Chapter 15: piercing from the past

Chapter Fifteen: Piecing the Past Together

The forest was quiet now, except for the labored breathing of the ones who remained standing. The wolves that had surrounded them were strewn across the forest floor, defeated but not forgotten. Slowly, Damien transformed back into his human form, bloodied and exhausted but unbroken. His chest heaved with every breath, bruised from the intensity of the fight.

Ava stood beside him, her hand still clutching the knife, her heart racing in her chest. Her skin was smeared with dirt and blood from the fight, but she couldn't bring herself to wipe it away just yet. She was too shocked by what had just happened-the intensity of the fight, the way Damien had fought to protect her, and the truth that was slowly dawning on her. This was only the beginning.

She watched him as he surveyed the fallen wolves, his expression unreadable. Her heart twisted at the sight of the injuries he'd sustained. They were deep, his side still leaking blood from where one of the wolves had managed to get a claw in.

"You're hurt," she whispered, her voice trembling despite her best efforts to stay calm. "Damien, you need to heal.

He gave her a small, almost imperceptible smile, his eyes softening for a brief moment. "I'll be fine. The worst of it is already done."

But Ava knew it wasn't true. He might have survived this battle, but it had come at a cost. And they both knew that more would follow.

Who are they?" Ava asked, her voice tight. "Why did Aric come for you like that? What does he want?"

Damien didn't answer immediately. He just looked at her, his jaw tight, his gaze flickering between the dead wolves and the forest beyond. Finally, after a long pause, he spoke.

They're not just random rogues," he said, his voice heavy with the weight of truth. "Aric… he's part of something bigger. Something much darker."

Ava felt her stomach churn as the reality of the situation hit her. "What do you mean?

One slow step forward he took, voice dropping to a quiet, as if he was loath to say the words. "There's a group within the pack-a faction of those that want to overthrow me. They've been planning this for months. Aric's their leader."

Ava's heart skipped a beat. "But why you? Why now?

He turned to face her, his expression darkening. "Because I'm not like the alphas who came before me. I've tried to lead differently—to protect the humans, to keep peace between us. And that's made me a target."

Ava's mind was racing as she tried to fit it all together: the rogue attacks, the mysterious struggle for power, Aric appearing out of nowhere. It couldn't make any sense. The danger was obvious, the motives not so much.

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" Ava asked, her voice low, hurt. "Why did you keep it from me?

Damien's eyes had shut, a hand raking through his hair in frustration. "I didn't want you to be involved. This world. it's dangerous. I didn't want you to get caught in the crossfire."

Ava's chest tightened at the words he spoke. She knew that he was trying to protect her, but the thing was, she was already in this world. She had been from that first moment when they met.

You can't protect me from this, Damien," she replied firmly. "I'm already a part of your world. I've seen what's at stake. I need to know everything if we're going to survive this.

He looked at her, his gaze intense and searching. For a moment, the distance between them seemed to stretch, then he nodded slowly. "You're right. I've been trying to keep you safe, but I can't do it alone anymore. We're in this together now.

Ava swallowed, the weight of his words settling deep inside her. She wasn't so sure that she was ready for everything that was to come. But one thing was certain-she wasn't going to back down. Not now.

"What do we do now?" she asked, her voice steady despite the storm of emotions swirling inside her.

Damien's eyes darkened as he looked over the clearing. The battle may have been won, but the war was far from over. "Now we find out who's behind all of this. And we take them down."

Ava nodded, her resolve hardening. They couldn't afford to let this go any longer. If they were going to survive, they needed to know who they were up against and what they truly wanted.

But as they began to walk toward the edge of the clearing, ready to take the first steps into the unknown, Ava's mind kept returning to one thought.

The faction wasn't just about power. There was something more at play here. Something deeper. And Aric—he wasn't just after the pack. He was after something else. Something that would change everything.

As they made their way back to the cabin, Ava could feel the weight of the night pressing on her. The wolves may have been defeated, but the real fight was just beginning. And she couldn't help b

ut wonder-would she be ready for what was to come?