Chapter 034: Reaching in the Shadows

 Ava's POV

As I saw the Raven vanish, sliding back into the shadows with a practiced ease that further stoked my wrath, the night air remained keen in my lungs. She had fled once more, disappearing as though she were nothing more than a ghost tormenting us. I gritted my teeth, fury boiling as I went back to the clearing our pack members were gathering following the fight.

Warriors were reorganizing, tending to their injuries, compiling damage reports. Faces I had seen powerful and relentless now showed tiredness, doubt written on every line. With his eyes ablaze with the same fire I sensed inside, Jackson was in the middle guiding the patrols and tending to the injured.

He caught my eye as I got closer, his own face reflecting my irritation. He replied, a sour tinge to his voice, "She got away."

Tight in my chest, I nodded. "She has been guiding us into traps and bassing us all along. She wants us to pursue her, to squander our resources while she schemes her next action.

Jackson released a steady breath, his jaw clenching. "We are done following her guidelines. She wants us to pursue her, hence we will start to struggle for her. No more responding.

His manner of speaking, the will behind every sentence inspired something in me—a common resolve. The Raven had already taken so much from us; her games kept us on the brink. But tonight we would veer differently.

Looking one more glance over the woodland line, "Let's get the warriors back to the packhouse," I said. "We will reorganize and create a schedule."

We directed our fighters back together. Although everyone of us carried the scars of the night, the walk was silent; still, there was an unsaid oneness among us. I sensed the change in our pack even as the Raven watched. The tides were shifting, and we were not going to provide her the gratification of seeing us shattered.

Back in the packhouse, the fighters crowded the main hall bandaging injuries and exchanged stares laden with hidden concerns. Jackson and I grabbed the front stage and commanded attention. Although several of the council members were pale and tired, they were all iron resolved.

Jackson's voice cut through the whispers, firm and clear. "Tonight's battle marks her last ambush of us. We will not grant her the upper hand going forward. We will discover her hiding and bring the fight to her.

Leo moved forward, his face battered but resolved. But, Alpha? How? She always hides just out of reach and one step ahead. We cannot continue to fight shadows.

"That's exactly what we're going to stop doing," I said, glancing about the room. "We will invite her to come to us going forward. We will set her an irresistible trap.

A murmur of agreement swept across the assembly, their faces stiffening with intent. Although worn out, they were ready. All set to bring this to an end.

"We have to be strategic," Jackson said. "The Raven has been learning from us and observing our flaws. But tonight we reverse the rules.

I looked at him and silently understood what passed between us. Thinking she could play with us eternally, the Raven had undervalued us. She had, however, driven us to the edge, and now we would stand up.

Jackson and I worked nonstop over the following three days creating a strategy to use the Raven's methods against her. Every element had to be exact, every bit placed exactly. We assembled the best warriors in the pack, and as we got ready, I couldn't help but find my mind returning to the times we had spent together, the strength and allegiance that had kept us across so many tribulations. That link, that oneness, would see us across this.

That evening we laid the trap was among the longest I had ever spent. Every one of us positioned around the packhouse, eyes fixed on the forest, the pack was on great alert. Every crackle and every whisper of wind set my nerves on edge, but I pushed myself to be calm.

Jackson was at my side, his fixed stare across the forest. His voice low, he said, "She'll come." She cannot stand the thought of seeing us weak or of shattering us.

I nodded, his words laying over me like a second skin weighing down. The Raven was lured to the exhilaration of demolishing others and to vulnerability. She thought she would also find us most desperate tonight.

The trees creaked low, and I sensed Jackson tensing next to me. Figures started to show slowly; their motions were subdued, wary. Rogues, headed toward the center of our domain, each stride deliberate and careful.

Jackson murmured, "Hold," pointing to the fighters positioned around us. "Let them approach more closely."

My pulse thumping, I held my firearm and watched the rogues advance. Every fiber of my body tuned to the danger hovering in the darkness. I saw her then.

Rising from the shadows, the Raven's icy gaze evaluated our claimed vulnerability. She moved with a haughtiness, a conviction that tonight would be the evening she destroyed bit by bit. She had not, however, anticipated what we had scheduled.

Jackson's voice boomed out, firm and clear as she lifted her hand to indicate her rogues to strike.

Right now!

The pack burst from their places in an instant, warriors attacking from all sides catching the rogues off-target. As the Raven's army saw they were surrounded, their frantic and uncoordinated motions as they tried to fight back filled the air with shouts and collisions.

With deliberate movement, I threaded through the anarchy, eyes fixated on the Raven as she battled to command her warriors. She battled with great will, her strikes accurate and lethal, but she looked with a flutter of doubt.

We had turned her game against her, and for the first time I watched her stumble.

Her look locked with mine as I drew in on her, a mix of wrath and desperation. "You think you've won?" she spat, anger oozing from her voice. "This is only a setback.".

I stood there, my weapon steady as I faced her. Not sure, Raven. This is the last.

She surged at me, her motions fast and unrelenting, but I matched her blow for blow, each punch driven by the suffering she had inflicted, the lives she had jeopardized. The struggle raged on all around us, but at that instant it was just hers and mine—a last reckoning.

Her weapon clattering to the ground as she staggered back, my last rush of strength disarmed her. Her breathing was raspy. She fixed me, a twisted smile forming on her lips.

She muttered, low and menacing, "You may have beaten me." But I sow seeds, Ava. Like me, doubt and fear are your foes. Never forget that.

I gripped tighter, the need to mute her words almost overwhelming. Knowing that killing her wouldn't restore the harm she had caused, I held back though. Rather, I backed off, giving the nearby fighters signals.

"Take her away," I said, voice steady. She will answer for what she has done.

Her countenance unreadable, the Raven was brought away, but her words stayed with a memory of the wounds she had left behind. I watched her vanish into the evening, the weight of everything covering me like a shroud.

Jackson showed up by my side and helped me to ground myself. "It's over," he replied, sounding both tired and relieved.

Though I knew the road ahead would not be simple, I nodded. Rebuilding, healing; it would take time, but collectively we would guide our pack through it.

I became very hopeful when the first light of dawn emerged over the horizon and warmed the clearing. The darkness of the Raven had been lifted, and for the first time in a long time the future felt within grasp.

Jackson and I would lead our pack forward together, bonded not by doubt or anxiety but by the strength that had seen us through the worst of nights.

And I realized we were ready for whatever lay ahead as we turned to face the rising sun.