The house felt too quiet after Draven left.
Even the air was still, like the world was holding its breath.
I stood there, staring at the door he just walked out of, my heart pounding so hard it hurt. His words echoed in my head again and again, "You're not just human, Ravena."
What did he mean by that?
What could I possibly be if not human?
I touched my chest and felt my heart still racing beneath my skin. My body was warm, my breath shaky, everything about me felt normal. But something deep inside whispered that maybe, just maybe, it wasn't.
My knees felt weak, so I sat on the couch. The pendant was still in the drawer, but somehow, I could feel its presence from across the room, like it was calling out to me.
I didn't want to believe him. I didn't want to believe that the man I loved, the man who made me feel alive again, had anything to do with my parents' death.
But the look in his eyes… it wasn't a lie.
I wiped my tears and stood up. I needed answers. Real ones. Not from him, not this time.
There was one person who might know something. Aunt Meredith.
She always avoided talking about my parents' past, always said, "Some truths are better left buried."
But maybe that was because she knew something I didn't.
I grabbed my coat and car keys.
As I drove, the clouds began to gather, dark and heavy. The sky looked strange, the kind of strange that makes your stomach twist.
Halfway to Aunt Meredith's house, it started raining.
Not normal rain.
The drops were big, heavy, almost red under the streetlights.
I blinked, leaned forward, no, not red. Just the light playing tricks on me. Right?
The wipers screeched across the glass, my hands gripping the wheel tight.
When I finally reached Aunt Meredith's house, the rain had turned into a storm. I ran to the porch, soaked and shaking.
I knocked hard. "Aunt Meredith! It's me, Ravena!"
No answer.
I tried again. "Please, open up!"
The door creaked open on its own.
A chill ran through me.
The lights were off. The air inside smelled faintly of smoke and something metallic… like blood.
"Aunt Meredith?" I called softly.
No response.
My shoes made small wet sounds as I stepped inside. The living room was a mess, papers scattered, curtains half torn. A photo frame lay broken on the floor.
I picked it up. It was a picture of my parents, younger, happier, standing beside Aunt Meredith. But someone had scratched out my mother's face.
My throat went dry.
Suddenly, a soft voice came from the kitchen. "Ravena?"
I turned sharply. Aunt Meredith stood by the doorway, her face pale, her hands trembling.
"Good Lord," she whispered, "you shouldn't have come here tonight."
"What are you talking about?" I asked, stepping closer.
She looked behind me, like she was afraid someone else had followed me.
"They're watching," she said in a shaky voice.
"Who's watching?"
She grabbed my wrist suddenly, her grip strong. "Did you find the pendant?"
I froze. "Yes… how did you know about that?"
She let go of me slowly and sighed. "Because it was your mother's."
My heart skipped a beat. "What?"
"She wanted to give it to you on your twenty-first birthday," Aunt Meredith said, her voice breaking. "But she died before she could. When I saw you wearing it at the funeral, I almost screamed."
I shook my head. "That doesn't make sense. I just found it two nights ago."
Her face went pale. "Then it means they've found you again."
"Who?" I whispered.
She didn't answer. Instead, she walked to an old cabinet and pulled out a dusty book. It was bound in dark leather, the edges worn and cracked. She handed it to me.
"Your mother was not just human, Ravena," she said softly. "She came from a bloodline tied to the moon, the same one that cursed Draven's kind."
I stared at her, unable to speak.
"Cursed?" I finally asked.
"Yes." Aunt Meredith's eyes glistened. "Draven's people, the werewolves, were once protectors of the Moonline. But greed, love, and betrayal broke the bond. Your mother was the last of her kind. And Draven's father… he was the one who killed her."
My whole body went cold.
I shook my head. "No… no, that can't be true. Draven said he tried to protect them."
Aunt Meredith gave a bitter smile. "Maybe he did. But he carries the same curse as his father."
The lights flickered suddenly.
The storm outside grew louder, thunder crashing close.
Aunt Meredith turned toward the window, her face draining of color. "They're here."
"Who's here?" I asked again, my voice trembling.
Before she could answer, the glass shattered.
A huge black wolf leaped through the window, knocking over the table. I screamed and fell backward. Its eyes glowed gold, the same gold I saw in the woods.
It growled low, the sound shaking the air.
Aunt Meredith grabbed something from the counter, a silver dagger. She threw it to me. "Run, Ravena!"
But before I could move, the wolf lunged at her.
I screamed her name, but it was too late. The creature tore through her throat in one brutal swipe.
Blood splashed across the floor.
I stumbled backward, tears blurring my vision. I didn't think. I just ran.
I burst through the door and into the rain, the dagger clutched tight in my hand. Behind me, I could hear the sound of claws on wood, the crash of furniture.
The wolf was coming after me.
I ran into the woods, my breath burning in my chest, the storm soaking me to the bone.
The trees were thick and dark, lightning flashing between them. Every flash showed me shadows moving, fast, powerful, hunting me.
Then I tripped. The dagger fell from my hand and slid into the mud.
I reached for it, but a heavy hand grabbed my arm.
I screamed, until I saw his face.
Draven.
He looked wild, his eyes glowing gold, his clothes soaked through.
"Ravena," he shouted over the rain. "You shouldn't have come here!"
I slapped his chest, crying. "You killed her! You killed my aunt!"
He shook his head. "No! I came to save you. You have to trust me."
"Trust you?" I screamed. "You said you killed my parents!"
Thunder crashed again.
He grabbed both my shoulders. "Listen to me, please! If you die, everything ends. They'll destroy what's left of your bloodline, the only thing keeping the curse contained!"
"I don't understand!" I cried.
He looked at me, pain in his eyes. "Then let me show you."
And before I could react, his eyes glowed brighter, his body shuddered, and he transformed right in front of me.
Bones cracked. Muscles shifted.
In seconds, the man I loved was gone.
In his place stood a massive wolf, taller than me, covered in dark fur that shimmered under the lightning.
He howled, and the sound echoed through the storm, deep and powerful.
Another howl answered from far away.
More of them were coming.
I backed away slowly, tears mixing with the rain. "Draven…" I whispered.
The wolf stepped closer, his glowing eyes filled with sorrow.
Then, before I could move, something sharp hit him from behind, a silver spear.
He howled in pain and fell to the ground.
I turned and saw two figures stepping out of the shadows, one of them holding another spear, their faces hidden beneath dark cloaks.
One of them spoke, his voice deep and cold. "The Moon Bride must not survive."
I gasped and tried to run, but the second figure raised a hand, and suddenly the air around me shimmered. I felt my body freeze, like invisible chains were wrapping around me.
Draven struggled to get up, his eyes finding mine.
"Ravena," he growled weakly, "run!"
"I can't!" I cried.
The first cloaked figure raised his weapon again, aiming it straight at Draven's heart.
And just as the spear flew, everything went white.
A burst of light shot out from my chest, blinding everyone.
The chains vanished. The cloaked men screamed.
The ground cracked beneath me, and I felt heat rise from within my body, wild, burning, alive.
When the light faded, the attackers were gone.
Draven was on the ground, barely breathing.
And on my skin, faint silver marks glowed under the rain, shaped like crescent moons.
I looked down at my trembling hands, my heart racing.
Something inside me had awakened.
Something not human.