Chapter Thirty-Eight
I felt it in my bones before I heard the first thump on the roof, followed by several more.
The gargoyles had been in flight long before I returned to the cottage.
I stood in the living room for a moment, numb with indecision.
Somewhere above me, another thump reverberated, followed by a slow scraping sound—like claws testing the slates.
I looked out the window to see my grandfather missing.
My pulse kicked up a notch, and my heart pounded like it wanted out of my rib cage.
He was on the roof. How could a wolf be on the roof?
There was no chance I could ignore the threat.
Not when I’d already had a brush with it in the woods. Memories of those snarling jaws and bright, reflective eyes still made my blood run cold.
But I was certain it was here— he was here, and my grandmother’s warnings about my grandfather twisted in my mind like a serrated knife.
I swallowed hard and squeezed my eyes shut, knowing what to do.
I’d done it once before, without meaning to—a silent call for help to Nova. I was still so shaky about my magical prowess, but this was it if there was ever a moment to risk humiliation or error. My father, forced to remain in bulldog form, couldn’t protect me from a beast that might be the worst threat Stonewick had seen in decades.
Not to mention, I didn’t even know where he went.
Inhaling, I concentrated on that fragment of telepathic connection I’d accidentally awakened with Nova not so long ago.
It was subtle magic, more about emotional resonance than words.
The swirling dread in my stomach threatened to break my focus, but I pushed on, recalling her calm presence—her shimmering eyes, the surety in her posture.
I needed help. I needed her.
Nova, I breathed in my mind, I’m in trouble. My grandfather is here.
Thunderous footsteps on the roof made me jolt and lose my concentration.
There was no response yet or echo of her voice in my head, but maybe I’d planted the seed. There wasn’t time to try again. My gaze darted around the living room, landing on Frank.
He emerged from the kitchen. His bulldog eyes glistened with worry. He was perched in the corridor leading to the kitchen, his tail stiff and his jowls quivering. He must have fallen asleep by his food bowl again.
“Dad,” I said, my voice trembling. “You… you can’t fight him in that form. You need to be safe.” I expected him to argue somehow, but he only let out a low, anxious whine—one that cut through me with stark clarity.
Another powerful thud on the roof rattled the light fixture overhead.
Dust trickled down near the fireplace.
Karvey—where was Karvey? Circling the woods? Fighting on top of the roof?
The gargoyle had to be up there, contending with our unwelcome visitor. Still, the persistent noise suggested an ongoing struggle, perhaps something bigger than Karvey and his crew could handle.
My mind reeled.
If my grandfather was here—if that monstrous wolf was Gideon’s doing or part of the clan that had shamed my father—there was no telling how far they’d push. He might tear the cottage to bits.
“Downstairs,” I said firmly to Frank, swallowing my terror. “Go to the cellar.”
He barked, short and sharp, taking a few uncertain steps toward me. I shook my head, crossing the room to herd him that way. He threw his shoulders around like he wanted to protest, but a loud thud above made him think better.
“Please,” I insisted. “I can’t focus if I’m worried about you—and I can’t protect you in this tiny house if he breaks through the roof. The cellar is reinforced. It’s the best chance.”
Reluctantly, Frank complied.
Despite his stout bulldog shape, I recognized the set of his jaw.
It was pure paternal love, the same expression he’d have worn as a man if I’d told him I needed to handle something alone. My stomach twisted with guilt, but I knew it was necessary.
If something went wrong, at least Dad would be safe.
I lifted the rug, raised the hatch, and yanked open the heavy door, exposing wooden steps that led down into the darkness.
Frank padded onto them, descending with a wary look over his shoulder.
My heart squeezed.
“I’ll come get you soon,” I promised, hating the tremor in my voice.
He barked once, telling me to be careful. Then I gently closed the hatch behind him, sliding the metal bolt with a decisive click and putting the rug back.
I rose to my feet, brushing dust off my hands. Before I could turn, the kitchen door burst open. Twobble barged in, shoulder-first, reminding me how broad and solid a goblin could be despite his diminutive height.
The wind gusted through the doorway with a spray of snow, and in the flickering light, I saw deep concern etched on his usually smug features.
“Maeve,” he gasped, slamming the door shut behind him, “we have a problem.”
A hysterical laugh bubbled in my throat, but I forced it down.
We have a problem, indeed.
“I know,” I said, wiping sweaty palms on my jeans. “I just put Frank in the cellar. I sent out a call for Nova.”
Twobble’s ears twitched; he habitually flicked them when distressed.
“Nova might not get here in time,” he warned. “And that’s not the only issue. It’s time for you to head to the Academy.”
“Not,” I snapped. Blood pounded in my ears as I crossed to him. “I’m not running for shelter just because times are tough.”
His expression darkened.
“Times are about to get real tough,” he said grimly. “That monstrous wolf outside? It’s not just some random creature. It’s—”
“I know who it is,” I cut in, voice shaking with anger I could hardly contain. “My grandfather. Possibly aided by Gideon, or manipulated by him. Or maybe just as wicked on his own.”
