RAVENNA POV
The burning consumed me, filled my whole body. It was all I could feel. A searing, all-consuming burn. It wasn’t just pain anymore. It was fire.My chest flared with a heat so intense, I thought my skin would melt away. The scar pulsed, a dark energy seeping through it, crawling under my skin, making it feel like my body was being torn apart, shredded by invisible claws.Every muscle, every nerve, every fiber screamed in agony as the burn spread outward, clawing its way across my body.I screamed.It wasn’t human. The sound that ripped from my throat was raw, guttural, something primal—like an animal caught in a trap.I reached for my chest, my fingers trembling, but the pain was too much. It was too much. My hands trembled. My body trembled. My whole soul goddamned trembled.And through it, through the chaos in my mind, I heard Darius’ voice."RavennaDARIUS POV I rested my head on the wall and stared down at Ravenna's sleeping face. She had lost consciousness before those words had even been completed.I had driven us back to the hotel, cleaned her and put her in bed. Despite her body being naked, no desire had sparked in me. The fear I had felt from that clearing still clung to me brutally. I had never known true fear in my life until that moment. At first I didn't know what was happening until I heard her bones snapped and her claws lengthened. The fear had taken root then. Shifting for the first time was brutal, painful. Some didn't come out of it. Some get lost to their wolves and animal instincts take over their humanity. Pups were prepared from birth for their shifting. But I knew there hadn't been any preparation for Ravenna. If I was assuming correctly she was born without a wolf. But that… that was
RAVENNA POV Darius was my mate. Mine.God, was this real? I kissed him with the urgency of someone on the brink of death, my arms clinging to him as though, if I let go even slightly, he would vanish from my grasp.When I had woken up and didn't find him, panic had seized me. I thought that maybe he had finally come to his senses and didn't want me anymore and had left. I was ready to drive back to his territory and beg him, slap him, kiss him. And that ache in my chest had only made matters worse. It had throbbed and then I became restless, like I wanted to leave this room. And when Darius had come back it had faded. And now I understood what it was. It was our mate bond. Even though we hadn't bonded yet, it was still there. Strong. And I knew that was how Darius had found me. I broke away from the kiss to breathe, placing my head
RAVENNA POV I felt hot everywhere, but it wasn't the type of hot that burned, it was the type of hot that gave me pleasure. "Darius," I moaned my mate's name as his finger moved in and out for me, his tongue circling my nipples before he bit down gently on it. "Fuck!" I felt that presence in my mind again, and I now knew it was my wolf. My wolf. God, I really did have a wolf. I shifted. How was that possible?I cried out when Darius added a second finger, stretching me wild.I looked down at him to see him watching me, his eyes glowing. His wolf was at the edge. Mine was too. "I want all your full attention on me, my love, when my fingers fuck your cunt," he growled, his voice thick and husky. My hands clenched tight around the blanket when his fingers increased their pace. I kept my eyes on him, not daring to look away or even clos
RAVENNA POV All thoughts of sleep were abandoned and I sat up and looked down on Darius’ face which was illustrated by just the moonlight shining through the window.A day ago I wouldn't have been able to see him so clearly in the dim light but now I could. Because I shifted. I was a wolf. Someone had locked my wolf before I could shift."How do you know that?" I asked, my voice low.Darius still remained on back, his hands folded behind his head. His biceps bulge with that position. His wild chest was in full display. I could see curls of black hair on his chest. He looked so good, so goddamned hot. I wanted to lean in and kiss his nipples, then trail my lips down to his navel and then I wo—"It's just a theory," Darius answered, his eyes gleaming, a smirk on his face. Right. Back to the matter at hand. I cleared my throat. "Tell me about this your theory."Darius unfolded his arms before he spread them. An invitation to go back to my previous position. I rolled my eyes before I
RAVENNA POV All thoughts of sleep were abandoned and I sat up and looked down on Darius’ face which was illustrated by just the moonlight shining through the window. A day ago I wouldn't have been able to see him so clearly in the dim light but now I could. Because I shifted. I was a wolf. Someone had locked my wolf before I could shift. "How do you know that?" I asked, my voice low. Darius still remained on back, his hands folded behind his head. His biceps bulge with that position. His wild chest was in full display. I could see curls of black hair on his chest. He looked so good, so goddamned hot. I wanted to lean in and kiss his nipples, then trail my lips down to his navel and then I wo— "It's just a theory," Darius answered, his eyes gleaming, a smirk on his face. Right. Back to the matter at hand. I cleared my throat. "Tell me about this your theory." Darius unfolded his arms before he spread them. An invitation to go back to my previous position. I rolled my eyes
