He’s trying to take control of something he’s got no control of. But is he right? Could he do something she didn’t? Could she see or access something she shouldn’t? Of course he did. Having held the position for an extended period, he’s an alpha. No one noticed her before this. But would it be enough? They’d be running an enormous risk with the Pack. Did they dare to do that? Should we keep the Pack uninformed about their surroundings? What did they dare disclose to them? “I swear my head feels like it will explode from all the questions I have and the lack of answers. How do I live with myself if something happens?” “What if it doesn’t happen? But you leave here, and something happens to you? How will they feel about that?” Dominic asked her. Raven frowned at him in confusion. “Dominic, if anyone mentioned it beyond reporting it or as a random piece of gossip that ends within hours. I doubt anyone would feel must of anything
Later that night, Raven lay beside Dominic in bed. Hearing him speak and talk like he did tonight. It cleared up many of the questions she had. Dominic wasn’t flip flopping. His moods weren’t changing with the weather. His behavior wasn’t because of boredom or a desire for change.No, he had reached his limit with her lack of awareness. What others were saying and doing. Not new, lasted too long. He’s as exhausted with it as she was. How could she have known without him informing her? Now he seemed at his wit’s end over this and ready to give up on everything that made him who he was. Raven’s feelings were uncertain. If you asked her about that a week ago, she’d have cheered and encouraged him, but now? Now she wasn’t sure about that. How would the wolves survive without their Alpha? Did she may take him away? It didn’t matter that he was her fated mate. They didn’t treat her right. When was anything fair to her? She could still live with unfair conditions. It’
Raven was rummaging in the kitchens, pulling out leftovers. She didn’t hide how upset she was. Raven felt the need to walk or run to release her nervous energy. The urge to scream remained constant within her. “So, I’m only here because I’m trouble anywhere else. This Pack won’t recognize me as their Luna even though I’m mated to their Alpha and do everything a Luna is supposed to do. Right got it.” Raven knew this enforcer didn’t know about the anger she kept bottled up that he now poked at. He attempted to dislodge the cork of the champagne bottle by stomping on it with the heel of his boot. “Well, that may have come out wrong.” The enforcer watched Raven; he shifted where he stood, displaying his nervousness as she placed food on the counter with a little too much force. He’d never seen this she-wolf in anything other than a withdrawn state. The few times he’d seen Hilary or Kelsey confront her; she’d never raised her voice. He’d never seen her s
“Let’s all consider stepping back. I don’t think much of this will get resolved unless we take a less combative approach.” He pulled out a chair and offered it to Raven. “Luna please. I think this might help us all if we discuss this. It’s something we can correct others on if we understand what is going on. It’s one thing if it comes from Alpha Jones, but it’s something else if it comes from others.” Raven couldn’t avoid seeming unreasonable in this situation. “I’m not sure what you are getting at.” “Your hurt and negative feelings are now being felt by the more sensitive among us. Add in the facts the Alpha and Beta have disclosed. The events that have taken place. Luna views are changing, and questions are being asked. You aren’t dismissed and disliked on sight by everyone. I’ve had to deal with many heated discussions over past events and recent discoveries. Some punishments were contested as well until the facts were thrown in everyone’s faces.
