Chapter 4 No vns

CHAPTER 4

The cold air stung Ravenna's cheeks as she sprinted deeper into the woods, her breath leaving white trails behind her. Snow crunched beneath her boots, twigs snapping with every hurried step. The moon hung heavy in the sky, full and bright, casting eerie shadows on the forest floor.

Her heart pounded, not just from the exertion, but from the weight of what this hunt meant.

She wasn't here to prove herself to the pack. Not really. She knew they didn't expect much from her-, the girl who couldn't shift, the one who was left on the tethering edge of becoming a rogue.

No. Ravenna was here to survive.

Twigs snagged her jacket as she slowed near a clearing. She crouched, scanning the area. Her fingers trembled around the makeshift spear she'd fashioned earlier. Every rustle in the underbrush made her stomach tighten.

Just one rabbit, she prayed silently. Just one. She couldn't return empty-handed again.

A branch snapped behind her.

Ravenna froze.

More snapping. Footsteps. Heavy ones.

Too heavy for prey.

She turned around slowly. Her breath hitched.

Three wolves emerged from the trees; their golden eyes gleaming with amusement rather than hunger. Not just any wolves-they shifted as they approached, revealing the all-too-familiar sneers of the Ashenwood bullies.

Kara. Dorian. Mace.

Cassidy's minions.

Of course.

"Look who decided to join the hunt," Kara said, brushing snow from her pants as she stepped closer. "Didn't know we were letting baggage into the forest tonight."

Dorian laughed. "Maybe she thought she'd magically shift. Third time's the charm, right?"

"Or maybe she's just here to bleed again," Mace added, his grin as sharp as a blade.

Ravenna clenched her spear tighter, backing away. "Leave me alone."

"Aw, the little mutt speaks," Kara mocked. "But you know the rules. If you can't hunt, you don't eat. And if you get in our way..."

She lunged.

Ravenna dodged barely in time, tripping over a root and landing hard on her side. Her fingers scrambled for her weapon as Mace kicked it away.

"Not so brave now, are you?" Dorian whispered, kneeling next to her. His breath smelled like blood and meat.

"Please..." Ravenna said, voice shaking.

Kara crouched beside her. "You don't belong here, Luna reject. You think we're just going to let you keep breathing the same air as us?"

The word "Luna" stung like acid.

Suddenly, a loud snap echoed through the trees.

The three bullies tensed.

Ravenna didn't know what she expected-maybe another wolf from their clique. Maybe even the Alpha himself.

But it wasn't either.

It was silence.

And then a low growl.

It rumbled through the forest like thunder.

A shadow moved between the trees, massive and slow. Golden eyes flashed. The figure stepped into the clearing, and the temperature seemed to drop ten degrees.

Fenrir.

Even Ravenna recognized him. Everyone did. He was a legend to all in the werewolf community. Not just feared-respected. Mysterious. Untouchable.

Nobody dared speak to him.

Nobody dared challenge him.

Except, perhaps, these three.

Sheer fools.

Fenrir's shirt was half-buttoned, his expression unreadable. His dark eyes swept over the scene, landing briefly on Ravenna-bruised, dirty, trembling-before shifting back to the trio.

Kara's smirk faltered. "W-We didn't know anyone else was hunting here."

Fenrir said nothing.

Dorian cleared his throat. "We were just... helping her. She fell."

Still, silence.

He took a single step forward.

The sound of his footfall was enough.

Kara grabbed Mace's arm. "We should go."

They turned and vanished without another word, swallowed by the trees.

Ravenna couldn't move. Her breathing was shallow. Her legs refused to obey.

Fenrir looked at her once more, then turned to leave.

"Wait," she croaked.

He paused.

She didn't even know what she was asking for. Her voice caught in her throat.

"...Thank you," she whispered.

He didn't reply.

He simply walked into the shadows, disappearing as quietly as he came.

Ravenna sat there for a long time, shivering, until she finally picked up her spear and began the long walk back to the academy.

But something inside her had shifted.

Maybe she couldn't shift easily or effortlessly like the others.

But someone like Fenrir had chosen to step in for her.

And that meant something.

Maybe it meant everything.

Back at the academy gates, another figure watched from the shadows.

Cassidy.

Her lips curled into a scowl as she whispered to herself, "Why will the revered Alpha Fenrir come for that mutt?"

And as the snow began to fall again, Cassidy swore one thing to herself, she wouldn't let this slide.

Not without a fight.

Ravenna did not deserve the attention of Alpha Fenrir in anyway. She was too useless.