CHAPTER 33

CHAPTER 33
“I need to go.” My mom said, and I nodded as I also walked away, my body tired from everything. “Raven, please carry Elara into one of the guest bedrooms,” I said as I proceeded to walk to the bathroom, but the door being roughly opened and pushed against the wall made me stop and turn.

At the door, there were Ravens’ elders standing, looking angry with other pack members. I turned fully to look at them, a part of me confused, another part shaking because I think I know why they look so angry.

“We have had enough of you. Ever since you arrived here, it's been nothing but chaos.” Words got stuck in my throat when Galv, one of the leaders, spoke up. 

“Galv,” Raven said, coming back from the guest bedroom. “Don't do anything stupid.” Galv chuckled and looked around confidently to his associates. “We are getting rid of her, get her!” I couldn’t even run when two strong men charged towards me and grabbed both of my arms, pinning me to the floor.

“What the fuck, Raven?” I mumbled, unable to speak clearly because my face connected with the floor. I turned to look at Raven, and he was already pinned down by three guys. 

They roughly grabbed me, and we followed the leaders leading the way. My heart thumped against my chest as I thought of the way that they might try to end my life for bringing havoc into their lives. Raven was fighting and injuring them until they finally cowered away when he used his Alpha voice.

The ones who were holding me still refused to let me go. “Galv, tell your minions to let my mate go.”

“She’s a witch! She deserves to die by fire; she has brought havoc in our pack, and we no longer have peace because of her.” Galv said, refusing to tell them to let me go. 

Raven was about to say something when the air shifted into a sharp, cold, unnatural breeze. Every hair on my body rose. The torches lining the hallway flickered violently, casting shadows that stretched long across the walls.

Galv lifted his chin as though he felt nothing. “Silence your mate, Alpha,” he sneered. “You may rule the pack, but the council rules the land. And we’ve decided that she dies tonight.” My heart slammed against my ribs. I could barely breathe with the men pinning my arms. 

My cheek pressed painfully against the ground, dust clogging my nose, but I still heard Raven fight against his restraints, fury boiling in his voice.

“Galv, you step back,” Raven growled. “Or I swear to the Goddess—”
But Galv cut him off, louder, bolder than he’d ever dared to be. “No. You brought a witch here, you brought this curse, Alpha. The deaths, the chaos—”

“She saved your people!” Raven roared. Galv scoffed. “She brought more destruction than she saved.” A murmur rose around us. Then another voice, smooth and calculating, spoke.  Elder Soren, the oldest and calmest of the council, stepped forward from the group, eyes fixed on me like he’d been waiting for this moment.

“She shouldn’t be executed,” Soren said quietly. Galv’s head snapped toward him. “Excuse me?”

“She’s valuable.” A sick feeling crawled through my stomach. What does he mean by that? Soren continued, gaze cold and assessing. “Her power is growing faster than any witch I’ve ever seen. If we learn to control her, she could strengthen the pack. Strength we haven’t had in generations.” Control me? He didn't want to help me or understand what was wrong with me. He wants a weapon for his pack, a human weapon.

“Shut your mouth,” Galv hissed, but it was too late. The words hung heavy in the air, poisoning everything. Raven thrashed against the men holding him. “You will not touch her!”

Soren barely blinked. “You can’t protect her forever, Alpha. And you can’t protect the pack from what she’s becoming.” I sucked in a sharp breath as pain cracked through my skull. My vision blurred at the edges. I didn’t know if it was fear or exhaustion, but something pulsed beneath my skin. 

Heat uncoiled in my spine like a living thing. The floorboards under me vibrated, I could feel the power oozing off me, and I couldn't be happier that it's happening now. 

A faint red glow seeped out from beneath my fingertips. The men holding me tensed. One whimpered.
“She’s doing something—!”
“I’m not—” I choked out, but the pressure kept building. My heart hammered too fast. I couldn’t control it, I couldn't even breathe properly, and the room trembled. 

“ENOUGH!” Raven snapped. His Alpha voice blasted through the hallway like a violent shockwave. The air cracked. Walls rattled. One of the ceiling lights exploded, raining shards of glass down.

The men pinning me collapsed to their knees, shaking, barely able to breathe. Even I felt it; it was like someone had crushed my ribs in a single fist. Galv stumbled back in terror. Raven broke free from the men holding him with one brutal jerk, claws ripping from his fingers mid-shift. His eyes glowed pure gold.

“Touch her again,” Raven said, voice low and lethal, “and I’ll rip your throat out with my teeth.” For the first time, Galv took a step back.
But before Raven could reach me, a cold wind knifed through the hallway.

The air temperature dropped so low that my breath fogged. My skin prickled as an invisible hand brushed my cheek. I froze, unable to even swallow. Everyone looked around, terrified.

Raven’s head snapped toward me. “Aine, don’t move.”
“Oh look,” Galv stammered, stepping backward, “she summoned something, she’s dangerous—” But before he could finish, a gasp erupted behind us.

Elara.
She had been carried into the guest room minutes ago, passed out after claiming not to remember me. But now she stood in the hallway doorway, clutching the frame, trembling, pale as moonlight. Her eyes, once empty, locked straight onto mine.

“Aine?” she whispered. My heart stopped, she remembers me.
“Elara?” I breathed. Raven turned sharply, shock flashing in his eyes.

Elara stumbled forward, dazed and confused. “I remember everything. Thank you for fighting for me.” Tears slid down her cheeks. Whispers exploded behind us, panic sweeping through the pack. They had seen her lifeless body; they couldn't grasp the reality of seeing her alive because of me.

Galv backed away like he’d seen a ghost. “This is witchcraft, resurrection—this is—” But one look at Raven shut him up. Raven looked like he’d kill him without blinking. "You'd better pack your things and leave before the sun comes up. I am banning you from ever being on these pack grounds."

I staggered, knees buckling. Raven rushed forward, catching me before I hit the ground.
“Raven…” I whispered faintly. 

Galv swallowed and lifted his chin, trying to hold on to whatever authority he thought he still had. “Let her… let her go.” The man took steps back, but it was too late; they would all have to leave the pack because they chose to abandon their Luna and Alpha.

Grabbing my face in both hands, his eyes scanned me like checking for injuries. “Are you hurt? Did they—”

“I’m fine,” I whispered, but I wasn’t. My body still trembled, power still buzzing under my skin. He pulled me against him, holding me like he’d almost lost me.

“I think I need to lie down."

“Okay,” he said softly, shifting my weight carefully. “I’ve got you.”
He scooped me up with one arm and grabbed my hand with the other. We walked past the elders who moved out of the way without a word and entered the house. No one dared stop us.

“Raven,” I whispered, panic rising. “Don't leave me alone,” He looked torn between going after the people who caused us harm or staying with me. I don’t remember when my body gave up or when the exhaustion swallowed me whole. I passed out in Raven’s arms.