Raven didn’t know what to think when she looked at the wolves about her. Every one of them agreed with Dominic and not her. They thought her idea of leaving foolish and not an option. If it wasn’t an option what were her options, then? How did she find her options? If she lived Raven didn’t want to live with guilt over any deaths. If she died, she didn’t want to be the cause of other peoples’ deaths. Nor did she want to be blamed for those deaths. She couldn’t get over the visceral reaction they had to the thought of her leaving. It seemed odd to her. Why were they so against it now? If this were a month ago Raven was sure they’d have shrugged and gone on their way. How did this change happen? When? What triggered it? It wasn’t loyalty to her. No one liked her any better. She knew that for sure. Dominic hadn’t allowed her much access to the Pack without him. So, she’d not had much interaction like this. Unfiltered and raw. Now, she sat h
“Of course, you dare me. No one else would dare me to do anything. Lady Fate herself wouldn’t have given me a mate any less daring than me as a match. My mate must be willing to meet me head-to-head, she must have a strong will, be just as responsible, she must have the courage to take the chances I do and be as dedicated to being the person they present to the world through her honesty.” “Dominic, do you hear yourself? What are you talking about? That’s not me. I hate gambling, games of chance, and I don’t like taking risks. We’re opposites. The reason I worked at the bar was that it was close to the Pack’s territory, and it didn’t care about Pack affiliations. Honesty? What could I lie about? I had no rank. What airs could I put on? Who could I pretend to know? There’s no influence I could pretend to have either.” Dominic didn’t respond right away. She could see him struggling with his emotions. When he did respond he didn’t change his attitude
“Raven, wake up. Wake up. I got the call. We must go we’ve a meeting to now.” Dominic said. He shook Raven awake with this urgent explanation. “Okay. Okay. I’m awake. What’s going on? What meeting?” Raven sat up in bed and clutched the sheets to herself. Paul stood there looking away from the bed. She realized he must have come in with the message for Dominic. “The Oracle is demanding to see you now and it seems you’re being called by name.” Dominic said. He explained the meeting and the twist no one expected. “What do you mean I’m being called by name? I thought you didn’t use my name.” Raven wasn’t all the way awake yet and couldn’t figure out how the Oracle had her name. The Oracle shouldn’t know her name or anything about her. “I didn’t tell Gregory that you were the Dreamer. But the Oracle’s did not name you as the Dreamer. But she is demanding to see you by name. So, we’re heading there now to see her.” Dominic sat besi
“Okay, I guess if I must. Lead the way.” Raven still sounded like she was beaten down. As if she believed she didn’t have a choice. Dominic stopped in the doorway and looked at her back as Raven approached the stairs. Paul stood two stairs down taking note of Dominic’s hesitation. “Raven, I’m not forcing you to go. If you don’t want to go. Or if you don’t feel you’re safe then we won’t go. I want to know what’s going on that’s all.” He could see her as she shifted on her feet. “It’s not about whether I want to. It’s about whether I’m the right wolf for the job.” “Do you know why you’re being summoned?” “No, but it won’t be for something minor. I don’t think my aunt understood the concept of what my mom and me can do. I think she used us as spies, but we’re much more than that. At least, that’s what I feel when I think about what she said. I wish she’d contacted me already. So, the only thing we can do is see how this plays out
“Raven, I’ll say this right now. I’m looking to make a shift away from it and while some people will not like this I don’t care. But I won’t tell them why because I don’t want to put you in danger. If one of my enemies or rivals decides to use, you against me or use your abilities they may try to kidnap you. So, we’ll say nothing to anyone outside of our Pack and we’ll speak with those within the Pack that must know.” Dominic said. He tried to assure Raven about her safety and his sincerity. “Dominic we can’t tell anyone about what I can do. For one thing, no one would believe it. For another, you’re right they might try to use it. I never thought they might try to use me against you by kidnapping me.” Raven felt stunned at the thought that she was agreeing with him and accepting her. “So, what do we do now? You say I’m the important one, but I don’t feel like it, and I don’t know how to proceed. Or do I say, how we proceed with this.” Raven looked to Dominic a
“We couldn’t help Tom?” Kelly asked. She’d missed their arrival and Tom being bundled off to the healing center. “No, we couldn’t. Those arrows hit him when he was in this realm. We couldn’t do anything about the poison. Even in the Dream Realm the poison would kill him, and his mate must be a Dreamer to bring him back. Everything and everyone have limits no matter how powerful they are. Well, that’s what I’ve had to come to terms with.” Raven watched Brigid’s haunted face as she said this. The other dreamers were there with them now and they’d been discussing their abilities and learning about what they could do. Their situation within the Dream Realm and how much danger they were in. What dangers came from the realm and what came from the Fae. “I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m exhausted. There’s just too much to take in. I need time to take this all in.” Raven wanted to spend time with Dominic. She had so many questions for him. How had he
