Chapter 35 THIRTY-FIVE
"Thank you so much for taking me home, Mom, and for all the gifts. I really appreciate it," Brienne said with a warm smile as Lily carried the box inside the packhouse. Cecil gently held Brienne's hand and shook her head.
"Anything for my wonderful daughter," Cecil replied warmly. "By the way, Arthur texted me to let me know they had already arrived, but they needed to speak with the community elders. You can wait for my son inside," she added with a smile.
"I will, Mom," Brienne said, but when she was about to step inside the house, a howl caught her attention. She turned around and looked at Cecil.
"M-Mom, what was that? Is that a wolf?" Brienne asked.
"Brienne, get inside and do not leave the house, okay?" Cecil seriously said, which made Brienne anxious.
"What's happening?" Brienne repeated her question, but instead of providing an answer, Cecil dragged her into the house.
"Please hear me out, okay?" Cecil said, making Brienne nod slowly. "I want you to stay indoors. Do not ever leave the house until I'm back or Raven is. Promise me," she added, begging.
"I p-promise, mom," she answered, stuttering.
"Good, I will be back," Cecil said and ran out of the packhouse after locking it. Another howl erupted, making Brienne's heartbeat fasten.
"Wolves? But I thought they don't come near the town," she whispered.
"Miss Brie, would you like something? I can bring it to your room," Lily said, a hint of worry evident in her voice.
"Lily, what are the wolves doing near the town? What is happening?" she asked and held Lily's hand.
"Sometimes they just wander near the town out of curiosity. That's it, Miss," Lily said, smiling, but Brienne knew it was forced.
"Okay," she replied. "Can you make me a milkshake, please?" she added. Lily nodded her head in response.
"Of course, Miss! You can wait in your room; I will be making it," Lily said and left to go to the kitchen. When Brienne was certain that Lily was going to prepare her meal, she hurriedly left the house through the backdoor.
"What are they hiding from me? What is this town keeping secret?" she whispered. Brienne wasn't naive. The wolf she saw wasn’t ordinary; it was twice the size of any normal wolf. When she returned to work, Brienne kept searching online about it but eventually stopped—it was getting ridiculous. Those articles were spouting nonsense. Who still believes in werewolves these days? Still, she needed to know the truth.
Raven transformed into his wolf and went straight to the forest, leaving his father to command the rest of the warriors. Joined by his beta and a few elite fighters, they ran as fast as they could.
"What the fck happened?!" Raven asked through the link.
"They just appeared out of nowhere near the East border, Alpha! Guards couldn't hold them back," Ace said, one of his elite fighters.
"How many?!" Raven asked.
"Roughly twenty rogues, Alpha," Carter said.
"Damn it," he cursed, and accelerated his pace. Raven was certain that Brienne had heard the rogues' successive howls.
"Kill them all," he ordered.
Raven and his warriors arrive at the location where the rogues are. The forest was suddenly alive with the snarls and growls of the wolves.
It was the rogues who attacked Raven and his warriors first, locked in a brutal struggle. One of the rogues, gray and scarred, lunged forward, baring its teeth toward Raven. Raven, in his wolf form, dodged, but the rogue's claw touched his side, grazing him.
"How dare you?!" Raven uttered. Blood spattered on the ground; a low growl rumbled from him. They circled each other, eyes locked, each move slow and calculated. Then, Raven surprised the rogue with a sudden pounce, his jaws snapping as he drove the rogue against the root of a towering tree.
The rogue let out a piercing howl, still defiant and trying to escape, but Raven didn't give him a chance and sunk his sharp claws in his throat, ending the rogue's life.
Raven pushed him aside and turned around. The fighting wasn't over yet. He howled and immediately joined in the fight.
Meanwhile, with only a phone in her hand, Brienne wandered inside the forest. The howls and growls are getting nearer and nearer, making her shiver in fear.
"Please, please," she whispered, clutching her phone to her chest while her free hand touched her belly. Although it was a bad idea, she still chose to come here.
Brienne froze as the sound of rustling bushes broke the silence. Slowly, she turned around and saw a massive wolf emerging, its blood-red eyes glowing and drool dripping from its bared fangs. Her heart raced as terror gripped her, but she couldn’t look away.
The wolf took a step, which prompted Brienne to scream. She collapsed onto the ground, clutching her stomach. She shouldn't have stubbornly left the house. She should have stayed quiet in her room when Cecil told her so. The wolf growled and was about to attack her when another wolf appeared out of nowhere and pounced at the brown wolf, making them roll on the ground.
Brienne backed up on the tree, shaking as she watched the wolves fighting in front of her. The black wolf mauled the brown wolf, not giving it a chance to fight back before killing it. The black wolf howled and turned around. Brienne was gasping.
"N-No... don't come near me," she stammered, but the wolf continued to march towards her. Brienne caught a glimpse of the wolf's eyes, and tears streamed down her face. She knew those eyes. How could she not know? It was the same warm eyes that looked at her every single day.
"R-Raven?" she stammered, her voice shaking.
The black wolf whimpered and sat in front of her. Slowly, its body began to change—fur shrinking, bones shifting—until a man with striking blue eyes knelt before her.
"Brienne... darling," Raven said softly, reaching out a hand toward her.
"Don’t touch me," Brienne whispered, moving back, fear and confusion clear in her eyes. She couldn't believe it. All this time, the articles she read were true. "W-What... What are you?" she added, her heart pounding loudly.
"Darling... please," Raven begged, but Brienne shook her head. She tried standing up but failed to do so. She felt her world spinning.
"G-Go away, m-monster," Brienne said before completely blacking out. Raven immediately caught her head and carried her in his arms. His face was unreadable. He was covered in blood of his own and enemies as he walked. Carter found him, and his eyes widened when he saw Raven carrying unconscious Brienne.
"Raven..." Carter called. Raven looked at him.
"She found out," Raven muttered, Brienne's words echoing in his mind. He clenched his teeth and cursed under his breath. "Fck it!"
"We are here," Carter said, trying to console his friend, but he knew it was futile. Raven nodded at him and continued walking out of the forest.