Chapter Twelve: Unseen Threats
The figure standing before them was different from any of the rogue wolves they had ever seen. There was just something more feral in him, something darker. The faint glow of unnatural yellow emanated from his eyes as if piercing through the night itself, and the manner of his standing tall seemed almost an intimidation beyond his mere physical presence.
Ava's heart was pounding in her chest, the tension in the air rising to a breaking point. She instinctively stepped backward, but Damien was already in front of her, his body a shield between her and the oncoming danger.
"Who are you?" Damien's voice was low, his tone controlled but filled with an icy undercurrent that brought the hairs up on the back of Ava's neck.
The stranger's lips curled into a faint, mocking smile. "I'm someone you should've known would come for you, Damien," he said, his voice graveled and filled with menace. "The pack is falling apart, and you're too blinded by your little human to see it.
Ava's breath caught in her throat. He knew about her. She could feel his eyes on her, calculating, like she was nothing more than a pawn in a much larger game.
"Stay behind me," Damien murmured to her, his eyes never leaving the stranger. "Get back to the cabin. Now.
But Ava wasn't about to retreat, not this time. She was no helpless bystander, and she wasn't going to let Damien face whatever threat this man posed alone. She clutched the knife a little tighter, her knuckles white, and took a deep breath, steeling herself for what was to come.
"I'm not going anywhere," she said, her voice steady, despite the adrenaline pumping through her veins. "What's going on, Damien? Who is this?"
Damien didn't answer right away. Instead, his gaze shifted to the man before him, and his jaw tightened, his teeth visible in a flash of rage. "You shouldn't have come here, Aric."
Ava froze on the name. Aric. The way Damien spoke it, there was no doubt this man had history with him. And from the way the two locked eyes, it wasn't a good history.
Aric's smile grew wider, and he took a slow step closer, deliberate in his movements. "You've always been predictable, Damien," he said, the tone in his voice reeking with disdain. "The pack is crumbling, and you're still here, hiding with her. You think you can protect her from the storm that's coming? She's nothing but a distraction, a weakness.
Ava's heart skipped a beat, the sting of his words cutting deeper than she expected. She wasn't some weakness. She wasn't just some girl. But she could see it in Aric's eyes-he saw her as nothing more than an obstacle in Damien's way. And that, more than anything, sent a surge of anger through her.
"I'm not a distraction," Ava said, her voice rising in defiance. "I'm standing here because I'm not afraid to fight for what's right."
Aric laughed, a cold, humorless sound that echoed in the stillness of the night. "You don't even know what you're fighting for, human. You're out of your depth."
Damien's eyes narrowed, a low growl rumbling in his chest as his posture shifted, becoming more predatory. "You're not welcome here, Aric. Leave, before I make you.
The air seemed to vibrate with tension between them as the two men faced off, neither one of them giving an inch. Ava could feel the undercurrent of danger running between them, the weight of years of unresolved conflict hanging in the air like some sort of unseen storm.
Aric, however, wasn't phased by Damien's threat. Instead, he tilted his head, studying them with cold amusement. "You don't scare me, Damien. You've always been too soft. Too unwilling to make the hard choices." He shifted his gaze to Ava, a cruel smile tugging at his lips. "But maybe you'll be different. Maybe you'll realize that some things are worth sacrificing."
Ava's stomach twisted as she met Aric's gaze. His words weren't just for Damien's benefit; they were for hers, too. He was trying to get under her skin, to break her. But Ava wouldn't let him win. Not this time. She wasn't going to let him tear them apart.
You think I'm weak 'cause I'm human?" she whispered low, her voice no more than a whisper, yet ablaze with fire. "You are wrong; I am far stronger than you'd think. And I am not going to let you tear Damien apart because you're too obsessed with power.
For a moment, Aric seemed taken aback, his eyes narrowing as though he hadn't expected her to fight back. But that moment passed quickly, his smile returning, now darker, more dangerous.
"You'll regret this," he said in a low, threatening tone. "The pack will fall. You can't protect her from what's coming, Damien. Not when the true enemy is already inside your walls.
With that, Aric turned, his footsteps slow, deliberate, as he disappeared into the dark of the forest. Ava had the lingering feeling that this wasn't close to being over. His words hung in the air, as he'd left them-about the pack falling, an enemy within-and echoed in her brain. Something was going on, something much larger than they'd realized, and right at the center of it.
As the last of Aric's presence faded into the night, Damien let out a long breath, his shoulders slumping ever so slightly, as if the weight of the conversation had drained him. But when he turned to face Ava, his expression was unreadable.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I never wanted you to be caught up in this.
Ava shook her head, her chest tight with the intensity of what had just happened. "You don't have to protect me from the truth, Damien. I'm not afraid of what's coming. But we need to know what we're facing. And we need to face it together.
Damien studied her in a long, weighted moment, then nodded. "Together," he said, and his voice was raw with promise. "But it's gonna get a hell of a lot worse before it ever gets better. And I need you ready for it.
Ava met his gaze, her heart thumping in her chest. She wasn't ready for the storm that was brewing, but one thing was for sure-she wasn't going anywhere. Whatever was coming, she would face it by his side.
Together, they would fight.
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