Zendaya's POV
I could feel the weight of the car's movement beneath me as my pack and home faded into the distance. Tall trees and undulating landscapes flew past the window, their silhouettes dissolving in the low twilight. The silence inside the car was awful, as sharp as a razor, the kind of silence that lasts too long and makes you uneasy.
My emotions were jumbled, entangled in strands of irritability, uncertainty, and a peculiar sensation of loss. Cassidy's sweet voice floated beside me, exuberant and unaware of the tension that hung in the air after the little banter I had with Damien. She was all love-dovey about Damien Wolf, Midnight, and for a little moment, I felt that strange, irritating tug again. That intense, unwelcome connection with him. He wasn't even looking at me, but I could feel it. It's not supposed to be like this.
I scoffed and turned to face the window, my fingers drumming impatiently on my lap. My mind was racing with questions, and I couldn't get them to stop. What was life going to be like for the Ravenclaw Pack? How was I expected to fit into the character of Luna? A Luna for Alpha Damien. The concept made me uneasy: would I be good enough? Could I be who everyone expected me to be or just a curse on them? Cassidy's voice sliced through my thoughts like a dagger. "Something's off."
I nodded, but she could not see me. "I know, I feel it too." I looked out the window again, hoping to find something that might explain the worry that was nagging at me. I couldn't see much save the empty stretch of road with trees pressing in on each side.
The air became colder and heavier, and I turned to Damien, my gaze locked on his. His eyes were silent and intense, making the hairs on the back of my neck spring up. He didn't speak, but the way his jaw clinched... He felt it, too.
Then, without warning, the car came to a jarring stop. I lurched forward, and the seatbelt snapped me back into my seat with a harsh thud. Damien had already gotten out of the car before I could respond, his body moving with such smoothness that my heart raced.
"Stay in the car," he said, but his tone had an odd edge to it as if he was more concerned about me than he would acknowledge. I was ready to fight and I didn't need babysitting, but Cassidy's voice blasted in my head—sharper, louder. "Rouges! "We need to fight!"
A shiver ran down my spine, and before I could understand the panic that was setting in, I was already reaching for the blade I had concealed in the car, my hand finding it with familiar ease. I didn't hesitate; I grabbed the weapon and sprang out, my feet landing softly on the ground.
Damien's voice cut through the night air, fierce and commanding.I didn't even spare him a glance. I wasn't some damsel in distress who was going to hide away while everyone else fought. I wasn't weak, and I wasn't going to pretend anymore.
The anger I'd been holding inside, the frustration, the doubt, all of it surged to the surface as I took my stance, eyes scanning the trees, the shadows. I could sense them, the rouges, moving closer. They thought they could take us down, but they were wrong.
And then I saw him—one of them, slipping through the shadows like a ghost. I didn't think, I just moved. My body reacted on instinct. The blade flashed through the air, slicing through the rogue's throat with a sickening snap. He fell to the ground with a heavy thud, the life draining from his eyes.
Damien's gaze was locked on me, wide-eyed, as if surprised I'd done it. But more rouges emerged, a whole pack of them—enough to overwhelm a convoy. But they had no idea what they were up against.
The battle was harsh. The aroma of blood permeated the air, as did the sounds of silver metal crashing against flesh, and the growls and roars of wolves fighting. Damien swept through them with ease, his sword slashing through the air, each attack perfect and lethal. But I wasn't going to stand back. I was also in the fight, using every ounce of the training I'd received alone in the woods. The skills I'd developed when no one was looking were now saving my life.
I fought, my moves swift, precise, and lethal. Blood ruined my gown, but I didn't mind. I was not going to back down. Not this time. It seemed like hours before the final rogue dropped to the ground. The air was dense with smoke and the stink of death. I was panting and coated in blood and grime, but I was still alive, as did Damien.
Damien's hand was instantly on my arm, drawing me closer to him. "Are you crazy?" he demanded, his voice low and tight with rage and worry. "Why are you jumping in like that? What if they'd hurt you? I shook him off, annoyed. "Spare me, Damien." I was not a child. "I know how to fight. Beta Enzo approached, his look gloomy, and spoke in a quiet, serious tone. "They were after us or someone but this was a planned attack."
I looked between Damien and Enzo. Something was off. This wasn't just a random ambush.
"This isn't over," I said, the words slipping out before I could stop them.
I didn't wait for a response. I turned and climbed back into the car, but I caught a glimpse of Damien's face showing different emotions shock anger and pain but immediately masking it, I asked but was meet with silence. The door slammed shut, cutting off any more thoughts or words.
I watched Damien gave orders to his warriors, telling them to clean up the bodies. He was still watching me when he slid back into the car, his eyes assessing me. But I wasn't ready to talk, Neither did he.
The questions swirling in my mind were relentless—Who sent those rouges? Why were they so ferocious?.
As we drove away, I kept my gaze fixed on the road, but something made me look up. In the shadows, standing just beyond the trees, I saw him.
Those eyes.
I froze, my heart pounding in my chest. He was there again. The same eyes. The same figure. The one I'd seen the night my mother died. He was watching me—just like before.
But when I blinked, he was gone.
Was he behind the attack? Was he the orchestrator? What does he want from me?
Damien's grip on the steering wheel tightened, his knuckles white. But he didn't say anything. Neither did I. I couldn't.
Not yet, I wasn't sure if I could trust Damien.
But truth was out there. And I was going to find it.