Chapter 10 (The Warning of Elias)
1467 Words
Raven’s POV
The forest was very calm.
It was the kind of calmness that made your skin crawl, not the kind that provided peace.
Raven remained still, her breath shallow, the aroma of blood still strong in the air.
Behind her, Kael was slumped, weak and damaged.
Dax stayed by his side, snarling softly, but even he was keeping an eye on the approaching shadow.
The person moved ahead.
Elias.
tall. elegant. Risky.
His faint face was all cool, calm and sharp edges, and his black mantle flew behind him like a crow's wings.
However, it was his eyes—chill blue and glittering with a power she didn't understand—that caused Raven's wolf to grumble beneath her skin.
Raven didn't think before stepping in front of Kael.
She spread her claws.
Her wolf stood up, prepared to battle.
Her voice was stern as she continued, "You have no right to be here."
Elias did not recoil. Rather, he c****d his head as if he was examining her.
Silently, he murmured, "I came to warn you. "I'm the only one attempting to keep you alive, believe it or not."
Raven's eyes narrowed.
"You sent out rogues." You nearly murdered him.” She gestured at Kael. "You are a traitor."
Elias hiss.
He walked gently to the side, hands behind his back, as though he were walking in a field rather than on a war ground.
He proclaimed, "The rascals weren't mine." They marked the start of something more serious. Additionally, you are directly in its path.
Raven tightened his hold on her claws.
"You don't have my faith."
Elias came to a halt and faced her.
He said, "You don't have to." "But haven't you sensed it? The tugging in your chest. How your wolf responds to the darkness.
Raven's pulse skipped a beat.
She had sensed it, really.
A chilly wind that didn't belong was still blowing through the trees.
an increase in air pressure.
She would not, however, lower her defenses.
She said, "What do you want from me?"
Elias's face grew serious.
He said, "I want you to live." "Because he rises if you die."
Her gaze wavered.
"Who?"
Elias took a step forward, his voice hushed.
"There is an old one. Beneath these woods lies a force. Whether they like it or not, the rogues work for him.
He hesitated.
The connection between you and Kael? This is connected to it. You are more than just friends. You are the keys.
Raven's heart pounded as she gazed at him.
"What are the keys to?"
Elias responded, "To a prison."
"And that prison gets weaker the stronger your bond gets."
Raven gave a headshake.
"No. That isn't possible.
"It is," he stated. "And the worst thing? The countdown started as soon as Kael marked you.
Then Kael stirred behind her.
His voice broke. "Raven, don't pay attention."
Elias, however, held out a hand.
"Kael, I'm not your adversary. By now, you ought to be aware of that.
With blood on his shirt, Kael attempted to stand up but fell back down.
Raven's hands shook.
She questioned, "Why attack if that's true?"
Her eyes met Elias's.
"Because time is running out for you." And the only thing that gets them to listen, he claimed, is fear.
The ensuing hush was deafening.
Raven felt the hairs on her arms stand up as a burst of wind blew through the trees.
The moon was almost full.
Uneasy, her wolf paced inside her chest.
Elias glanced around.
He said, "You must get out of this forest." "Tonight. prior to the veil becoming much thinner.
"Kael?" she inquired.
Elias responded without hesitation, "He goes with you." "Dead or alive."
His comments caused Raven's heart to sink.
Dax took a step forward and gave a deep growl.
"And if we stay, what happens?"
Elias grinned, but it lacked warmth.
Then hope that your wolf passes away before he discovers you.
The ground shook abruptly.
There was a quiet rumble underfoot.
Kael opened his eyes.
"No," he muttered. "It's premature."
Raven looked in the direction of the noise.
A wail came from deep in the trees.
It was lengthy.
It was really old.
Furthermore, it sounded completely unlike from anything she had ever heard.
Elias's face became serious.
"It's beginning," he declared.
Raven took a step back, her heart pounding.
"What are we going to do?"
