Chapter 150
150
Riley’s POV
Lucien’s words echoed in my chest long after he stopped speaking.
I’ll find it. Even if I have to tear the world apart to do it .
+8 Pearls
For the first time in years, someone was willing to fight for me. Not just beside me–but for me. And it wasn’t out of guilt or pity. It was because he believed I was worth saving
The idea was foreign. Beautiful. Terrifying.
When Lucien stepped away to make a call . I found myself staring at the closed office door down the hall. Behind it, Warden. Maeryn Voss–the legendary combat instructor of Ashmoor–waited. She’d seen through me with a single glance. She’d read the truth of my wolf like a battlefield wound.
I stood.
My legs still trembled slightly, but I walked anyway . I wasn’t done hiding —but I was done running
I knocked once.
“Come in,” came the clipped voice from the other side.
The room was warmer than I expected–lit by a flickering fireplace and lined with ancient weapons, maps, and shelves stacked with dusty tomes. Warden Voss stood near the window, back straight, cane resting lightly in her grasp. She didn’t look surprised to see me.
“Riley Vale,” she said. “I figured you might come.”
I swallowed, stepping inside. “I just wanted to say thank you. For…. telling me the truth . For treating me like I wasn’t broken.”
She raised an eyebrow. “ You’re not broken. You’re battle–worn. That’s different.”
I let out a shaky breath. “I want to fight. I don’t want to wait around anymore. Even if my wolf is weak, even if I’m missing a piece… I’m tired of being powerless.”
Her gaze softened, just a fraction.
“You remind me of someone I trained long ago,” she said . “He was raw. Furious. Always walking the edge of self–destruction. But that fire It kept him alive.”
“Lucien I guessed.
gave a short, amused nod. “That pup was chaos in a combat ring. You should’ve seen the bruises he left behind . But he had something most others didn’t – resolve . You have it too. And once your wolf is whole, I’ll train you myself”
My heart skipped
“ You inean uF
Marryn’s expression turned serious “I don’t make promises I won’t keep. But I don’t train cowards, either So if you’re serious if you’re willing to face the truth of what was taken from you–and fight to reclaim it–I’ll be waiting”
She gudded oner “Then get yourself ready Vale girl. The battlefield’s no place for hesitation
“Tilbe
I unanager a small situle. Til br back?
As left her office, the ache in my chest was still there but it was different now Not the hollow throb of loss
ssure of purpose
150
Lucien was already waiting near the car, his coat met, there was no need for words.
He opened the passenger door for me .
+8 Pearls
dusted with fine snow . He looked up as I approached , and when our eyes
The ride down from Ashmoor was quiet, but not heavy . The silence between us had shifted. It wasn’t filled with ghosts
anymore.
Just the flicker of something new.
Maybe hope.
We drove through the thickening dusk, pine trees blurring past the windows, the sky turning a deep shade of indigo. And when the towering silhouette of the Duskgrave estate finally came into view, nestled in shadow and stone, I didn’t feel the usual spike of dread that came with approaching unfamiliar territory.
I felt something strange.
Safe
Lucien parked the car and glanced at me before cutting the engine ,
“You’re quiet,” he said.
“I was just thinking…“I turned to him. “Thank you. For taking me to Ashmoor. For not giving up when I would’ve.”
He studied me for a moment, then gave a rare, crooked smile. I told you, Riley, You’re not alone anymore.”
I opened the door, the cold air wrapping around me like a second skin. And as I stepped onto the Duskgrave grounds for the second time, I realized something
This wasn’t the end of anything.
It was just the beginning
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