"I didn’t realize your binding magic had become this potent," Carlos remarked, his breath hitching slightly as he maintained his stance. He watched him with pride as the shimmering, ethereal chains of Mona’s spell held Gabriel firmly in place in the center of the clearing.
"That’s because you never bothered to check on my progress, Brother," Mona murmured, her eyes narrowed in deep concentration. "You were the one who taught me the foundations and asked me to find my center while channeling. I just took your advice to heart."
Carlos offered a thin smile before shifting his gaze to Gabriel. The powerful Alpha stood like a statue, his muscles taut against the invisible pressure of the spell.
"I’m completely immobilized," Gabriel blurted out. "But I can still speak. That’s a good sign."
"We have to assume the worst," Carlos stated, his head turning slightly toward the treeline. "In the heat of battle, Ophelia might sever your mental link. If your mindlink fails, we can’t rely on a silent signal. We’ll have to leave it to Karmen or Zilia to relay the message to Amelie."
Perched in the shadows of a far tree, Zilia lowered her binoculars. She had been tracking their movements and as per plan waiting for Carlos’ signal. "The binding is set," she whispered to Karmen, who was on the same tree.
Without missing a beat, she mindlinked Amelie. ’The target is secured. You’ve to teleport. Be quick.’
Amelie tightened her grip on the sword’s hilt as she looked toward Casaio and Dominick. They shared a brief nod of synchronization. Without wasting a second, the two brothers teleported Amelie to the location. In an instant, Amelie was standing at the edge of the clearing where the others waited.
"Amelie, move now! Walk in!" Carlos commanded, his voice strained with the effort of maintaining the spell. He was mentally counting down the seconds, acutely aware that against Ophelia, they would have exactly sixty seconds of control, and not a moment more.
Amelie didn’t hesitate. She sprinted toward the center of the circle, her eyes locked on Gabriel. Just then, Carlos signaled Mona. Together, they began to unravel the spell. The shimmering ethereal chains that had pinned Gabriel to the spot vanished slowly.
"It seems easy enough for now," Dominick noted.
"I agree. But we can’t let this success make us complacent," Casaio stated. "When the real target is standing where Gabriel is, everything will be different. We have to be ready for the world to go sideways."
"The anchor of this entire plan is the binding," Carlos added. "As long as Mona and I can keep her tied, she won’t be able to touch a single one of you. But the moment those chains break, the hunt switches sides. So, either Gabriel or Amelie has to finish the task."
Karmen and Zilia appeared there now while Casaio silently mindlinked with the warriors who had covered the area to leave.
"Cas and I were unable to lift this sword," Dominick informed them.
"Really?" Carlos’ brows arched.

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