Elias stared at her, really stared at her, as though he was carrying a tremendous burden in his head.
“We run,” he added.
However, a shadow appeared through the trees before they could move.
enormous.
Not natural.
Its golden, luminous eyes met Raven's.
The air itself was shaken by the guttural snarl it released.
And her wolf whispered one word from deep within her.
"Alpha."
Raven stopped.
Kael let out a gasp.
Elias then remarked, "Too late," without turning aside.
Raven was immobile.
That Alpha—that thing—wasn't like any wolf she had ever seen.
Its fur was as dark as ink, its body flickered at the edges like smoke, and it was more than seven feet tall on four legs. As if it weren't totally real. As if it were not a part of this universe.
Her gaze met its golden, sparkling eyes. Her wolf then retreated.
Not because I'm afraid.
Not in submission.
Raven's throat tightened with breath.
This was no ordinary rogue.
There was power in this thing.
old. dominating. chilly.
"Get moving!" Elias gave a bark.
Raven's feet, however, were planted.
The Alpha moved forward. It seemed as though each pawprint was blazing through reality as it sizzled against the ground.
Behind her, Kael moaned. He wasn't strong enough to move or defend her.
With a snarl that reverberated around the area, Dax abruptly changed. Even he, however, paused, tail low, ears back.
Raven's body begged her to move.
However, something else was drowning her mind.
Not her memories.
Not her whispers.
Flashes of this thing standing in flames, moving through darkness, reaching out to her with obsidian-gleaming claws.
She stumbled back, gasping.
Elias firmly grasped her arm.
He growled, "This isn't your fight yet."
"But it's here for me," Raven stutteringly said.
Elias acknowledged it.
The Alpha let out another howl. Her bones vibrated as the sound tore through her chest like claws.
Then it lunged.
Raven was hardly able to respond.
Just as the beast's claws tore through the area she had been standing in, Elias pushed her aside. Behind her, trees snapped like matchsticks.
Kael's eyes widened.
His wolf roared forward in spite of the blood and his pain. Bones broke. His skin exploded with fur.
Kael moved.
He struck the Alpha in midair.
It was flesh on flesh. Power struck power.
There was a shockwave through the trees from the crash.
As Kael twisted in the air and crashed into a boulder, Raven let out a scream.
He remained still.
The Alpha turned its head back toward her after landing elegantly.
Beside her, Elias snarled. The same strange blue was now shining in his eyes.
He declared, "I'll hold him." "Run and get Kael."
Raven gave a headshake.
She was unable to abandon him.
"I told you to run!" Even her wolf recoiled at Elias's abrupt voice, which cracked with an odd authority.
Elias lunged forward before she could counter, his body glimmering with an energy Raven had never seen before. Dark. electrical. aggressive.
The woodland descended into anarchy as he took on the Alpha.
Raven took off running.
She arrived at Kael's body, bleeding profusely and hardly breathing.
"Kael," she said in a whisper. "Come on. Get up.
He remained still.
She moved halfway, allowing her claws to gain strength from the ground, and then, struggling under his weight, she pulled him onto her back.
Behind her, she could still hear the noises of combat.
Trees breaking.
roars of agony.
She didn't turn around, though.
Not until a gentle, lilting voice came from the trees and the shadows around her changed once more.
"You can flee, young wolf."
Raven stopped.
It was a woman's voice.
Nice.
But danger shouted from every instinct in her.
Around her, the trees started to glimmer.
The leaves died.
Above, the sky became red.
And a woman appeared in the gloom up ahead.
She had no shoes on and was dressed in a large red cloak.
She had black blazing eyes.
And a wolf-tooth necklace draped around her neck.
The woman grinned and remarked, "He wants you exactly."
"I'll let your mate live if you let him have you."
Raven's blood became icy.
She tightened her grip on Kael.
She snarled, "I will never give you anything."
The woman's smile got unnaturally big.
Then, she advised, "run faster."
And behind her, the globe started to fire.
- Writer
