Awakening The Silver Wolf

RAVENNA POV

Rowan had shifted so suddenly, that Darius didn't have time to react. 

Rowan's massive wolf jaws locked around Darius's hand with a sickening crunch, and the sound of bone breaking sent a ripple of terror through me. My heart stopped as Darius roared, a sharp, agonized cry that echoed in my mind.

"No!" I screamed, my voice weak but filled with panic. 

The pain in my shoulder was blinding, and I could barely keep my head up, but the sight of Darius in agony was too much. 

My body trembled as I tried to push myself up, my hand pressing against the bleeding wound, but I collapsed back down. I was losing blood too fast.

Darius was struggling now, his face contorted in pain, and he was trying desperately to pull Rowan off his hand. He pushed and shoved, but the wolf's hold was relentless. And then, in the blink of an eye, Darius shifted.

His body twisted and contorted, bones cracking as they rearranged into his wolf form. I could hardly take a breath as I watched him grow in size, his muscles bulging beneath his fur. 

The two wolves collided with a terrifying crash, and the room shook with the force of it. Furniture splintered, walls cracked under the weight of their fight. 

Darius and Rowan were both snarling, claws slashing, teeth bared as they tore at each other. The ground shook beneath them as they fought, the power behind each movement violent and brutal.

I tried to focus, to stay strong, but my legs refused to hold me up. My head was spinning, and my body felt as though it were splitting apart with each passing second. The world around me was a blur of motion, the sounds of the fight roaring in my ears.

I pressed my hand to the shoulder as if it would stop the blood from flowing out. It didn't. The blood was rushing out of me without mercy. If this continued I might die of blood loss. 

God, I hated this. Hated this helplessness, this weakness. Hated doing nothing and just watched my mate fight for both our lives. 

If only I could just feel my wolf, then this wound would already be healed. But I felt nothing. Not even a flicker. 

Darius was trying to push Rowan back, trying to keep the fight away from me. His massive wolf form stood between me and Rowan, teeth bared, muscles taut as he protected me. Every time Rowan came too close, Darius lunged, slashing with his claws, knocking Rowan back.

But Rowan wasn't backing down. 

The fight was vicious, and Darius was struggling to hold his own. He managed to land a few powerful blows, but Rowan was relentless, his ferocity unmatched. 

The wolf was upon him again, and before I could comprehend it, Rowan had Darius pinned to the ground. He growled, baring his teeth, holding Darius by the throat.

I gasped, my body trembling in fear. I could see it in Darius's eyes—the light was fading. Rowan's strength, his power, was too much. And Darius was already injured before. He, too, has lost so much blood. Darius was weakening, and I couldn't let him die.

I couldn't lose him.

The room felt like it was closing in on me. The pain in my shoulder surged, but it was nothing compared to the terror eating away at my soul. My mind raced, thoughts swirling, but then I saw it—the gun.

I could barely move, but my instincts screamed at me to act.

With every ounce of strength I had left, I dragged myself toward the weapon. 

My vision blurred, but I grabbed the gun, feeling the cold metal beneath my fingertips. I could hardly hold it, my grip weak and shaking, but I aimed it toward Rowan, who was still holding Darius in a deadly grip.

I tried to steady myself, my heart pounding in my chest.

I fired.

The shot rang out, deafening in the small room, and Rowan staggered back. His massive body jerked, and I saw the blood spill from the wound across his side. But he didn't stop. He turned toward me, eyes burning with fury.

I didn't hesitate. I fired again.

The second shot struck him in the chest, and Rowan let out a deafening snarl. His eyes locked onto me, full of hatred, but before he could make another move, I fired once more.

The bullet hit him in the throat.

Rowan's body jerked as the final shot struck its mark. For a moment, his entire body seemed to freeze, his eyes burning on mine, and then with a deafening growl, he collapsed to the floor, lifeless.

The room went deathly silent.

I barely registered Darius shifting back to his human form, collapsing beside me, covered in blood. 

His eyes were wild with pain, but they softened when they found mine. He reached for me with trembling hands, pulling me close, even though I could feel the weight of his own exhaustion and wounds.

His voice cracked as he whispered, "Ravenna, baby… I've got you." 

I could barely respond, my breath ragged, my vision spinning. I couldn't move, couldn't speak. Blood still pooled beneath me, and I felt myself slipping.

Darius held me tightly, his own body shaking. He pressed his forehead against mine, whispering comforting words that I could barely hear over the ringing in my ears.

I heard other voices too, hands touched me, lifted me, but I couldn't register anything as darkness claimed me. 

***

I opened my eyes but quickly closed them back when the light burned them. I heard movements and from my closed eyelids, I could see the light dim.

I opened them again slowly and saw a familiar ceiling staring down at me. 

The left side of the bed dipped and I turned my head to see Darius looking down at me, with soft, tired eyes. 

Tears filled my eyes as I looked at him. He was here, alive. And I was alive too. 

He stretched out his hand slowly and cupped the side of my face, his eyes gleaming with tears. 

"I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice shaking. 

I sat up, ignoring my pounding head, and threw my hands around his neck, burying my face there and wept. 

He was here, in our room, in his territory, safe. 

In my state of unconsciousness, I had had a terrible dream that I lost him. Thank the heavens it was just a dream. What would I have done if I had truly lost him? How will I continue to live? 

Darius' body trembled as he hugged me back and kept whispering, "I'm sorry." 

I pulled away from him and held his face, his face blurry from my vision filled with tears. "Why are you sorry?" I asked in a scolding tone. "Huh? I'm here, right? I'm alive. I'm okay. So why are you sorry?" 

Darius shook his head before he pulled away from me, onto the ground and knelt. He pulled me gently to sit at the edge of the bed before he placed his head on my lap, facing away from me, and whispered, "You should have been here sooner. I should have found you soon. I don't deserve you, Ravenna. Rowan was right about it." 

"Don't say that, Darius," I whispered, my heart breaking at the pain in his voice.

"After I woke up when they took you I stayed in my wolf form," he continued, his voice shaking. "I couldn't bear the thought of losing you, so I stayed in my wolf form instead of facing my pain." 

I didn't say anything and just let him cry into my lap, still kneeling, his big body trembling. It broke my heart to see him like this, but I said nothing and just stroked his hair softly. 

When his tears had finally subdued, he raised his head and looked up at me, his eyes red. "Forgive me." 

I caressed his face softly and leaned down. "There's nothing to forgive, my love." Then I kissed him.