/-Declan-/Something terrible was about to happen and I could feel it in my bones. It concerned Raven.I know I wanted to give them a chance at a fair trial, but hurting my mate was not part of the bargain. They had no right to touch even a hair on her head. I called Tim through the mind link to come with men. I felt a little too weak to break myself out through those iron bars. In what seemed like thirty minutes, I heard grunts outside and soon Tim appeared in the dark hallway with the keys to my cell. He opened it and I immediately sped past him to look for Raven. I tracked her to a room where I had no idea what was going on. I kicked it open immediately and the sight before me rendered me speechless. Raven was on the bed, pale and naked. She looked almost lifeless and Azaiah was sitting on top of her with a blade in his hand. A strange woman was also present, muttering some incantations and Nile was the one who moved to stop us.“What are you doing here? You shouldn't be here…”
/-LISA-/“Othelia,” I muttered, “What a pleasant surprise.” She didn't return my smile. Her eyes were ice cold as she glared at me. “Calm down, Lia. Whatever you think she did, she didn't do it,” Francesca said and Othelia raised a brow in confusion. “What are you talking about?” She asked, eyeing me suspiciously. “What did this snake tell you?” Snake? Wow! I couldn't even get mad at her because I was indeed a snake and it was all for the Alpha. Someone who had eventually gone in search of Raven without caring how the rest of us were going to fare without him. I wasn't certain he hasn't found her yet. Else, he would he back here to stop this sorceress. But I wasn't one to talk. “There is so much going on that you missed. There's a skinwalker in the palace and some evil sorceress, I presume has taken over the seat of Luna.” Othelia looked even more confused. “What the hell are you talking about? What skinwalker? Lisa was thrown into the cell right next to me and Hannah helped
/-Declan-/The volcanic air was thick and scorching, the molten lava below casting an eerie orange glow against the jagged rock walls. Azaiah and I stood on the edge of a wide plateau, the heat radiating around us. His clan, the dragons, watched from a safe distance, their glowing eyes piercing through the shadows. My men stood at the edges, their expressions tense but ready to intervene if needed.“You should’ve stayed in your little pack,” Azaiah sneered, his voice as sharp as the fiery cracks beneath our feet. “This is my kingdom. Here, you’re nothing but a trespasser.”I ignored the heat licking at my skin and locked eyes with him. “You hurt my mate, Azaiah. That’s not something I’ll forgive. And it doesn’t matter whose land this is. You’ll answer to me tonight.”His laughter was low and mocking. “Do you hear yourself, wolf? On dragon territory, in a fight with a dragon king? Bold of you to assume you’ll survive this.”Without another word, he lunged at me, faster than I expected
/-Amelia-/A smile curled on my lips as I watched him through the mirror. He was coming home. My Alpha was returning home to me. I couldn't wait for him to see me. It was the final stage to complete the ritual. We were going to make sweet, sweet love, and then, he would be fit to rule by my side. For years I have waited for the perfect man to come my way. The half-witch, half-wolf with a heart of ice. My very own destiny.Even though our happiness would be short-lived because the minute I conceived, he would die, we would still be happy. The ritual has consequences and I'm certain this was one he could easily bear.There was a knock on my door and I groaned. Who was that fool with the audacity to knock on my door?I glanced at the door and it flew open. A group of servants walked in, eyes on the ground, bodies trembling as they struggled to hold on to the trays they carried. “I don't remember sending for you,” I said coldly and they exchanged glances. “You… you did, your Grace… ea
/-Raven-/My head was spinning. It felt like I had been through hell and back. I was on Declan's back, face buried in his soft fur. I tried to remember what happened a while back but there were so many gaps. I managed to lift my head from his back but it felt like my head was going to split in two. ‘Go to sleep, Raven,’ I heard Rolfe's voice in my head. “What happened?” I asked him.‘Let’s deal with that headache first,’ he said instead. I rested my head back because he had a point. I eventually managed to fall back asleep and by the time I woke up, we were halfway to the pack. The headache had reduced so I was thinking clearly now. I remembered walking into the rook because Azaiah said Aisa and her mother were waiting there and the next minute he made me inhale something that shut my entire body down. But what happened after that? Where was Azaiah and how did I end up here?“What happened?” I asked but everyone was in wolf form so only Declan could respond to me. I waited for R
/-RAVEN-/Every one of us had the same expression on. Shock. Since when did Amelia become Luna? How was that even possible? And the Elders… did they just sit back and watch this happen?I had more than a dozen questions. And it triggered my headache once again. I swayed but a steady arm wrapped around my waist. “Are you okay?” Declan's concerned voice made me feel even more lightheaded. He just heard he had a Luna out of the blue yet somehow, he was more concerned about me. I nodded to ease his worry. We had something bigger to worry about. One of the guards walked inside to inform Amelia, I assume, and a few minutes later, he returned with her. I took in her appearance in shock. The woman was really dressed like she was some form of royalty. On seeing Declan, her eyes lit up.“Oh, darling! You're home!” She hurried towards to hug him, I presume, but I steadied myself and stepped in front of Declan, shoving her backwards lightly. Sue staggered back and then sized me up before le
