Chapter 14. The Road Ahead

The air was thick with tension as Samantha trekked deeper into the heart of the Wildthorn Forest, the trees around her casting long, looming shadows that seemed to whisper warnings into her ears. The path she was on was rough, the dirt and roots twisting underfoot, but she barely noticed. Her thoughts were elsewhere, buried in the heavy weight of everything that had led her to this moment.

The Shadowfang Ruins were three days away, and she had everything she needed—food, water, and a small, worn-out tent to camp under. She was prepared, but the further she walked, the more doubts crept into her mind. What if she wasn’t ready for what lay ahead? What if the Ruins were more than just a place of answers? What if they were a trap, meant to consume her as they had so many others?

But she had come this far. She couldn’t turn back now. She had to face whatever awaited her.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a faint orange glow over the forest, Samantha found a clearing and set up camp for the night. The fire crackled in front of her, casting dancing shadows around the trees. She stared into the flames, trying to calm the storm inside her, but her mind refused to rest.

She couldn’t stop thinking about Serene—the girl she had once called her sister. How had it all gone so wrong? What had she done to deserve this? Why had Serene turned her back on her so completely, leading the charge to exile her from the Black ridge Pack? Was it because of jealousy? Did Serene truly believe Samantha was a threat? Was it because she couldn’t stand the idea of someone else, even a sister, taking attention away from her?

Samantha let out a frustrated breath, shaking her head. It didn’t matter. The past was done. Serene had made her choices, and Samantha had made hers. She had to focus on the future. She had to find the answers waiting for her in the Shadowfang Ruins.

But the more she thought about Serene, the more something gnawed at her—something she couldn’t shake. She missed her mother. Erynn. The woman who had taken her in all those years ago, raised her as her own, and loved her without question. Erynn had never once made her feel like an outsider. She had been her safe place. Samantha longed to see her again, to tell her everything that had happened, to ask her why things had gone the way they did. But Erynn was back at the Black ridge Pack, far from where Samantha was now, and there was no going back.

With a sigh, Samantha leaned back against a tree, staring up at the stars. She had no one to blame but herself. She had walked away, and now she had to see this through.

At Black ridge, the mood was drastically different. The high walls of the Pack’s fortress were still as imposing as ever, but inside, it was a place of twisted celebration. The tension that had gripped the Pack for weeks following Samantha’s exile had now turned into a sickening cheer. Serene stood in the center of the hall, surrounded by her loyal followers, her eyes glittering with malicious joy as she toasted to her “victory.”

“I told you, didn’t I?” she laughed, her voice shrill with glee. “Samantha is gone. And now, everything is finally as it should be.”

Her followers cheered, raising their glasses, but it was a hollow celebration, as if they knew it was all built on a lie. Serene smiled wider, savoring the moment. Her once fractured world was whole again—at least in her mind.

Ronan and Alex watched from the doorway, their faces grim. They had heard about Serene’s little party, but seeing it with their own eyes made the reality hit harder than either of them expected. The sister that Samantha had once called family, the girl who had shared their childhood, was now leading the celebration of her exile.

“She’s really lost it,” Ronan muttered, clenching his fists. “She’s celebrating the destruction of everything that once made us a family.”

Alex’s eyes were narrowed, her jaw tight with restrained anger. “She’s not just celebrating. She’s rubbing it in our faces. She truly believes she’s won.” Her voice was cold, sharp, filled with the kind of disdain only someone who had once cared deeply could feel.

Ronan stepped forward, unable to hold back. His voice rose above the noise of the revelry. “Serene, this isn’t a victory! You might think you’ve won, but you’re wrong. You don’t know Samantha. She’s stronger than you think. You’ll regret this. She will come back, and when she does, you’ll have no idea what’s coming for you.”

The room fell silent for a heartbeat, and Serene’s eyes flickered with an almost imperceptible moment of doubt. But then, her lips curled into a smirk, her gaze flicking over to Ronan. “Oh, I think you’re wrong, Ronan. If Samantha were coming back, she would’ve done it by now. She’s a coward. She’ll never return.” She turned her back on him, dismissing him with the flick of her wrist. “Good luck, brother. You can go with her if you want, but don’t think I’ll be waiting for you when you get back.”

Ronan’s fists clenched, his heart heavy with the weight of her words. He had always protected Serene, always tried to understand her, but this… this was too much. The woman who had once been his sister was gone, replaced by someone who cared only for power, for control.

Alex stepped forward, her voice a low growl of warning. “You have no idea what you’re dealing with. Don’t let your pride fool you, Serene. You might have pushed Samantha out, but she’s not gone. You can’t break her. Not now. Not ever.”

Serene’s eyes flashed with a dangerous glint, but she remained calm, cool as always. “You’re all just jealous, aren’t you? You never had the strength to take control. But now, I do. And this is my Pack now. My rules.”

Ronan and Alex exchanged a brief, silent look. It was a look that said everything they needed to know. Serene wasn’t just lost; she had betrayed them all. The sister they once knew was gone. And now, it was up to them to fight for what was left.

Back in the heart of the Black Ridge, Erynn, the woman who had once found Samantha abandoned in the woods, sat alone in her chambers, staring into the empty space before her. She hadn’t been the same since Samantha had been exiled. The love for the girl she had raised like a daughter was more than just a memory now; it was a physical ache that gnawed at her every day.

She could hear the laughter from outside, the celebrations that filled the air, but it was all distant to her. The absence of Samantha was like a hole in her heart, a wound that no one could heal.

“Sam,” she whispered, her voice barely a breath. “Where are you, my child?”

Her sickness wasn’t physical, not at first. It was the sickness of the heart, the grief of losing a child you had loved, only to have her torn away by the cruel hands of fate. Erynn's body had weakened with each passing day, her spirit dimming like a flame flickering in the wind.

Ronan had tried to reassure her. He had promised her that everything would be fine, that Samantha would come back. But Erynn couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Something deep inside told her that they had lost something irreplaceable, something they would never be able to find again.

Samantha lay awake that night, staring at the stars through the canopy of trees. Her heart was heavy with the weight of everything she had left behind. She missed Erynn. She missed the warmth of her embrace, the softness of her voice. She missed the feeling of being loved.

But there was no turning back now. The journey ahead was all that mattered.

The Shadowfang Ruins were calling to her, and no matter how dark or dangerous they seemed, she would answer.