Chapter eighteen: no way back

Freya’s POV

The scout lay in the dirt, shaking.

Blood poured from his side, staining the grass red. His eyes locked onto mine, wide with fear and something else—hope.

He held out the pendant again. “They’re alive,” he rasped. “The Nightfang bloodline... your family… they want you to come.”

My breath caught.

I knelt beside him, taking the pendant in my hand.

It was heavy. Cold. The symbol carved into it was one I had seen only in dreams—two wolves chasing the moon, their tails made of flame.

It matched the mark on my back.

“My family?” I whispered. “Where?”

He coughed. “Beyond the Shadow Vale. East of the Black River. Hidden by magic. Only blood can enter.”

I looked at Finnick.

He looked shaken, too. “I thought they were wiped out.”

“So did I,” I said.

I stood, heart pounding. “This changes everything. If they’re alive, they might know how to break the bond on Riven. They might know what Kade is planning.”

Finnick hesitated. “It could be a trap.”

“It could be hope.”

The scout grabbed my wrist weakly. “But you must go now. Before the moon rises again. Or the path will close.”

I turned to Braan and the elders. “You have warriors. Defend the camp until I return.”

Braan’s jaw clenched. “Leave now and you risk being marked a deserter.”

“She’s no deserter,” Finnick snapped. “She’s our best chance.”

I met his eyes. “Can you lead without me?”

He stepped close. “I’ll hold the line until my last breath.”

We were inches apart. I could feel the pain in him, the weight of the coming battle, the fear of losing me again.

He kissed my forehead. “Come back with fire, Freya.”

I held the pendant tight, then shifted.

My wolf form burst forward—silver and glowing with the power that now lived fully inside me.

And I ran.

---

Hours passed. Trees blurred around me. Wind tore at my fur. I didn’t stop—not even when the forest grew thick with fog.

By moonrise, I reached the Black River.

It was wide and dark, with no bridge, no path.

Just silence.

I stepped to the edge and held up the pendant.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then the water lit with golden light.

A path formed.

Shining stones rose from the riverbed, creating a trail straight across.

I stepped onto the first stone—and the air changed.

The magic here was old. Older than Whiteclaw. Older than Kade. It pulled at something deep inside me.

And then I crossed.

---

Beyond the river, the trees opened into a hidden valley.

The land glowed with soft blue light. Flowers shimmered in the grass. Wolves moved through the shadows—but not with fear. With grace.

One of them stepped forward.

A tall woman in a long black cloak, her silver hair flown down her back. Her eyes were just like mine.

She looked at me—and smiled.

“We’ve waited a long time, Freya Kael.”

My voice caught. “Who… who are you?”

“I am Aelira Nightfang,” she said. “Your aunt.”

My knees almost gave out.

“You’re alive. All of you. You’re real.”

She stepped forward and placed a hand over my heart.

“So are you.”

Others came out—men and women with marks like mine, eyes that glowed faintly in the dark. They stood in a circle, quiet and proud.

“We hid after the massacre,” Aelira said. “We watched. We waited. Until the bloodline was ready to return.”

I looked around. “Why now? Why me?”

She took my hand and led me to the center of the clearing, where a stone long altar stood. On it burned a fierce blue flame.

“Because you carry the flame, Freya,” she said. “And Kade wants it. If he takes it, he won’t just control your brother—he’ll control *everything*. The packs. The land. The bloodline.”

“How do I stop him?”

She looked into the fire.

“You don’t do it alone.”

The flame flared.

From the shadows, a figure erupts.

Tall. Cloaked. Familiar.

My heart dropped in my chest.

“Riven?” I whispered.

He looked at me—but not with hate. Not with the empty stare from before.

With recognition.

He stepped closer, and his voice was rough. “I remembered… your voice. I followed it.”

I took a step forward. “Are you free?”

“No,” he said. “But I want to be.”

He held out his hand—and in it was a crystal. It glowed red. A sliver of Kade’s bloodbinding magic.

“He’s linked it to something deeper,” Riven said. “He plans to awaken the old god buried beneath the ridge. If he does… the world will burn.”

I turned to Aelira.

“How do we stop him?”

She touched the flame.

“You must complete the Nightfang Rite,” she said. “Unleash the full fire. Only then can you break the bond and destroy the blood curse.”

“But it could kill me, right?” I asked softly.

She nodded. “Yes.”

I turned to my brother.

To the wolves who waited in silence.

And then I looked at the flame.

“If I die,” I said, “I’ll do it protecting what we are.”

But before Aelira could speak again—

A howl shattered the stillness, Then another and another__Dozens. From across the river. Kade had followed me, the path was no longer hidden.

The war was coming here.