CHAPTER 2 ~ Ashes Behind Her
1274 Words
“His ruin.”
The words followed Ayla like a curse.
She stood motionless beneath the crimson moon, staring at Elder Miriam as if the old woman had suddenly started speaking another language.
His ruin.
What was that even supposed to mean?
Everything was already ruined because of him.
Silver Moon Pack was gone.
Her family was gone.
The home she had known her entire life had turned into ash in a single night because of Alpha Kael Draven.
So how could she possibly become his ruin?
It made no sense.
Ayla looked toward the dark forest where Shadow Fang had disappeared hours ago. The firelight no longer reflected between the trees, but somehow she could still picture him clearly.
Silver eyes.
Bloodstained hands.
That cold expression on his face when he killed her father.
Hatred twisted painfully inside her chest.
Monster.
The word echoed endlessly in her mind.
“Ayla.”
Elder Miriam’s soft voice pulled her back to reality.
The old woman stood a few feet away, leaning against her wooden staff while smoke drifted through the destroyed village around them.
Everything looked unreal.
Homes reduced to blackened skeletons.
Bodies lying motionless beneath the moonlight.
The scent of ash and blood choking the air.
This place used to feel alive.
Now it felt like a graveyard.
Ayla swallowed hard.
For a moment she thought she might be sick.
“I don’t understand what you meant,” she whispered finally.
Miriam’s expression softened with sadness.
“You do not need to.”
“That’s not fair.”
The elder sighed quietly but said nothing else.
Ayla frowned.
Normally Miriam always had answers. Ever since Ayla was a child, the old woman had explained everything calmly no matter how difficult the situation became.
But tonight she looked… tired.
Not physically.
Something deeper than that.
Like part of her had already left this world.
Ayla looked away quickly before the thought could settle inside her chest.
No.
She already lost enough tonight.
The silence between them stretched painfully.
A cold wind moved through the ruins, carrying ash across the ground like dark snow.
Somewhere nearby, wood cracked softly as one of the damaged homes finally collapsed inward.
Ayla flinched at the sound.
Then her eyes landed on her father’s body again.
Her breath caught instantly.
The pain came rushing back so hard she nearly stumbled.
No matter how many times she looked at him, it still didn’t feel real.
Alpha Tristan Ravencrest.
Strong.
Proud.
Unbreakable.
Dead.
Just like that.
Ayla slowly walked toward him again before dropping to her knees beside the body. Her trembling fingers brushed against his cold hand carefully.
“I should’ve done something,” she whispered brokenly.
But what could she have done?
She was sixteen.
Weak compared to warriors like Kael.
Still…
The guilt remained.
If she had fought harder…
If she had stayed beside him…
If she had died too…
Fresh tears burned her eyes.
Ayla clenched her jaw tightly, trying to stop herself from crying again.
She was tired of crying.
Tired of feeling helpless.
Behind her, Elder Miriam approached slowly.
“This was not your fault.”
A bitter laugh escaped Ayla immediately.
“It feels like it.”
The elder lowered herself beside her with visible effort.
“You survived because you were meant to.”
“I didn’t want to survive.”
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
Silence followed.
Miriam did not scold her for saying it.
Maybe because the old woman understood.
Ayla stared at the ruined village numbly.
“What am I supposed to do now?”
The question sounded empty.
Because there was no answer.
No pack.
No family.
No home.
Nothing waited for her anymore.
Miriam looked toward the distant mountains thoughtfully.
“You leave.”
Ayla laughed weakly.
“Leave where?”
“Anywhere far from here.”
The idea felt impossible.
Silver Moon territory was the only home Ayla had ever known. Beyond these woods existed places she had only heard about in stories from traveling wolves.
Human cities.
Other packs.
Unknown lands.
It terrified her.
Not that she would admit that aloud.
Ayla looked at the elder suddenly.
“Come with me.”
Miriam’s expression softened instantly.
“My child—”
“Please.”
Her voice cracked.
The sound of it embarrassed her immediately, but she didn’t care anymore.
“I don’t want to be alone.”
For the first time that night, Elder Miriam looked close to tears.
The old woman gently touched Ayla’s hair the way her mother used to.
“You are stronger than you realize.”
“I don’t want to be strong.”
“You must be.”
Ayla shook her head stubbornly.
“No. We can leave together. We’ll figure something out.”
Miriam smiled sadly.
“There is nothing left for me beyond these ruins.”
“That’s not true.”
“It is.”
“No!”
The sharpness in Ayla’s voice echoed through the empty village.
“I already lost everyone else. I’m not leaving you too.”
Pain flickered across the elder’s face.
But her decision did not change.
“My life was tied to this pack,” Miriam said quietly. “And tonight, that life ended.”
Ayla stared at her in disbelief.
“You’re just giving up?”
“I am accepting what the moon has decided.”
“That’s ridiculous!”
Anger rose suddenly inside Ayla’s chest.
Not because she truly blamed Miriam.
But because she was terrified.
Terrified of being alone.
The old woman reached for her hand gently.
“Ayla, listen to me carefully.”
Her tone made Ayla fall silent.
“You still have life ahead of you. One day this pain will not consume every part of you.”
“That day will never come.”
“It will.”
“No,” Ayla whispered shakily. “Nothing matters anymore.”
Miriam’s eyes filled with sadness.
“That is grief speaking.”
“Maybe grief is right.”
The elder went quiet for a moment before reaching into her robe slowly.
She pulled out a silver crescent moon necklace.
Ayla froze instantly.
It belonged to her mother.
She remembered seeing it around her neck since childhood.
Her chest tightened painfully.
“She wanted you to have this someday,” Miriam whispered.
With shaking fingers, Ayla accepted the necklace.
The metal felt cold against her skin.
For some reason, that hurt more than anything else tonight.
Because it made her mother’s absence feel real.
A broken sound escaped her throat before she could stop it.
Miriam immediately pulled her into a gentle embrace.
And just like that, Ayla finally shattered.
She cried against the old woman’s shoulder while smoke drifted through the ruins around them.
For a while neither spoke.
The moon hung silently above them.
Watching.
Waiting.
Eventually Ayla pulled away slowly, wiping her face angrily.
“I hate him,” she whispered.
Miriam knew exactly who she meant.
“Yes,” the elder said softly.
Ayla looked toward the forest again.
Toward the direction Kael had disappeared.
Hatred burned inside her so fiercely it almost scared her.
One day she wanted him to feel this pain too.
One day she wanted him to lose everything.
The thought settled darkly inside her chest.
Then Miriam gently cupped her cheek.
“You must go before dawn.”
Ayla immediately shook her head again.
“Not without you.”
“You cannot stay here.”
“Then come with me.”
The elder smiled sadly.
“My journey ends tonight.”
“No…”
“It is time."
- Writer
