The Raven Wolf King: Wolfless novel Chapter 40

Chapter40-1

Chapter 40

~Valeria~

Max barks at the men firing their guns.

“I can’t believe they are fucking doing this!” Grimm says as I come up to him. He stands outside the castle, watching. “This is such bullshit.”

I put a hand over my eyes to shade them from the light and look at the trees. “Is it me, or are there barely any ravens around?”

“Yeah. They’ve killed a few, but it’s as if they knew to stay away. I mean, the loud noises don’t help at all either, which is good.”

I nod, meeting his gaze. “So what do you think? Is there another person out there like us?”

He pauses, then nods slowly. “I think… that it is a very good possibility. The real question is, who?”

“Do you have it?”

His attention comes to me, and he pats his pocket, knowing what

I am speaking of. “I do.”

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woods today. Not after what happened yesterday.” He looks around. “Let’s go around the house. See if we can find an opening where no one will notice us.”

The sky is still dim with heavy clouds, though at least it isn’t night. We try to act normal as we walk, but the constant banging sounds gnaw at me, and Max grows restless. When the first drops fall, I lift my hands to shield my head. “Damn-it’s starting to rain.”

“That’s good! Look! Many of the guards are going inside.”

He’s right; they’re moving up the back stairs.

“Valeria, now! This is the time!” He bolts into the forest, and Max and I follow close behind.

“This way!”

Within minutes, we reach the pond and the tree.

“Holy… shit,” I whisper.

“This is where they all are.”

Ravens cover the branches, so many that the trees around the

dead one look dark. Their wings rustle, and their cries echo through the forest.

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We stand at the edge of the pond staring at the great tree.

“This time… together?” I hold out my hand.

He nods and takes it. “Together.”

Hand in hand, we step forward, the cold water brushing our feet. Another step, then another. We move slowly, the water never rising past our waist. At last, we reach the shore that circles the tree.

Up close, it towers above us, far more ominous than it seemed from a distance. Its roots jut out from the earth, thick and twisted, stretching deep into the ground as if they anchor something ancient and hidden.

“Is it really black?” I ask.

“Looks like it.”

“What now?”

He glances down at his pocket, where the silver boxes grow hotter beneath the rags. I feel warmth emanating from my pocket as well, where my silver box hides. Grimm’s hand lifts toward the tree, but I stop him. “Together.”

I raise my hand beside his, and we inch forward, slow and Steady.

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“What are you doing here, Valeria? You shouldn’t be here!” Raphael shouts.

I look between them, torn, until my eyes settle on Grimm. I nod, and together, we touch the tree.

We would have looked very stupid if nothing had happened, but something did. Together, Grimm and I find ourselves in the dark dream world. The Raven Wolf King sits on his throne.

“Are we really here?” Grimm asks.

I nod with hesitation. “Yeah, I think we are.”

We stare at the man who rests on the throne.

“Hello?” I whisper.

“You’ve come,” the man says. His eyes are still closed.

“Is this what we were supposed to do?” I ask.

He does not respond. I look at Grimm, and he shrugs.

“We have questions.” My attention is back on the sleeping man, but again, he does not respond. “Wake up!” I shout.

He opens his eyes with an expression of indifference. His eyes, dark, hollow sockets. A chill runs through me, and I can’t look:42

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“Are-are you the Raven Wolf King?”

“Why ask questions you already know the answer to?” he asks. “Stop wasting my time.”

“Why do we have these powers?” Grimm asks.

“Because you are linked to me.”

“How?” I ask.

“Blood,” he responds.

“So we are your descendants,” Grimm mutters.

The man on the throne does not answer.

“How are you here?” Grimm asks.

“I’ve always been here… and there… I exist in this dream state only to watch.”

“Watch?” I ask.

Grimm answers, “Through the ravens. You’ve been watching

us.”

“When I can,” he says. “When I am not asleep.”

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have the urge to take a step back, but I don’t. I stand my ground.

“Unless…” I repeat, watching him inch closer.

“You free me,” he says.

“Free you?!” Grimm and I shout together, the words colliding.

The King circles us. “Free me. You’ve already brought me my eyes.”

“What?”

He suddenly appears before us, his presence so imposing it feels like the air itself bends around him.

Holding his closed hands to us, slowly opening them, he reveals the two silver boxes we carried. The metal shimmers, then begins to melt away, dripping into nothing. In its place, two round orbs form, glowing faintly as they rest in his palms.

That’s what was in it?! Eyes?!

The man closes his hands and shuts his eyes. When he opens them, they are no longer hollow. Eyes stare back-dark irises, deep as the night, like mine and Grimm’s.

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Chapter40-2

He blinks, slow and uncertain, then draws in a long breath. “Oh… how long I have waited to see again. To truly see.”

This was all a bad idea. I shake my head. “We-we are not freeing you. You are evil!”

“And you know everything about me, don’t you?” He mocks.

I back away. “We need to leave, Grimm.”

“But-” Grimm attempts to complain, but I will not have it.

“We need to leave! Let us go!” I demand.

“You came here on your own accord,” the King says. “You can leave the same as well.”

I take Grimm’s hand and begin to back away.

“I will give you a warning before you leave,” the Raven Wolf King says. “The power you carry is not easy to wield. Without a wolf, it is even harder. If you do not claim it, it will claim you. To master it, you must learn control of both your natures.”

“Our… natures?”

The magic in your blood—and your wolf side.”

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He only smiles, offering nothing more.

“H-how do we control this power?” I ask.

“Free me,” he says.

I do not hesitate with my answer. “No.”

“Then leave and deal with it on your own. But it will consume you, and you will hurt everyone you care for.”

“Wait! There is another! Isn’t there?! Someone else with the

same powers!”

He sits in his throne with a smirk as a raven perches on his hand. “I’ll be here if you wish to speak again. And I’ll be watching.”

I wake up with a gasp.

“You are fine! Valeria, you are safe!” Raphael says.

I am back in my room.

“What happened?”

“You and your friend fainted.”

Hedooks to the small sofa in the corner of the room, where 18:42

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animals.”

I scramble for an answer. “We went there because we knew that was where they nested. We just wanted to make sure they were okay.”

“That was dangerous,” he says.

“They weren’t going to hurt us.”

“You don’t know that,” he argues.

“We are fine, aren’t we?”