/-Raven-/I didn't like Rolfe. Not even a little bit. It felt like I was an open book to him. Like he could read my thoughts without me saying a word.“Walk faster, the woods are more dangerous at night,” he said. “I don't suppose you would care if I fell into a bottomless pit,” I muttered. “I won't,” he affirmed. “As long as you fall after we've found Hannah. I couldn't care less if you threw yourself into the ocean.” I looked ahead in an attempt to ignore the clawing feeling in my chest. What was so special about this Hannah anyway? And how was she his mate when I was his mate as well?“We got into a fight; she misunderstood and rejected me,” Rolfe answered, and I stopped. He pushed me forward. “Keep moving.”“So I am your second chance mate?” I asked.“Regrettably.” I scoffed. Of course. Why did I even think I would be Declan's one and only mate? His true mate, as he put in, when in fact, I was only a replacement. Hannah was the real mate, and I was just a second choice, as
/-Rolfe-/‘Rolfe…’I heard her voice. ‘Can you hear me please?’My eyes flickered to the masked man in front of me. I would have gotten to Raven a long time ago had this man not should up with his little magicians.“I don't know what your deal with Raven is but she is mine. I want you to stay off her,” he said. My bored expression remained the same. The only thing running through my mind was her safety. Raven was one who needed no one because she could protect herself. For her to call me simply meant that things had gotten out of hand. Suddenly, a wave of flames burst out of him.“That's it, fireball. Let them all burn…” He chuckled. I didn't wait to find out what the psycho was on about and dashed off. If he wanted to get Raven, he would have to get to her first. Arriving at the gates of BloodFang, I killed everyone and anyone who tried to stop it. I could still smell her. She was so close…I spotted Timultin leaving a room and as much as I wanted to kill, Raven's life was at
/-Rolfe-/I was at a disadvantage and I was already making plans on how to escape this when Timultin entered with more hefty men.“Kill them all!” He ordered. “Make sure no one is left!” It was that singular opportunity I needed because when the men attacked, I stealthily sneaked out with Raven. As I exited the pack, I knew it was only a matter of time before he came after us. If he was her mate, as he claimed, then her scent would give us away no matter where I took her to.As much as I hated it, I knew I had to claim her and rub my scent all over her. For our safety. Once I got away from the mountains, I sank my canines into her, feeling her delicious blood at the tip of my tongue. A surge of energy rushed through me and warmth spread through me at a rapid rate. It felt undeniably good. I retracted my canines, staring at the mark on her neck. Mine!A strange sense of fulfilment overwhelmed me. I picked her up and resumed the walk to find a perfect resting spot. I couldn't seek
/-RAVEN-/I didn't take him seriously, even with the anger brewing in those crimson eyes. I wasn't going to run even if he had a claw in my throat. “Rolfe, listen to me…”“It's Alpha to you!” He thundered and my body trembled. My knees dropped to the floor as pain shot through me. “Say it!” I clutched to my chest, rattled that he actually used his Alpha tone on me. The pain was increasing with each second I delayed. “I am going to help you find her, okay,” I said instead, reluctant to surrender my pride. Call me arrogant or whatever. “Say. It.” He growled, and this time, the pain was hitting my heart like a hammer. Yet my lips were sealed shut. “Very well then, let's see how long you last with that,” he huffed and went back to his meat like he wasn't just angry minutes ago. The bipolar asshole!He left me wriggling in pain as he proceeded to roast the meat. I struggled to stare at him, feeling the pain seep through my bones.My lips quivered as blood slowly trickled down my nose
/-Raven-/I don't know what I was thinking but at that point, I genuinely believed I could kill him. His eyes flickered open, but there was no form of struggle on his features as I tightened the material around his neck. He peeled it off almost effortlessly and sighed. “Just three hours, that was all I needed. You couldn't even give me that?” My mouth hung open as I couldn't bring myself to believe my efforts to suffocate him went down the drain. His drowsy eyes didn't leave me as he continued, “Is there anything else you'd like to explore? If not, I suggest you go to sleep.” “Sleep?” I muttered. “You think I deserve sleep now? That is genuinely touching considering the fact that you wanted me to fan you all the way to Dreamland.” Rolfe patted the spot behind him. “Lie next to me.” “Why?” I asked. “Because I need your body heat. Isn't that obvious?” The silky voice which let out the words reminded me heavily of Declan. I didn't understand why everything and every moment som
/-Raven- /Hannah's friendly expression shifted in slight confusion. I could tell several thoughts were running through her mind. “Do you know me?” She asked.“No, but I know someone who does. It's probably the same person you're looking for,” I told her and she visibly relaxed. “That's a relief then,” she smiled widely. “I'm guessing this friend of yours is Ronin Hemsworth right?” “Couldn't care less about his name. I just saw him at the artist's shop, describing you and stuff. I guess he is also looking for you,” I shrugged. “Oh,” she mumbled. I smirked inwardly. I knew the name thing was a test. She was trying to see if I was lying to her, which I wasn't if you look at it. Everything I said was completely true.“Could you take me to him, please?” She politely asked.“Of course. Why else would I tell you?” I smiled sweetly.‘Rolfe, I don't know if you can hear me, but I want you to know that you owe me big time,’ I thought. I was certain he was keeping track of my thoughts so
/-Raven-/Returning to the IronClaw pack gave me chills. I still couldn't believe I had been stupid enough to take Rolfe at his word. Why exactly did I think he would just let me go?He wasn't any different from Declan, but he was the worst version. Hannah took a deep sniff of the air, and a sceptical expression settled on her face. “It's been so long since I last stepped foot here,” she breathed. “I didn't think I would ever come back.” “Neither did I,” Rolfe said beside her. “But I'm glad you did. It hasn't been the same without you.” “Me? A mere servant?” Hannah chuckled in disbelief. “Oh please. I bet no one even noticed my absence and half the staff don't even know my name.” Time approached us immediately with some guards. Surprise touched his features the minute he saw her. “You found her!” He exclaimed and Rolfe smiled. “More like she found me.” “I didn't find you. You came looking and somehow found me!” I couldn't help but notice that her tone was a little defensive.
