Raven's POV I don't know how long I slept for, I can't remember all that happened. I remember waking up with the need to build my nest.I went all frenzy trying to arrange Asher's clothes and pillows to build the perfect nest and then Asher's…Asher's scent.The scent of my mate, the haze of lust and the need to mate completely took over and all I wanted and craved was the knot of my mate.The sex, that was intense. I remember bits and bits of it. I can't imagine I went all wild on Asher and my wolf staking her claim on him.I can only blame it on my heat. I've never had one this intense before. I usually use heat suppression drugs to suppress my heat.But after mating with Asher, I didn't use them anymore. The smell of pancakes brings my attention back to the present.Asher walks in holding a tray containing pancakes, waffles and an orange juice.I perk up at the smell of the food and the sight of Asher's shirtless look.I guess my heat period isn't completely over yet, heat pools at
Asher's POV When I got the message from Derek to come down to the office without Raven, I knew they had found something.It had to involve Nicholas, Raven's father. I quickly excused myself and Raven didn't seem to mind or think much about it .Clearly exhausted from her heat and needing to rest. She just hummed out a reply. It's a good thing for me anyway.“Talk to me, what's going on?” I ask, as I enter the office, going straight to my seat.Both Derek and Dale were already seated in the seats opposite mine. Connor and Liam leaning against the window frame with their legs crossed and arms folded.Lucian has his head buried in his laptop in the seat close to the bookshelf. “Lucian has something to show up.” Derek says, pointing at Lucian.Lucian raises his head at the sound of his name, bringing his laptop over to my desk, he adjusts the frame of his glasses on his nose.“Last night, I was finally able to get a clearer video feed on Alpha Sean's pack.” He says, turning the laptop
Raven's POV I'm supposed to meet up with Bryon this Friday. We picked a middle point, not too close to my pack and too close to his.We agreed to meet somewhere in the woods, a neutral ground where no one will suspect a thing or see us.Bryon is meant to try to sneak me into the foundation so I can access those boxes. I had to get concrete evidence before we could confront father and those he is working with.But first I need to figure out a way to leave the house without alerting anyone. If I say I'm going out, Asher will want someone to follow me and guide me. Ever since Isla's attack he has become more strict with my security and safety.That's true, I have not heard anything about Isla and her friends since the day of the attack. I hope Asher kept his word and didn't kill them. I will have to ask him about it later.First I need to come up with something, an excuse to leave the house alone for at least an hour. What should I do? What can I say? Asher strolls in a few minutes
Asher's POV First I visited Jason's home. He was devastated by what happened to his wife. He broke down in tears In front of me, he was trying to be strong for his children.I asked about them and he said he sent them to their aunt's place for a while till their mother was fully healed.At least they are safe there, that's all that matters. Later that day, I called an emergency meeting with my enforcers and betas.Derek and Liam were the first to arrive, then Lucian and Dale and finally Connor arrived.They all say down, all having a brooding expression on their faces.“I'm sure you all know why I called for this meeting.” I say, leaning back in my seat. They all look up at me, nodding their heads.“Good, it seems we are all on the same page.”“How's Fiona doing now? Do you think she'll make it?” Lucian asks, with a concerned look on his face.“Arianna and King are doing their best to heal her. She was gravely injured, she sustained four broken ribs, dislocation in her shoulder, a
Raven's POV It's Friday, today's when I meet Bryon and we find out everything father's been up to.Asher's been acting strangely since he woke up and he has blocked me from his thoughts, so I can't tell what he's thinking.Something's up with him, I can feel it. I just hope he doesn't suspect what I'm about to do.I need this plan to go seamlessly without any problems. Just go in and out, simple.I know not telling Asher about it is not right, but if I l do, he wouldn't allow me do it.He will want to confront father himself and things will get all complicated and messy, and I don't want that.“Asher, where are you going?” I ask, sitting up in bed. Asher is all dressed in black.He has on a black leather pants and a black shirt. Who wears all black? And on a Friday, when not in mourning.“You awake Raven.” He says as he buttons up his shirt.“Yes, I've been awake for a while now.” I say.“So where are you going all dressed up in black. Did someone die? Or wait— no, it's not Fiona rig
Asher's POV Everything is going smoothly according to plan so far. Alpha Giovanni men are all surrounding the perimeters.Alpha Giovanni, Connor and Liam are also stationed close to the pack house.Dale, Derek and I are also sitting inside the car parked just outside Alpha Nicholas pack waiting for Jackson to go inside and do what he needs to do.We all have our comms hidden somewhere on our body to avoid suspicion.Adjusting my comms, “Lucian, Lucian, you there?” I call into my comm.“I can hear you Alpha.” He replies back.“Good, how are things going on your end? Hope nothing seems suspicious?” I ask.“No, everything is fine here. Alpha Jackson just went inside now.” He says.“Good, so let's wait for him to settle. We can listen to their conversation and know the best time to move in.”“Alright then.” He replies, then goes mute. I guess he's back to monitoring the security cameras.It's a little suspicious that Alpha Nicholas has very little security protecting his pack.“Don't you
