Chapter Ninety Eight - Ambush - Maya's POV

The dining hall becomes even quieter. My eyes land on Damian, whose face is contorted with anger. Just like that, what little peace we had vanished like smoke. Damian's hand tightens around mine. 'So, there are no further issues?" The man shakes his head. 'None. Everyone is alive, and the threat was taken care of. We probably need to increase training and do something. I don't know." Damian nods. 'More training will be fine. We also need to add more to patrols. They're getting braver." He doesn't say it out loud, but I feel like the reason they are doing this is that the time is getting closer. Eventually, time will just be gone. I will have to accept, even if I'm not ready and all these feelings holding me back will just have to be sorted out later. 'More training tomorrow?" I ask, my voice barely audible. Damian hears me, slowly turning around and giving me a nod. 'More training tomorrow for all of us." My gaze falls on the man covered in dirt, who is now being escorted out by Simon. Oddly, we haven't seen him until now since he threatened me. Damian hasn't talked to him yet and I'm not sure when he will. There are plenty of things to address with him. The rest of dinner is quiet. I mostly pick at my plate and try to finish at least the meat. The vegetables are delicious and cooked to perfection. I love roasted broccoli the most and normally, I'd devour it all. But I just can't finish it all. After we finish, Damian stands and offers me his hand. This time, I take it without hesitation and let them all see. Of course, there are stares and some scoffs, but it is what it is. They can either be for us or against us. I'd say in the end, those against us will see the light of day in ways they never thought. We walk out of the dining hall and down the hallway, toward his room. Neither of us speak as we stroll that way. It takes a few minutes longer than usual, but I'm thankful for the little peace we've had. Everything feels like it's going to topple at any moment. As we near the bedroom door, something shifts in the air. It's a subtle tension creeping along, like the hush before a storm. Damian pauses, his body becoming rigid. 'Do you feel that?" He asks, his voice strained. Though I don't know exactly what I'm feeling, something is definitely different. The hairs on the back of my neck rise and my heartbeat becomes faster. It's too quiet and eerie. Even the distant sounds of movement that usually echo through the halls are gone. Damian's fingertips shift into claws, though he's careful not to scratch me. And then, everything goes dark. 'What just happened?" 'The power is off," he says, his breath coming out in pants. 'It was a trap." Movement, like claws scraping against hardwood, fills the air. Damian tenses, then moves me behind him, pinning me between his back and the bedroom door. I don't know what is going on. 'Damian, what is it?" 'There are wolves in the hallway and they aren't mine," he says, almost in a whisper. I feel his hand fumbling for something beside me, only to realize a little too late that he's trying to find the doorknob. When it twists, the door opens, and I fall backward through the door and land on the floor. 'Stay inside," he shouts before the door is slammed between us. I scramble up from the floor, my heart thundering in my chest. There are snarls on the other side of the door. My hands shake as I reach for the doorknob, but it's locked. From the other side, there's a crash and a growl. It sounds like a body hitting the wall. 'Damian!" I scream. 'Open the door." No answer. Only growls. I press my ear to it, and what I hear turns my blood cold. A short, pained grunt. A yelp. Then another clash. What if Damian wasn't winning? What if they are the ones throwing him into the wall? There has to be a way out of this room to help him. My eyes dart to the window, then the bathroom and closet. I rush to the closet first, throwing around clothes to see what I can find. Oddly, I find a crowbar and a smile spreads across my face like a child in a candy store. I run back to the door, sticking the crowbar between the side of the door and the frame. With all my might, I pull the handle like I have nothing left to lose. I may be running to my death, but I'm not going to let him do this on his own. When it gives, and the door breaks, I dash into the hallway's warzone. Blood smears the floor, and there's a body slumped on the floor. The lights start flickering, allowing me to see better. I breathe a sigh of relief when I find that the body isn't Damians, but someone I don't know. Another snarling wolf leaps through the air and tackles a wolf, which I realize is Damian. He's injured and limping. I see a trail of crimson flowing down his arms. He's fast, but not fast enough. 'Hey!" I scream at the wolf attacking him. 'Over here, pork chop." The wolf turns, and that is all I need. I run toward it with the crowbar raised. The wolf lunges for me and in that last second, before impact, I realize how stupid this plan is. It snaps at me, fangs inches from my throat. I sling the crowbar with all my strength and it lodges into the wolf's skull. The creature's eyes go wide and then it goes still. Its body falls off to the side rather anticlimactically. I shove it off right after it lands on me and reach for the crowbar. As I pull it free, I scramble up to my feet and nearly slip in the spilled blood. 'Damian," I pant, making my way to him. He's shifted back to his human form on one knee. There is a deep gash on his side, but otherwise he seems fine. 'You weren't supposed to come out of the room," he rasps. 'Yes, well, you weren't supposed to almost die," I shoot back. 'Are we safe now?" He looks around the hallway before giving me a nod. 'Yes, I think that was it. The others have said there are no more threats."