to hide it. But right now, she can’t afford to defend herself or snap at whispers. Right now, all that matters is the dark pulse of energy in the distance; the portal.

The ground trembles under their feet as they run, leaves shaking loose from the high branches. The portal roars a deep bass that resonates in the bones more than in the ears, growing louder with every desperate stride.

But then, they stumble on death.

They stumble upon it suddenly, like a reminder of what impatience costs. Three bodies. Or rather, what remains of them. The Moon Blessed who had bolted early lay shredded in the dirt, torn into ribbons of meat and cloth.

The first body lies crumpled against a tree, its throat torn wide open, the flesh ragged where something gnawed at it. Another is sprawled in the dirt, eyes glassy and frozen in terror, chest cavity hollow where demons clearly feasted. The third is barely recognizable as he’s in a shredded mass of blood and fabric.

The stench is of rot and bile all swirling in the damp air. Someone behind Heidi gags loudly; another outright vomits.

Her stomach lurches, nausea rising up, but she forces it down. She’s seen worse. They all have, by now.

Still, the sight knocks the frenzy out of the group. Their sprint slows into a stagger, their breaths ragged. The portal gleams just ahead, but the shadow of what awaits them presses heavier than ever.

Heidi’s fingers twitch at her sides, aching for the feel of a blade.

If three of ours didn’t make it this far, what the hell is waiting for us at the finish line?