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Howl of the unchosen 55
Chapter 55: Fiona’s POVThe forest was alive. Alive with the sound of the wind in the trees and the crunching of leaves beneath your feet and the intent, greedy eyes of animals watching you from the dark. With every step, every sense tuned to the deepening dangers we felt breathing just beyond the edges of our vision, the tension tensed tighter in me.I hadn’t even mentioned to Maeve where we were going. I didn’t have to. Step-by-step, unflattering, she had followed me, as if she understood the journey I’d need to take would be my own and my own alone but that I couldn’t undertake it at all without some measure of support.It barely shone on the ground we walked under the moonlight above. Here the trees were so thick, their trunks so massive and ancient, their arms twisting like the claws of giants, they blotted out most of the night sky.At first, I thought it was the expected emptiness of the woods. But then that changed — something went wrong. The air there heavy, the silence unset
Last Updated : 2024-12-20Howl of the unchosen 56
Chapter 56: Lena's POVThe house felt different now. The air felt denser, heavier, charged with something unspeakable. It was decided, and something had been broken inside all of us.Jason had been a shadow of the man he once was — ropy, guarded, and more overprotective than ever. The man who once mapped out expeditions and stared down danger now shied away from even the idea of leaving the estate. His world had shrunk to these walls, and I could see it happening — slowly, imperceptibly — like a cage around him, closing. I was helpless to stop it.“Jason,” I said. He looked at me then, but his eyes carried something that made my chest constrict—a combination of guilt, fear, and that determination that frightened me.“You’re not going anywhere,” he said in a firm voice that came out as a low rumble. It wasn’t a question. It was not an invitation to talk about it. It was an order, and I could sense that it no longer just concerned me. It was about him.I furrowed my brow, confused. “Wh
Last Updated : 2024-12-20Howl of the unchosen 57
Chapter 57: Fiona's POVThe forest I had once escaped from I now traversed through with no destination in mind, and I knew every twist and every shallow grove, having become a part of the darkness itself. Every day that I spent in its depths was a reminder of what I had lost, but also a testament to the strength that comes in part from the depths of despair, when you prove to yourself the depths of your perseverance.Maeve and I had settled into a rhythm here, gliding through the wild spaces with ease, the way two creatures who’d always belonged to the shadows would.When I’d come here first, that was what it had been, a prison, an exile in which I got to face my mistakes, my fears, my weaknesses. But there was also something different in the air now. Something shifting.The presses no longer seemed oppressive; they seemed, instead, … alive. And in that life, I began to hear my own pulse again, a charge I hadn’t felt in years.Maeve stood beside me, a steady presence in the storms of
Last Updated : 2024-12-20Howl of the unchosen 58
Chapter 58: Fiona's POVJoining the rogue packs had been one thing—it had been another thing joining the rogue packs. These woods that had given me shelter, now became the neverending gauntlet, solo on my journey to prove myself against the elements and, in my own eyes, within. But each step I took, each challenge I faced, seemed to bring hindsight closer to me somehow, in a way I hadn’t fully understood until now. It was not just a road to survival. And I would do whatever came my way to demonstrate that this was destiny, this was my calling — God knew it.Maeve and I trotted through the tangle of woods, deliberately from one hidden clearing to another. The rogue packs we had been tracking had splintered, their members holed up in the farthest depths of the forest, their distrust for one another and outsiders a defense far more challenging to breach than I had anticipated.They had all been discarded, cast off by the packs they had once belonged to. They trusted no one, least of all
Last Updated : 2024-12-20Howl of the unchosen 59
Chapter 59: FIONA'S POVThe forest was quiet in a way that I had not experienced in years. Not silent — no, the forest never ceased breathing. There were the rustling leaves and the calls of birds overhead, and the far-off howls that echoed through the trees. But that tension, that constant thrum of suspicion and animosity, was gone.I watched wolves from different packs mingle below as I stood on the ridge above the clearing, the wind pulling at my mane. Wolves that, not long ago, wouldn’t have thought twice about baring teeth at each other were now telling stories around the fire, sharing laughs, even showing their young how to work together.I finally let myself believe it was real.“They’re getting along better than I expected,” Maeve said from next to me, her tone light yet contemplative.I look over my shoulder at her, my ever-present shadow, my unwavering ally. “Better than I expected too. Maybe even better than I had hoped.”There was pride in her eyes but her smile was small.
