Episode8
1478 Words
RAVENA
The nurse drew blood from my veins with a syringe. She made sure I got the message of her discomfort with me around through her red, glooming eyes. The rest were staring too, their unspoken questions causing a bang in the atmosphere that almost had me crawling away.
Aldric finished with some ladies and men before meeting me where I was.
“If you pay attention to them, you won't last another day here,” he said, arms folding around his chest.
I didn't have to respond, I know. But if I wanted to live longer than the next day, then a friendship with him sounded perfect. I chose one topic–Xena.
“She doesn't like me,” I gestured to where she was assisting with my head.
“Who, Xena?” He scoffed. “She doesn't like new wolves. Not to speak of a wolf like you,”
I hummed deep in my throat, uttering no more words until he did.
“Come, I'll take you around,”
I hesitated, eyes flicking between his hand and Xena who was stealing glances at us. The last thing I'd want is to create an enemy for myself in a land that currently stands as my last resort.
But a walk with Aldric could foster a friendship between us. If that happens, then I won't have to worry about Xena who is below him.
“She can't harm you, ravena,”
“She knows where I sleep. She knows how to be quiet,” I replied dryly.
Aldric smirked. Just enough curve at the edge of his mouth to say he appreciated the sarcasm.
“I’m still faster,” he said, then turned without waiting.
I followed.
Outside, the air was sharper. The morning fog hadn’t cleared yet, giving everything a dreamlike edge. The compound sprawled wider than I expected, guarded by fences wrapped in runes and barbed wire.
“She sees you as a threat,” Aldric said, after a long silence. “Xena. She finds powerful women… difficult.”
“She should be used to it, being in this pack.”
“She is used to it. That doesn’t mean she likes it.” He slowed his pace, hands sliding into his pockets. “But she’ll back down. Especially now that I’ve claimed you as one of mine.”
I paused. “Claimed?”
“Calm down. I don’t mean that kind of claiming.” He chuckled, and the sound was warm—too warm for this cold place. “You’re under my protection. That’s all.”
I pretended not to notice the way that made my chest flutter.
“You really think I’m powerful?” I asked, casually.
Aldric stopped walking. I did too, only noticing then how close we’d gotten.
“I don’t think. I know. You were Coldrey's Luna. Always the front liner in every battle. Fighting wars while your mate f****d whores,”
He paused, perhaps, realizing his mistake and picking up his error by apologizing immediately. “I'm sorry, didn't mean to,”
“No, you're right,” I scoffed, pretending not to have felt the weight in my chest. We waited in that silence, my eyes wandering about for courage to share what I wanted to with him. The whole time, his eyes were fixed on me.
“You know…” I breathed with a buried face. “I was pregnant for him,”
“That's…” he paused again, looking for the right word. I knew from the look in his eyes. He didn't want to say something that'll tick me off.
So I helped him. “insane,” I muttered.
“Yeah, insane,” he repeated. “What…happened?”
“I lost the child in battle a few days ago. The same day he was getting married to an omega in the pack. The same day I fled,”
Aldric didn't move, neither did I.
The pain from that loss still lingered. And what even hurt the most were Coldrey's words to me. I didn't realize when a tear trickled down my eyes until Aldric wiped it with his thumb.
Gently, he unhooked the strands of hair stuck in the iron beads fixed on my cloth. .
I felt the warmth of him then, not from touch but from presence. He stood too close, his scent too rich, his voice too honest.
“You’re safe here, Ravena. Those men who hunted you—they can’t reach you now. Not in my territory.” He looked up from my wrist, gaze piercing. “Here, you can be who you were born to be. Powerful.Whole, Untouched by fear,”.
I blinked, swallowed. “That sounds… nice.”
“You don’t believe it?”
“I didn’t say that.” I coughed lightly, clearing the lump in my throat. “Just not used to pretty speeches.”
He didn’t press further. Just smiled faintly and stepped back.
The air between us felt different now. A thread pulled taut—not quite tension, not yet desire. But it was something.
Too early to decide, too early to let myself down that path again.
We walked back in silence, but it wasn’t empty anymore. It was thick with unsaid things.
By the time we reached the house, the stares had faded. The nurse was gone. Xena had turned her back.
Maybe Aldric was right.
Maybe I was safer than I thought.
But power always came with a price.
And I wasn’t sure yet who’d be paying it.
*********
ALDRIC’S POV
The fire crackled softly in the corner, but the room still felt cold.
I sat at my desk, going through a stack of reports. Most of them were about small fights between packs—nothing new. One report said two wolves were dead near the Eastern border. Another one was missing. I sighed and leaned back in my chair, tired.
This wasn’t what I wanted to deal with tonight.
I picked up a pen and scribbled a note in the margin. My desk was covered with papers, open books, and an old silver dagger I hadn’t cleaned in days. My head ached, and I hadn’t slept much, but I didn’t care. I had something more important on my mind.
A knock came at the door.
Before I could say anything, Anne walked in. She looked nervous. Her face was pale, and her hands were shaking slightly. She was holding a folder.
“She’s the one,” Anne said quietly, placing the folder on my desk. “The blood test proves it. You were right.”
I didn’t move right away. My eyes stayed on the folder. I reached out and touched it. It felt heavier than it should have. Like the truth inside it was too big to hold.
Anne crossed her arms and stood still. “I checked everything three times. Her blood… it’s strong. Stronger than any wolf I’ve seen before. Wolves like her aren’t supposed to exist.”
“I know,” I said softly.
“She’s more than just powerful, Aldric. She’s something else. Something old.”
I didn’t answer.
Anne took a step closer. “You need to report this to the Ennead Council. If they find out you’ve been hiding her—”
“They won’t find out,” I said sharply.
Anne frowned. “You can’t protect her forever. It’s too dangerous.”
“I can, and I will.” I opened the drawer beside me, placed the folder inside, and locked it with a key.
Her voice rose. “You’re making a mistake! The last time we saw someone like her, it caused a war. You remember what happened to the Dread Pack. They were wiped out!”
“She’s not like them,” I said.
“She’s still dangerous.”
“She’s Ravena.”
We stood in silence. Anne looked like she wanted to say more, but she didn’t. Her fingers curled tightly around her coat.
Then she turned toward the door. “If you won’t tell the Council, I will.”
I stood up slowly.
“Anne.”
She didn’t stop.
I moved quickly. Before she could take another step, I struck her on the side of the head with my fist.
She dropped to the floor, knocked out cold.
The folder slipped from her hands. Papers scattered across the rug. A small bottle rolled near my foot.
I bent down and picked it up. It was her blood—Ravena’s. It shimmered in the firelight, glowing faintly. Something about it didn’t look normal.
I gathered the papers and put them back in the fol
der, careful and calm.
Then I looked down at Anne.
“No one touches what’s mine,” I whispered.
Ravena wasn’t just strong.
She was rare. Powerful. And I won't let anyone take her from me.
********
- Writer
