Chapter 4: The Barrier

Thea's POV

I can not be hearing things right. How could I get Hudson and his family in trouble just by being here? And did they really say they have to tell their 'Alpha'? Are they some kind of strange cult because I have only ever heard the word used in fiction.

Deciding that this place may not be as safe as it appears to be, it is time for me to go. I tiptoe across the room to the only closet, which is stocked with extra blankets—grabbing one, I make my way back to the door and press my ear against the wood. I can still hear Emma and Hudson whispering somewhere down the hall, but I don't dare open the door again. Eventually, there is the sound of two distinct doors closing, and the hall is draped in silence.

After waiting for what feels like an eternity, I finally feel brave enough to open the door. I quietly make my way downstairs. Tank is still passed out and snoring in front of the fireplace. I try to shake him awake, but deep down, I know he has no plans on moving after the long walk I took him on.

Sighing to myself, I decide to leave him where he is. Otherwise, I am going to be physically dragging him out the door, which is sure to wake someone up.

"Tank, you stay right here, and I will be back for you as soon as I find my way to the cabin. You know Steve will help me come back for you, so you don't need to worry."

I wrap the extra blanket around my shoulders and quickly make my way back to where I first met Hudson. I do my best to keep to the shadows in case anyone is looking out their window. As soon as I am out of sight of the farmhouse, I take off running, the blanket billowing behind me. I am relieved to see a soft glow in the night sky; the sun will rise soon.

I can see my breath as I push myself to keep moving forward. From all of the time I have spent on the treadmill, I give myself about a mile before I usually have to take a break. Nearing that point of exhaustion, I promise myself that I can stop as soon as I reach the next pine tree ahead of me. But before I can get there, I hit something solid, and I am knocked flat on my back.

It feels like when I was a kid, wrecking my bike and hitting the sidewalk hard. I just knocked all of the air out of my lungs, and all I can do is lay there in the dirt and pine needles.

It takes me a minute, but I compose myself and make my way back to my feet. There is absolutely nothing in front of me that I could have hit that hard. It felt like I had run into a brick wall but save for a few small trees, the path in front of me was completely open.

"This doesn't make any sense. What the h*ll did I just run into."

I stick my hands out in front of me as I make my way forward, testing the emptiness. I walk forward ten steps, and my hands hit resistance. Pushing harder, my hands come to a complete stop, unable to pass through what appears to be absolutely nothing.

Hudson said something about 'crossing over' when I was eavesdropping on his conversation with Emma. Is this what he meant? What kind of crazy place did I walk into that physically won't let you leave.

I can feel the anger bubble up in my chest, and I hit the invisible border with the palms of my hands. My hands both tingle, but I continue to hit the wall over and over again.

I used to have tantrums like this when I was a child. I would take my anger out on an inanimate object when I couldn't control a situation. My mom always told me that I got it from my dad. But, I hadn't had one of these tantrums since I was little. There was no helping it now, and I could already feel the hot tears running down my face.

"I can not tell you how many times I have beat the living sh*t out of the border, but I can promise you that it is not going to budge."

The sound of Hudson's voice makes me jump, and I quickly try to wipe the tears off my face before he can see them.

"I know this is confusing to you now, but there is a lot more magic in this world than you know, Thea."