She hissed in frustration. That man was just too smart for her. How could he have figured her out so soon?It took her weeks to copy Raven's voice and mannerisms, only for him to figure it out in a space of a few minutes. Pacing the room, she groaned. “I have come too far to lose him now,” she muttered under her breath.She thought hard, thinking of what she could have done wrong and then it clicked. “Fuck! I was too desperate for him! Raven literally acts like she doesn't care about his existence. Maybe I should have done that instead of throwing myself at him,” she mumbled, facepalming. How could she mess up such a perfect opportunity?But there was still a chance to make it right. Declan had no idea where Raven was and she already knew that Azaiah's men may have taken her away. All she had to do was hurt herself and let him find her, and then she would correct all the mistakes she made. Now that sounded like a very good plan. All she needed was someone to aid her with it. An
/-Declan-/I stood in front of Amelia, my heart racing. She had just asked for my blood, and I had no choice but to give it to her. I needed to find Raven, and if she could help, I would do whatever it took.“Just get it over with,” I said, my voice firm but full of frustration.Amelia didn’t hesitate. She picked up a small blade from the table and made a clean cut along my arm. I winced slightly as the blood flowed into a small cup she held out.She seemed calm, almost detached, as she watched the blood fill the cup. I didn’t know if I could trust her, but right now, she was the only lead I had.“Is that enough?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.She nodded and set the cup aside, carefully placing it on the table. I couldn't shake off the feeling that I was making a grave mistake but at this point, I couldn't even say I cared. Raven was my top most priority. “Now, I will perform the incantation,” she said softly.Amelia closed her eyes, her hands moving slowly as she whispe
/-RAVEN-/Later that night, I sat by the window, staring into the sky since I wasn't allowed to go outside. The stars were so pretty tonight and it made me feel a little lonely.It stirred memories in my mind and it made my eyes watered. How long was I going to keep poisoning myself to keep from being with him?What if I ran out of poisons? What if he decided to perform the ceremony with my corpse? I was still thinking when the door opened and the maids entered my room with food. They simply bowed and dropped it, walking out before I even got the chance to say anything. Azaiah had forbidden them from talking to me because he thought I was going to manipulate them into helping me escape. I couldn't blame him because I would actually do so if I had the chance. I opened the plate and the food just made my spirit fall. I was tired of everything. This place, the food, the people, everything!I covered it back and got in bed. An hour later, they came to pack the food and we're surprised
/-Declan-/Tim and the rest of the warriors prepared for the journey to the Dragon clan. I had the Elders oversee the pack while I was gone. Raven was the most important person to me and I couldn't lose her. As we got ready to leave, Hannah ran to me with her bag. “What do you think you're doing?” I asked her. I wasn't in the mood for her antics now. “Allow me to come with you, please. I can help,” she pleaded. “No, I don't think you can help me in anyway. Stay back, I will bring her back as soon as possible,” I said. “No, please…” she pleaded. “I… I feel guilty. Every time I think about it, I blame myself for not helping her while I had the chance.”“Why should you?” I asked her. “You've never liked Raven to begin with. You should be happy she is finally out of your way. If you're going to hate someone, at least be straightforward about it. Stop trying to score yourself brownie points b pretending to care.”Hurt flashed in her eyes, “I don't care what you think about me but I a
/-Hannah-/No! No! No!This couldn't be happening to me! What the hell was he doing here? He shouldn't be here! Oh goddess, everything I planned was going to be ruined! Just when I came so close to achieving it!“Hannah?” Declan called. “Do you know this man?” I opened my mouth to deny it but Nile beat me to it. “Why wouldn't she? I should be asking who the fuck you are!” Nile stepped up, his fists clenching in anger. Declan chuckled, but it was his usual amused laugh. Nile had no idea what he was asking for. Declan would kill before he even got the chance to raise his fists. “What do you think you're doing?” Declan's tone darkened. “I asked a simple question and it wasn't even directed at you.” “You're the one with my wife and you think you get to ask questions?” Nile seethed and Declan's anger was replaced by confusion. “Your wife…” he echoed, staring at me and I wanted the ground to just open up and swallow me. Anything to save me from this moment. “Yes, my wife! We have a
