CHAPTER 31

CHAPTER 31
Raven's POV

Aine was curled up on the ground, shaking violently as she rocked back and forth, crying. Blood and dirt smeared her cheeks, and the smell of iron filled the air. I froze, swallowing the rage and panic twisting my stomach.
“Aine…” I whispered, but even my voice sounded small, useless.

Her head snapped up, eyes wild, red-rimmed, trembling.
She wasn’t thinking straight. I could see it in her eyes; nothing was functioning correctly. The weight of grief, anger, and helplessness radiated off her in waves I could feel in my bones.
I kneeled, brushing her back to calm her down, but I started feeling warmth oozing from her body.

I immediately took her hands in mine, confused where the warmth was coming from. Warmth spread under her skin, spreading like wildfire, crawling into the tips of her fingers, her toes.
I backed away from her, shocked and confused by so much power. And then the ground beneath her feet rattled. Dirt and small branches started being lifted from the ground, swirling as if drawn into a storm only she could see.

“Aine! Stop it!” I shouted, rushing toward her. My wolf wanted out, sensing the raw power spilling into the air. Her eyes locked on me, and for a moment, I saw something terrifying: a feral, untamed energy that she didn’t have control over. I quickly picked her up and rushed inside the house. My ragged breaths didn't help my anxiety and confusion.

“I can’t…” she whispered through gritted teeth, her voice breaking. “This is for Elara.” I placed her on the floor, and her body jerked violently.
My own ears rang from the sound of a low, keening howl that was coming from her. I lunged, trying to hold her still, to calm her.
“Aine, listen! You’ll hurt yourself!” But she was already moving faster than I could track.

Her hands slammed into the wooden walls, cracking panels, and the fire of her power licked the corners of the room, smoke curling up. I had to restrain her with every ounce of power in me, claws half-retracted, my strength barely enough to anchor her. Her scream was high, piercing, and full of despair, and it shattered my control.

She had already stopped screaming and was taking regular breaths, calming down when we suddenly heard a laugh coming from the woods: my body tensed and I knew exactly who it was. I turned to the backdoor glass door, which faced the forest now open, and I don’t remember leaving it open.

I turned my head just in time to see him. Lenny. He stood at the edge of the clearing, the moon glinting off the knife in his hand.
Something seemed wrong with him. His posture was too rigid. His eyes, empty, dark, controlled stared at her, at me. And then he spoke in a voice that twisted through the shadows like a knife:

“You can’t hide from what’s coming.”My wolf growled low in my chest. Every instinct screamed that this wasn’t Lenny; he seemed wrong and crazy. Aine’s hands dropped to her sides, trembling, but she didn’t back away. Her eyes, wild and glowing faintly red from the power she had just unleashed, narrowed.

I gritted my teeth. “Stay behind me,” I said, but my voice wavered. Not because of fear, but because I didn’t know if I could stop what was coming.
Before I could take another step, Aine’s power surged again. The ground cracked under her feet. The air snapped with electricity, and Lenny staggered as if hit by a wave. He recovered quickly, though, knife raised, a smirk twisting his lips.

“You’ll pay for her death,” he said in that same unnatural voice. “For whose death?” I asked Lenny, annoyed that he was losing his mind and going around killing people.
I felt Aine shudder beside me. “Don’t touch me…” she whispered, almost inaudible, but her power responded to her fear and grief, whipping into a frenzy around us.
The pack was coming. I could hear their shouts, footsteps, and the rustle of shifting forms.

People murmured in confusion on the pack link. Elders, guards, all drawn to the chaos. They wouldn’t understand what had happened. They would only see danger. And danger she had become.
I stepped fully in front of her. “If anyone touches her, they die,” I growled. My wolf bared its teeth inside me. My hands clamped on her shoulders to hold her steady, to keep her from exploding fully.

The first elder arrived, voice tight and trembling. “Raven, what is happening here? ”
“She’s mine,” I cut him off, teeth gritted. “And you will not lay a finger on her.”
The elder blinked, uncertainty flashing across his face, but the moment his gaze went to Aine, the full force of her grief hit him. Rocks rattled at his feet. A branch cracked over his head. He stumbled back, eyes wide. I felt Aine’s tears on my arm. I felt her shaking, barely holding herself together. And I could see right through her the grief, her rage, her helplessness had fused into something primal and uncontrollable.

Then Lenny moved. Fast, fluid, knife slicing through the air. His movements were wrong, jerky, but too precise. And then he raised his hand toward the Aine, ready to strike.
“Lenny!” I shouted, feeling my own power rise. My wolf snarled, muscles tensing, claws ready. “Aine, get behind me.”

She obeyed instantly, hiding behind me. But I saw her hands twitch. She wanted to fight. She wanted to use the power that burned through her veins.
I didn’t blame her. She’d lost Elara. She had every right to destroy anyone who threatened what remained of her world.
The battle that followed was swift and terrifying. Lenny lunged; I blocked and countered, but every strike I made barely scratched him. He was faster than I remembered, stronger, smarter.
And Aine, she was beside me now, moving with a speed and precision that defied everything I’d seen before. Her hands glowed faintly red, and with a flick, she sent him flying into a tree.
I blinked, heart hammering. “Where did that come from?” I muttered.
“—I-I don’t know,” she gasped, trembling, still trembling. “I just wanted him to stop…”
I pressed a hand to her shoulder.

“You did it. You stopped him. But listen, we have to get out of here. You can’t use that power in front of the pack like this.”Lenny scrambled to his feet, knife raised again, but his unnatural form faltered. His smirk faltered. And then he disappeared into the woods.

I looked at Aine, chest heaving, eyes wide, lips trembling. “We need to get you out of here. Now.”She nodded weakly. “Where… where can we go?” I made my decision instantly.
“We’re going to the cabin. We need to figure this out before the council arrives.”The pack elders were arriving now, shouting, calling for explanations. I raised my voice over the din.
“No one says anything about what they saw here today. This is your Luna, and she needs your help and protection.” Aine’s hand found mine, gripping tight.

Her hand shook violently, and I strengthened my hold, assuring her that I would protect her even though I wouldn’t be able to do it alone.
“No, Raven. I can’t leave Elara alone.” Aine said, whispering to me. I stared at her, confused if she didn’t understand that the council would kill her for the gift she unleashed.