Chapter 267

Olivia

The delicate weight of the letter still lingered in my hands as I rushed downstairs, my feet barely grazing the rich rugs and polished wooden floors.

My heart drummed wildly, racing with the urgency of my steps. The code written at the bottom of Aunt Gertrude’s letter had unlocked more than just memories; it had promised to reveal a puzzle piece that lay waiting, hidden behind layers of steel and security.

As I reached the archive room, the faint glow from the overhead chandelier cast a muted light, making the safe’s keypad glisten eerily. The room seemed to hold its breath, waiting, anticipating.

I took a moment to steady myself, my fingers trembling as I began to punch in the numbers: 2-3-1-7-8-4.

There was a soft click and a sigh from the mechanism, and then the door slowly creaked open.

Inside, amidst a layer of velvety cushion, lay a small ornate box, its surface a dance of dark woods and ivory inlays.

It was beautifully old-fashioned, a relic from another era. Without thinking, my hands reached out, drawing the box into my grasp. The intricate carvings on its surface depicted wolves dancing under a moonlit sky, their forms filled with grace and power.

Hesitating for only a moment, I opened it.

The chuckle that escaped my lips was wild and disbelieving. Resting inside was a stone—a peridot. Its green depths seemed to pull me in, calling to the very essence of my being. The light caught its facets, making it shimmer and glow with an otherworldly beauty.

Holding it aloft, I felt a pulse—an energy radiating from the gemstone, seeking connection. And as that pulse met the beat of my heart, the room seemed to fade away, replaced by a cacophony of emotions and sensations.

The sheer rush of it threatened to sweep me off my feet.

It felt like being reunited with an old friend. My wolf, a presence I had missed so dearly, was suddenly there, filling the voids of my soul. The connection was intense, the boundaries between my human self and wolf-self blurring.

“Olivia,” her voice—a reflection of mine yet deeper and filled with wisdom—reached out from the depths of my mind. “You have found the key. The final piece awaits. The coal mines... that is where our destiny lies.”

The words echoed in the recesses of my mind.

The coal mines—the very place that was a testament to our town’s history and its tragedies. Tales of lost miners and unexplained phenomena had turned it into a place of legend and fear.

I had been avoiding this final stretch of my journey, but now I had no choice. I had to go there to find the final artifact. Only then could this all be over.

The energy of the peridot intertwined with the awakening power of my wolf, creating a force that surged through me, potent and raw. I could feel it trying to anchor itself, to find balance, but it was too much, too fast.

I was a vessel being filled to the brim, the pressure mounting.

The archive room around me began to waver, the details of ancient manuscripts and artifacts becoming hazy. The polished wooden floor beneath my feet felt distant, as though I was floating above it, detached from reality.

The scenery then shifted rapidly, the cold floor of the archive room dissolving into a landscape painted with muted tones of twilight.

I found myself standing on the edge of a familiar cliff, the endless expanse of the sky above and the deep chasm below, bridged only by a thin ribbon of cascading water. The falls thundered below, drowning all other sounds with its mighty roar.

My wolf stood a few feet away, her silhouette a bold contrast against the backdrop of the setting sun. Her fur, a rich golden color, caught the last glimmers of sunlight and made her appear even more ethereal.

Our eyes met, and the bond between us tightened, filling the space with warmth and understanding.

“How does it feel?” Her voice, deep and resonating, rippled through the air.

Caught off guard, I frowned. “How does what feel?”

She chuckled softly, her tail sweeping gracefully over the rugged terrain. “Being so close to completing the ritual. One artifact left, Olivia. Soon, we will be one again.”

The weight of her words settled on my shoulders. It was a heady mixture of excitement, anticipation, and fear. My lips curved into a small smile, “It feels...good. Liberating, in a way.”

My wolf’s penetrating gaze remained on me, waiting.

“But,” I hesitated, my fingers absentmindedly tracing the contours of the peridot in my grasp. “I’m scared. The power of the Ancient Wolf—it’s a lot to bear. It’s not just the physical power, but the influence, the weight of history. I’m terrified that I might...change.”

“You fear the allure of power. That it might consume you?” she questioned, her eyes never leaving mine.

I nodded, my thoughts cascading like the waterfall beside us. “I felt just a glimpse of it, and it was intoxicating. Commanding the Elders, feeling invincible. If I possess the full power of the Ancient Wolf... What if I lose myself?”

Her head tilted, an expression of curiosity playing on her lupine features. “Why do you think this power might lead you astray?”

I sighed deeply, searching for the right words. “Because power has a way of changing people. Of making them forget who they once were. What if I become so enamored with it that I become a tyrant? What if I can’t differentiate between right and wrong anymore?”

She moved closer, her presence soothing and grounding. “The power you seek comes from within, Olivia. It's not some external force that will dictate your actions. It’s an extension of who you are. The choices you make, the path you walk—that will always be up to you.”

The sincerity in her words made tears prick at the backs of my eyes. “But what if I forget? What if the rush of it all blurs the lines?”

She nudged my hand gently with her snout. “Then remember your anchors. Your family, your friends. Your children. They are your compass. When in doubt, think of them. Their love, their trust. It will guide you.”

A sense of relief washed over me, like cool water on a hot day. The tension in my shoulders eased, and I hugged the peridot closer to my chest.

“Then I believe I’m ready. Ready to find the final piece and complete this journey.”

She nodded, her gaze sharp and alert. “You must hurry. Ryan is closer than you think. If he secures the last artifact before you, it will taint the entire ritual.”

My heart rate quickened at the mention of his name. He had always been a step behind, but I couldn’t afford any missteps now.

Determined, I met my wolf’s gaze. “Then let’s ensure that doesn't happen.”

She gave a soft growl of agreement, her tail sweeping the air with renewed vigor. We were in this together, and with the bond between us growing stronger, I felt ready to face whatever lay ahead.

“Now,” my wolf said, her voice beginning to waver and fade. “I’m going to ignite the second artifact, like I did with the first. Are you ready?”

I nodded, steeling myself.

I could feel the environment around me fade back to what it was before—the walls of the archive began closing back in. The powerful connection to my wolf, combined with the raw energy of the peridot, threatened to shatter the barriers of my consciousness.

“Hold on, Olivia,” my wolf’s voice murmured, a soft plea amidst the chaos. “This will hurt.”

Almost as if on cue, the world began to spin, shadows deepening, the room’s edges stretching and distorting. The rich scent of old books and the musty aroma of the room began to fade, replaced by a deafening silence.

As my legs buckled beneath me, a final thought echoed in the recesses of my mind. A realization that this journey, filled with revelations and discoveries, was far from over.

The coal mines awaited, their depths hiding the next clue, the next piece of the puzzle.

The cold embrace of the floor met me, and as darkness claimed my vision, the last sensation I registered was the peridot’s pulsating warmth, a beacon amidst the gathering storm of unconsciousness.