Chapter 5 No vns

CHAPTER 5

The wind howled louder than usual, twisting around the pine trees like it was warning the pack of an incoming storm. But Ravenna didn't flinch. She stood at the edge of the hunting grounds, the last embers of adrenaline still simmering in her bloodstream. Her palms were scratched, her legs trembling, but she held her ground, trying not to let her knees buckle.

She had survived the hunt.

Barely.

"Well, well. Look who made it out alive," Cassidy spoke, sneering as she stepped into view with three other, she-wolves trailing behind her. All of them wore satisfied grins, like the idea of Ravenna dying out in the woods would've made for a pleasant evening story.

Ravenna didn't reply. Not because she was weak. Not because she was afraid. But because she was exhausted-and they didn't deserve her words.

"You're bleeding," Cassidy pointed to Ravenna's shoulder. "But I suppose that's normal for lying bitches like you."

One of the girls chuckled. "Maybe next time, she won't crawl her way out of the forest."

Ravenna inhaled sharply, her nails digging into her palms. The smell of wet earth, blood, and pine filled her senses. Her muscles ached, her body screamed for rest, but her pride wouldn't let her collapse-not here, not in front of them.

"She's not worth our time," one of the girls murmured, and they sauntered off, laughing as they disappeared toward the Pack house.

Ravenna turned; her steps unsteady as she walked through the trail. Her thoughts spiraled. The whispers. The bruises. The mockery. The loneliness. Was this how it would always be?

Suddenly, a deep howl shattered the air.

It was loud. Piercing. Commanding.

Every wolf on pack grounds froze.

Ravenna's head jerked up instinctively, heart pounding at the sound. That howl wasn't normal. It wasn't from any of the regular warriors. It was darker-filled with something ancient.

She wasn't the only one who felt it. Warriors emerged from the tree line. Scouts ran across the field. It was as if the pack had been shaken awake by a force none of them could explain.

Ravenna turned in a slow circle, trying to locate the source. But before she could move, a shadow stepped out from the trees.

He was tall. Dressed in black. Not a leaf out of place on his clothes, despite stepping from the thickest part of the woods. His face was obscured under a hood, but the sheer aura of dominance rolling off him made the hairs on Ravenna's neck rise.

And then she saw them-Cassidy and her friends, now frozen near the trail, their eyes wide.

They knew him.

Everyone did.

"Alpha Fenrir," Cassidy's voice called out, fear and reverence mixed together.

No. Not just Alpha. He wasn't their Alpha. But he was an Alpha. One that didn't belong to any pack. A rogue by choice. Yet An Alpha of all. Feared. Untouchable.

Ravenna took a step back.

Why was he here?

"You-" Cassidy stammered. "You're not allowed on this territory!"

Fenrir didn't answer instead giving her a once-over and then he retracted his gaze as if emphasizing her zero level of importance to him. He stepped further into the clearing, and even the strongest warriors near the tree line backed away without a word.

His eyes lifted-and locked on Ravenna.

Her stomach dropped.

No. No, this wasn't happening.

"Return to the Pack house," he said, voice low and controlled. It was the first time Ravenna had heard it. Rough. Commanding. And terrifyingly calm.

Cassidy didn't move.

Fenrir's head tilted, ever so slightly. "I said return."

Cassidy turned on her heel and bolted, her minions scrambling after her.

Ravenna was the only one left standing.

Alone.

She swallowed hard.

"Why are you here?" she asked before she could stop herself.

Fenrir's gaze lingered on her a second too long. Then he spoke, walking closer. "I heard a Luna was being hunted like a rabbit."

Her breath caught.

"You heard wrong," she bit out, a bitter smile coming to rest on her face.

"I rarely do."

Ravenna stepped back. "I'm not a Luna. I can't even shift."

"You're wrong," he said, stopping barely a foot from her. "You just don't remember what you are."

Her eyes widened.

"What...?"

"Your scent is buried. Your power sealed. But it's there."

Ravenna's heart slammed against her ribcage.

"I don't understand-"

"You don't need to." His eyes dropped to her bleeding arm. "Go clean up. You'll need your strength."

"For what?"

A pause.

Then he leaned in, his voice just above a whisper. "Because you'll need it."

A flash of movement.

He disappeared.

Gone-like smoke.

And just as fast, another howl echoed through the woods.

Only this time, it was not a warning.

It was a declaration.

The kind that meant something ancient was waking.