I didn't have any weapons with me save for just a butter knife, but I picked it regardless as I walked to the door. If the knife didn't work out I would use my teeth and fingers, but I wouldn't go down without a fight.Common sense screamed at me to stay away from the door, to call for help. But common sense wasn't my strong suit. Lila, with her holier-than-thou attitude, had a way of reminding me of that. I looked down and the shadow was still there. What were they waiting for? Who could they be? From the shadow I could see it was only one person. I could take out one person. I placed my hand on the door knob and took a deep breath, preparing myself. I swinged open the door, and I lunged forward, knife poised, ready to strike. But then I saw who it was, and my attack faltered. I stumbled, losing my balance in my sudden halt, and braced for the inevitable fall. But it never came. Strong arms caught me before I hit the ground. Rowan held me before I could fall, his arms wrapped
The whole pack gathered at the common room. The children and the ones who couldn't fight were in a safe room in the basement where nobody could get in except it was open from the inside. And now we stood with weapons on our sides and armors fastened on our chest, arms and knees—honestly the armor part felt like we were transported to the eighties. But as long as it protects us, who was complaining? A sword—again, feel like the eighties—was stripped to my hip, two daggers on my boots, a gun at my side—I felt so badass. Rowan cleared his throat and the hall fell quiet. He was dressed in an all black leather, his hair pulled from his face and two swords, larger than mine, stripped to his back. He looked like a really hot assassin. Joseph was standing beside him. Also in all black but no weapon was on him. "Pack members!" Rowan started, his voice resonating in the hall. "Today, we stand on the brink of battle, united as one. Our home is
"Lilith, no!" I shouted for her to come back but she was already charging towards the gigantic figure at the center of the field, who was cutting down people as though they were sheeps. Goddess, he was huge. I lunged towards Lilith, desperate to pull her away from that man. There was no chance we could stand against him, let alone Lilith alone. But a wall of wolves and humans blocked my path, trapping me in a desperate helplessness. The more I kill, the more they keep coming. "You monster!" I heard Lilith shout as she got close to Darius who didn't even look in her direction. Yes, that's good. Ignore her. "Rowan! Joseph!" I shouted, trying to see if I could get their attention. I haven't gotten any luck with my own battle and Lilith was getting close to Darius. I was thrown off my feet, tumbling forward. I instinctively braced myself, but the impact still sent me sprawling face-first onto the cold earth. I tried t
In a softly lit room, I sat on a chair, my legs dangling off it, my mother standing behind me, gently combing through my long hair. The rhythmic sound of the brush gliding through strands filled the silence. "Sweetheart," my mother began, her voice calm yet tinged with sadness, "I need to tell you something important. Your future is going to be incredible, but it won’t always be easy." I looked at my reflection, curious but trusting. "What do you mean?" My mother paused, gathering her thoughts. "You’ll face challenges, times when you feel alone. And I’m afraid I won’t always be there to help you through it." My brow furrowed, the weight of my mother’s words sinking in. "But… I don’t want you to go." "I know, my love," my mother replied, her voice thick with emotion. "And I’m so sorry for that. But you are stronger than you think. You’ll find a way to rise above it all." I nodded slowly. "I
It was dark in the cell, so I couldn't see Darius face where I sat. I stood up slowly and made my way to the front, all the while I felt his eyes on me and I wanted to crawl out of my skin. I stopped a few feets away from the door and what I saw made my breath hitch. His black hair, thick and glossy, cascaded in waves past his shoulders, framing a face that was both striking and enigmatic. His nose, perfectly straight and sculpted, added to the sharp angles of his features. A smirk played on his lips. But it wasn't his sculpted features that made me pause, it was his eyes. His eyes were a captivating contradiction, a mesmerizing blend of emerald and sapphire. His left eye, a vibrant green, held a depth that seemed to draw you in, while his right eye, a piercing blue, radiated an intensity that was both alluring and unsettling. Darius was ridiculously good looking. And he's soon tall! Like a human walking
RAVENNA POV I paced the small length of my cell, trying to figure out my next move. I had to find a way out of here, and soon. Goddess only knows what that monster has planned for me. So far he hasn't made any attempts to kill me and I haven't seen him since he showed himself yesterday. After he left I was brought food and water. I had been resistant at first to eat the food, fearing it might be poisoned, but Darius wouldn't just bring me here to kill me with poison. That would be too easy for him. And I needed my strength. So I ate the food. I used the remaining water to clean the blood out of my body. I had tried to talk to the servants when they came to take out the plates but they didn't respond. And that was yesterday. I hadn't gotten any visitors today. And now all I could do was think. Why did Darius bring me here? Why didn't he just kill me? What was he playing at? I had so many questions, and only the man could answer them. I just had to wait. He would come back aga
DARIUS POV "What are you doing, Darius?" Lucian asked as soon as we entered my office. "Hmm?" I murmured, pouring a drink. Sipping slowly, I watched Lucian's clenched jaw and fist. I relished his agitation. "What was that about?" he asked through clenched teeth. "A game? That is not a game, you stupid bastard. That is just stupid. You underestimated her once before and you're clearly doing it again. Kill her or don't, but just be done with her." "No," was all I said, and Lucian snapped. He walked to me, snatched my drink, hurling it against the wall. Liquor and shattered glass cascaded down. "You just wasted good liquor," I said. Lucian's chest was rising hard. Oh, he was pissed. "Did you see how she got a rise from you down there?" he asked, his voice trembling with barely contained anger. "You don't get pissed no matter what people say. But you were barely containing your anger back there. She will continue to get a rise out of you, and then one day you'll slip an
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 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