/-Raven-/“Let go of me, you prick!” I struggled against Kaiz's grip as he dragged me away from the training ground. I knew he was taking me to Azaiah and the moment I got to that man, it would be a whole new level of combat. “You will shut up and let me take you to safety!” He snapped and I shot him a glare. “You are taking me to the fucking danger!” I yelled. “That man out there is my mate and if you insist on being a hero, you and your little dragon friends will be ripped to shreds and left to decay!”Something shifted in his expression but it wasn't enough to make him stop or even release his grip. “You should watch that tongue of yours, little assassin. You tend to underestimate people a lot,” he said. “At least I'm not declaring them dragons!” I huffed and the next minute, he was knocked down by Declan, of course. He released me and a smirk played on my lips. “I warned you!” He tried to get off but Rolfe tackled him down again and an intense fight began. I had to give it t
/-Raven-/I don't know how long we ran or where we were running to but somehow we ended up outside the volcano. They were coming after us fast but then Declan suddenly had a bright idea.“We need to block the entrance,” he said and I was about to ask with what when I saw the huge rolling stone.There was no time for questions as we joined hands and blocked it before they could get to us. “Once I shift, get on my back, Ramona. Tim, mind link the others to retreat immediately,” Declan instructed. He quickly shifted and I got on his back as instructed. He dashed into the woods with Tim following us closely behind. My heart was pounding as I kept looking up at the sky to see if anyone was following us. I wondered how long it was going to take for us to get to our pack and even if we got there, what was the guarantee that it was safe? I mean, these people could just fly over there and set the entire pack ablaze. What would we do then?I wondered if Rolfe could hear me and if so, give
/-Raven-/Declan was still weak. I could see it in the way he swayed as he stood up and Azaiah was getting ready to fire. How was I supposed to run?If Declan died anyway, then all that stress of running back here to save him would be in vain. So without thinking, I stepped in front of him.Azaiah paused.“What are you doing, Raven?” Declan's exhausted voice asked. He could barely speak, yet he wanted to throw his life away by fighting off Azaiah. “Instead of fighting him, why don't you fight me?” I challenged him. “What are you doing, Raven? Have you lost your mind?” Declan asked but I ignored him. “If I win, you let us go. If I lose… well I'll already be dead by then,” I said. I knew what I was doing of course. I didn't plan to die. I just knew Azaiah would never take the risk of fighting me. I was his “queen” after all. Just as I suspected, he shifted to human form and his expression was far from happy.“Why are you doing this, Raven?” he asked. “Because you are being selfis
/-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,”
/-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-/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
/-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
/-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
/-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-/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…”
/-Azaiah-/“So, did you like it?” He asked and my eyes moved to the doorway where Nile stood, crossing his arms. “Excuse me?” “The Alpha. He's in prison now. You can have the woman of your dreams, though I still don't think you should trust women,” he said. I dropped the glass in my hand. “Wait, let me get this straight. You're asking if I like the fact that the Alpha tried to rape a child or the fact that he is just in prison?” I asked.Nile chuckled and made his way into the room, “I don't see why you have to analyse that, your highness. The lady is all yours, that is the most important thing.”I crossed my arms, more stupefied than I was earlier. “Did you, by any chance, have something to do with it, Nile?” I asked suspiciously.“And why would you think that, Your Highness?” He chuckled. “I am not allowed to express my opinions anymore?” That triggered my suspicion even more. It was more like he was growing into someone I couldn't recognize. I mean, he was quite fine before th
/-Raven-/“Uhmm… what do you mean by that?” I asked. I just managed to convince Azaiah to give him a chance to prove his innocence and the next thing he says is don't bother?“Declan…” I called with warning. “You know is not the time for pride, right?”“This had nothing to do with my ego, Raven. I didn't do it and proving it will not be a problem, I just don't think he will appreciate my methods,” Declan said and Azaiah cast me a look. “What methods do you mean?” Azaiah asked.“Compulsion,” Declan shrugged. “She will be compelled to speak the truth or suffocate to death. The longer she resists speaking the truth, the more she bleeds from her eyes, ears, nose, every fucking hole in her body, until she drops dead and…”“Declan!” I gasped and those silver eyes narrowed emotionlessly at me. “What? Works on wolves all the time,” he shrugged.“She is a child!” Azaiah exclaimed. “You don't expect us to watch you subject her to torture after the trauma she has been through!” “She has been