Their arrival didn’t go unnoticed for long. Which they were all thankful for. Brigid, though, was in a panic. She could do nothing in this realm to help save Tom. The arrows were poisoned. At the first mention of poison, the trickle of people became a flurry. Lily got word out to the closest healing center to expect him and arranged a mage portal to get him sent right there. In moments Tom and Luke were gone with two other wolves from their Pack. Raven watched as people moved about all weary of Brigid. They were unsure how to respond or interact with her. Did they worship her? Treat her as a ruler? Approach her as a friend or an enemy? What did they do? How did someone interact with a being they thought of as a god for thousands of years? Especially, when they’re standing directly in front of them looking rather bedraggled and lost. “Reality is never what the stories tell us. I wish it was. A goddess in one realm is a nobody in another realm. What c
Dominic’s mind was still scattered, but he could move, and he did. He knew who he was and who Raven was. What was different was more than he had time to think about as they made their way back to where they needed to go. They had found their objective, and he had to push his mate to get them out of there. The enemy was in there and they now swarmed over the land searching for the small female with them. If they found her, then they’d find Raven. Both were creatures who could twist the very air of this realm into whatever they wanted. Goddess, he’d been killed hours ago. He remembered the searing pain as the Fae tore into him with a magical wild-fire spell. Dominic remembered his body being torn apart and burned piece by piece. These sick creatures created a spell that could keep their victims alive until the last piece of them was consumed. Yet, the Fae creature hadn’t realized his mate was a Dreamer and there. Brigid walked Raven through recreating
“I still don’t know if I can do this.” Raven listened to Brigid’s words and instructions about how she was supposed to build a new body for Dominic. She claimed he’d be the same as he was before. If that’s what she wanted. Oh yes, she’d hinted at the fact that Raven could tweak things if something needed changing. But she’d warned her that it couldn’t be too big of a change. Raven didn’t know what Brigid meant by that. But she was still having problems believing she could do this. How could this be something she’d be able to do? If she didn’t Dominic would stay dead. If she didn’t try, he’d be dead when they returned to their reality. If she tried and failed, at least she could say she tried. If she succeeded, she’d have Dominic back. What did she have to lose? Other than hope. “You won’t know if you can do anything the first time you try to do anything until after you’ve tried to do it.” Brigid said. She was being humorous and smiled at her in a mo
Raven didn’t know how long or where she was. But she knew something was wrong long before her mind was fully functional. When she realized that she couldn’t find Dominic that Raven knew something was wrong. When Luke noticed Raven was awake, everyone moved to her side. “Hey, hey, Luna Jones, are you back with us? Okay, take it easy. Breathe. Breathe. Calm yourself. You’re okay. It’s not what you think. We need to talk, but we can’t if you get upset again.” “Where’s my mate? Where’s Dominic?” Raven sat up from where she lay on the ground in a strange place. “Where am I?” At least she recognized Luke and Tom, but she didn’t recognize the female. “Please Luna Jones, stay calm and relax. We need to explain this to you. There’s a limited time to change the outcome and we can’t stay here long. Please listen to this. It’s unbelievable but it’s a miracle. Just listen to her.” Tom begged Raven. She didn’t know what Tom was speaking about, but sh
Raven didn’t know what happened to Dominic or how to get him back. He and the guard he’d attacked were fighting in the cage on top of the column. “How do we get Dominic down from there?” There was no way she would leave without her mate. Tom and Luke turned on her. “Luna Jones, we understand our orders and your feelings. There’s nothing we can do. You and the lady here are our priority to get out of here.” “I’m going back in there to get him back. Our Pack needs him.” Raven found Tom holding her back with the help of the female. “No, you can’t. Only a living person can switch places with him. Also, the Keeper will return at any minute. He won’t let the guard, or your friend live long.” The soft voice of the female had Raven’s reacting violently to this. “We can’t leave him behind.” As we spoke in hushed tones the creature Raven assumed the female called the Keeper returned. Raven panicked and she had to get to Dominic now. So
One cage was left up on a high column with a lone occupant. Raven gasped when she saw the being move. “They’re alive up there Dominic. She’s up there. That’s her. I know it. I don’t know how, but they won’t let us use our abilities here. So, she can’t rescue herself. They’re practically tapping her of everything she has because they’ve used up or killed all the others.” “These were the others I assume.” “Yes, I think so. At least, most of them.” “Looks like someone was angry. How are we going to reach her? They shattered all the other columns.” Tom asked. He tried to work out a way to get to her, but like everyone there it was one of those monumental tasks. “We don’t have climbing equipment, and the column is solid stone. I don’t see any cracks or veins. It would take days or weeks to work our way up making footholds if we had the gear. That’s if anyone knew how to use it. I’ve only gone to a rock-climbing gym a few times.” “
Raven stepped away from the others without a word. The males debated what they found lying on the ground, but they found nothing long or strong enough to work as the tools they needed. Luke went through his pack searching for anything. “Need out strips want. Function and form are one. Take from the scrap and bring it value, beauty, use, and form.” Raven said half to herself. She muttered under her breath as she stared at her hands as if the debris in her hands was an object to study. Her hands moved over it. Pressing, pushing, and pulling at it as she tweaked the object. The object glowed with a faint light that pulsed with each movement of her hands. “This should work to pop the hinges out.” Raven returned to Dominic’s side, and in her hands lay a thick rod and a heavy mallet. She offered them to Tom who hesitated to take them. “Uh, thanks.” When he did take them, his features changed to show a look of surprise. He felt the weight of the mallet and