The Silver Wolf (Diana and Talon) novel Chapter 131

ChapterOne Hundred Thirty One

Walking away from her coven and deeper into the dark forest, Ravenna wrapped her cloak tighter around herself. The night was quiet. Too quiet. The kind of silence that allowed thoughts to grow louder. And unfortunately, her thoughts only ever led her back to him. Thorne. Always Thorne. The forest path blurred as memories resurfaced one after another.

For wolves, there were fated mates. For witches, there was magic. Ancient magic. Older than kingdoms. Older than covens. Older than most creatures still alive.

And unlike wolves, witches had no choice. The magic chose. The magic decided. The magic bound two souls together forever. There was no rejection. No second chance. No finding someone else. No walking away. When the bond formed, it was absolute. Beautiful. And cruel.

Ravenna had once believed it was the greatest gift in existence. Now she sometimes wondered if it was also the greatest curse. Because what happened when the magic bound you to someone you could no longer save? What happened when the person destined to love you became the person destined to destroy everything?

The witches called it destiny. Ravenna called it torture. Because every breath she took hurt. Every heartbeat reminded her of what she was losing.

And still- she loved him. As far back as she could remember, Thorne had always been there. She remembered being a little girl running through the coven gardens. And there was Thorne. Following behind her. Annoying her. Making flowers bloom in her hair when she wasn’t paying attention. Stealing books from her room. Pulling her braids. Then pretending innocence, when she complained.

The entire coven knew. Their parents knew. Their friends knew. One day they would belong together. Not because someone decided it. Not because they were forced. Because the magic had already chosen.

As they grew older, so did their bond. Friendship became affection. Affection became love. Love became something deeper.

Something neither of them could imagine living without.

Thorne wasn’t just her mate. He was her best friend. Her confidant. Her home. She knew every smile. Every expression. Every habit.

She knew the way he rubbed the back of his neck when he was nervous. The way he stared at the stars whenever he was thinking.

The way he would always pretend he wasn’t worried about her when she left the coven. She knew all of it. And he knew her just as well.

There had never been secrets between them. Until now. A tear slid down her cheek. Because she remembered the day she learned she was carrying their child. The happiest day of her life. The day she had cried from joy. The day she had imagined telling him.

She had spent hours thinking about how she would surprise him. Would she tell him immediately? Would she wait? Would she create one of the magical memory crystals he loved so much? She had been so excited. They had wanted a child for years. Prayed for one. Hoped for one. Dreamed about one. And finally – after decades together- their dream had come true.

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ChapterOne-Handied Thirty One

Only for everything to fall apart.

Clam

Because that was when the curse awakened. Ravenna stopped walking. Closing her eyes. Trying not to remember. Trying and failing.

The signs had been subtle at first. Almost impossible to notice. A nightmare here. A strange mood there. An unusual increase in magical power. Then came the darkness. The aura. The whispers. The voices. The hallucinations. The memories. Not his memories.

The memories of dead witches. Ancient witches Dark witches. Every generation carrying the same hatred. The same rage. The same obsession. Kill the Silver Wolf. Destroy her. Erase her. Avenge the betrayal. Avenge the past.

The curse infected them slowly. Like poison. Like a disease. Like madness. And once it fully took hold- very few ever returned.

The witches kept records. Thousands of years of records. Stories. Journals. Accounts. Warnings. And all of them led back to the same tragedy.

The first Silver Wolf. The first curse. The first war. A forbidden love. A witch. A wolf. Two souls who fell in love when such a thing was considered a sin. A crime. Something worthy of death. Love had tried to overcome hatred. And failed.

The result was a curse that continued to haunt generation after generation. A curse neither side had been

able to break.

Ravenna had spent centuries studying those records. Searching for answers. Searching for hope. Searching for a way to stop history from repeating itself. And now-history was repeating itself again. Only this time-the male she loved stood on the wrong side.

A sudden familiar presence brushed against her mind. Ravenna froze. Her heart stopped. No. Not possible. Then she heard his voice.

“Do you really intend to fight me, Ravenna?”

Her breath caught. Thorne. The connection between them. The destined magic. The bond. It allowed them to communicate across incredible distances as long as neither blocked the connection. Normally she kept her mental defenses raised. Tonight she had been distracted. Thinking about him. Missing him. And somehow he had found her. Instantly. Her eyes filled with tears.

“Thorne.”

The name left her like a prayer. Like a plea. Like a desperate wish. For a moment there was silence.

Then she answered.

“I don’t have a choice.” Her voice trembled.

“But you do.” A pause. “Choose me.” Her hand moved protectively over her stomach. “Choose us.”

Silence. Then came his answer. Cold. Dark. Filled with rage.

“I don’t have a choice either.”

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<Chapter One+ndred Thirty One

Claim

Ravenna flinched. The darkness she felt through the bond wasn’t entirely him. But it was becoming him. Slowly. Piece by piece.

“They killed my magic. His voice shook with fury. “They killed my child.”

Ravenna’s eyes widened. No. Not this again. Not the lies. Not the curse.

“They need to suffer.” The darkness surged. “I will have my revenge.”

A tear slipped down Ravenna’s cheek. Because she knew exactly what he was seeing. The curse fed him false memories. False pain.

False grief. Making him believe his family had been stolen. Making him believe revenge was justified. Making him believe hatred was love.

“Your magic is alive!” She shouted into the empty forest. “I am alive!”

Birds scattered from nearby trees. Magic crackled around her.

“Choose me!” Her voice broke. “Choose us!”

Nothing. Only silence. Then desperation overtook her.

“Thorne!” She pressed both hands against her stomach. “Our child is alive!” A sob escaped her. “You hear me?” Another tear. “Our child is alive.”

Silence. Then- for the first time- she felt uncertainty from him. A flicker. Small. Brief. Gone almost immediately. Ravenna seized it.

“My love, listen to me.” Her voice softened. Pleading.

“The voices are lying to you. The memories are lying to you. The curse is lying to you.” She took a shaky

breath.

“I am real.” A pause. “Our child is real.” Another pause. “We need you.”

Silence. Then came his answer. And it shattered her.

“You sound exactly like the others.”

The darkness returned. Stronger. Colder.

“Trying to trick me.”

Ravenna felt her heart break.

“No-”

“I will have my revenge.” His voice became distant. Twisted. “And then I will return to my love.”

Ravenna’s tears fell harder.

“Thorne-”

“And my child.”

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