Chapter 19 Chapter 19
Chapter 19 Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Fenrir’s POV
The first thing I felt when I crossed over was resistance.
Not physical.
Not something I could see or fight with my hands.
It was deeper than that.
Like the world itself didn’t want me there.
The air turned thick the moment I stepped through, pressing against my chest, slowing my breath. My vision blurred for a second, then sharpened again—but everything looked… wrong.
Too still.
Too quiet.
Like time had been dragged out and stretched thin.
Behind me, Luca stumbled slightly, catching himself with a low curse under his breath.
“Damn,” he muttered. “It’s worse than I remember.”
I didn’t answer.
Because the moment I stepped fully into that place—
I felt her.
It wasn’t a sound.
Or a scent.
It was something else.
A pull.
Low and sharp, buried deep in my chest.
Like something had reached inside me and wrapped a hand around my heart.
Aveline.
I turned slowly, scanning the empty stretch around me.
Nothing.
No trees. No buildings. No movement.
Just that endless, pale ground and a sky that didn’t belong to anything alive.
But I could feel her.
Faint.
Distant.
Struggling.
“She’s here,” I said.
Luca nodded once, already moving to stand beside me. “Of course she is. The question is… how far.”
I didn’t care about that.
I started walking.
Fast.
Because standing still wasn’t an option.
Because every second I wasted here—
Felt like something was slipping further out of reach.
The ground didn’t make a sound under my boots. No echo. No shift. It was like walking on something that didn’t acknowledge my weight.
“That pull you’re feeling,” Luca said behind me, keeping pace, “follow it. That’s the only thing that won’t lie to you here.”
“I don’t need instructions,” I replied.
“I’m not giving instructions,” he said calmly. “I’m telling you how not to die.”
I ignored that.
Because right now—
Death wasn’t my concern.
Losing her was.
The pull tightened suddenly.
Sharp enough to make my breath hitch for a split second.
I stopped.
My head snapped to the side.
There.
Something shifted in the distance.
Not clearly.
Not fully.
But enough.
“She’s there,” I said.
Luca followed my gaze, narrowing his eyes slightly. “Then we don’t have much time.”
I didn’t ask why.
I already knew.
Because whatever this place was—
It didn’t feel like something that waited.
I moved faster.
Breaking into a run.
The distance between us and that distortion didn’t change the way it should have. It felt like I was running in place at first, the space stretching unnaturally—but then suddenly, it snapped.
And everything rushed forward at once.
The ground cracked beneath my feet as I pushed harder.
The air resisted.
Fought me.
Like it was trying to slow me down.
But I didn’t stop.
I wasn’t stopping.
Then I saw it.
A shape.
Not solid.
Not real.
But there.
And in front of it—
Her.
Aveline.
My chest tightened so hard it almost hurt.
She was standing there, tense, trembling, facing something I couldn’t fully see.
Something wrong.
Something that didn’t belong.
My vision sharpened instantly.
Focused.
Locked.
“Aveline,” I called.
Her head snapped toward me.
And for a second—
Just a second—
The relief on her face made something inside my chest twist.
Then everything around her shattered.
The space cracked like glass, ripples spreading outward violently.
The thing in front of her recoiled.
Its form distorting.
And I felt it then.
Not just saw it.
Felt it.
Cold.
Ancient.
Watching.
It turned toward me.
Slowly.
Like it was curious.
Like I was something unexpected.
Good.
Let it look.
I didn’t stop moving.
Didn’t slow down.
Didn’t hesitate.
I crossed the last distance between us and grabbed Aveline’s arm, pulling her back behind me instinctively.
She stumbled slightly but didn’t fight me.
Her hand gripped mine tightly.
Too tightly.
Like she was grounding herself.
Or holding on.
“Fenrir…” her voice was breathless. Shaken.
“You okay?” I asked without looking at her.
A stupid question.
I knew it was.
But I needed to hear her answer anyway.
“I—” she swallowed. “I don’t know.”
That was enough.
Because she was still here.
Still standing.
Still breathing.
That was enough for now.
My focus shifted forward again.
Back to it.
The thing.
It didn’t move.
Didn’t attack.
Just… watched.
Its shape flickered slightly, unstable but present.
And I didn’t like that.
Not one bit.
“What is that?” I asked.
Luca stepped up beside me slowly, his gaze fixed on the figure.
“That,” he said quietly, “is what you shouldn’t have come here for.”
I ignored him.
“Can it be killed?”
A pause.
Then—
“I don’t know.”
That wasn’t the answer I wanted.
But it was the one I expected.
The air shifted again.
Colder now.
Sharper.