My breath hitched. Saying those words made me ill.
I’d never met him but heard enough of the stories.
“But I won’t run, Twobble. This is my cottage. I’ll protect it.”
“Technically…”
“Not now, Twobble.”
He took a deep, steadying breath, glancing at the ceiling as thumps echoed from the roof above. The lights flickered ominously.
“Maeve, Stonewick is bigger than your cottage, this Ward. If your grandfather is truly allied with Gideon, you don’t stand a chance alone. The Academy is protected in ways you can’t begin to comprehend. That’s your only safe option. If one Ward falls, others will rise.”
For those words to fall out of Twobble’s mouth meant something I didn’t want to face.
His duty was to protect the cottage.
He knew the cottage might fall.
So now he was trying to protect me.
This wasn’t protocol. I didn’t know what it was.
I tensed, ready to protest again, but a piercing screech from outside shattered the conversation. It crawled up my spine like nails on a chalkboard.
My knees wobbled, and Twobble winced, pressing his hands to his sensitive goblin ears.
The next thing I knew, my feet were moving of their own accord.
I crossed to the window, heart hammering, and pulled back the curtain just enough to see outside. The snowy darkness greeted me, lit only by a single lantern near the porch. But beyond that circle of light, a shape prowled through the trees—large, powerful, radiating menace.
Him.
I sucked in a sharp breath.
The shape moved into the dim glow, revealing a massive wolf with dark fur that seemed to blend into the sky. Only the gleaming intensity of its eyes stood out—eyes that zeroed in on me like a hawk locking onto prey.
My grandfather.
The words hammered inside my skull, and my hands tightened around the windowsill.
“You will not breach the Stone Ward,” I whispered fiercely, voice hushed enough that Twobble might not catch its tremor.
But I knew, with a sick sense of certainty, that my grandfather wasn’t merely testing Wards. If he was here, it meant he believed he could break them. Or at least push me to surrender.
A flicker of movement made me realize he’d turned his head, muzzle lifting in a silent challenge. Then, sensing my gaze, he snapped his attention back toward the cottage.
Even from this distance, I saw the reflection of his eyes, two points of silver light. They held intelligence, cruelty, and a hint of mockery.
Like he was taunting me.
I know you see me. Now what?
“No,” I breathed, pressing a palm to the cold glass. “You won’t break Stonewick’s Wards, you won’t break the Academy, and you definitely won’t break me. I won’t allow it.”
Yet the weight of fear refused to let me stand tall. At best, I was a novice witch trying to hold off one of the most fearsome shifters our lineage had ever produced.
Twobble placed a hand on my shoulder, his voice low with urgency.
“Maeve, your best bet is to leave. Now. If you stay, your grandfather might tear this place apart to get to you.”
“He can try,” I muttered, though my stomach clenched. “I won’t run. I’m not leaving my dad and not turning my back on the town like my mother did.”
Another ear-splitting screech tore through the night, making the glass quiver.
My breath caught in my throat. Karvey must be confronting him. The gargoyle’s roars or scrapes might be part of that unholy noise.
But it didn’t sound like Karvey was winning.
“Maeve.” Twobble’s voice lost some of its customary sarcasm. He sounded sincerely afraid. “If your grandfather’s colluding with Gideon, it isn’t just about your father or these Wards. It’s about all of Stonewick. Gideon would love to see you stumble, especially now that the Academy stirs. You’re the biggest threat to his control.”
My gaze flicked to the cellar hatch where Frank waited. If the roof caved in and walls were torn asunder, he’d have some protection. But Twobble was right about one thing.
I wasn’t prepared to battle an entire clan or Gideon’s manipulations. The Academy’s Wards might shield me from direct assault— if I let them.
But the idea of scurrying off in fear burned my pride.
I’d always told myself I was made of sterner stuff and wouldn’t fold when Stonewick needed me.
“Let him come,” I said as my stomach churned. “If he dares.”
Twobble exhaled a long breath, looking as though he wanted to knock some sense into me.
“I hope you realize,” he said quietly, “how badly outmatched you might be.”
I gave a stiff nod.
I wasn’t in denial about it.
But something in me refused to leave, to abandon my last bastion of family. This cottage, Dad in the cellar, the memory of Celeste drifting around me— I deserved to fight for what was mine and right.
A low growl penetrated the walls, sending a thrill of terror up my spine. My feet twitched, and Twobble cowered. The lights flickered again, and for a terrifying second, I thought everything would go dark. The moment passed, but the tension only grew.
My heart hammered so loudly I could barely think over its drumming.
In a moment of desperate bravado, I turned back to the window. Through the swirling snow, I glimpsed the wolf creeping closer, pausing at the edge of the woods.
He lifted his muzzle, lips peeled back in a silent snarl to show his red gums.
“You will not breach the Stone Ward, Grandfather ,” I hissed, pressing a hand to the glass. “I forbid it.”
As if he heard me, those gleaming eyes fixed on mine.
A cold wave of dread slid through me. This wasn’t a mindless beast.
