Chapter 146 – The Girl in the Ravine
The second time it happened, I knew it was coming. It started the same way. Warmth leaving my fingers. The world tilting.
I was sitting on my bed. Edward was beside me. His hand was wrapped around mine again like he was afraid I would disappear if he let go.
Doctor Hale had just finished checking my pulse.
“You’re stable,” he said gently. “Your blood pressure is fine. Heart rate slightly elevated, but that’s expected after what you experienced.”
His voice sounded distant. Like he was underwater.
“You need rest,” he continued. “No stress. Just rest your body and your mind.”
My eyes suddenly felt heavy.
“Elara?” Edward’s voice tightened.
I tried to answer. But I couldn’t. The warmth drained from my body again. And then, darkness.
Not empty darkness. Moving darkness. I was no longer in my room. I was standing somewhere cold.
The air smelled like wet soil and moss. The forest. Thick trees. Branches twisting overhead.
And then I saw her. The girl. Clearer than before. She couldn’t have been more than fifteen.
Her hair was tangled, stuck to her face with sweat and dirt. There was blood on her arm, dripping slowly from a deep scratch. Her breathing was ragged. Broken.
She kept looking back. Running. Falling. Getting up again.
“Please…” she whispered to herself. “Please… please…”
Her voice sounded so small. I tried to move toward her. But I wasn’t really there. I was watching.
The trees opened slightly. And I saw it. The old stone bridge. Cracked at the sides. Covered in moss.
The river below was wild and loud, crashing against rocks. Silverpine Ravine. And then I heard them.
Howls from Wolves. Big ones. Their eyes glowing in the shadows. They were circling her.
She stumbled near the entrance of the bridge, clutching her bleeding arm.
“No… no…” she whispered, shaking.
One of the wolves stepped forward slowly. Massive. Its fur dark like night. Its teeth bared.
My heart pounded so hard I thought it would explode.
“Run!” I screamed.
But she couldn’t hear me.
She turned, and for the first time–she looked straight at me.
Her eyes wide. Tear-filled.
And I heard her voice clearly.
“My name is Maya.”
The vision shifted violently. The wolves lunged. And I gasped.
Air rushed into my lungs like I had been drowning.
“Elara!”
Edward’s voice. Sharp. Panicked.
My eyes flew open. I was back in my room. Doctor Hale was leaning over me again.
Seraphina was crying.
Ma’am Albright had her hands clasped tightly in prayer.
Edward’s face was pale.
“How long?” I whispered.
“Five minutes,” Doctor Hale answered quickly. “You stopped responding again.”
Edward’s hand was still gripping mine.
Tighter now.
“You scared me,” he said quietly. His voice wasn’t angry. It was shaking.
“I saw her,” I breathed.
“Who?” he asked immediately.
“The girl.”
The room went silent.
“Maya,” I whispered. “Her name is Maya.”
“Maya?” Edward's voice cracked. “You said Maya?”
I looked at him.
“Yes.”
That is Jovan’s missing daughter's name.
My heart twisted.
“She’s alive,” I said quickly. “She’s running. She’s hurt but she’s alive.”
“Where?” Edward asked urgently. “Where is she?”
I swallowed.
“I told you before, Silverpine Ravine,” I said. “The old stone bridge past the northern forest line.”
Titan, who had arrived quietly while I was unconscious, straightened.
“You’re certain?” he asked.
“I saw it clearly,” I said. “The bridge. The river. The wolves.”
“Wolves?” Titan asked sharply.
“Yes,” I nodded. “They’re hunting her. When I saw her, she was almost at the bridge. She didn’t have much time left”
Edward didn’t hesitate.
He pulled out his phone immediately.
“Kian,” he said firmly. “Mobilize everyone and head to Silverpine Ravine. Now.”
Kian nodded once and moved fast.
“Damien!” he called. “Gather the Betas. Full shift.”
Damien moved quickly too.
Doctor Hale interrupted.
“She needs rest,” he said. “I will take my leave now.”
Edward looked at him, thank you so much doctor.
Then he turned back to me.
“You stay here,” he said softly but firmly.
“Please, save her.” I whispered.
His eyes darkened with concern.
“I will do everything in my power.”
“She’s just a child,” I said, my voice breaking. “She was terrified.”
“And we will bring her back,” he promised.
I knew he was going to do whatever it takes to save her.
Edward calls Jovan on the phone to inform him about the possibility of finding his daughter at Silverpine Ravine.
Jovan stopped everything he was doing.
“Are you sure?” he asked Edward desperately. “She’s there?”
Edward looked at me. He knew he could trust my word. Then he continued with his conversation with Jovan.
“Yes,” he replied gently. “She’s trying to cross the bridge.”
He dropped to his knees beside his bed.
“Please,” he whispered. “Let’s go and bring her back.”
“Sure, let's go.”
Within minutes, the mansion was in motion.
Kian, Damien, Elder Rowan, and the Beta wolves gathered outside.
Edward wheeled himself out, issuing orders clearly and calmly.
“Split into two groups,” he instructed. “Kian takes the east flank. Damien takes the west. Elder Rowan stays with me.”
Damien nodded.
But something about his expression was unreadable.
I stood at the window, watching them leave.
The vehicles disappeared into the darkness.
And I felt that strange emptiness again.
Like part of me was still in that forest.
Still watching Maya run.
The forest near Silverpine Ravine was thick and cold.
Edward directed them from the lead vehicle.
“How far?” he asked.
“Ten minutes,” Kian replied.
Jovan drove from his house to join them.
“Hold on, Maya,” he whispered to himself.
When they arrived, the air felt different.
Heavy. Still.
They spread out immediately.
Kian shifted first.
His wolf bursting forward into the trees. The other Betas followed.
Damien shifted too.
Elder Rowan remained beside Edward. They moved toward the sound of the river.
The roar grew louder. Branches snapped under paws. The scent of blood hit them first.
Fresh. Close.
Jovan’s breathing became uneven.
“She’s here,” he whispered.
They reached the clearing near the bridge. The stone structure stood exactly as described.
Old. Cracked.
Moss along the edges. The river below violent and unforgiving.
Kian shifted back to human form briefly.
“She was here,” he said, touching blood on one of the stones.
Jovan’s hands trembled.
“Where is she?” he asked.
And then, they heard it. A howl. Long. Deep.
Echoing through the ravine.
Everyone froze.
Another howl answered. Closer.
Not friendly. Not pack wolves. Hunters.
Kian’s eyes snapped toward the trees on the other side of the bridge.
Damien stiffened.
Elder Rowan’s grip tightened on his cane.
Jovan’s face drained of color.
Edward’s voice cut through the tension.
“Positions,” he ordered sharply.
The Betas shifted again instantly.
Forming a protective line. Another howl. Even closer now. From the bridge.
From the darkness beyond it. And then, a faint scream. A girl’s scream.
Jovan’s heart shattered in his chest.
“MAYA!” he roared.
The forest went silent for one breath. And then the growling started. Right near the bridge.