/-RAVEN-/She missed. All it took was one swift mode and the magic went flying towards one of the guards. I looked back and watched the man transform into a beetle. I was shocked and pissed at the same time. Amelia walked past up like she had done nothing. She stopped my beetle, and somehow, I already knew what she was going to do.“Don't…” the word had barely left my mouth when she crushed him under her foot, heartlessly. To say I was shocked would be an understatement because what I felt was beyond shock.“Did you just murder a member of my pack in my presence?” Declan growled. “Yes, I did, and I do intend to murder more until you finally accept me as your Luna,” she grinned, and that was the snapping point.I didn't even see him move until he was slamming her against the wall. The cracks travelled very fast, and for a second, I was afraid the building would crash down on us. But that wasn't possible, right? Not from a single surface crack.“You look so hot when you're angry,”
/-Amelia-/Watching the stupid thing slowly lose her life has to be my favourite scene ever. She was going to die and Declan… my beloved Declan was going to be mine forever.“Take her away and dispose of her!” I ordered but Declan's men immediately surrounded her. I shot them a bored look.“Deal with them, Darling,” I said to Declan and his head snapped to them.“Alpha…” Tim started. “You don't want to…”“You will do as she has said and report back here!” Declan ordered and they fell out, their knees groaning in pain. “But she is your mate…”“I am the only mate he recognizes!” I snapped. “One more word from you and I will be forced to make you join my little rodent friends. I was sure you do not want that. Now be a good boy and obey your Alpha.” Tim stood up with the rest of me. And lifted Raven who was bleeding from her chest. The metal he stuck her with was still buried deep inside her. I watched them take her away with pleasure, then threw my arms around his shoulder.“Darling,
/-LISA-/"Are you sure it was Raven you saw?" Othelia asked again, her voice filled with skepticism.I folded my arms, forcing myself to remain calm. This entire conversation was ridiculous. Francesca was grasping at straws, desperate to hold on to the idea that Raven was alive. But if she was right… no, that couldn’t happen."I know what I saw," Francesca insisted, her eyes blazing with conviction. "She walked right through that door in a red dress. She looked real, alive, but she didn’t even seem to recognize me."Othelia sighed. "Francesca, do you hear yourself? You’re telling us that Raven, Declan’s mate, the woman who was supposed to be dead, just strolled in like nothing happened? And then, what? She attacked you and disappeared?""I don’t think she attacked me," Francesca admitted. "It was more like… she was surprised to see me. I mistakenly shattered the vase and slipped out her name and she panicked. Then she hit me" She shivered. "Everything went black, but there was somethi
/-RAVEN-/I could barely move a muscle. When talpha Timultin mentioned the whips at first, I thought he was joking. That there was no way he was actually going to sit back and let me get whipped but I was wrong. This man was as strict as he was merciless and his men couldn't afford to disobey him so I got whipped. Over and over again until I passed out. Now I woke up, I was still tied to the pillar with the pain shooting through me from all angles. How coido Eric do this to me? How do you even watch someone you claim to love go through such pain and you do nothing about it. It was cruel and wicked but he didn't obviously give two shits about that. Speak of the devil, he stroleld towards me like my suffering was a delightful sight. “What are you doing here?” I glared at him with all my might. “I'm guessing you haven't learnt your lesson yet. Else, you wouldn't be speaking to me in such a disrespectful tone,” he said. I looked at him in shock and anger. Was he being serious right
/-Amelia-/“Why do you keep staring at me?” He asked. His tone was neutral so I figure the spell was still active. “Why did you suddenly go off like that? The feast barely even started,” I asked suspiciously. “I was drugged by one of your numerous guests and I passed out. Anything else you'd like to know?” He asked. I let out a sigh. He was right. There was no way he would have known what happened while he was drugged and he never liked the idea of a feast. “There was this veiled woman I saw in your room when I came to check on you,” I started, monitoring his expression closely. There was nothing I could accuse him of because his expression remained blank. Once again, I reminded myself that he wouldn't know. There was no use being suspicious over him. “So, what now?” He asked. “Did you find her?” “No, we couldn't find her. She just sped away and I suspect that she might have been the one who drugged you,” I said. “Good to know,” he said dryly and walked towards the bathroom. I
