The sound of the door opening startled me awake. I hurried out of bed, making sure not to let the towel wrapped around me slip.
It won't do well to fight naked.There was no weapon in the room, not even an object I could use as a weapon so I'll make do with my nails and teeth.It was completely dark in the room so I couldn't see who entered.I kept my feets quiet as I walked to the figure I could make out in the dark. The person looked small though.I was ready to leap at the intruder when the lights suddenly turned on. The brightness made me squint, and it took a moment for my eyes to adjust.When I finally could see, a petite middle-aged woman stood before me with her hands on her hips.She watched me with a scowl on her face. "What were you doing?" she asked, her voice harsher than she looks.I scratched the back of my head, my face burning with shame. "I ehn… I thought someone was going to attack me." <DARIUS POV She was beautiful. The darkness of the cell had hidden her, but now, bathed in light and cleansed of the blood, her beauty shone forth. Beautiful was too small a word to describe her: she was breathtaking. Her silver hair, now cleansed of the crimson stain, shimmered with an almost otherworldly radiance, each strand catching the light and reflecting it back with a brilliance that seemed to defy her age. Her olive skin, fresh and vibrant, glowed with a healthy luminescence, as if she had just emerged from a refreshing dip in a cool spring, the water leaving behind a dewy sheen. And her eyes... those piercing gray eyes, they burned with an intensity that was both captivating and unsettling, a fire that seemed to demand attention, a fire I found myself inexplicably drawn to, a fire I longed to quench. Her delicate features belied a strength I knew she possessed. The thought of her wielding a sword see
RAVENNA POV "How long have you been watching me?" I asked, my voice hard. "Not long enough," Lucian replied, his voice devoid of any emotion. "You're trying to learn my fighting methods and then what? Run off and tell your boss?" This new side of me was new. I usually don't taunt people like this. Hell, I don't even talk to people. But something about these people just gets on my nerves. Probably everything about them.A muscle on Lucian's jaw tick. "Why are you training alone?" he asked instead. I shrugged. "Nobody seems to even notice my presence here. I can't just walk up to someone and say 'Hey, let's spar." "You can actually," Lucian said, his face and voice expressionless. "This is a training session, and I’m the one in charge. While you’re part of this pack and want to train, you’ll answer to me. Clear?"I hated him. "Crystal." "You already know my name. Can I have yours?" S
RAVENNA POV "It's nothing to worry yourself about," Mia said as she resumed eating. "Of course it is," I said. "They just gave me a warning. I don't know you well but I'm already looking forward to hanging out with you." Mia finally raised her head and met my gaze, her face unreadable before she signed and put down her fork. "My father was a traitor to the pack," she began, her hand trembling slightly. "He made a deal with the Blood Moon Clan, promising them information about our territory in exchange for power. He thought he could outsmart everyone and elevate our family’s status."My heart sank. “What happened?”Mia’s gaze dropped back to her plate. "He was caught. The Alpha had no choice but to execute him in front of the entire pack. It was brutal. His betrayal weakened our defenses, and several of our members were killed as a result of his actions." My brow furrowed. "And now they blame you?""Exa
DARIUS POVI leaned against the doorframe of my office, my gaze fixed on the trees outside. A knock at my door pulled my focus away. "Enter," I called out. The door opened and Silver Wisp—I still didn't know her name—entered. She was a mess—covered in dirt and grime from her relentless training—but there was an undeniable beauty in her determination. Her gray eyes, sharp and defiant, reflected a spirit that intrigued me more than I cared to admit.She stood with her arms crossed and we held eye contact. To be honest, I didn't have a good reason for calling her to my office. I had been watching her train for days. Lucian had been doing the same. He reported that she wasn't as skilled as I thought, that I had underestimated her that day in the battlefield. But I doubted that. She was skilled. I knew that. I pushed myself away from the frame and stepped closer, my presence casting a s
RAVENNA POV My heart wouldn't stop beating like crazy. It's pounding so furiously in my chest, I think it might break through my rids.What the hell had happened back there? I lifted my hand to my cheek where his finger had brushed. I still felt the warmth of that little touch. The fluttering in my stomach was a betrayal. It shouldn't be there, a silly, childish reaction to a simple memory. But the way his eyes had darkened, the way his gaze had lingered on me, as if he were drinking in the scent of my hair... It was intoxicating. I'm not supposed to feel those things. He's the enemy. The enemy I'm planning to kill. The enemy that killed Lilith. That was the reminder I had needed to get back on track. My heart finally started beating normal as I felt my resolve build back up and this time five times stronger.I entered my room to find Mia lying on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. She jumpe
DARIUS POVRavenna watched me with her eyes hard. Now, that fire was back and it burned ten times hotter. "You're shitting me, Darius," she said. Even though I could feel the anger coming off her in waves, her voice was steady. I shook my head. "I shit you not." I haven't planned for the fight to be today. I haven't even planned to see her in the dining hall. I wanted to leave my office for a while. To see my pack and be around them. It was dinner time so I knew the majority of the pack would be here. I had entered the hall and like a magnet to metal I had found her immediately. And it seems she and Mia were getting bullied. So I had walked to her but then I had seen the fire in her eyes as she faced the girls and something had just snapped. So tonight we will have our first fight. Was I playing fair? Hell no. But I wasn't known to be fair. She was exhausted. That much was written all over
RAVENNA POV "Give me one of your most prized possessions. Something you value dearly. And do not just give me just anything and say it's prized, I would know if you're deceiving me." There was no way in hell I would know if he was deceiving me but Darius didn't have to know that. Why was I asking for his most prized possession, you may ask. It was a simple petty answer. I wanted Darius to hurt. My father had once owned a ring. It was given to him by my mother. He loved that ring more than he loved his own pack. When my mother died he used it to remember her. And then he had lost the ring during a trip. And the only time I had seen my father that heartbroken was when my mother died. Losing that ring had broken him finally. So if Darius had a prized possession like that, giving it up would hurt him, no matter how cold his heart was. It was just a gamble. I didn't know if this man could hold anything close to his heart. But it seems he did because his eyes darkened. "Ask for som
DARIUS POVRavenna was staring at me like she wanted to see my head on a spike, her eyes blazing with the fury of a thousand storms. That was normal though. But what wasn't normal were the tears in her eyes and how badly she was trembling. But that didn't surprise me. What surprise me was how my chest tightened at the sight of her tears. What surprised me was my wolf whining. What was wrong with the both of us? Just last night I had fantasies of ways I was going to cause her pain. Fantasizing of how I was going to kill her. Yet here I was, just wanting to draw me into my arms and kill whoever caused her pain. "You bastard," Ravenna growled, hitting my chest forcefully. I was caught off guard so I stumbled back a few steps. I guess I'm the one I was going to kill then. "You cruel, evil, vile bastard." She kept hurtling the insults at me as she smacked my chest. I watched her, for once in my life speechless. "I am going to kill you! I am going to kill you ever so slowly.""Raven
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