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Howl of the unchosen 82
Chapter 82: Fiona's POVThe forest itself thrummed with life, a savage symphony that never seemed to stop. The leaves spoke secrets to the wind, crickets called in rhythmic beats, and somewhere out there, the soft babble of a brook provided background music to it all. This was not only my kingdom it was my home, a sanctuary nestled in the arms of ancient trees. Here, in the midst of roots and shadows, lay purpose. There was unity. And there was a peace I never thought I would have.These rogues we invited into our households were no longer outsiders. No, they’d be done with that label the minute they set foot within our borders. They had become part of something larger, something that neither judged them nor pushed them away. Here, in this raw place, they found acceptance more easily than the seasons rolled one into the next.” Maeve and her sharp tongue and unshakable disposition had kept me grounded through it all. She wasn’t simply an adviser or a friend — she was family. Together w
Last Updated : 2024-12-22Howl of the unchosen 83
Chapter 83: Ethan's POVThe morning sun slithered slowly over the horizon, pouring its gentle, golden ray across the Ashford Pack’s territory. From my reading, I could feel the warm rays kissing the treetops and gliding between shiny glass panes, brushing the floor and painting the room gold. It was quiet — almost too quiet, really. This kind of stillness tended to leave me agitated, as if waiting for a storm you couldn’t really see brewing, but could feel coming in your bones.I was sitting behind my desk while sorting through the latest patrol team reports. Everything looked normal. No signs of intruders, nothing to disturb us on the borders. It was supposed to be comforting, but, if anything, it ate at me. Sitting back in my chair, I grasped the edge of the desk, and took a slow, weary sigh.Peace, or whatever you’d call it, hadn’t come easily. We’d bled for it. We’d buried too many. And yet it felt fragile, like it could break into pieces any second. Orin was still out there, lurk
Last Updated : 2024-12-22Howl of the unchosen 84
Chapter 84: Fiona's POVThe forest felt unnaturally quiet, the kind of quiet that holds you in its grip and makes you acutely aware of every noise. Here, the soft rustling of leaves and the occasional chirp of a bird were broken only by me and Maeve as we walked through the training grounds. Up ahead, the rogue outcasts were deep into their drills, sparring in pairs. Their movements were sharp, efficient, even, and it was hard not to feel a flicker of pride at how far they had come. But beneath that pride was this low-grade discomfort I couldn’t shake.Peace — such a delicate thing, yes? One wrong move, just like a thin thread stretched to its breaking point, and it snaps. Orin was still out there. Sure, we hadn’t heard much about him recently, but that was the point. Silence with somebody like Orin? It’s never a good thing. He wasn’t the kind to just slip into the darkness. No, he was scheming — he must be.I was this close to saying something to Maeve, maybe giving her some advice a
Last Updated : 2024-12-22Howl of the unchosen 85
Chapter 85: Orin’s POVIt was a thick, awful night, a great weight draped over me like a choking curtain. The cold air stung my skin, but it wasn’t enough to quench the blaze burning between my ribs. As I stood hidden in dark shadows, tinges of gold bleeding from the windows, I took slow, deliberate breaths. The silence I was in wasn’t soothing — it was embued with tension, taut like a string about to snap. Years of waiting, watching and planning … and it all boiled down to this.Olivia.The human had already played her role, and fulfilled her purpose, ages ago. Her claims on men, her erstwhile naïveté, it was all meaningless now. She was a blight on the pride of my bloodline, and I could no longer endure the burden of shame she brought. Tonight, she would pay for it — her life … that was the price that my freedom from that disgrace would cost.The years I’d spent biding my time felt a blur now, each moment leading up to this one night. My patience had withered, my mercy all but spent
Last Updated : 2024-12-22Howl of the unchosen 86
Chapter 86: Olivia's POVEthan had sent security guards to guide me but I was suddenly woken up by the clash of metallic blade. I stood up to look at it, only to find Orin at my back. Before I could think twice, a blade was inserted into me. The world tipped on its axis, spinning wildly as the blade buried itself in my abdomen. It poured in, the cold steel, deep infused, shredded skin and splintered bone, leaving an insatiable, burning pain. My breath caught, a strangled cry scraping at the back of my throat, desperate to be let out, but not quite coalescing. Bumping back, arms flailing, half falling over myself, the pain… I couldn’t, I can’t, I could not anymore, too much, too raw, too consuming. I reached for the hilt, sticking out of my stomach, and my hands trembled as if trying to hold onto a body that wasn’t my own.I fell to my knees, the falling sensation fading as the environment around started to swim. Hot blood spilled from me, pooling on the floor below. The earth felt
Last Updated : 2024-12-22Howl of the unchosen 87
Chapter 87: Lena's POVThe letter came in the early hours of the morning, and it completely tore my world apart. Olivia was gone despite all the security and everything. My heart pounded as I read the short but devastating news: Orin had done it again. He had dispatched his guards, swords drawn, to kill her. The letter painted a gruesome picture of what they said they found: Olivia’s body unresponsive, blood spilling from her as her predators left her to die without mercy.My knees collapsed, and I crumpled into the nearest chair. And for that hour, the air in the room was cold and the walls recoiled from the news of Diedrich. Olivia — my friend, my sister in every way except blood — was gone, ripped away by the same hatred that had animated Orin’s attacks for generations. As I held the letter, my shaking hands nearly dropped it as tears threatened to cloud the letters.“Olivia,” I whispered, choking. Thoughts of her rushed through my mind — that big bright smile of hers, her ceaseles
Last Updated : 2024-12-22Howl of the unchosen 88
Chapter 88: Jason's POVThe news I had just dropped on Lena was the Earth itself opening up underneath us and swallowing it all whole. I could tell by the look on her face that the hurt was raw, jagged, like a piece of her soul had been broken — the pieces of her shattered soul queerly sharp. She’d had that vacant, hollow look in her eyes, the one you have when everything you thought you understood about the world is lying in pieces around you. I could only stand by helpless as the woman I loved slowly melted away before me.There was nothing I could say to calm her, no words to free her of what she couldn’t see (but I could) in her chest, no deed that would unmatter what had been done. Terror — our terror — came barreling through our lives and our hearts, and Olivia — our Olivia — disappeared, torn from us in the most barbaric, senseless manner. Orin had killed her, and now there was to be no more pretending. None of this hiding behind ideas or words. Instead we had only the brutal,
Last Updated : 2024-12-22Howl of the unchosen 89
Chapter 89: Fiona's POVHaving just completed a lengthy training session, my physique sore from the rampant movement and razor focus needed to stay ahead of Orin’s schemes. Days had passed since I heard the news of Olivia’s death, but the anger still burned within me. I couldn’t erase the image of her body, lifeless at the hands of Orin’s guards. And now, as I stood there in the clearing, cleared mind, refocused, I knew this was what I needed to do.But I wasn't alone for long.I had my people with me.., my support. As I passed through the trees, my thoughts occupied only by strategies, by what manners of strikes I might level against Orin, I heard footsteps behind me—deliberate, heavy, familiar. I didn’t need to look back to know who it was. Jason had arrived.“Fiona,” his voice came, soft, but the urgency of it dreaded him.I had turned and met his gaze with a recognition formed through time and battle. There was something in his eyes — something hard and determined. And I knew ri
Last Updated : 2024-12-22
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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