DARIUS POV I stopped in Ravenna's room to drop her bag before I climbed up to my room, feeling wary down to my bones.Lucian was waiting outside my door. Perfect. I nodded in greeting as I passed him and entered my room. "Come in, Lucian." The door clicked softly as he closed it. I walked to my coffee table and poured myself a glass of brandy, downing it in one go, the familiar burn smoothing some of my nerves. I sighed deeply as I ran my hand through my hair, feeling the weariness set deep into my bones. Now that Ravenna was safe in my territory some of the tension left my body, and in their place tiredness entered. She was safe now, but for how long?"You don't look good," Lucian commented, sitting on the chair beside me. "I don't feel good," I answered. I leaned back on my chair and refilled my glass, sipping this one slowly. Lucian said nothing and just waited."Ravenna shifted," I said. Lucian just hummed and said nothing so I continued. "She's a Lupinari." I looked at him
RAVENNA POV After breakfast Darius had walked up to me in the dining hall, kissed me until I was lightheaded in front of his pack and then told me to meet him in the woods an hour later.So here I was, walking towards the woods, my fingers tracing my lips, and a full bloom smile on my face. If anybody saw me now they would immediately know I was a love sick idiot.I couldn't help myself if I tried.It was the way he had kissed me in front of those many people as if letting them all know who I belonged to. And it hasn't been a light kiss. It was a wild kiss that had my panties soaked. If I had my way I wouldn't take my hands off Darius."You're looking like a lovesick dreamer," says the voice of my fantasising.I stopped walking and saw that Darius was in front of me. I looked around and I was already in the woods. When have I gotten here? I looked back at Darius, w
RAVENNA POV I could feel the shift tearing through me, my bones bending, about to snap. Despite the pain I was in, I was still fascinated by the shift.The way my bones bend and snap but they don't break. The way my body stretches and bends. It was fascinating and it was terrifying.The pain increased as the shift began to tear through. I cried out, trying to contain the pain. Darius’ voice cut through the haze. "Keep breathing. Breathe through it. You can do this."I clenched my jaw, focusing on my breathing, trying to steady myself. The leash he had spoken of—it was there. I could feel it, like a thin thread tethering me to my human side. Every part of me screamed to let go, to surrender to the wolf, but I fought it. I couldn’t let her win.The first bone snapped, the second crack coming faster. My hands clenched into fists as my nails elongated, sharp and dangerous. My body t
DARIUS POV THREE YEARS LATER "Jasper, come back here right this instant!" Ravenna yelled, her hands on her hips.Jasper giggled and ran towards me, his arms raised. I picked him up with a laugh and looked over at Ravenna."Bring him here," she commanded."No, daddy! Don't!" Jasper shouted as I carried him towards his mother, fighting against me with his little hands."Sorry, buddy," I said as I handed him to Ravenna. "Your mother is scary when she's angry." Said mother rolled her eyes and carried Jasper back into the bathroom where she was trying to bathe him before he all but ran out naked. Something nudged my leg and I looked down. A smile spread across my face as I picked up my little girl. "Morning, angel," I said softly as I pressed a kiss on her forehead."Jasper is making trouble again, isn't he?" Juniper asked, rubbing her sleepy eyes.Unlike her twin, Juniper was a late raiser, calm where Jasper was restless, silent where Jasper was loud. Yan and yang, these two. "Yeah,
RAVENNA POV I cupped Darius’ face and kissed him harder when he hesitated to kiss me back. After a few moments his tongue slipped into my mouth and he deepened the kiss. He left the ground and climbed into the bed, laying me on my back and he climbed on top of me. He sucked my bottom lips before he bit it gently, causing me to moan. I tugged on his shirt and he broke the kiss to pull it off. He kissed me as he took off his remaining clothes, before he took off mine. His lips trailed down to my nipples but I fisted his hair and dragged his head up so he could look at me. "No time for that. Just fuck me." I wanted to feel him, wanted to feel if this was real. I wanted to know that I wasn't in that cell and this wasn't just a dream. Darius studied me for a while before he kissed me again, softly, and positioned himself on my entrance. He pulled away to look down at me as he pushed slowly inside. The both of us moaned at the same time and I struggled to keep my eyes open. Darius pu
RAVENNA POVRowan had shifted so suddenly, that Darius didn't have time to react. Rowan's massive wolf jaws locked around Darius's hand with a sickening crunch, and the sound of bone breaking sent a ripple of terror through me. My heart stopped as Darius roared, a sharp, agonized cry that echoed in my mind."No!" I screamed, my voice weak but filled with panic. The pain in my shoulder was blinding, and I could barely keep my head up, but the sight of Darius in agony was too much. My body trembled as I tried to push myself up, my hand pressing against the bleeding wound, but I collapsed back down. I was losing blood too fast.Darius was struggling now, his face contorted in pain, and he was trying desperately to pull Rowan off his hand. He pushed and shoved, but the wolf’s hold was relentless. And then, in the blink of an eye, Darius shifted.His body twisted and contorted, bones cracking as they rearranged into his wolf form. I could hardly take a breath as I watched him grow in si
