The Crow and The Wolf

Chapter 26

26.

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Valeria was wrong when she thought she was ready; she wasn't even close. Her legs kept twitching with every metre they passed on their way to school. Her nerves had worsened, and her anxiety had tipped the scale. She was beyond terrified, and the fact that the car ride was just another method of transport to her fate only made her feel worse.

But Valeria wasn't only scared; she was a mixture of emotions, mainly fear and anger. She was scared of the possibility that she would be reduced to her knees. Life was hard, but school was hell.

Angry because she hadn't done anything wrong and all she wanted to do was scream at the top of her lungs. Valeria wanted to scream at every pack member that dared call her a sinner, demanding to know where the Goddess had written such frivolous lies and where she had written a passage about which laws were not to be broken. She wanted to tear them all down just like they did her, but her fear was too much. She felt trapped and alone, wondering if anyone would ever understand her struggles and the pain she was going through. Valeria wished for a way out—a way to escape the judgmental eyes and harsh words of her peers.

As they neared the school, she felt exhausted by the many emotions rushing through her, and Valeria could feel her wolf's exhaustion at everything. She had forgotten that she wasn't the only one suffering from all this mess; her wolf was a victim as well. That a wolf who was supposed to be protected by the pack was not only persecuted but shunned to live in solitude. She hated herself for thinking about herself only.

She sighed and closed her eyes, opening her mind to her wolf's world, to the Etome.

Black clouds gathered around her cave, and she was freezing. Valeria jumped slightly at the thunderous growl of the sky, and it made her heart clench when she saw her wolf cowering away in the cave. Her wolf, her protector, her half, was always strong and brave, but here was the beast, doing all and everything to make sure she wasn't seen.

Valeria felt the emotions of her beast flowing through her; they were much clearer than before, and she sighed because she truly understood her wolf, what she had done, and why she had done it.

"All you were doing was trying to protect me," Valeria said to her wolf as she walked further into the room.

Her wolf whimpered as she came out of the corner and walked towards Valeria. Her wolf rubbed her body against the warmth of her human and whimpered again. Valeria sat down, her back against the cave, and her wolf laid her head on her lap, keeping them both warm as they cuddled each other.

They watched the storm brewing outside the cave, and Valeria knew that something big was coming, something that would test them, but for what, she wasn't sure, but she knew the reason for her wolf anxiety was only beginning.

She ran her fingers through her wolf's grey coat, and she felt the shiver that ran down her wolf's spine.

She smiled before closing her eyes and opting to leave the Etome and return to reality.

The skies had darkened around them, and the snow fell heavier as if it had sensed the atmosphere of the Etome. The chill that seeped into the car jolted her back to reality faster, and even with the heat, she felt her bones becoming brittle from the cold.

When Luc pulled up into the school parking lot, she stared right at the school doors and questioned whether or not she was really ready to enter the lion's den. If she was willing to be ripped to shreds by the pack's next generation.

"Come on," his voice filtered through her worries, and she turned to meet his gaze. If he noticed the worry and fear in her eyes, he didn't comment on it but instead asked if she wanted to stay in the car for a little longer.