"Raven...""Let me finish," he said quietly. "I know I've made mistakes. Terrible ones. But seeing you yesterday, the way you handled everything... it reminded me of why I fell in love with you in the first place."My heart thumped painfully in my chest. "Because I played the victim?""No," he said
Sylvia's POV"Mother," he said, his voice steady but respectful, "if Astrid is experiencing pregnancy complications, she needs proper medical care, not an Alpha's amateur assessment."Diana's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Amateur assessment? That girl needs support! After everything she's been through
"Remember when we first met?" he asked, attempting to salvage what was supposed to be a cup. "You were so fierce, even then. Stood right up to me when I tried to pull rank."I smiled at the memory. "You were such an arrogant pup.""Was?" He raised an eyebrow playfully."Are," I corrected, flicking a
Sylvia's POVThe morning sun streamed through our bedroom window, casting warm light across the rumpled sheets where Raven and I had made love just hours ago. I should have been happy, basking in the afterglow of our reconciliation, but the news of Dr. Sarah's departure still felt like a lead weight
The possessiveness in his voice made my wolf purr with satisfaction. When his lips found mine, I melted into him, all our earlier tension transforming into a different kind of heat."Raven," I gasped as his mouth moved to my neck, finding my mating mark. His hands were everywhere, bunching up the ex
Sylvia's POVWith trembling hands, I smoothed down my clothes, trying to regain some semblance of composure. The beautiful midnight blue dress that had made me feel so desirable just moments ago now lay discarded on the ottoman, a painful reminder of another intimate moment ruined by Astrid's calcu
"That's different-""How? How is it different?" I demanded. "Because it's my pain? Because it's my struggles? Those don't count as much as Astrid's convenient fainting spells?""You're being unreasonable," he said, his voice taking on that patronizing tone that made my skin crawl. "I've been too ind
Sylvia’s POVRaven's phone rang, cutting through our argument like a knife. Astrid's saccharine voice floated through the speaker: "Raven, where are you? The doctor says there's something wrong with the baby, I need you..."Without even a glance in my direction, he turned away. "I'll be right there.
"You can't be serious," I said, fighting to keep my voice steady. "These young wolves need proper guidance, not reckless-""What they need," Astrid interrupted, her voice sharp, "is to learn real combat. No more of this dancing around each other, pulling punches, playing it safe." She turned to addr
Sylvia’s POVDespite the fury still burning in my chest after yesterday's confrontation with Raven, I couldn't abandon my responsibilities to the pack. The young wolves shouldn't suffer because of the politics between their Alpha and Luna.So, as dawn painted the sky in shades of pink and gold, I ma
"Think about it," he insisted, turning me to face him. "She'll be directly under your supervision. You'll know exactly what she's doing, where she is-""Oh, like how I knew she was planning to torture me? Like how I knew she was going to use my father's knife to try and destroy my ability to have ch
Sylvia’s POVThe moment Raven's words about Astrid helping manage pack affairs registered, something inside me snapped. The audacity of it - the sheer insanity of suggesting my would-be murderer should help run the pack - sent a wave of hysteria through me."If you think I'm going to work with her,"
"Fine," I conceded. "But stay on your side of the bed."He nodded, though something possessive flashed in his eyes. We prepared for bed in tense silence, the space between us feeling both too vast and not vast enough.Sleep was elusive that night. I lay rigidly on my side, acutely aware of Raven's p
Sylvia's POVThe silence stretched between us as I stood at the window, still processing the scent of Astrid's perfume on Raven's skin. My fingers gripped the windowsill until my knuckles turned white, trying to anchor myself against the storm of emotions threatening to overwhelm me."Sylvia," Raven
When I finally emerged, wrapped in a towel with water still dripping from my hair, I found Raven waiting in my room. My body tensed immediately, remembering his forceful treatment earlier."Sylvia," he began, taking a step toward me. "I need to apologize."I wrapped my robe tighter around myself, ma
Sylvia's POVI fled down the corridor, my footsteps echoing off the stone walls as I ran from that scene, from my name spoken like a forbidden prayer, from the confusion and hurt that threatened to overwhelm me. I didn't stop until I reached an empty alcove, pressing my back against the cold stone
I jerked away from his touch, anger overriding the mate bond's pull. "I belong to myself. What happened just now... that was biology, nothing more.""Biology?" His laugh was cruel. "Your body tells a different story. You can't deny how you responded to me.""Because of the mate bond!" I wrapped the