RAVENNA POV I tried to struggle against Rowan but he had a choke hold on me, and he also had strength that I didn't have. That poison was still taking a toll on me and I haven't regained my full strength. Plus, I couldn't feel my wolf. That filled me with so much fear and panic. I had thought after the poison had worn off I would feel her again but I couldn't. Have I lost my wolf again? I wasn't sure I could live with that.But I pushed that to the back of my mind. I couldn't panic now. I had to stay clear headed.Darius was here. My mate was here and Rowan was going to use me as leverage against him before he would kill him. I couldn't let that happen. But no matter how I fought against Rowan he didn't let up.I had bite, and pinch, and stepped on his foot but he remained unfazed as he held me and waited for Darius to come through that door. When he finally did, my knees buckled, but Rowan's hold on me kept me standing.Darius was here, covered in blood, his hair tied up, his han
DARIUS POV The heavy air of the night clung to my skin as we approached the border. Isabelle, still bruised and battered from Mia’s interrogation, shuffled in front of me. Her hands were trembling slightly, and though she kept her gaze fixed ahead, I could tell she was trying to suppress the fear bubbling beneath the surface. But that didn’t matter anymore. We were close.Dalian and Mia flanked her, their eyes scanning the horizon, ever alert. The men I’d brought with me were scattered around the perimeter, watching for any movement, any sign that Rowan's pack had caught wind of our approach."Don't do anything stupid, Isabelle," I warned. "Take down the ward quietly."She nodded shakily before she raised her hands, muttering under her breath. The air around her seemed to warp, a subtle flicker of light shimmering in the distance. I felt the hum of magic in my skin. It felt like something shifting beneath the surface, a barrier dissolving, like a dam giving way to the rushing force
DARIUS POV Mia was right. I was a selfish bastard. I didn't want to face my pain, I didn't want to acknowledge it so I remained in my wolf form where all I could think of was kill. And kill I did. I haunted animals like it was nothing. And any unfortunate human who happens to come across me went down too. I didn't feel guilty about it. I wanted the world to feel my pain. But then sense returned to me when Mia had dared question my love for Ravenna. There was no questioning it, there shouldn't be any doubt. I loved Ravenna more than I loved myself, more than I loved to live. I would have traded my place for her in a blink if I was offered the chance. I would lay my heart in her palms if she asked for it. I would burn the world down for her if that's what she desires. But I needed to save her first before I could prove my love for her. The ward surrounding Rowan's territory was strong. We had tried without success to find a weak point in it and break through it. There wasn't any
RAVENNA POV For the second time in less than a year I found myself in a cell, but this one was cleaner and had more light than the last one. Small mercies. When I woke up, a part of me wished I hadn't. I had felt hollow, my body weighed down by exhaustion, my mind clouded with pain. The poison had worn off, but it felt like something inside me had died with it. My insides hadn't felt right, my head had felt too heavy. I had nearly choked on my vomit until I managed to get up and dragged my body to the bucket at the corner and vomited what should be in the body. I had almost vomited my organs and I had to force them back down. After that I had dragged my body back to the thin mattress. Then the shaking began.I didn't feel cold or anything but I had shook so hard that I feared my bones might snap. I had wanted to scream, to fight, but the silence of the cell had crushed any thoughts of rebellion. I didn't know how but I had managed to fall asleep with the shaking. When I had wok
MIA POV I sat at the edge of the cliff, wiping tears off my eyes. But fresh tears kept replacing them. I couldn't stop crying no matter how hard I tried to stop. My face was puffed up, my eyes were so swollen I could barely see through it, my throat felt like sandpaper. My heart felt like there was a knife in it, twisting everything I breathed. We couldn't find Ravenna. Not even a single trace, not even a wisp of her smell. Nothing! It's like she vanished from existence, and she took a piece of me with her.Even though Ravenna had found her mate and I knew mine was probably out there, she felt like the other piece of my soul. The other half of me. I grew up as an only child. My mother died during childbirth and my father refused to remarry. So I grew up alone, but back then I had Darius and Lucian, along with the pack. Darius and Lucian were fine but I never had that sliding connection with them. But then Ravenna came and I felt it all. I felt more than just siblings' connection
DARIUS POV The poison burned like ice in my veins, draining every ounce of strength I had left. My body trembled under the weight of it, but I refused to go down. I had to protect her. I had to—Another figure lunged at me, their syringe aimed for my neck. I fought with everything I had left, swinging out wildly, but my limbs felt like lead. I caught the man by the wrist and threw him across the battlefield, but before I could recover, two more were on me. They moved with brutal efficiency, and before I could react, their needles found their mark."No..." I gasped, my voice barely a whisper, as the poison spread faster now, flooding through me like a wave of frost.I fought harder, I couldn’t let them take me down, but the world blurred at the edges. My body was slowing, my movements sluggish, like I was moving underwater. I felt like I was sinking into it, and no matter how much I fought, my strength was draining too fast.I wanted to scream for Ravenna but I couldn't. My tongue f