Novels by Zainab Ajayi

RAVENSurvival required priorities:One: hide what must be hidden.Two: do not faint.Three: if someone notices something amiss, cry. Crying solved many problems.By the time I finished dressing, I looked…acceptable. Pale, certainly. But no more so than a bride who had survived her first night with a feral prince.I practiced my expression in the mirror. Soft eyes, small smile, nothing sharp.I had just perfected the look of “grateful but overwhelmed” when the door opened again—this time without warning.Denis strolled in like he owned the place.“Oh good,” he said cheerfully. “You’re upright.”I startled despite myself, then recovered quickly. “Is that unexpected?”He tilted his head, studying me openly now, like a cat considering whether something might be a toy.“Statistically?” he said. “A little.”I smiled thinly. “Comforting.”He laughed, apparently delighted. “Don't worry about a thing, I want you to be free with me and you’ll do just fine here.”I was not reassured.Denis circ

RAVENI groaned as I tried to stretch, a sharp pain flaring through my lower back. It wasn’t sudden—it bloomed slowly, like fire spreading under my skin, settling deep where I couldn’t escape it. When I forced myself upright, the ache followed, dragging through muscle and bone until even sitting felt like a mistake.My breath came shallow.The sheets slid against my legs, heavy, warm, carrying a scent that made my stomach twist. Wolf, faint but unmistakable. My own body reacted before my mind caught up, tension snapping through me as if I were bracing for impact.That was when I felt it, a gaze.My spine stiffened, every instinct screaming. Slowly, carefully, I turned my head.Ellis was kneeling on the floor beside the bed.Not standing over me, not pacing like a caged animal. Kneeling—back straight, hands loose at his sides, head bowed slightly as if he’d been there a long time. His hair was unbound, falling into his eyes, his expression tight with something that didn’t look like hun

RAVEN I stumbled back in shock, my eyes widening in fear, how did he figure that out? What gave it away? My gears hit overdrive, the pain in my neck now so far beneath my worries. I optioned for denial. “I'm female, my prince, where is this coming from?” At this rate, with the way my heart beat increased I wasn't far from dying from a heart attack. I was praying he found it convincing. He growled, the sound menacing. I immediately knelt down and bowed my head. “Forgive me my prince and tell me my sin so I may atone for it.” He scoffed, going down on his knees next to me. “Why don't I confirm myself.” Fisting my hair with his left hand, he jerked my head up. I gasped, wincing in pain as strands of my hair pulled out.With his right hand, prince Eilís flipped up my gown, his hand going underneath.I could feel his hand sliding up my thigh as we stared at each other, his gold eyes burning. My body was frozen, the fear holding me down, my limbs locked and refusing to move. His

RAVEN I was doomed. It was the only thought that ran through my head as the wolf locked eyes with mine. Could it smell my fear? Could it smell that I was lying about my identity? He was huge, easily reaching almost five feet. It prowled towards me, gaze unmoving, I forced myself to move but my foot stayed rooted to the ground. It growled suddenly, body jerking to the side, I noticed it had been hit with a dart. Another shot, and it jerked again, its descent slowing. That was when I noticed the king holding a dart gun and a displeased expression on his face. He fired another and finally the wolf went down, its head hitting the ground with a loud thud. “Escort her grace to the prince’s chambers.” The king's voice rang out. I flinched back in surprise as two men appeared before me.“If you please, your grace.” They gestured for me to follow. With one look back at the feral wolf laying on the ground, I turned and followed. Was I a bad person if I wished for him to remain t

EILÍS “Would you have me wed to a human?” I asked my father–the king. I wasn't one to show emotion but I was sure my face conveyed my disbelief. “Not an ordinary human, a noble.” He explained, like that made it different.“Why! For power?fear? For respect? You already have that.”“For you, I intend to curb the rumours flying around about you, and with a human bride some of the rumours might seize.” He twirled the wine cup in his hand, gold eyes flashing in suppressed anger. “And it wouldn't hurt to see if she can cure you.”“I thought you'd given up on finding a cure?” I asked in surprise.He looked at me like I was stupid. “Why would I give up on helping you? You think I'm just going to give my crown to any of your wayward brothers?”“Ah…, of course that's the only reason you keep me sane and locked up, sending every available woman you can find to me.” I spat.“And now I'm giving you a wife, don't be a bore Eilís, Lord Dierna's daughters are a thing of beauty from what I've he

"We have received a missive from the king of wolves." My father began, each word precise, as my siblings and I stood before him in his library. "He has decreed that one of my beloved daughters is to wed the beast of Northshore."A sharp collective intake of breath followed his voice, my own breath caught in my throat, remembering all the rumored whispers I'd heard about the beast of Northshore. They said he was one of the three princes who went feral during the war, brought back by magic or sheer will, but never quite the same. Some whispered he was stuck in a half-wolf transformation, locked away in his castle. Others claimed he was a monster, his presence enough to drive humans mad and wolves feral.I flinched when my father's gaze slid to mine, and I immediately lowered my head. "Raven, you will go as a replacement to your sister as the beast's betrothed."I felt like I'd been punched in the gut. The room spun around me, my vision blurring at the edges as my father's words sank in