DARIUS POV Ravenna tasted addictive, like the first sip of smooth whiskey on a cold night, igniting a fire that spread through your veins. Each encounter was a complex blend of smoky richness and sweet undertones, drawing you deeper into its embrace, where every moment lingered like a cherished memory, intoxicating and impossible to forget.Why had I turned into a poetic bastard? Since I've heard a taste of Ravenna's lips.I curled my hands under Ravenna and lifted her while I sat up, placing her on my lap, all the while never breaking our kiss. My hands went to the back of her neck and I deepened the kiss. When she parted her lips I slipped my tongue inside, tasting and exploring every bit of her mouth. There was a taste of cinnamon and… something else, something that was all Ravenna. The little sound she made when I sucked on her tongue was nearly enough to make me cum on my pants like a teenager. We broke the kiss to breathe and I've never hated needing to breathe the way I d
RAVENNA POV Once the words started flowing, they wouldn’t stop. I couldn’t tell if the expression on Darius’s face meant I should have kept quiet or if I should continue. It felt like a mix of both; he was just as confused as I was.I had stopped hating Darius for a while now, my head just took a while to catch up on that update. Darius remained silent as he stared at me with his eyes filled with pain and longing. Why was he pained? Did he want me to hate him? But that kiss earlier says otherwise. And what was he longing for? It couldn't be… me? Now, now, Ravenna, let's not get ahead of ourselves."Say something," I whispered when the silence stretched on. Darius swallowed, hard, before he looked away from me and swallowed again. That was a lot of swallowing in just three seconds. "I... " he trailed off, still not looking at me. Then in a quiet, almost broken voice, he said, "I'm sorry." My heart skipped a beat. This was the second time Darius had apologized to me, and I knew h
DARIUS POV "When are Alpha Hale's agents coming?" I asked, my eyes fixed on the laptop but my mind was far away. "Five days from today," Lucian answered. "I see," I said, nothing seeing anything at all. Five days from today I will have a new ally, my plan will take shape and I will succeed. Why then do I feel so empty thinking about that? I knew the answer as clear as the back of my hand. Ravenna. That was the only answer. I wanted to become a better man for her, to do better. And what I was about to do was the exact opposite of a better man. She might say she doesn't hate me but if I carry on with this plan she will. Maybe even hate me more than she did before. I didn't want that. I had managed to gain her trust. How that had happened will remain a mystery till my last days.So I didn't want to lose that trust, I didn't want to carry out with this plan that wasn't mine.Lucian cleared his throat and I looked up at him staring at me. I raised an eyebrow when he didn't say anyt
RAVENNA POV Anticipation and excitement had me smiling as Mia and I packed. For over three weeks that I've been brought here I haven't left the pack house—except to the woods, but that doesn't count. And now I was finally able to see the territory!And all thanks to Mia. We were talking about the beautiful places we've visited, but since I haven't traveled much and neither has Mia, we mostly shared stories about our packs. I told her about the two packs I’ve been to, and she began describing hers. She spoke of how the water was so clear you could almost see the bottom, how the trees bore the sweetest fruits, how the grass was lush and green, and how the breeze was always light and refreshing.And that was when I knew I wanted to explore this land that has been my prison for close to a month.I haven't thought Darius would agree so easily. I was ready to give him hell if he hadn't.And the way he had looked at me… like I was his favorite snack and he wanted to devour me, it still
RAVENNA POV I sat in the passenger seat, gazing out the window as the landscape shifted around us. The road stretched ahead, winding through dense woods, the kind that seemed to stretch endlessly, thick with trees and the scent of earth and pine. Mia, focused on the road, hummed softly to the music playing in the background. The hum of the tires on the asphalt was calming, the rhythmic sound blending with the soft murmur of the car’s engine.We passed the edge of the forest, and the trees began to thin out, revealing a quaint town nestled in the valley below. The buildings were charming—old stone cottages with ivy climbing the walls, colorful flower boxes hanging from window sills, and cobblestone streets that curved around like a maze. Why does every house in this place look old? It was as if the territory was built in the old era.It felt like something out of a dream, so picturesque and peaceful, it seemed untouched by time—nah, that was a lie. Time touched everywhere. Mia slow
REVANNA POV I most definitely gave a fuck. Hiking was not as easy as Mia said it would be, or perhaps it is because Mia seems to be doing just fine. My breath came in ragged bursts, my legs screaming as I pushed forward, my boots crunching against the rocky trail. I glanced at Mia ahead of me, who moved with a grace that made it look effortless—it most definitely was not. Mia paused briefly, waiting for me to catch up."You good?" Mia asked, her voice light, but with a glint of concern in her eyes.I wiped sweat from my brow and gave a half-hearted smile. "Who me? I'm doing just fine." I took a deep breath. "I didn't realize hiking meant I was going to need a second lung."Mia chuckled, adjusting the strap of her backpack. "It gets easier once you get used to it. The view at the top makes it all worth it.""I’m starting to think you’ve been lying to me this whole time." I shot her a mock glare. "Do you have a plan to kill me, Mia? This plan is most effective, I should tell you."