Raven's POV “Axton, what are you doing down here?” Bryon asks, moving slightly towards me to shield me from his view.“Do I need your permission to come down here dearest brother?” Axton sneers .“No, that's not what I meant. I just…”“Who is behind you brother? What are you hiding from me?” Axton asks, interrupting Bryon.I shiver silently, adjusting my face cap, my back is turned towards him so he can't make out my face.“It's nothing, no one of importance.” Bryon says, trying to keep his voice steady.“Is that so?” Axton asks, moving closer. “Let me see then, why are you hiding the person? You're shielding the person.Don't you trust me brother? Is the person your girlfriend? Do you think I'll hurt her?” He asks, mockingly.If there's anything I know about my brother Axton, is that he's very smart and cunning just like our father.Trying to feign innocence now is not him at all. It will be difficult for Bryon to try to convince him to let us out of here.Not when he found us where
Asher's POV “Get down now!” Derek shouts, pulling me over to a corner just behind where we parked our car with Dale by my other side.“Asher, Asher! You need to snap out of it right now or we're all going to die!” He screams into my face.I can hear him but I can't seem to move or act. I'm still thinking of Raven. Raven is here, she's here.“Silver bullets! Fucking silver bullets! That's what he's using.” Dale shouts shielding us from the bullets.We move over to the back of our car using it to shield us. Marcel isn't here to drive and he's with the keys.“He must be somewhere, probably hiding.” Derek tells Dale. “You need to fucking snap out of it right now. What the hell did Lucian say to him?” Dale asks Derek.“Raven's here. I think her father has her”“Shit! How the hell did she end up here? This is bad, we're so screwed.” Dale says.Bullets wheeze past us from where we ducked. Derek pulls me lower. Dale moves closer to us, firing back his own shots at them to keep them away fr
Asher's POV I take a seat opposite Alpha Jackson and Edward. Derek leans against the wall with his arms folded.Dale stands by my side, Liam and Connor are seated close to Alpha Jackson and Edward, staying by their sides.“Welcome to my pack.” I sat, once seated. “How may I be of help to you?” I ask, crossing my legs.“Alpha Asher, the one people call the Cruel Alpha. Hmm, nice to finally place a face to the name.” Edward says, smirking.I snort, “Seems you've heard a lot about me then.” I say, leaning forward with my elbows on my knees.“But you see, I don't know you nor have I heard anything about you.So why don't you do us the honors and introduce yourself.” I say with a forced smile.“Oh yes, I'm sorry. I should have led with an introduction.” He said, placing a hand over his chest.“My bad. My name is Edward Pierce, I'm what people will call a pirate. I come from the sea, but I'm also a merchant.”“A merchant?” Derek asks, raising a brow at him. Edward faces him, a smile on his
Asher's POV It's a week now since Raven left home. I've not been myself, I've been flying into a fit of rage and fuet every now and then.Threatening my enforcers and even attacking my best friends, my betas too.I don't know what to do anymore, my wolf is losing control and I'm finding it very difficult to keep control of it.I'm on the verge of insanity right now. I need Raven, I need my mate back into my arms.I need to smell her sweet scent of vanilla and roses to help calm me down.I huff out a breath, sifting my hands through my hair, I look at my reflection in the glass of my office.I look like a mad man. My hair is way overgrown, my beards look so tacky, they need to be shaved off.My eyes are close to bloodshot now. I close my eyes briefly, breathing in slowly.I need to control myself, my pack is falling apart, everything isn't going the way they should.Fear permeates my pack members, they're all scared and afraid of me now, and who can blame them? With the way I look, I'
Raven's POV Whoever said life was easy, lied. It's hard as fuck and sucks too, and the crazy thing is, nobody has the mind or gut to admit to it.Everyone, I mean everyone likes to live in their little delusion. Everyone has a secret to keep and a story that needs to be told.Hurt is everywhere, for both humans and shifters, we both practically drown in its essence.Yet we all pretend like it doesn't exist or matter and we are fine, when deep down we decide ourselves.But everything within us screams in agony and outrage. Our soul pleads that we should be honest and true to ourselves at least once in our lives.It begs for us to tell one person and the very second that we do that, everything becomes better.But the moment that one person we became vulnerable to shatters everything we struggle to admit.Then the world becomes nothing but emptiness and darkness.For a moment, life isn't as hard as it seems, we only make It so.“Jesus Raven!” Maya calls from the doorway, making me star
