Chapter 45_ When Wolves March

Chapter 45_ When Wolves March
The night was colder than usual.

A strange wind moved through the Ravenwood estate. It howled quietly through the trees and whispered against the old stone walls. The kind of wind that made the skin crawl, even without touching it.

I stood by the window of my room, watching the forest. My heart was beating too fast again. My body had healed, but my mind hadn’t caught up. Too much had changed. Too quickly.

I wasn’t just Aria anymore.

I wasn’t just a maid.

I was a Ravenwood. The bloodline heir. A girl with power I didn’t understand yet.

And now… something was coming.

I could feel it in the air.

Behind me, the door opened. I didn’t need to turn to know it was Darius. I could sense him now. The way the air changed when he entered the room. The quiet power he carried.

“You should sleep,” he said.

“I can’t,” I replied, still looking outside. “Something’s wrong.”

He came to stand beside me. His eyes followed mine to the forest.

“You feel it too,” he said, more of a statement than a question.

I nodded. “Like something is moving. Watching.”

“We knew it would happen.” His voice was calm. Too calm. “The moment your blood awakened, the others would feel it. They always do.”

I turned to face him. “The others?”

He looked down at me, eyes dark. “There are more bloodlines than just Ravenwood. And not all of them are friendly. Some… want power. And they don’t care who they hurt to get it.”

A shiver moved down my spine.

“You think they’re coming?” I asked.

“I don’t think.” His jaw tightened. “I know.”

He reached into his coat and pulled out a letter. It was torn and stained. But I could still see the symbol burned into the corner.

A wolf’s head. Split down the middle by a sword.

“What is that?” I asked, stepping back.

“A warning,” he said. “From the Fenrik clan.”

I frowned. “I’ve never heard of them.”

“They’ve been silent for years,” Darius said. “But they’ve always hated Ravenwood. They believe the bloodline belongs to them. And now that you’ve awakened…” He paused. “They think you can be used.”

“Used how?”

“Your blood can open the old gates. Places of power hidden in the land. Some say even time itself bends near them. They want to control it.”

I stared at the letter. “So they’re coming for me?”

He didn’t answer.

But his silence told me everything.

—

The house was awake that night.

Elias paced near the dining room, checking every window. Ronan was in the basement, sharpening old weapons. Kael stood guard by the front entrance, eyes hard.

And me? I stood in the middle of the great hall, still in shock.

“This is a war,” I whispered.

“No,” Elias corrected gently, walking over to me. “This is a message. A show of power. The real war hasn’t started yet.”

I looked at him. “What do they want me to do?”

“They’ll try to take you,” Kael said from across the room. “Kidnap. Convince. Or worse.”

My breath caught. “And you’ll just fight them?”

“Not just fight,” Ronan said, entering the room with two swords in hand. “We’ll protect you. No matter what.”

“You keep saying that,” I muttered. “But I didn’t ask for protection. I didn’t ask for any of this.”

“You didn’t have to,” Darius said, now standing at the stairs. “It’s in your blood. You were born for this.”

I stepped back. “I was born to serve tea and clean rooms. That’s all I’ve ever known.”

“That was a lie,” Kael said softly. “A cover to keep you hidden. Safe.”

“Well, it didn’t work, did it?” I snapped. “Because now they’re marching toward me!”

The room fell silent.

I took a deep breath. “How long do we have?”

Darius looked at the old grandfather clock. “An hour. Maybe less.”

“They’re that close?”

He nodded.

A lump rose in my throat. “Then what do we do?”

He stepped forward and placed a hand on my shoulder. “We fight.”

—

Outside, the wind picked up. The sky turned gray. Thunder rolled in the distance.

The brothers stood at the gates, weapons ready. Their wolves were close — big, dangerous creatures with eyes that glowed in the dark.

I stood behind them, dressed in a thick black coat. My heart beat like a drum inside my chest.

We didn’t wait long.

They came.

Not many. Not yet. Just a group of scouts. But they moved like shadows. Fast. Silent. Deadly.

The first wolf leapt from the tree line, aiming for Kael. But he was faster. His blade slashed clean through the beast’s side.

More came after that.

It was chaos.

Growls. Screams. The clash of metal and teeth.

I watched from behind a wall of stone. My body told me to run. But my blood… it burned.

Something inside me was waking again.

Ronan was thrown against the wall. A Fenrik wolf snapped at his throat.

“No!” I screamed.

I ran toward them without thinking. My hands lifted.

And light exploded from my palms.

Pure, hot, and golden.

It hit the Fenrik wolf and sent him flying backward. Ronan looked up at me, stunned.

“What was that?” he asked.

I stared at my hands. “I… I don’t know.”

Another wolf charged. This time at me.

I didn’t flinch.

I raised my hands again.

And fire burst from the ground.

It wrapped around the creature, circling fast, until it collapsed in a heap of smoke.

The others paused. Even the enemy.

They saw me now.

Really saw me.

The girl who was once a maid… now glowing like the moon.

I stepped forward. “Tell your alpha this — I’m not afraid.”

The Fenrik wolves stared for a moment longer.

Then they ran.

Back into the woods.

—

Silence returned.

The brothers stood slowly. Bloody. Bruised. But alive.

Kael walked to me first. His face unreadable. “You burned the earth.”

“I didn’t mean to,” I said, voice trembling.

He smiled. “Doesn’t matter. You did.”

Ronan limped to my side. “Saved my life, sunshine. I owe you.”

Elias chuckled. “She’s a Ravenwood, all right.”

Darius said nothing.

He just stared at me like he’d never seen me before.

—

Later that night, I sat by the fire.

My hands still glowed faintly. I couldn’t sleep.

Kael brought me a cup of warm tea.

“You were amazing,” he said.

“I was scared.”

He nodded. “You still did it.”

I looked at him. “What happens now?”

He sat beside me. “Now we prepare. Because this was just the beginning.”

I leaned my head against the couch. “Do you think I can handle it?”

He looked into my eyes. “I think you don’t have a choice. But yes… I do.”

I sipped the tea.

Warm. Sweet.

But the truth remained cold in my chest.

They had come for me.

And they would come again.

Next time, it wouldn’t just be scouts.

Next time… it would be war.

But I would be ready.

Because I was no longer just Aria.

I was Aria Ravenwood.

The girl who burned the ground.

And the wolves had finally learned—

I was not to be hunted.

I was the one they should fear.