After a few minutes, Chris heard Elandir shouting for help. He wanted to commend his friend for his good acting skills for he really sounded terrified.
"Help! Guards! Help! De-demons! There are demons! I saw demons on that side of the forest, please go and check!" Elandir exclaimed shouting the words that they agreed to use as their cue.
Chris quickly shifted and ran as fast as he could towards the gateway, until he heard one of the guards shout.
"Werewolf! There's a werewolf heading towards the gateway!" One of the guards who just arrived to start his guarding shift saw him earlier hiding behind the bush. He then saw him shift and run.
'Oh shit!' Chris exclaimed inwardly, he ran faster towards the gate as the elven guards threw their spears and shot arrows at him hitting him all over his body. Some even cast lightning balls but Chris bears them all. This is his only chance to go to Novus Mundus without endangering anyone else. He can't waste it.
"Stupid wolf, you just can't go without drawing all the attention to you, huh?" Elandir murmured before casting magic on one of the high priests who was about to shoot Chris a fireball. "Sorry! It was meant to hit the werewolf. I guess I need to practice more!" Elandir shouted at the elf who glared at him totally angry for ruining his chance to capture the intruder.
Chris saw one last arrow aimed at his neck and managed to dodge it just a little before putting all his strength on his hind legs and jumping into the gateway. The arrow grazed his shoulder hitting the chain of the amulet that contained the stone portal that Elandir gave him. The necklace was split in half, parting the amulet from Chris' neck.
'Fuck! No!' Chris shouted in his mind while the elves heard a loud growl that they had never heard before. It was so loud that everyone felt the ground tremble. His roar alerted the whole forest and made all the birds nearby fly away.
Chris tried to reach for the amulet but he was in his wolf form and his paws wouldn't be able to catch it. So without thinking, Chris shifted back to his human form to grab the amulet but it was too late.
Part of his body already touched the glowing swirling mist of the gateway, sucking him into it.
Chris used all his strength to try to maneuver his body away from the gate but its force was much stronger than him and the next thing he knew he was completely swallowed by it.
Chris dropped hard on the ground of another forest. He knew instantly that he was no longer in Vectus Mundus but that he had arrived in Novus Mundus. Looking down at his empty hands, he realized he failed to get the amulet back. Chris' emotions went haywire. He could not believe that he failed to secure one thing that could not only save him and Princess Hera but also the whole Vectus mundus.
Chris was so angry at himself that he roared as loud as he could to release all the pent-up emotions that could make him lose his mind. He was angry at himself and lost all hope in an instant.
His only ticket to go back home is gone and now he doesn't know what to do.
"Fucking stupid!" Chris shouted at himself before he heard something. Enhanced hearing is one of his abilities as a werewolf, but his true alpha blood enhanced it even more.
The noise sounded nothing like he had heard before. He walked towards it slowly as it became louder and louder. Chris frowned and his eyes widened when he not only heard the unfamiliar sound but also smelled an unfamiliar scent, something that he had never smelled before in Vectus or his lifetime.
It's a smell that he couldn't resist, like the scent of lavender on a rainy day and blueberries on a freshly baked muffin. The more he smells it, the more his body is urging him to go to the source.
[Go and get her!] Yakobo, Chris' wolf, uttered excitedly within his mind.
'Who's her?' Chris replied to his wolf. It is the first time that Chris feels confused about what his wolf is telling him. After he met his wolf when he first transformed, they had always been in sync. They thought, felt, and acted as one entity.
Today is the first time that they both feel different. His wolf is ecstatic and excited. Chris only feels lost, confused, and angry at himself.
[Our mate you dumbass! Go and get her. Don't just stand there, run!] Yakobo urged.
'Is it Princess Hera?' Chris couldn't help but ask after remembering what Elandir said. The gateway was supposed to transport him near Hera.
[I'm not sure either. They do smell similar though, so just go and get her!] Yakobo could barely contain his excitement.
'What if it's not the princess and she's our mate?! I need to marry the princess!' Chris said, feeling more confused than ever.
[I don't care about the princess, Christopher. All I care about is our mate! Can't you smell her? She smells divine! Let's go! Or I will take over you and mate with her right now!] Yakobo shouted, now feeling frustrated like Chris.
'What?! Wait! Yakobo, stop!' Chris shouted at his wolf as he felt his body shift against his will. Yakobo completely overpowered him and took control of his body.
He had never felt his wolf get so ecstatic and determined like this. It was as if Yakobo was being chased by death itself and running for his life. Perhaps this is the effect of discovering one's mate, Chris thought.
'Yakobo, we don't know what is in there, you have to slow down!' Chris yelled at his stubborn wolf.
[Slowing down is not an option. I don't want to lose her. She's–]
*THUD*
Chris did not see what happened. But whatever it was, it surely hurt a lot.