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 tDARIUS POV The emotions that were surging through me were foreign—passion, fear, desire, anticipation, nervousness, exhilaration, ecstasy, and so much goddamned love I felt like it was going to choke me. All for this woman.Without warning I stood up, taking Ravenna with me and she yelped in surprise."A little warning next time, you bastard!" she yelled, holding on to my shoulders and I walked to where her clothes were."I'm too far gone for that, my love." And it was the truth. I was clouded with lust and love and I just wanted to take her right here and now, but I couldn't. I won't. She should be treated special.I dressed Ravenna, my hands moving fast and urgent despite her grumbling at me that she could dress herself. I didn't listen. Soon she was fully clothed and I lifted her again to my arms and walked to the pack house. It took all my willpower not to run.
RAVENNA POV I was still high from having one of the most soul snatching orgasm of my life—even though it has only been a few—when Darius said he was going to fuck me. I was immediately thrown off that high. I rested my weight on my elbows and sat up to look at Darius. He towered over me, looking like a naked Greek god in all his glory. His body was still wet from the shower, his hair dripping water down his shoulders. God, he was so ripped. He looked like an angry Greek god, not Apollo with his golden beauty, but more like Ares, the god of war, with muscles that seemed carved from stone. I trailed my eyes over his wonderful body and my eyes fell to his dick that was already standing erect, pointing towards his stomach.I didn't know much about men and their organs, but I knew it was supposed to take a little time for men to get hard again after they just climaxed. But I guess
RAVENNA POV The sharp pain of the bite made me gasp, but it was nothing compared to the rush that followed. My body went wild with sensation—heat, pleasure, a surge of power coursing through my veins as his bite anchored us together, deeper than just flesh. My wolf howled in response, a wild, primal sound that filled my chest, and I felt Darius’s wolf rise to meet mine, both of us on the edge of something beyond human.Every part of me seemed to burn with the intensity of the moment, our bodies moving together in perfect sync, the pressure building, overwhelming. I could feel his heartbeat, the rhythm of his breath, the very pulse of his being merging with mine. It was a union of more than just bodies—it was the joining of our souls.As the final wave of pressure built, our wolves collided, our bodies responding, and the bond between us snapped into place. The pleasure hit like a tidal
DARIUS POV I could feel my pack's happiness as if it was my own. It was pulsing in the air, beating around me, making my throat tightened and my eyes prickled. Ravenna might have once been an outsider to them but at one point they had taken her as their own even if they didn't show it. And I knew now they wouldn't have a problem with Ravenna being their luna. Except…I looked around the hall and my eyes met Lucian's. He held my gaze, his expression unreadable, but then he dipped his head ever so slightly.The relief that flooded me was strong. I haven't lost my friend. He was still here. I dipped my head in return and he broke eye contact. The cheers continued, growing louder with each passing beat. After my mother died I have never known true happiness. I had forgotten what it felt like, how it tastes, and what it does to your heart. If this feeling that was sq
DARIUS POV Later that night I lay with Ravenna beside me, her head resting on my bicep, her hand stroking my chest lazily.Despite the fact that we've gone another round after we came back to our room none of us could sleep. Thoughts come and go in my head, pushing sleep away anytime it comes near. I'm sure the same went for Ravenna.So we just laid there, content to be in each other's arms. My hand went to her belly where I just drew lazy circles, before they went up to her chest. Since none of us could sleep maybe we cou–My hand touched a rough skin on her chest, just below her breast and paused there. I trailed my fingers there and she shuddered.The few times I had seen her naked I was either consumed by lust or fear, so my head was far from me. But now that none of those things were clouding my senses I could think straight."This is an interesting scar," I said softly, my finger Ms trail
RAVENNA POV A jolt that shot through me was sharp and sudden, like the shock of touching a live wire with wet hands. The eyes staring back at me looked familiar because they looked like mine. The same shade of gray, like a stormcloud. I broke eye contact to look at the other features and my breath hitched. "What the hell?" I whispered to myself. That finally got Mia's attention. She stopped bubbling about jewels and turned to look at me. "Are you o–" Her voice cut off and I'm sure she was looking at the same person. "What... " The man standing a few feets away from me, looking intensely at me, was like a mirror I was standing in front of. Except the reflection in the mirror was male, six-foot-something tall, broad, and striking handsome. We shared the same silver hair, though his was cropped short, skimming his jawli
DARIUS POV I wanted to drag this Dalian away from my mate. Him holding her filled my tongue with the bitter taste of jealousy, tightened my chest to the brutal feeling of possessiveness.I wanted to be the one holding her, confronting her while she broke down. I wanted to be the one kissing her hair, whispering words to her. Even though this man claimed to be my woman's brother I still wanted to kill him for touching her. Nobody should touch my mate but me. My wolf seems to agree with that because he was becoming restless, already rising to the edge.I felt a small, warm hand on my arm but I still didn't look away from Ravenna. "Come on, big guy," Mia said softly. "Give them space. They both need it." I clenched my jaw so hard I could hear my teeth grounding. "No.""Don't be like that, Darius," she persisted. "She had just found out that she has a family out there. She has a grandmother who loves her, and a twin who came for her. Don't you think she'll need time to be with him?"W
RAVENNA POV When I had finally managed to pull myself together, Dalian pulled away and held my face, a small smile on his face. "It's still looking at a female version of myself," he said softly, brushing a lock of hair out of my face.I scoffed. "I said the same thing." "Grandmother had said we would be identical twins but Mother didn't believe her. She said we looked nothing alike when we were still infants and so we would grow to have different looks." "What was she like?" I asked. "Mother." That sadness returned to Dalian's eyes and he pulled me into his arms again. "She was a wonderful woman. She was soft but tough when she wanted to be. She trained some of the best warriors in our tribe. She was well respected and loved. If she lived to grow old she would have become one of our tribe's elders. Half of our tribe even voted her to be our leader but she wanted nothing to do with that life." "How…" I swallowed. "How was she killed?"Dalian's arms tightened around me and he too
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