Chapter 17 Chapter 18
Chapter 17 Chapter 18
Fenrir’s POV
“Claimed.”
The word didn’t sit right.
It didn’t feel like something that could just exist and be accepted. It felt like something that needed to be fought. Torn apart. Broken until it stopped meaning anything at all.
My jaw tightened as I stared at him.
“By what?”
My uncle didn’t answer immediately. He leaned back in his chair like this was just another conversation, like we weren’t talking about something that had just taken my wife out of my reach.
That calm of his had always been irritating.
Now it made something violent rise in my chest.
“You’re not asking the right question,” he said finally.
I didn’t move.
“Then correct me.”
His eyes held mine for a long moment, measuring, weighing, deciding how much to say.
“What you should be asking,” he continued, “is why her.”
I didn’t need to think about that.
“I already know the answer to that.”
His brow lifted slightly.
“Do you?”
“She’s not weak,” I said. “Whatever that thing is—it doesn’t choose weak people.”
For a brief second, something flickered in his eyes.
Approval.
Then it was gone.
“You’re learning,” he said quietly.
I didn’t care about that.
“Answer me.”
A pause.
Then—
“It’s not something you can fight the way you think,” he said.
“That’s not what I asked.”
“And that’s not something you get to control.”
My hands clenched at my sides.
“You’re avoiding the question.”
“I’m answering it the way you need to hear it.”
“That’s not your decision to make.”
The air in the room shifted slightly.
Subtle.
But there.
The guards near the door straightened without realizing it.
Luca stayed quiet behind me.
Smart.
Because this wasn’t his moment anymore.
This was between me and the man who had built everything around control—and was now trying to keep it.
“She was chosen,” my uncle said finally.
The words settled heavily.
“Chosen for what?”
This time, he didn’t hesitate.
“For something you are not ready to understand.”
That was it.
That was the line.
I moved before I could stop myself, crossing the space between us and grabbing the front of his robe, yanking him forward just enough to break that calm, controlled posture he always wore.
“I don’t care what you think I’m ready for,” I said, my voice low and sharp. “You’re going to tell me what happened to her.”
The guards shifted instantly.
Weapons half drawn.
Waiting.
I didn’t even glance at them.
If they moved—
I’d deal with them after.
My uncle didn’t look surprised.
Didn’t look angry either.
Just… interested.
Like this was something he had expected.
“You’re stepping into dangerous ground,” he said quietly.
“I’m already standing in it.”
A pause.
Then—
His hand came up, not to push me away—but to rest lightly against my wrist.
“Let go.”
“No.”
Something in his gaze hardened.
Just slightly.
Enough.
“I won’t ask again.”
That was the only warning he got.
I held his gaze for a second longer.
Then released him.
Not because he told me to.
Because I needed him talking.
He adjusted his robe slowly, like nothing had just happened.
Then he looked at me again.
Properly this time.
Not like a child.
Not like something beneath him.
Like a threat.
Good.
“You want to know what claimed her?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Then listen carefully,” he said. “Because I will not repeat this.”
The room went still.
Completely.
Even the guards seemed to fade into the background.
“It is not a creature,” he said slowly. “Not in the way you think.”
My brow furrowed slightly.
“Then what is it?”
“A force.”
I didn’t like that answer.
“Forces don’t take people.”
“This one does.”
Silence stretched for a moment.
Then—
“It exists where power gathers,” he continued. “Where bloodlines matter. Where strength is passed down and fought over.”
My mind moved quickly.
Faster than I wanted it to.
“You’re talking about something tied to the pack.”
“Not just one pack.”
That made my chest tighten.
“Then all of them.”
“Yes.”
The word landed heavily.
“And it just… takes people?” I asked.
“Not people,” he corrected. “Candidates.”
That didn’t make it better.
“What happens to them?”
A pause.
Longer this time.
“They either become something greater… or they disappear.”
My jaw clenched.
“And you knew this would happen.”
It wasn’t a question.
His silence was enough of an answer.
“You brought her here knowing this,” I said.
“I brought her here because she was already marked.”
That made me stop.
“What?”
His gaze didn’t waver.
“You think this started tonight?” he asked.
A cold weight settled in my chest.
“Explain.”
