All Chapters of TO LOVE A WOLF: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Darkness. Complete and absolute.Clara floated in it. Nobody. No sensation. Just consciousness drifting in an endless void.Was this death? It felt empty. Hollow. Like nothing she had imagined.She tried to remember. The ritual. The creatures. Ash was holding her as everything faded.She had died. She knew that with certainty. Felt the moment her heart had stopped. Felt her life slip away.So why was she still aware? Why could she still think?A light appeared in the distance. Small at first. Then growing. Clara moved toward it. Or it moved toward her. Direction had no meaning here.The light resolved into a figure. A woman. Familiar."Hello, Clara."Clara knew that voice. "Mom?"Her mother looked as Clara remembered. Young. Healthy. Before the power had consumed her. She smiled. Sad but warm."You did it. You saved them all.""I died doing it.""Yes. I am sorry. I hoped you would find another way."Clara wanted to be angry. Wanted to rage at the unfairness. But she felt too tired. To

Training began the next morning. Before dawn, Kain met Clara at the edge of the Hollow.He said, "We start with meditation." "You have to know how strong it is before you can control it."Clara sat on the cold ground with her legs crossed. Shut her eyes.Reached inward.She could feel both powers clearly now. The Silverblood energy was warm. Familiar. It flowed through her like sunlight.The void power was different. Cold and deep. Like staring into an abyss that stared back."Do not fear it," Kain said. "Fear creates resistance. Resistance creates loss of control.""It feels dangerous.""All power is dangerous. The question is whether you master it or it masters you."Clara breathed. Let herself sink deeper into the void power. It was vast. Ancient. She was a drop trying to contain an ocean.But she was also the ocean. The power was part of her now. Not separate. Not foreign.She just needed to accept it.Hours passed. Clara sat. Breathed.She pushed the limits of who she had become.

The first request came three days later. A letter delivered by courier. Handwritten. Desperate.Clara read it twice. Then handed it to Ash."A witch coven in Oregon. They have a member who is losing control of her magic. Hurting people accidentally. They have tried everything."Ash scanned the letter. "When do we leave?""You do not have to come. This is not your responsibility."He looked at her. Patient. "We already had this conversation. Where you go, I go. So. When do we leave?"Clara felt warmth spread through her chest. "Tomorrow. If we can arrange transport.""I will talk to Ronan. He has contacts."Within hours, everything was arranged. A car. Supplies. Catherine insisted on sending medical equipment. Marcus provided weapons. Just in case.The pack saw them off the next morning. Wishes for safety. Promises to be there if they need backup.It felt strange. Leaving the Hollow. But also right. This was what Clara was meant to do.And having Ash beside her made everything easier.

The Hollow changed throughout the next three weeks. What used to be a pleasant area turned into a fortification.Clara did what she could to help—setting up wards. Making obstacles stronger and using both of her powers to build defenses that the hunters couldn't see.Ash was always with her. He kept watch while she worked. He held her while she slept. They were now inseparable. "Don't hover," Clara urged one afternoon. She was strengthening a ward near the northern boundary. I am not hovering. "I am giving security." You are hovering.Ash smiled. "Maybe a little. But can you blame me? People with guns will try to kill us in three weeks. I want to be with you every second I can before that.Clara quit her job. Turned to look at him. "We're going to make it through this." I know. But I still want the time.She walked over to him. Pulled him down to kiss him. Gentle. Comforting. "Then take it. I am not going anywhere.They stood there for a long time. Just holding one another and getting

Two weeks passed. The Hollow slowly returned to normal. Or a new version of normal.The dead were buried with honour. Their families mourned. The pack grieved together.But life continued. It had to.Clara spent her days helping Catherine in the medical wing. The wounded were healing well.Her Silverblood power and werewolf toughness let her heal faster than she should have.But not all of the wounds were physical.One afternoon, she saw Michael sitting by himself. Looking at nothing. Clara couldn't stop thinking about what his daughter had said about heroes. She sat next to him. How are you?He didn't glance at her. "I stopped moving. During the fight. I saw the gun pointing at me and didn't move. "I would be dead if you hadn't been there."But you are still alive.You are here. That is what matters.""I let my pack down. Let my daughter down. What kind of father freezes in battle?"Clara touched his shoulder. "The kind that is still learning. The kind that will perform better next ti