It was a cunning predator with a vendetta. He had come to show me how little my words meant or how powerless I truly was. Maybe he sought to claim me for Gideon’s cause or to snuff out my potential before the Academy could rally.
Either way, it was a challenge I accepted.
Twobble made a strangled sound in his throat. “Maeve… don’t provoke him.”
I stiffened.
In truth, I felt more helpless than I ever had. But I’d be damned if I let that show on my face, not when my father’s entire life had been spent defying this clan. So be it if I was all that stood between Stonewick and a rampaging alpha-wolf. My breath came in ragged bursts.
Darkness pressed against the windows like a living thing, and the screeching outside ramped up, morphing into an unearthly roar.
My ears throbbed.
Twobble grabbed my arm, pulling me from the glass with surprising strength.
He pointed at the door, eyes fierce.
“I’m not letting you face him alone. But if we don’t move fast, he’ll tear down your Ward, gargoyles, and roof in seconds.”
“I can’t just leave my father,” I insisted, voice breaking. “He’s in the cellar. If the house collapses—”
Twobble’s gaze flicked to the hatch, then to me.
His lips thinned. “We’ll get him. But this is bigger than a single cottage. If that wolf is out there, biding his time, it won’t stop here. He might tear through Stonewick next. Do you want that on your conscience?”
Tears pricked at my eyes.
I shook my head, both in denial and despair. My nails bit into my palms. I was short on time, allies, and magical expertise.
The Academy hovered in my mind like a great fortress, Wards unyielding. Would it truly protect me from my grandfather? From Gideon? Or was that an illusion?
Without warning, the entire house shuddered.
Books and knick-knacks tumbled off shelves, and Twobble lost his footing, hitting the floor with a startled yelp.
I staggered, grasping at the wall for support.
He’s attacking the roof.
The next blow might tear it straight off.
I grabbed Twobble by the elbow, hauling him upright. My instincts screamed to check on Frank, to run to the hatch. But if we stayed, we might not survive the next wave. I clenched my teeth so hard my jaw ached.
A final, blood-chilling screech echoed from outside, as though my grandfather was calling me out. I half-expected an entire pack to materialize from the swirling snow.
Twobble’s frantic whisper cut through my paralysis. “Maeve, decide ! Do we stay or go? Because that roof might come down on our heads any second.”
I heard a savage growl from just outside the front door. My breath stalled. My knees wanted to buckle.
In trouble, I’d told Nova mentally.
That was an understatement.
Clenching my jaw, I forced my gaze to the window again.
The wolf prowled near the porch now, a colossal shadow weaving in the darkness. His eyes flicked upward, toward the roof’s peak where Karvey presumably fought. Then, as if sensing my attention, he glanced through the window again and locked eyes with me in a deliberate, haunting stare.
Everything inside me froze.
You will not breach the Stone Ward, Grandfather, I’d said. But did I truly believe that? Because the look in his eyes spoke of an ancient anger, an unbroken will. He had undone my father. Was I next? Did he just want to stop his lineage because he had someone else in mind?
The tension in the air was at a breaking point, the moment where either fight or flight would decide the outcome.
And in that heart-thumping second, I realized how badly outmatched I might be.
My gaze darted to Twobble’s, meeting his pleading stare. Times are about to get real tough , he’d said. He wasn’t wrong. Outside, a savage growl reverberated through the walls, rattling pictures from their hooks. Splinters of wood rained from the ceiling.
I fought back the urge to scream.
My fists clenched. “I—” But the words failed me.
Adrenaline surged, the roar of blood in my ears drowning out any rational thought.
The front window cracked in a spiderweb pattern before shattering, and the wind rushed in, carrying snow and the rank scent of something primal.
I stepped back, trembling as a jagged shape of muzzle and claws tested the barrier.
Twobble bared his teeth in a silent snarl—rare for him, but it spoke volumes of his fear and determination.
“You will break if you stay,” my grandfather’s eyes seemed to say from beyond the glass. The corners of his muzzle curled in an animal grin, mocking my Stone Ward. But I believed in it.
Nausea twisted my gut.
Panic flared, warring with fury.
I wouldn’t let him take me, let him destroy my father’s sacrifice or Celeste’s chance at a legacy free from clan tyranny.
And at that moment, I realized there was no time left for debate. My next breath came in short, panicked gasps. Above us, the roof groaned dangerously. The Ward hissed around the edges of the breach, sparks dancing in the swirling wind.
Grandfather’s eyes… they seemed to glow with triumph.
My heart thundered a single thought:
I must save Dad—and myself. Or lose everything.
More glass shattered.
I flung my arms against the shards as the gargoyles attacked my grandfather.
Twobble shouted, and the freezing wind howled into my living room.
The wolf’s glare pinned me, every hair on his muzzle standing on end, jaws parted in a silent challenge.
But the gargoyles gave me the courage I needed to stay and fight.
I stumbled back, tasting fear and hearing Twobble’s ragged breath.
I lifted my gaze to meet the wolf’s one last time. I won’t let you break me, I thought fiercely. I don’t care if you’re my grandfather.
And the night collapsed into chaos.