/-Raven-/He was angry but I was angry as well. I might be in love with him but I wasn't stupid. “Did you just hit me?” I asked him. “Evade my fucking question and I will hit you again! Do you know how crazy we went looking for you? We thought something happened! And you just stroll in here acting like you nothing happened?” He yelled. I dropped my hand and stepped closer to him, staring him dead in the eye. “Listen to me carefully, because I am only going to warn you once. I don't care if you are the air that I breathe but the next time you lay your fucking hand on me again, you are going to regret it. If you have a fucking problem, you speak. Use your words, do you understand?” The iciness in my tone was unbelievable to me as well but I needed to set him right. “You fucking bitch! Hoe dare you speak to me like that, huh?” He yelled. “Who did you go out there to see? Don't even tell me you were flying because I know you weren't!” “Good for you,” I said coldly and turned away fr
/-Raven-/There was something awfully familiar about this woman but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't place it. “Well?” She growled, stepping closer. “Where is my husband?”Husband…For some reason that word made my heart tighten in a way I didn't understand. Why should I care if he was taken? That man was flirting with me so he was hardly a good keep! He wasn't worth thinking twice about.“You're not deaf, are you?” She stepped closer, glaring at me menacingly. Woah! Someone tell this tiger that nobody wants her man. He might be hot but all I want to do is kill him. That's all!“He… he just…” “He just what?” She snapped, pushing past me to look inside the room. I glanced back and to my greatest shock, he was on the bed, passed out. At least pretended to be. I knew for sure that I couldn't waste another minute here so I took to my heels. “What have you done?!” I heard her scream and fastened my pace. I didn't know where I was headed but when I spotted the guards coming, I
/-Raven-/“I'm sorry. I know you were probably not expecting to see me but something came up last minute and the princess couldn't make it,” I told him. “I see…” he said simply. “Do you mind sharing one glass with me?” I asked, offering him a glass of champagne. “I know I'm beneath your class and you probably don't want to but if you could please…”He took the glass before I could go on with my pretend rambling. “Cheers?” I raised my glass and he clanged his glass against mine and we each took a long sip of the champagne. Gotcha!“This is really good,” I commented but before he could respond, a strange woman joined him. I tried to keep the frown away from my face. Who is she now?She began flirting with him right in front of me and I know I shouldn't care but my grip on my glass was tightening subconsciously. I hated the way seeing her smile at him. I hated watching her hands drape all over him. I hated her kissing him. And I didn't know why. Maybe it was because I hated him tha
/-Raven-/The blackouts have been frequent, coupled with horrifying nightmares that all ended with a metal stake in my heart. Not to forget the body pains I felt every time I woke up. I felt violated and I couldn't tell if it was real or not. I never fully understood it and when I told Eric about it, he said it could be a memory from the torture I went through in the IronClaw pack. Those agonizing dreams made me hate Declan Thorne and everything about him more and more. Not a day went by without me thinking of how to destroy him.It pushed me to train harder than I ever have and soon, the day was here. The day when I was finally going to put a face to the silver eyes that haunted my dreams. It was a solo mission and no one had any idea what I was doing or planning to do. IronClaw was hosting a big feast and I was going to disguise myself as one of the guests and get in. I wasn't quite sure what they were celebrating but I knew Alphas from far and near were going to be present. I
/-RAVEN-/“Go ahead! Whose idea was it to pull this prank?” I fired. I was angry. They had me questioning everything I knew within seconds while they stood there with plain faces. Were they controlling their laughter the whole time? They enjoyed seeing me stress mentally right?“I'm sorry, Raven. It was my idea. I didn't actually believe it would work at first, but I did,” Martin said and I shot him a thick glare. “Please don't get mad. It was just a joke.” “Well your joke wasn't funny!” I hissed, pushing past him but I couldn't help but note that his confession surprised the other guys. I stared at the ring in my hand. This was one of the signs, right? But why did it feel like I had been fooled twice? Trapped in the wrong perception of truth?I decided to go in search of Eric. I thought of telling about the soldiers but I decided against it. I know how serious he takes our relationship. He might end up punishing them severely and I didn't want that. It was just a harmless joke and
/-Raven-/Where is it? Even in my completely weak state, I was swallowing the pain and. Searching for the damn thing. Eric left here pissed because it was missing. I tired explaining it him that it could be anywhere and I don't know what is going through his mind but his actions suggested that he thought I was cheating on him. Me, Raven, sleep with another man while I was engaged to another? I didn't know what exactly he took me for or what gave him the impression that I was that lose but I decided to bottle it all up and bring it up and I found the ring. He was going to render an apology to me for insinuating such nonsense! Only problem was that I didn't exactly know where it was.I combed the entire room, practically turned it up side down but it wasn't there. The only other place that crossed my mind was the field where I did my training but did I have the energy to get there?No.Was I going to going to go anyways? Yes. I found myself something to wear and headed for the trai