/-DECLAN-/“You locked me away for days!” I growled. “Shut me out completely and leave me in the dark!”“I understand you're angry, but I'm certain with the news I have, that will barely be a problem to you,” he said, but I wasn't buying it. I was very furious with him and I was going to shut him out as well. Completely.Rolfe growled as soon as he realised my intentions. “Now is not the time to be angry, Declan. I found Hannah!” That immediately caught my attention. “What do you mean by you found Hannah?” I asked, perplexed.“She's right here in the palace with us,” Rolfe said. “I brought her home.” I wasn't going to believe him until I saw it myself. “She's in the slave quarters,” he informed me. I wanted to go see her, but at the same time, I didn't. I wasn't sure she would want to speak with me ever again after what happened to her. I didn't even know how Rolfe convinced her to come here. “I have everything under control, Declan. You only need to talk to her,” Rolfe assured
/-Declan-/Raven will fucking murder me. She would feel it through the mate bond and the pain… she won't be able to handle it. I couldn't do that to her. But before I could pull away from Hannah, Rolfe forcefully took over, pushing my member deep into Hannah's mouth. I tried to take over but he blocked me off. Stop it, Rolfe. We can't take her. It will hurt Raven!‘So what? How many times do I have to spell it that we don't need her? Raven is too broken for you. Relax and enjoy this. Can't you feel the pleasure…’ he shot back. I hated every second of it, so I fought back. Apparently, the struggle was in Hannah's favour because thrusting in and out of her mouth became easier, with Rolfe fisting her hair and letting out small grunts. I knew it was only a matter of time before Raven would burst in and she wouldn't forgive me this. Rolfe…‘Do you want to return to the dark, Declan? If not, keep shut and let me enjoy this. The more you struggle, the harder it becomes to keep you h
/-Declan-/“What happened to her?” I demanded.“We don't know, Alpha. We found her and the guards like this in their cell this morning,” the prison guard informed me. Othelia and the guards lay before me, eyes wide, tongues stuck out like they were epileptic. They couldn't move any parts of their bodies or even talk. The sight was very disturbing.“What about Lisa?” I asked him. “We found her cell open so we assume she must have escaped. However, I highly doubt she was the one who did this to them. Whoever helped her escape must have done this,” the guard said. He was right but who could have done it?“Do you have any leads on who could have done this?” I asked him. “Whoever did it must have been close to Lisa. Possibly the second person who aided her in stealing the safe. Either that or it could be…” he stopped talking as if he knew his next words would anger me. “Or who?” I insisted. “Commander Tim,” he muttered and I shot him a thick glare. “I don't mean to get you upset, yo
/-Lisa-/“No! No! No!” I yelled, slamming my palms against the iron bars of the cell. “You have to let me out of here! I am innocent! I didn't do anything!” Yet the stupid guards still walked away ignoring my pleas. I groaned inwardly and cussed.Why couldn't that stupid guard just take the blame for me? I mean, he tried to, but of course, the Alpha didn't believe him, and that stupid assassin just had to stand up for him, didn't she?I let out another curse. What on earth even made me agree to take that safe? I should have left it hidden where it was, at least no one saw it then. “Looks like you're finally where you belong,” I heard Othelia's words. She was in the cell next to me, thanks to her stupid luck. Otherwise, I would have bashed her head against the bars for daring to speak to me that way. “Where I belong? You were the one who let yourself get caught on camera. They just found a stone on me with no other use but marriage. You took the royal emblem, and I assure you that b
/-Raven-/I found myself melting away in his arms as his lips moulded with mine. He wasn't rough or demanding. It was a slow, compelling kiss, luring me with its soft deliciousness to accept it. My wide eyes slowly fluttered shut as I dropped my defences, allowing him to explore my mouth. The erratic beating of my heart, the nervous fisting of his shirt, the churn in my stomach, told me that there was no coming back from this. He pushed in further and our tongues glided against each other. A small moan fell from my lips as his hands made it up to my neck while the other steadied on my waist to prevent me from escaping. “Declan…” I protested in between the kiss.“Don't think about it, princess. Go with the flow,” he whispered harshly against my lip as I tried to pull away. Go with the flow…How could I when my body was betraying me like this? When did this feel so wrong yet right at the same time?Wasn’t I repeating the same mistake with Eric? I mean, if I couldn't get him to love