Last Updated : 2024-12-20Howl of the unchosen 60
Chapter 60: Author's POVThe night was heavy and thick, darker than most. The moon was obscured behind a thick veil of clouds, allowing the forest to, instead, wallow in disquieted silence. It wasn’t just the kind of silence that settled over the land; it seeped into your skin, every nerve tensed in anticipation of something yet to arrive. And standing there, at the edge of the trees, was Orin. He was a silhouette in the shadows, but his presence whispered itself to the very air around him, and became impossible to avoid and impossible to dispute. He was unlike anyone else — no, there was something about him that didn’t just demand attention; it pulled it out of you, kicking and screaming. But it didn’t have to be loud or boastful; power radiated from him. It was a quiet, evanescent thing that crawled its way into the marrow of the human beings who were close enough to touch it to feel it: a wordless threat that you couldn’t exactly name yet knew existed.Orin’s hand shot up and his f
Last Updated : 2024-12-20Howl of the unchosen 61
Chapter 61: Orin's POVAuthor's POVIt was dark at night but Orin rarely took notice of the shadows that crept up around him. His mind was far too preoccupied with the past — the shattered heritage of his legacy, the loss of power that had robbed him of everything. The memory of the exile burned itself into his mind, as raw as the day it happened, his hands balled into fists.He ruled on the edge of what had once been their kingdom, a sprawling expanse of wilderness alive with motion that stretched beyond the horizon. And now it was empty — desolate, abandoned, as if it had been emptied out like the shards of the line that once ruled it. Orin’s family had once been powerful, proud. But that strength dissolved, scattered across the land, a broken strand of history.It all started with the pact.Years earlier, when Orin’s father and the clan’s elders had voted to ally themselves with the humans, they had considered it the only way to ensure survival. For years, humans had been encroachi
Last Updated : 2024-12-20Howl of the unchosen 62
Chapter 62: Orin’s POVCold wind scrabbled at my skin, and I stood at the edge of the Arctic wilderness, gazing into the distance. Before me, an endless sprawl of snow in a cruel landscape of my pack’s ancestral land—of my kind for eons past. Here, in the wilderness, where humanity had not tread for centuries, was sacred ground to the wolves. It had belonged to us long before humans ever thought to lay claim.But now, their stink hung in the air — faint, but impossible to miss. Flickering through the blizzard was the distant silhouette of a human camp, its light a blasphemy against everything this land stood for. Anger simmered as I clenched my jaw.This wasn’t a mistake. They had intentionally come here. They had the audacity to cross over the line my ancestors put down in the frozen ground. They had no claim on the Arctic. It was not only land — it was our strength, our freedom, our power. The humans were intruding on something sacred, and I would make them pay.“They think they can
Last Updated : 2024-12-20
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Howl of the unchosen 120
Chapter 120: Fiona's POVDespite my determination, something had been eating away at the edges of my confidence. I wasn't scared of Mara. No, I had stared down danger before, had dealt with enemies trying to destroy me and my family, my pack. And I had always won out in the end. But this time… this time was different. This woman was not only powerful — she was primeval. Her magic felt like it infiltrated the soil beneath our feet, so that everything felt heavier, more oppressive.Tightening my fists as fiery rage pulsed in my veins, begging me to do something. I had to defend everything — my house, my family, people I loved. And then, just out of the corner of my eye, I saw him.My father.The patriarch of our family, Lucian Ashford, entered the courtyard. When I first saw him, my breath caught in my throat. He had this calming effect on me in the chaos, his presence an anchor in the storm. He was strong, he was powerful, and yet in that instant I was suddenly inundated with vulnerabi
Howl of the unchosen 119
Chapter 119: Author's POVMara cackled, her voice ricocheting off the cold, the courtyard as Fiona tried to fight through her magic. It was almost too hilarious — the belligerent young wolf, full of fire and fury, attempting to hold her ground. Mara had seen this all before — the resistance, the defiance, the faith that sheer will could do battle against centuries of power. But it was always the same. They never learned.“This is the best you can do little wolf? There was a note of mocking amusement in Mara’s voice. She watched Fiona struggle against the magic, and her age-old eyes sparkled with triumph. “Little flames of yours aren’t going to cut it. There is no fire that can kill me now."Fiona’s hands were still up, the flickering orange of fire dancing around her fingers, but Mara could feel the energy ebbing out of her. She was old—older than most of the men who crossed her path—but not old enough to beat Mara’s decades of practice. Fiona’s flames might roar for attention, but Ma
Howl of the unchosen 118
Chapter 118: Fiona's POV“She’s older than I thought,” I said, my voice steady in spite of the fear snaking up my spine. “Maybe 400 years or more. Her power is not merely about natural talent. It’s honed. Ancient.”Ethan’s gaze flickered to mine, the intensity in his eyes matching the weight of my words. “That’s how she’s been able to manipulate so much so quickly.” She has had time to hone it.”As the crowd began to disperse, the estate buzzing with uncomfortable whispers. My parents were still shaking, their faces looking pale, their eyes flicking to my direction, as if trying to comprehend what had just happened. I wanted to comfort them, but there was no time.But before I took another step, the very atmosphere around me changed. It was subtle at first — a ripple, a hum in the air that raised the hairs on the back of my neck.And then she was back.Mara’s shape coalesced in the center of the courtyard, dark and imposing. This time, she didn’t bother with illusions. The real her wa