Asher's POV I watch Raven slowly leave from the corner of my eyes. Tears escape from the corner if my eyes and I wipe them away.Ever since the death of my parents, I've never shed a tear for anything or anyone until now, until Raven.Raven ripped out my heart, broke our mate bond just like that. She didn't even think twice before doing it, before ripping us into shreds.My wolf howls in pain, pain unlike anything I've ever felt before.The pain was so blinding and heart wrenching, I thought I would lose it. But she just walked out the door, leaving me all alone here.Derek and Dale helped me to meet. “Asher,” Derek starts, but I cut him off by holding up my hand.I don't say a word neither do I want to hear anything from them. I walk up to my roon, into our bedroom.Raven's scent still lingers in the room. She didn't even bother to take any of her belongings with her.She really wanted to escape this place,vecape me. I huff out a sad chuckle.Am I such a bad person that Raven need
Raven's POV Asher looked up at me dumbfounded with hurt in his eyes.“Okay, I think we all need to calm down now. Raven please calm down. You're hurting right now and we all know it.Let's not say hurtful things now, things we'll regret later.” Dale says, trying to douse the tension.“No, I'm calm now, calmer than I've ever been before.” I say, wiping away my rears furiously.“It's all Asher's fault. If he had only believed me when I told him Bryon was innocent.If he had trusted me enough and let my brother go, he wouldn't be dead now. My brother would still be alive by now, here with me.” I yell.I keep pacing back and forth the room, raking my fingers through my hair. Asher walks up to me slowly but I back away from him. “I can't, I can't right now. I can't do this anymore, Asher.”“What're you saying Raven? What do you mean by "you can't do this anymore?” He asks, breathing heavily.I shake my head, slowly drawing farther away from him.“It hurts too much. Everytime I see you,
Raven's POV Dead, dead, dead, those words keep ringing in my ears. My mouth hangs open and eyes widen in shock.I can feel the color drain out of my face. Asher tushes over to my side, trying to tell me something, I can't hear him but I see his mouth moving.It seemed like air was being sucked out of me. I struggle to breathe at the moment.“Raven, Raven, Raven!” Asher snaps and yells in my face. I turn to look at him.“That's it,” He says. “Just look at me and breathe with me. In…out, okay, just like that.” I follow his steps, breathing in and out until enough air gets into my lungs and I can finally breathe well.“Very good, you're doing well.” He commends with a sad smile.My brother, Bryon, is dead. “No, not Bryon. Bryon isn't dead. He's still waiting for me.” I say, hysterical.I try to get out of bed but as soon as my legs touch the ground, I stagger on my feet. A wave of dizziness hits me at once, causing me to sit back down on the bed. Asher and Dale move towards me at once
Asher's POV Arianna and King have been attending to Raven since we got back home.She looked so pale now, marks and bruises covered all her body. I could see the mark of a footprint on her stomach and rib cage.Those motherfuckers, I should have dragged out their death, made them suffer more before killing them for hurting my mate like this.I keep pacing back and forth in the room. Raven is deadly still and it scares me.“Alpha, I would need you to excuse us. Your pacing back and forth is distracting.” Arianna tells me.“I'm sorry, I'm just anxious and worried. She…she's not moving.” I muttered.“She'll be fine, we are doing our job but we can't keep getting distracted by you packing around, back and forth.” She gives me a stern look.I n9d my head, raising my hands in the air. *I'll excuse you, but I'll be right outside the door if you need me.“Thank you” she says, gesturing to the door for me to leave.I leave the room with Arianna slamming the door behind me. Damn! I can't even
Asher's POVFrom the movement Raven told me it was a trap set by Axton and Torren, I became cautious.I knew Axton had taken her but I didn't know he had someone with him too.Torren Shade, Raven's ex. Lucian had him investigated on our way and sent all his details to me.He was the lying and cheating ex who betrayed Raven. My guess is that he wants Raven to pay for leaving him.The bastard's not going to beg for mercy when I'm done with him. Raven's hurt, I can feel it.Axton, that motherfucker, I should have made sure he died in the building.“What's the plan now?” Dale asked as we neared the location on the tracker.“We go all in but be very cautious. It's a trap meant to lure me in and kill me and I'm sure it won't be easy.”“Then we stay alert and move as one.” Derek says, cocking his gun and checking the bullets.Luckily we still had some silver bullets we took from Alpha Nicholas guards during the last attack.“Okay, let's bring this motherfucker down once and for all.” Dale gr
Raven's POV Oh no, Asher's close, I can feel it. I struggle against the binds. “Let me go, let me go.” I shout.“Gag that bitch.” Axton commands “No, no, you can't.” I muttered. Torren comes over, placing a piece of cloth in my mouth, sealing my lips.I shout but it sounds muffled. “They are here, take her away and don't forget—” a look passes between them.Don't forget what? What are they planning to do to me?Torren loses the rope binding my legs, pulling me to my feet with my hair. I grunt out.“Move bitch.” He growled out, pulling me with him. I try to steel my feet, hoping to see Asher but Torren doesn't let me, he keeps dragging me away.I see Axton lay out some weapons before I'm finally pulled away from his view.We move deeper into the forest and stop at one point.The night air crackled with tension, fear of the unknown. Torren rips out the clothing from my mouth with force, causing me to wince in pain.I swallowed the knot in my throat, looking all around us in fear. T