The Raven Wolf King: Wolfless novel Chapter 46

Chapter 46

~Valeria~

“Can you move?” Grimm asks.

“Barely.” I squirm in the middle of the line, trying to unstick the leather clothes from my skin. The Firing Armada’s uniform -padded black leather pants and a long-sleeved shirt made for those of us who don’t shift. Meant to blunt incoming damage. My hair is pulled into a slick bun, everything forced into place.

“My balls can’t breathe,” Grimm whispers, tugging at the leather around his crotch.

“Eww!” I laugh.

!

He got a good night’s sleep, and today he looks much better. Hist mood is lighter too.

I get distracted looking at my phone. No message from Raphael yet-but the bastard had the nerve to message Antonio and tell him to exclude me from the moon festival guarding duties tonight. One look at me, and Antonio knew I was about to blow up on him, so he just turned and left.

I watch Antonio pace before us, his gaze sweeping over the 18:45

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I last saw him. Worry gnaws at me, and the past few days I’ve struggled to focus. I wish he’d at least send a message to say he’s okay.

I miss him. I miss him so much. There are so many things I wanted to share about my training with him. But then he has the nerve to reach out to Antonio instead of me? The thought burns, twisting my worry into anger.

“Grimm Coleman.” Grimm’s name is called, and my mind snaps

back.

Grimm shoots me a look before stepping to the front, joining the others whose names were called.

The lieutenant turns, his list complete. Damn it.

Another lieutenant steps forward. And of course, my name is

called.

“Valeria Langford.”

As I step forward, the lieutenant’s presence is impossible to ignore-a tall, bald man marked by stress lines and a jagged scar across his face. He looks like someone who tolerates no

nonsense.

Once he finishes calling the names on his list, he turns sharply and motions for us to follow. While the other lieutenants

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< Chapter 46

pep talk. Now follow.” He continues to lead us without once sparing a glance back. “The southern quadrant is ours to guard tonight. We may be wolfless, but we still have abilities. Use your nose and your ears. Stay sharp.”

We march to the border, where Lieutenant Griffin’s men are already waiting.

“Rookies, on trees. The rest scatter. You know what to do.”

The five of us who are new look at each other, unsure of what to

On trees? He wants us in the trees?

As I think this, I see a few of the veteran men climb the trees. So I find a tree and do the same. Orders are simple: stay put and

watch.

I settle onto a sturdy branch, patting my sides and back to make sure nothing slipped. The crossbow rests behind me, the knife at my ankle, handguns strapped to each thigh. The assault rifle’s harness digs into my shoulders, the weapon itself hanging heavy at my hip.

Whoever thought it was smart to load me up with all this gear is insane. I’ve learned the basics over the past few days, but I’m far from confident-half the time I can barely remember the steps, and hitting a target straight feels like luck.

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The moon has climbed to its peak, radiant and beautiful. On full moons, I usually sit at my window, watching, while everyone with wolf souls runs free beneath her light. I’ve always wondered how it must feel-not just to shift and race through the night, but to carry that other half within you, the wolf side, always present.

I imagine it fills the hollowness we wolfless carry.

My soul nearly leaps from me as a wolf charges beneath my perch-but I know it’s a pack member. A few more follow close behind.

I look up at the moon and pray. “Please, let this be a good night.”

I don’t know if the moon goddess is real, but those with wolf souls believe she is. They feel a bond with the moon that we, wolfless, can’t.

Another werewolf slips from the trees, moving carefully through the leaves. This one comes from the border-outside the pack.

No…

I lift my nose, trying to catch a scent. The smell reaches me. isn’t our pack’s.

No! Please no!

5/10

It

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I aim, my hands trembling. I have a clear view, perfect shot-but I don’t want to shoot it. I don’t want to kill it.

Please leave!

All this training never prepared me for this. Shooting at paper is nothing like facing a living target.

The wolf closes in beneath me. If it passes, I’ve failed. But I’m paralyzed. Panic claws at me as I twist to keep it in sight.

I can’t let it through. I can’t.

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