“She didn’t just catch its attention,” he said. “It has been watching her for a long time.”
That didn’t make sense.
“How?”
“She survived things she shouldn’t have,” he said simply.
My mind flickered back—
To everything I had learned about her.
Her father.
Her past.
The way she had been pushed to the edge over and over again.
“And that’s enough?” I asked.
“It’s more than enough.”
Silence fell again.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Then—
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked.
“Because it wouldn’t have changed anything.”
“It would have changed everything.”
“No,” he said. “You still would have married her. And it still would have come for her.”
My hands clenched again.
“Then why bring her here at all?”
His expression shifted slightly.
“Because I wanted to see what she would become.”
That did it.
I stepped forward again, but this time I didn’t touch him.
Didn’t grab him.
I just stood there.
Close enough that he couldn’t ignore me.
“You used her.”
“Yes.”
No hesitation.
No regret.
Nothing.
“And if she dies?” I asked.
“Then she was never strong enough.”
My vision darkened slightly at the edges.
Because that—
That was not an acceptable answer.
Not to me.
“She’s not dying,” I said.
My voice was quieter now.
But it carried more weight than anything I had said so far.
He studied me for a long moment.
Then—
“That depends on her.”
“No,” I said. “It depends on me.”
A flicker of something crossed his face.
Amusement.
“You still think this is something you can control.”
“I think you’ve underestimated me.”
A pause.
Then—
He leaned forward slightly.
“And what exactly do you plan to do?”
That was the question.
The one I didn’t fully have the answer to yet.
But I knew one thing.
I wasn’t standing here waiting for her to come back.
Or not come back.
I wasn’t leaving it to chance.
“I’m going after her,” I said.
The room went silent.
Even the guards reacted to that.
Subtle.
But noticeable.
My uncle didn’t move.
Didn’t speak immediately.
Then—
“You don’t know where she is.”
“I’ll figure it out.”
“You don’t know how to reach her.”
“I’ll find a way.”
A faint smile touched his lips.
“There is no way.”
I held his gaze.
“Then I’ll make one.”
Silence stretched between us.
Then—
He laughed.
Soft.
Low.
Not mocking.
Not entirely.
“Your father said the same thing once.”
That caught my attention.
“What happened to him?”
The smile faded.
Just slightly.
“He failed.”
Of course he did.
That was the story everyone told.
But something about the way he said it—
It didn’t sound like the full truth.
“And you think I will too?” I asked.
“I think you don’t understand what you’re walking into.”
“Then explain it.”
A pause.
Then—
“No.”
That was it.
That was the final line.
I turned away.
Done with this conversation.
Done with waiting.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
I didn’t stop.
“To get her back.”
“You’ll die.”
“Then I’ll die.”
The words came out without hesitation.
Without thought.
Because right now—
There wasn’t another option I was willing to accept.
Behind me, I heard movement.
Luca.
“Wait,” he said.
I didn’t stop walking.
“If you go in blind, you won’t even make it to where she is,” he added.
That made me pause.
Not turn.
Just pause.
“Then start talking,” I said.
Silence.
Then—
“I know how to find the entrance.”
That got my attention.
I turned slowly.
Meeting his gaze.
“And you didn’t think to mention that earlier?”
He shrugged slightly.
“You weren’t ready to listen.”
I stepped toward him.
Slow.
Dangerous.
“Try me.”
He held my gaze.
Then—
“It’s not a place,” he said. “It’s a crossing.”
I said nothing.
Let him continue.
“It appears when the conditions are right,” he added. “Power. Blood. Intent.”
My mind processed that quickly.
“And you can take me there.”
“Yes.”
A pause.
Then—
“Or I can leave you here to wait and hope she survives on her own.”
That wasn’t even a choice.
I stepped closer.
Stopping just in front of him.
“If you’re lying—”
“I’m not.”
“If this is a trap—”
“It’s not.”
I studied him for a moment.
Then nodded
once.
“Then you’re coming with me.”
He didn’t argue.
Good.
Because I wasn’t giving him the option.
I turned back toward the door.
Already moving again.
This time—
With a direction.
With something close to a plan.
Behind me, I heard Luca’s footsteps fall into place.
And from across the room—
I felt my uncle’s gaze on my back.