Chapter 25
The tension between Ian and the Silverfangs was thick enough to cut through. I could feel every second stretching out, like we were standing on the edge of a precipice, unsure if the next step would send us plummeting.
Rafe, the Silverfang Alpha, stood silently, his silver eyes flickering between Ian and me. For a moment, it felt like he was weighing us, deciding whether we were worth his time or not.
Ian stepped forward, his expression serious. “We’re here because we don’t have a choice. Viktor’s growing power isn’t just a threat to us—it’s a threat to everyone. Including you.”
Rafe didn’t flinch. “You come to me with a prophecy that binds you, and a war that’s not yours to fight. You think I should risk my pack for you, for a cause that might burn us all?”
I felt a pang of frustration rise in my chest. “We’re not asking for charity. We’re offering an alliance.”
“And why should I trust you?” Rafe asked, narrowing his eyes. “You’re an omega, and he,” he nodded toward Ian, “may be an Alpha, but his fate is still uncertain.”
“Because we’re asking for your help before it’s too late,” Ian said, his voice unwavering. “If we don’t stop Viktor, we’re all doomed. He’ll turn this pack into something no one recognizes. A power-hungry monster, willing to destroy everything for control.”
Rafe tilted his head, considering this. “Perhaps,” he said, his tone cool, “but that’s not enough. You want my help? You’ll prove yourselves. You’ll survive the trials of the Silverfangs, and I’ll see if you’re worthy of what you seek.”
My heart pounded. I didn’t know what kind of trials he was talking about, but I could see the dangerous glint in his eyes. It wasn’t a question of whether we’d survive—no, it was a question of how badly we would be changed by the end of it.
“What do the trials involve?” I asked, trying to steady my voice.
Rafe didn’t answer right away. Instead, he gestured for us to follow him. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
The trials were unlike anything I could’ve imagined. We were led into the heart of the Silverfangs’ territory, a place that felt more like a labyrinth of shadows and secrets than a home. The air was thick with the scent of pine and earth, but it wasn’t the kind of peace you’d expect from a forest—it was tense, as though the trees themselves were holding their breath, waiting for something.
Our first trial was one of endurance.
Ian and I were separated, each forced to face different obstacles designed to test our strength, our resolve, and our ability to withstand pain. I had to navigate a course full of traps—hidden snares, branches that whipped at me like angry snakes, and walls of brambles that tore at my skin every time I got too close.
I gritted my teeth, pushing through the pain. I had no choice. I couldn’t let Ian down.
The second trial was mental. We were both placed in different chambers, where illusions distorted reality. I saw images of my father, of the past I’d lost, of all the things I’d never gotten to say to him. Each memory was a dagger in my chest, but I had to keep going. I couldn’t let Viktor’s twisted prophecy dictate my future.
At the end of the trial, I was shaking, but I’d made it through.
When I emerged, Ian was already waiting for me. His face was pale, his clothes torn, but his eyes—his eyes were the same as when I first met him. Fierce. Unyielding.
“The third trial is the hardest,” Rafe’s voice cut through the air, pulling us out of our thoughts. “It’s not about strength, or endurance, or even your mind. It’s about your soul.”
I turned to look at Ian. We were in this together, no matter what came next.
“Your final trial is to face your deepest fear,” Rafe continued, his gaze flicking to us both. “If you succeed, you prove you’re worthy of our aid. If you fail… you walk away, empty-handed.”
The ground beneath my feet seemed to shift. I wasn’t sure what my deepest fear was. The thought of losing someone else I loved? The fear of never being good enough? Or was it the fear that I’d never escape the shadow of what had happened to my father?
“Are you ready?” Rafe asked, his voice lowering.
Ian and I shared a glance. There was no going back now.
The trial began immediately.
I found myself standing alone in a dark forest, the air heavy and still. There was no sound. No movement. Just an overwhelming silence that gnawed at my mind.
Suddenly, a voice whispered through the trees. My heart skipped a beat.
“Ava.”
I froze.
The voice was so familiar. It was my father’s.
“Dad?” I whispered, stepping forward. My legs felt heavy, but I couldn’t stop myself from walking toward the voice.
“Ava,” the voice repeated, and this time, it sounded closer. “You’re not alone.”
I kept walking, my breath shallow. The trees parted ahead of me, revealing a figure in the distance. It was my father, standing as he had before his death.
“Dad?” I choked out, tears threatening to spill.
He looked at me, but his expression was different. Cold. Distant. “You’re not the child I knew anymore, Ava. You’re becoming something darker.”
My chest tightened. “What do you mean? I don’t understand.”
“You’ll never be able to change your fate,” he said, his voice chilling. “You are not the savior they think you are. You are the destroyer.”
I took a step back, my heart pounding. This wasn’t real. This couldn’t be real. But the fear gnawing at me felt all too real.
“You’re wrong!” I cried out, shaking my head. “I won’t be a destroyer. I’ll make things right!”
“You can’t escape who you are,” my father’s voice echoed, growing colder. “You will be the end of us all.”
I woke with a gasp, the cold sweat clinging to my skin. I was back in the clearing, Ian standing beside me. His hand was on my shoulder, grounding me.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice soft but filled with concern.
I nodded slowly, but I knew something had changed inside me. The trial had shown me my own insecurities, my doubts about whether I could ever truly be enough. But I couldn’t let that fear control me. Not now. Not when everything was on the line.
Rafe’s voice cut through the silence. “You’ve completed the trial. You have passed.”
I looked up at him, my breath steadying. “Does that mean…?”
Rafe nodded, his gaze unreadable. “It means you’ve proven yourselves worthy. We will help you fight Viktor.”
As Ian and I prepared to leave the Silverfangs’ territory, I felt both exhausted and invigorated. The trials had been harder than anything I’d ever experienced, but we’d made it through. We had the Silverfangs on our side, and that was the only thing that mattered now.
But as we walked away, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the true test was just beginning.