After Zoey exposed what she saw in the woods, the atmosphere inside Whispering Hollows cracked with tension. Whispers became arguments. Accusations flew like sparks in a storm. And at the center of it all stood Calla and now, possibly Nova.
Suddenly, a snarl echoed through the hall.
Nova lunged at Jace, her eyes glowing with an eerie light. "You betrayed my sister!" she screamed.
Jace sidestepped her swiftly, catching her by the arm and flipping her onto the floor in one fluid motion.
"Get her to the cellar!" Sebastian barked, already moving.
Nova thrashed, her power unstable, but before she could rise, a glowing aura surrounded her.
"I've got her," said Alina, her voice cold with determination. She clenched her fingers and vanished, reappearing in the cellar with Nova bound in magical chains.
As the chaos settled, Zoey heard soft sobbing. She followed the sound to find Elaine in a corner, tears streaming down her face.
"Hey, E," Zoey said gently, crouching beside her. "Why are you crying?"
Elaine wiped her nose. "I thought Nova was my friend…"
Zoey's heart ached. She knew that pain too well—the sting of betrayal. It was the same hurt she'd felt when Emmaly turned on her. Zoey couldn't let her sister carry that weight.
She took Elaine's face in her hands, kissed her forehead, and whispered an ancient spell. A soft golden light glowed between them. The painful memory of Nova was gone.
Elaine blinked. "Zoeyyyy! Why are you hugging me so tight?"
"Maybe I just love you a little extra today," Zoey said with a smile.
"Aww, I love you too, sis!"
"Hey, Mom, Dad," Zoey called. "Can you take Elaine to one of her friend's houses for a bit?"
Elaine's eyes lit up. "Yesss! Please, Mommy! Daddy! Pleeease!"
They both laughed. "Yes, sweetheart. Just for a little while, though."
"You're the best sister alive!" Elaine squealed, hugging her tightly.
"I know," Zoey said with a wink. "Alina's going to teleport you there with your bags, okay?"
"Okay! Bye, love you!"
"Love you too," Zoey whispered.
As they disappeared, Zoey's mom stepped beside her. "That was the right thing to do."
Zoey nodded silently.
Down in the cellar, they gathered around Calla and Nova. Calla's eyes were red from crying, her voice shaky.
"I'm sorry," she said. "The hunters… they threatened Nova. Said they'd kill her if I didn't give them information from inside Whispering Hollows. I didn't know what else to do."
"She's not lying," Jada said, crossing her arms. "I listened to her heartbeat. Not a single skip. She's telling the truth."
Zoey studied her face. The pain there was real. The fear, too.
"Then we protect Nova," Sebastian said. "But Calla—no more secrets. You'll be under watch from now on."
Everyone agreed.
That night, as silence blanketed Whispering Hollows, Zoey and Jace collapsed into bed. But peace didn't last long.
A loud alarm shattered the air.
Zoey shot up. "What was that?!"
"The alarm," Jace said, already on his feet. "The hunters are here."
He kissed her quickly. "Get dressed. Meet me downstairs."
Zoey used her speed, slipping into the dark training outfit the girls had gifted her. She zoomed down the stairs.
"What's going on?" she demanded.
Sarah stood at the center of the war room, eyes glowing with fury.
"They had a tracker on Calla," she said. "And if the first spy gave them intel, they might already know more than we feared."
Sebastian stepped forward, voice ringing out to the gathering crowd. "Everyone wolves, vampires, witches this is no longer training. This is war. Prepare for battle!"