Howl of the unchosen 117
Chapter 117: Fiona’s POVI wasn’t surprised.As soon as I arrived at the estate I felt her—dark, intrusive energy that didn’t belong. It made me creast, and boiled my blood that Mara walked through my house pretending to be me.It didn’t surprise me that Maeve, standing next to me, noticed the obvious: “She’s going to tell Ethan she’s the real you.”I grinned grimly, clenching the enchanted stone in my fist. “Let her try. Ethan will see through it.”Maeve arched an eyebrow, her faith in Ethan not as solid as mine. “You have a remarkably steady disposition if you’re being impersonated.”“Calm?” I scoffed. “I’m furious. But this is not the moment to hit the panic button. I have to catch her something that nobody can dispute.”Maeve crossed her arms with a twinkle in her eyes. “What’s the plan?”I raised my hand, allowing a small flame to dance on my palm. Waves come in, back out, suck it all back down for another run. “I will call upon elemental fire and bring her true face to light. Ma
Howl of the unchosen 116
Chapter 116: Mara’s POVI sat in her chambers — no, my chambers now. It was strange how quickly I’d settled into this space, how easily I’d commandeered everything that once belonged to her. My fingers rapped in measured time on the armrest of her chair. Servants moved about the estate, oblivious to the storm I was about to unleash on these walls. They believed I was her. Her parents were convinced, as was she. They had all accepted me, no questions asked, no doubts raised. They didn’t know the truth, nor did they need to.But then there was Ethan.Ethan was the problem.He was in the courtyard, pacing, as I had expected. He was never gone, always looking, always hoping for a slip, for something to tell him the truth. His suspicion had been building for days, ever since I had set foot on the property, and I felt it whenever his eyes landed on me, scrutinizing me, as if I were a problem he was determined to solve. It was maddening, but exhilarating. He was a challenge. And I always lik
Howl of the unchosen 115
Chapter 115: Fiona’s POVThe call with Ethan played in a loop in my brain, like a record that had skipped and wouldn’t stop skipping. The more I thought about it, the louder every word got. Someone was out there, wandering through my life, wearing my name, my face — living as me. It was not only unsettling; it sent a chill deep, deep into my bones. That thought clung to me like a second skin, cold and suffocating.Mara. She’d gone too far this time. Way too far.I sat by the fire, gazing into the dancing flames, but the heat did not comfort me. It was a jumble of hazy thoughts and fears I was afraid to voice. Next to me, Maeve quietly packed our things with an efficiency that was almost reassuring. She always knew what to do when the rest of the world seemed to be spinning out of control. Her calm steadiness kept me grounded when I felt like I was falling apart.“Maeve,” I said suddenly, shattering the leaden silence. My voice sounded odd even to me — hoarse and choppy, like it didn’t
Howl of the unchosen 114
Chapter 114: Fiona’s POVThe wood was disconcertingly silent, the sort of quiet that rubbed my frayed nerves raw. The fire crackled low between Maeve and me, the flames’ warmth no competition for the icy dread in my gut. The stars above us twinkled weakly, shrouded in thin clouds that echoed the haze of uncertainty that clouded my mind.My fingers traced the rough edges of the enchanted stone, the cool surface anchoring me. It hummed dully with energy, a slight suggestion of the link still kept with Ethan, however far away he was from us. He hadn’t replied before, and the lack of his familiar voice had made the pit of unease inside me sink deeper.Maeve shifted, her silver hair reflecting in the firelight. She kept her watchful eyes on me. “You’re going to call him back, right?”I nodded, swallowing the doubt that was choking me. “I have to. That’s not right, Maeve. If Ethan is able to hear me, I want to know what is going on.”She didn’t argue. “Good. If anyone can sort out this tang
Howl of the unchosen 113
Chapter 113: Fiona’s POVEverything in the forest had a life of its own; the breeze rustling the leaves and probably having a conversation of its own; the crickets never stinging still to voice their presence and every other moment the long-measured howl of a wolf that shivered down my spine. It was calm, yes, but not the kind of calm that comforts you. No, this was the kind of quiet where something seemed fishy, like the forest itself was holding its breath.I waited at the edge of the rogues’ training grounds, arms folded tightly across my chest, watching Maeve spar with one of the younger recruits. She was working with the thunderstorm — graceful and deadly. Her silver hair shone in the sunlight, the bright color catching the light every time she turned or crouched, which was not unlike the poor lad she was in training with. He was dirty, struggling to breathe as her blows fell on him. But he was clearly outmatched. Maeve did not give him an inch, honestly I didn’t know if she was
Howl of the unchosen 112
Chapter 112: Mara’s POVI walked through the grand hallways of the Ashford Pack’s estate, my steps slow, deliberate. The air was dense with their trust, their respect — a trust I hadn’t earned, but had surreptitiously plundered. They all thought I was Fiona, their beloved queen, the backbone of their beloved export. How quaint to watch them smile beatifically and bow their heads correctly as I passed. If only they knew what really lay under their fragile veil of loyalty.But not everyone was blind. Ethan. His look was the one scratch on my otherwise immaculate performance. I felt his presence, his eyes piercing, like all sharp silence, wherever I went. He stared out into the hall, observing, calculating, doubting — not like the others. And even though he hadn’t formally gone against me, the energy in his presence served as a reminder that I had to watch my step.I wasn’t going to let his scrutiny rattle me. No, I was Fiona in that part; I played Fiona to a tee. I listened to scouts dr
