Chapter 2 Whispers Under the Stone

Raven Callahan POV

I did not glance back as I stepped onto Blackthorn land, even though every part of me wanted to. The forest vanished behind me, cutting me off from everything familiar, every place I felt safe. The air here felt different, colder and ancient, like it remembered blood. It seeped into me, deciding if I belonged.

Kael had not said a word during the whole ride. I sat across from him, gripping my bag strap. It was the only thing keeping me steady. The silence was not empty; it was loaded with unspoken stuff. He looked at me once, just once, and I saw something fierce and wrecked in his eyes, a problem he could not escape.

We got there as the sun went down. Blackthorn's place looked like a scar on the horizon, with black iron gates, stone towers, and sharp edges, built to keep people out...or keep something in. It was amazing, like cliffs are - cold, powerful, and ready to fall apart.

My boots hit the stone, and the doors opened with a creak. Wolves stood like guards on the steps, watching me with cold eyes. No interest, no confusion, just awareness.

The rejected mate.

Kael walked behind me, always a step back. Close enough to tell me what to do, but not close enough to keep me safe.

Then she arrived: Selene. Dressed as a Beta, she was the type of lady who got her point across without yelling. Her face was like ice.

"You brought her," she said flatly, like I was a package left by mistake.

"She's here to help," Kael said, calm and steady.

Selene did not bother hiding her disgust. "We will see how long she lasts."

I met her gaze and did not look away. "I'm not trying to impress anyone. Just show me the sick kid."

That shut her up, almost.

Kael finally moved forward. "You will be in the East Wing, your own rooms. If you need anything..."

"I won't," I interrupted. "Where's the boy?"

He hesitated, and that told me everything. He still did not know what to think of me.

"Take her to Elias," he told a guard.

We walked down long, silent halls. It was colder inside than outside. Moonlight bled across the stone. This place was not welcoming; it was built to last.

When I walked into the kid's room, the smell hit me first. It was heavy and suffocating, with too much pain and unanswered prayers. He was small and pale, his skin almost see through. His mom sat beside him, her eyes red and desperate, clutching a cloth.

I looked at the table. Dried herbs, some tonics, all wrong. They were trying to fix a curse like it was a fever.

"Everyone out," I said quietly.

The mother looked up, unsure. "Please..."

"I said out."

She looked at Kael, who nodded.

When the room was empty, I knelt next to the boy. His pulse raced lightly. The curse was not just in his body; it was in his soul.

I rolled up my sleeve and looked at the faint marks on my skin, the ones I wanted to forget. They glowed softly, like waking up.

"Hang on, kid," I whispered. "I'm all you have."

I sliced my palm open with my blade. My blood welled up, hot. I pressed my hand to his chest.

The hit was fast.

My magic did not flow; it exploded. It ripped through me like a wild storm. I had visions of rituals, moonlight, Kael's face twisted into something dark, and a voice speaking an old language I had not heard since my mother was alive.

The boy gasped, then went still.

His breathing evened out.

I fell to the floor, my lungs burning.

Kael rushed in.

"What did you do?" His voice was soft.

"He will live," I said, wiping blood from my mouth. "But this curse...it's not just sickness. It's calling something."

Kael went stiff. "Explain."

"You really want the truth?"

He didn't look away. "Go on."

I stood up, shaky. "This curse wasn't meant to kill; it was meant to something. And someone in your pack let it happen."

He looked at me like I was speaking a different language. "You're saying one of my wolves did this?"

"I'm saying it was not an accident."

Kael's jaw tightened. "Then you will find out who."

I nodded. "But next time, don't send your Beta to threaten me."

He froze. "What?"

"Selene was in my room. She warned me. Or tried to."

His eyes darkened. "I never sent Selene."

My blood ran cold. "She was already there when I got here."

Kael spun to the nearest guard. "Get five warriors to Raven's room now!"

We ran back. The air felt weird, like the walls were holding their breath. My door was open.

Inside was a mess. Papers burnt, my bag ripped apart, vials broken. But one was missing: my blood magic vial.

"She knew what to take," I said.

Kael kneeled, picking up a charred page. His fingers tightened. "Selene wouldn't..."

"Would not betray you?" I interrupted. "She already has."

He stood, slower this time. "Someone's trying to copy this."

"No," I whispered. "Someone's trying to use it."

His eyes went to my wrist, to the glowing marks no could remove.

"What are you, Raven?"

I looked him in the eye. "Something your ancestors feared."

"And now I have to trust you."

"No," I said. "Now you have to earn my trust."

That night, I could not sleep. I stood by the window, the forest covered in fog. My body ached, but my thoughts wouldn't stop racing.

Why hadn't my mother told me anything about this?

Why did this place feel like it was waiting?

And why, before falling asleep, had the boy whispered just one word?

"Revenant."

I grabbed my journal, ready to write it down, but I stopped.

A shadow moved behind me.

Inside the room.

"Kael?" I called.

No answer.

Then, under the floorboards, a knock.

Three beats.

I dropped to my knees and put my ear to the cold floor.

One knock. Two. Pause. Three.

My stomach dropped.

I pulled the rug back. There, hidden under layers of dust, was an iron ring.

A trapdoor.

I took a breath and lifted it.

Cold air hit me, smelling like stone, mold, and old blood.

A staircase disappeared into darkness.

I looked back once, then started down.

Each step creaked.

And just as I reached the bottom, the door slammed shut above me.

Locked.