/-Raven-/“What do you mean by you took it?” Declan's surprise was plastered on his face. The poor man didn't know what was going on. I wasn't even sure he would believe it if I told him unless Tim opened up. “I… I know how much Lisa likes the idea of being Luna, even though she can't. I just thought if I got her the stone, it would make her feel better,” Tim went on. “Do you think I'm stupid, Tim? Do I look like a fool to you?” There was an underlying irritation in his voice. “You are twice the size of every person in the pack and you think I wouldn't have immediately recognised you from the footage?”Lisa's panicked expression caught my attention. She knew things were going to go sideways faster than she anticipated. Tim stuttered, unsure of what to say. “He didn't do it himself,” Lisa cut in. “Yes, that's right. I got two of the maids to do it for me,” Tim answered. “Really?” Declan's brows furrowed. “What are their names? I'll send a guard to fetch them.”Tim glanced at Lis
/-Raven-/“Oops! Trouble in paradise?” I snorted, watching the heated glares pass from Declan to me. “I just wanted to tell you that you're a shit caregiver. My arm feels like I lifted a building.”Declan gave me a look and I threw him a sweet smile. I knew what I was doing, of course, and I enjoyed every bit of it. “What happened to your arm?” Hannah's deviation spun me. I didn't peg her as someone who cared if I was trapped in a burning building. “Well… a chandelier came crashing on me,” I told her. “I see you didn't die. Quite fortunate,” she drawled, a sinister look crossing her eyes. “or maybe you did it so you could get in his bed.”My mouth went agape. What kind of psychopath did she perceive me to be? Why would I set myself up for death just to get attention?“I'm sorry, what?” I sat up properly.“You heard me. You could have completely left the way if it was indeed crashing but you just had to let it injure you, huh? Just so Declan would take care of you,” Hannah spat. I
/-Asiah-/“What news do you bring?” I asked.“He is Alpha Declan of the IronClaw pack, Your Highness. Breaking in is not an option for us,” Tarius, my commander said. “Lucky for, one of our own is already living amongst them. Not just anywhere, but in the palace.”That immediately caught my interest. “A dragon blood is within the walls of IronClaw?” I asked. “Yes, Your Highness. Although she is not a pure breed, she is one of us, nonetheless,” he answered. I frowned. “Hybrid?”“Yes.”My frown deepened further. “How do we know she is not working for them?”“After we discovered who he was, we sent spies into the pack at night to report everything to us. Information reaching us is that she stole the Luna Eclipse stone from Alpha Declan using the form of another,” he said. “I don't understand,” My impatience was overflowing with confusion. “Is she a shapeshifter? And how does this information benefit us?”“She is your majesty. It benefits us because she wants to be Luna and Raven's pr
/-Raven-/“What happened to you?” Declan asked. It was weird and almost adorable to see that he came to me immediately he felt something was wrong. I wasn't sure if he was aware of the mark yet but his presence here brought me some form of comfort. “A chandelier crashed next to me. I guess it was aiming to hit me, but I just missed. Tough luck,” I smirked but he frowned.“Does this look like a joke to you? Have you seen your arm?” The seriousness in his tone was new. This had to be the first time since I met him that he was serious about something involving me. He picked the arm carefully as if it were a gem and examined the bandaged wound as he sat next to me. “The doctor said the cut was very deep and could get infected very easily if not carefully treated. I understand you are wolfless, but can you not at least heal?” He asked. His voice held nothing of the mockery I was used to when someone talked about me not having a wolf. If anything, it was genuinely concerned and my stu
/-Raven-/“What if she's innocent?” I whispered to Francesca. “You're suggesting that the CCTV is lying?” She asked me with furrowed brows. Right, it didn't make sense when she put it like that. “I just have this nagging feeling that she is innocent. Did you see her eyes? I can boldly say that she had nothing to this,” I said. “You better not say it out loud before this people without evidence,” she whispered harshly. “let's leave it to the Elders and mind our business.” “I guess you're right,” I sighed. But if she was indeed innocent, it would be really sad. “What do you think they will do to her now?” “She is still denying it so they will probably torture the truth out of her. Either way, the truth will come out , whether she likes it or not,” Francesca shrugged.“Can we go back to the library now?” She asked. It was surprising how casual and unbothered she was about Othelia's arrest. They had been staying together long before I came here and even if they didn't like each oth