All Chapters of TO LOVE A WOLF: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Clara’s ears rang.Not the sharp kind of ringing from gunfire — this was dull, heavy, like the forest itself had slammed a door shut inside her head. She blinked against the darkness, breath coming out in uneven bursts. The air smelled wrong. Burnt, almost. Like wet stone and old blood.Her hands were shaking.She didn’t remember falling, but she was on the ground now, palm pressed into cold dirt, fingers digging in as if the earth were the only solid thing left.“Ash,” she croaked.Her throat hurt. Everything hurt.“Ash!”“I’m here.”The answer came fast — too fast — and then his hands were on her, solid and warm, gripping her shoulders. He turned her slightly, checking her face, her neck, her arms like he expected to find something broken.“You’re bleeding,” he said.She glanced down. A thin cut traced her forearm, already clotted. Not hers — or at least, not entirely.“It’s not bad,” she said. “What about you?”He didn’t answer right away.That scared her more than the creature had

They didn’t go back to the Hollow.Not right away.Instead, Ronan guided them forward, along a slender strip of ground where the trees grew closer together, their branches arching overhead like ribs. Here, the moonlight faded, shattered into pieces that barely touched the earth. Clara sensed it right away, the tug beneath her ribs getting stronger with each step, as if she were approaching something that already knew her name.Ash stayed close.Not hovering. Not crowding.Just close enough that she could feel him there without looking.The wolves padded ahead in silence, slipping between trunks like smoke. No one spoke or laughed; the pack’s usual bravado was gone.This wasn’t a victory walk.It was caution.Clara broke the silence first. “You said the forest is responding to me.”Ronan didn’t slow. “Yes.”“That doesn’t explain anything.”“It explains enough,” he said. “For now.”Ash shot him a look. “You’re doing that thing again.”Ronan’s mouth twitched. “Keeping her alive?”“Keepin

Clara was awake before dawn.The silence seemed odd, not because of a nightmare—those had become nearly familiar.The forest usually breathed, even at rest. Leaves shifted. Branches creaked in the wind. Something always moved, a constant whisper.However, there was now a perfect silence so thick it crushed against her chest, making her sit up without thinking.She was wearing a jacket that Ash had borrowed, based on its scent. Smoke, cedar, and an unidentified warm substance. A thin ribbon of smoke curled into the gray air as the campfire burned down to embers.Ash was awake.Even before she saw him, she knew.He sat a few feet away on a log, head bowed, elbows on knees, shoulders tense, waiting.She whispered, "You're doing that thing."He glanced up. One corner of his mouth lifted. “What thing?”"Observing the world as if it were about to collapse."His grin vanished. "It has already done."She rose slowly, joints stiff, and stepped forward. The earth, cold and damp, chilled her bar

Ash moved faster than Clara could track.One second, he was standing.Next, he was in the air, his body contorting in mid-flight, his bones shattering and reassembling violently. Before the creature could get to the steps, he struck it, smashing it back against the wall with enough force to rock the whole house.There was no sound from the thing.It just smiled wider.With her pulse pounding so fiercely she thought it might stop, Clara braced herself against the loft's far wall. As her fear soared, she watched below: Ash, now half-wolf, circled the thing with his claws biting into the flooring and his teeth bared.With those pale, luminous eyes, the creature observed him. "You cannot stop us."Ash growled, deep and menacing. "I can try."The creature laughed. The sound was not human. It sounded like dozens of voices speaking at once, fractured and layered. "You don't understand. She is the key. And we are the door."Clara felt her stomach turn. "What does that mean?"Unnaturally quick

The ravine twisted and narrowed, the walls closing in until Clara could touch both sides if she stretched her arms. The air became damp with the scent of old stone and moss as it grew colder. Her breath came in quick bursts, each one searing her lungs. Elara stepped ahead of them, her silver hair capturing what little light streamed down from above. She didn't flee. She seemed to know exactly where she was headed as she walked with determination. Ash remained near Clara, his hand still around hers. He held on tightly, almost desperately, as if he thought she might disappear if he released her.Clara wanted to know if he thought Elara was telling the truth. She wanted to know if he believed the woman was being honest. However, time was of the essence. It was impossible to gauge the creature's proximity as the howls behind them became louder and reverberated off the stone walls. Elara abruptly stopped and held up one hand. Clara and Ash froze. "Here," Elara replied, putting her hand