The thing tilted its head slightly.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
Its voice wasn’t loud.
But it carried.
Through the air.
Through my head.
Through everything.
I didn’t react.
Didn’t step back.
Didn’t show anything.
“I’m taking her,” I said.
Simple.
Clear.
Final.
A pause.
Then—
“No.”
My jaw tightened.
“That wasn’t a request.”
“I know.”
Something in the way it said that—
Calm.
Certain.
It didn’t see me as a threat.
That was a mistake.
“You don’t belong here,” it continued.
“Neither does she.”
“She does.”
My hand tightened around Aveline’s.
“No,” I said. “She doesn’t.”
Silence stretched.
Then—
“She has already chosen.”
The words hit harder than they should have.
My grip on her tightened instinctively.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
No answer.
I didn’t like that.
I turned my head slightly, just enough to glance at her.
“Aveline.”
She didn’t answer immediately.
Her breathing was uneven.
Her eyes were still fixed on the thing in front of us.
“Aveline,” I said again, sharper this time.
She blinked.
Then looked at me.
Something in her expression—
It wasn’t fear.
Not entirely.
It was something deeper.
Something heavier.
“I didn’t finish,” she said quietly.
My chest tightened.
“Finish what?”
Her gaze flickered briefly.
Then back to me.
“My choice.”
A cold weight settled in my chest.
“No,” I said immediately.
Her brows pulled together slightly.
“You don’t even know what—”
“I don’t need to.”
Because I already knew enough.
Enough to understand—
That whatever this was—
It wasn’t something she walked into and walked out of the same.
“We’re leaving,” I said.
The air shifted again.
Tension rising.
Thick.
Unstable.
“You cannot take her,” the thing said.
I didn’t look at it.
Didn’t acknowledge it.
I just tightened my grip on her hand.
“Stay behind me,” I said quietly.
She didn’t argue.
Good.
Because I wasn’t giving her the option to.
“You are interfering,” the voice continued.
“Yeah,” I said flatly. “That’s the point.”
The ground beneath us trembled slightly.
Not violently.
But enough.
Enough to remind me—
This place wasn’t ours.
And we weren’t welcome.
Luca shifted beside me.
“This is the part where things go bad,” he muttered.
“Then keep up,” I replied.
Because I wasn’t stopping.
Not now.
Not when I had her.
I took a step back.
Then another.
Pulling Aveline with me.
The thing didn’t move.
Didn’t chase.
But the air—
The air grew heavier.
Like it was closing in.
“You cannot take what is mine.”
The words hit harder this time.
Sharper.
Possessive.
My expression darkened.
“She’s not yours.”
Silence.
Then—
“We will see.”
The ground cracked suddenly.
A sharp, violent sound that tore through the stillness.
Aveline gasped behind me.
I pulled her closer instinctively.
The space around us shifted again.
Unstable.
Breaking.
“Fenrir—” Luca’s voice was tighter now. “We need to move. Now.”
I didn’t need to be told twice.
I turned fully.
Gripping Aveline’s hand.
“Run.”
We moved.
Fast.
The ground beneath us fractured with every step, cracks spreading outward like something was trying to pull us down.
The air pressed harder.
Heavier.
Like it was trying to drag us back.
I didn’t look back.
Didn’t slow down.
Didn’t stop.
Aveline kept pace beside me, her grip tight, her breathing uneven but determined.
Good.
She wasn’t breaking.
Not yet.
Behind us—
A sound.
Low.
Rising.
Like something waking up.
I pushed faster.
“Don’t stop,” I said.
“I’m not!” she shot back.
Good.
Because stopping here—
Wasn’t an option.
Not anymore.
Not when I could feel it behind us.
Closing in.
Watching.
Waiting.
We broke through the space just as it snapped again—
The world shifting violently around us.
The pressure disappeared.
The air rushed back.
And suddenly—
We were back.
The courtyard.
The statue.
The pack.
Everything slammed back into place at once.
Aveline stumbled sli
ghtly beside me, catching herself.
I didn’t let go of her hand.
Didn’t plan to.
Not yet.
Not when I could still feel it.
Faint.
Lingering.
Like it hadn’t let her go completely.
My jaw tightened.
Because this—
This wasn’t over.
Not even close.
Beside me, Aveline’s grip on my hand tightened suddenly.
I turned toward her.
And the look in her eyes—
It wasn’t relief.
It wasn’t fear.
It was something worse.
Something that made my chest tighten without warning.
“I didn’t finish,” she said again, her voice quieter this time.
A cold feeling settled deep in my chest.
“Aveline—”
“It’s not done with me.”