CHAPTER 18: A Name from the Past
1039 Words
"I thought I'd buried him in the past. But he'd been hunting me all along. And now, he was coming."
The name hung in the air like smoke.
Damon. The wolf who had rejected me. The wolf who had broken me. The wolf who had banished me from everything I'd ever known.
I'd thought I was free of him. I'd thought he was in my past, a scar that would fade with time.
But he'd been hunting me all along.
Kaelen stood before me, his face pale, his voice barely above a whisper. "I saw him, Luna. He was giving orders to the rogues like they were his own pack. They follow him like he's their leader."
I felt the world tilt beneath my feet. "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure. It was him." He paused, his voice dropping even lower. "And I saw something else. His pack—they're trading with the rogues. Weapons, supplies, information. They're working together."
I felt Ember stir in my chest, a low growl rumbling through her.
He's not just coming for you, she said. He's coming to destroy everything you've built.
I pressed my hand to my chest, feeling the wild thrum of my heart. Damon. He was here. He had found me. I thought I'd escaped him. But he'd been following me all along.
"Thank you, Kaelen," I said, my voice steady despite the storm inside me. "Rest. You've done enough."
He nodded and disappeared into the shadows, his footsteps silent on the forest floor.
I stood there, staring at the darkness, feeling the weight of Damon's name pressing down on me. I'd spent so long running from him. So long pretending he didn't exist.
But he'd been there all along. Waiting.
The rage came later.
I felt it building inside me, slow and steady, like a fire catching dry wood. At first, it was small—a flicker of anger, a whisper of resentment. But it grew, fed by every memory, every wound, every scar he'd left behind.
I remembered the day he'd rejected me. The coldness in his eyes, the cruelty in his words. I remembered the years of invisibility, the pain of being discarded like garbage. I remembered Lila's smile as she took everything I had.
And I remembered the promise I'd made to myself: that I would never be weak again. That I would never let anyone hurt me like that again.
He'd broken that promise. He'd come back.
And I was going to make him pay.
I found Kael by the stream, his silver-grey eyes soft in the moonlight.
"He's here," I said, my voice flat. "Damon. He's leading the rogues. He's been hunting me."
Kael didn't flinch. He didn't look surprised. He just met my gaze, his voice low and steady. "I know."
I blinked, startled. "How do you know?"
"I've been watching. Following the rogues." He paused. "I saw him a few days ago. I wanted to tell you, but I didn't know how. I didn't want to—"
"Didn't want to what?"
"Didn't want to remind you of the pain he caused." His voice was soft, vulnerable. "But I should have told you. I'm sorry."
I shook my head, something shifting in my chest. "You were trying to protect me."
"Yes." He met my gaze. "And I still am."
I stared at him, feeling the weight of his words settle on my shoulders. He'd been carrying this burden alone. He'd been protecting me from a truth I wasn't ready to face.
"Thank you," I whispered.
I found a captured rogue in the holding cell behind the healing shelter—a young wolf with hollow eyes and trembling hands. He'd been caught trying to infiltrate our borders. He was our prisoner. And he was terrified.
I knelt beside him, my voice soft. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just need to know what you know."
He stared at me, his eyes wide with fear. "I don't know anything."
"Then why were you trying to get through our borders?"
He was silent, but his thoughts betrayed him.
...trading... supplies for safe passage... Alpha Damon said... warned us... Ember Pack is dangerous...
I pushed deeper, forcing past his defenses.
...Damon is building an army... wants to crush the Ember Pack... wants his mate back...
I pulled back, my heart pounding. His mate. He still thought I was his. But he didn't want me back because he loved me. He wanted me back because he couldn't stand losing.
"Thank you," I said, rising to my feet. "You've been very helpful."
I walked away, ignoring his protests. I had what I needed.
I stood by the fire that night, staring into the flames. The anger was still there, burning low and steady. But something else was there too.
Determination.
I'd been running from Damon for months—running from the past, running from the pain, running from the part of myself that still felt broken. I'd built a new life. A new family. A new purpose.
And I was not going to let him take that from me.
"Raven."
I turned to find Kael standing behind me, his silver-grey eyes soft in the firelight.
"What are you going to do?" he asked.
I was quiet for a moment, weighing my options. Then I made a decision.
"I'm going to fight him," I said. "Not with rage. Not with revenge. I'm going to protect this pack. Protect everything I've built. And I'm not going to let him take it from me."
Kael studied me for a long moment. Then he nodded, something shifting in his gaze.
"I'll help you," he said, his voice low. "I'll protect this pack like it's my own. I'll stand beside you, no matter what."
I met his gaze, feeling the weight of his promise. "Why?"
He was silent for a moment. Then he spoke, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Because I believe in you, Raven. And I'm not going to let anyone take you away from me."
I felt my breath catch, my heart stuttering in my chest. No one had ever said that to me before.
"I've lost too many people I care about," he said. "I'm not losing you too."
- Writer
