Chapter 5

RAVEN POV

That night, my wolf demanded that I calm down and rethink my decisions. I laid on the bed in the guest room, my heart filled with thoughts and questions.

“Did you not force me to speak those words yesterday?" I asked, a sigh escaping my lips. "We both know I didn’t mean them."

“I know,” my wolf replied calmly. “But I think you should take some time to think before making a decision. Rune is our mate, after all."

What did I want exactly? Did I want a divorce or not? I asked myself this over and over.

 I stood up from the bed and looked at myself in the mirror, staring at the shadow of myself.

Rune had reduced me to a mere figment of what I once was. But he had been my first love. My first everything!

After much thought, I decided to speak with Luna, Rune’s mother.

 She might help me make up my mind and tell me what to do. She was the only woman who cared for me more than even my mother. 

And above all, I knew she would not convince me to make a decision that would harm me. Not even if that decision was not in the best interest of her own son.

After a short bath, I slipped into a knee length dress. I tried to concentrate on the task of getting ready, even though my thoughts were clouded by Lila’s actions. 

Anger crept into my heart, erasing the smile I had managed.

A sudden knock on the door startled me. I expected a maid or a guard, but instead, it was Rune.

I was not expecting him here. What did he want now? 

I stood up and faced him, ready to question him. "What do you want here?"

“I want us to fix this, Raven,” he started, to my surprise. “We can’t possibly get divorced.

 Don’t you understand?

 We were meant for each other. We are fated 

mates."

“That meant nothing to you before. Why should it mean something now?” I snapped back, taking a seat again. 

“What do you want from me this morning? I have a lot to do today.”

It was obvious he didn’t want a divorce. His tone was soft, something that rarely happened. Why was he being so kind all of a sudden? 

What changed?

My thoughts drifted back to when we first met, how we played like kids, and how I fell in love with him. How we vowed to be together. 

And the monster he turned into after we became fated mates.

Rune was saying something, which snapped me out of my thoughts.

“What did you say?” I asked.

“I said that this dress looks perfect on you." He repeated. His eyes roamed my body as he continued. 

"Your sister has a similar one. Raven, you should check what other women wear. 

You always dress like a warrior, not a Luna, but I'm glad you are changing. Wear dresses more often, like your sister.”

“What did you just say?” I asked, slowly getting to my feet. “Who dresses like who, Rune? 

You should be sure of what you say before making conclusions. Get your facts straight."

Rune frowned. "These are facts."

“No. They're lies! Lila is the imposter here!” 

I finally blurted out the thought that had settled in my heart for days. "Do you even know what you’re talking about?” 

I chuckled, hurt that he didn’t know me even after ten years.

“Do you think I didn’t sacrifice to be a future Luna? I sacrificed so much to get here.

 If you don’t know, Lila is the one trying to be like me, trying to dress like me.

 Go into that closet and take a look, Rune.”

“Look,” he stepped closer to me, “I didn’t know. I thought she was teaching you to look good for me, or something, Raven. 

You don’t have to be this mad.”

“I'm not supposed to be angry?” I stood up, facing him.

 “You walk into my room, claim my sister is better than me, show it in the way you treat me, and wonder why I'm mad.

 Is this a joke?"

He stared at me, speechless.

My heart was hurt as I continued. 

"You left me all alone in the hospital while I carry your unborn children, to go frolicking around with my sister. 

You accused me of cheating on a stranger, a stranger who showed me nothing but kindness. What have you not done to me, Rune?"

Rune opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again. My words seemed to have shocked him into silence.

"What good have you done to me since we became mates?" I roared in his face. "You have been emotionally and physically abusive to me!"

“If that is what you want to hear, I’m sorry." He grumbled. Even though he'd apologized, his voice sounded nothing like it.

 "You need to calm down, Raven." He continued gently. "It should not get this bad."

I didn’t respond, instead staring at a point above his head. Anything but to look into the eyes of the man I once loved. 

“I don’t know why you’re so angry every day." He suddenly barked at me.

 "If only you were half as considerate as your sister. She is ten times the woman you will never be!"

Tears rolled down my eyes, on hearing him say those things, I turned to him, my heart pounding with fury. 

And then I blurted out the words.

“I reject you as my mate, Rune!”