RAVENNA POV We walked back to where we had packed the car, me walking slowly, scared that the pain might just come back. But it didn't. We continued our climb down and I picked up pace but still no pain came."I'm still trying to wrap my head around what just happened," Mia said, now walking beside me. "You're human. No offense," she quickly added with a strained smile.I shook my head. "None taken.""A normal human would have taken weeks, even a month to heal that," she continued. "Even a wolf wouldn't have been able to heal that quickly." I hummed and kept walking, my mind faraway. Strange things have been happening to me since that full moon. First that day Darius and I had our second fight and the sudden burst of energy had surged through me and I had almost dislocated his shoulder. That wasn't normal. Then that fight we had when we were training with the pack, I had also felt that energy. And then the one that has left me baffled till this day was that day when the rogue wol
DARIUS POV If I continue to tap this particular spot on my desk I might tap a hole into it. But I couldn't bring myself to stop. I glance at the clock again for the hundredth time in an hour and it was already noon. Where the hell were they? Had Mia betrayed the pack and helped Ravenna escaped? No, she wouldn't do that. I have known Mia right since she was just a pup. She loved her pack, despite them not returning that sentiment, despite what her father did. So she wouldn't betray me like that.But what if Ravenna had overpowered Mia and slipped past the border? Mia was strong but Ravenna was stronger.My foot joined in the tapping, and I glance at the clock again. "For fuck sake, Darius, calm the fuck down!" Lucian snapped, his hands thrown up in frustration. I leveled a flat look on him. "Lucian?""What?""Leave me the fuck alone."He got up immediately. "I thought you'd never ask." I resumed my tapping once he was out the door. My wolf has been restless during this longest
Something was wrong. The trio had been driving half the day, and according to the GPS, they should reach the town by mid-afternoon. But it was now evening, and the sky was orange, casting that glow on the trees and the ground, but they still hadn't reached the town. “Something’s wrong,” Mia voiced out, at the edge of her seat, her nose pressed against the window. “Terribly wrong,” Dalian agreed, his hands tightening around the steering wheel. “We should have gotten there hours ago,” Lucian muttered, looking down at his phone with his eyebrows furrowed. “And… and I don't understand. Both the GPS and the map showed that we were close, and then suddenly we were back miles away from where we were meant to go. It doesn't fucking make sense.”Mia’s nose stayed pressed to the window as they reached near the town again, just almost to the border, and then she felt weird. Like she wanted to turn around. And she was forgetting why she wanted to come to the town, her head pounding. “Stop th
“Hmmph!” Mia moaned loudly as she felt Dalian everywhere. This new position made her feel him so deeply, and that need for more seemed to lessen. “Yes, Dalian!”He slammed into her without restraint, panting, his balls slapping against her, giving a different sensational feeling, his nails digging into her ass. Yes, this was what she wanted. Needed. Her thirst for more was finally quenched. “So fucking good,” he growled, withdrawing until only his tip remained and he slammed back in. “So tight. So goddamn warm. Look how your cunt is swallowing my dick. So fucking eager for it.” Sounds Mia didn't know she could make poured out of her. She sang for him as she pushed back to meet his thrust, her ass slapping against him. Dalian leaned down until his front was resting on her back, his teeth grazing her neck as he continued to pound into her, not once faltering. His hand reached down and rubbed her clit, and Mia’s eyes rolled to the back of her head. “For the whole time we were apart,
Shit, Dalian was so fucking stupid. That wasn't news, right?He was so damn stupid and he didn't possess self-control. That was nonexistent when it came to Mia. But how could he? When she was so perfect. When she wanted him back.How could he have even thought she didn't want him? When he had heard her say those words in her sleep, that she wanted him, it had taken everything in him not to slam his lips on hers and take her. Because he had been dying without her. Everything seemed bland and just lifeless without her touch, her scent, her everything. Fuck, he was in too deep. Too damn deep. But as Mia sucked him, her hot mouth perfect around him, he didn't care how deep he was. He would fall into a depth as deep as the ocean if it meant he could remain in this bubble she had blown around him. He never wanted to leave it. “Mia,” he moaned, his hands aching to reach for her, to touch, but he didn't want her to stop. He might fucking die if she did. He thrust his hips up, hitting the
Yes!!! Those were the words ringing like alarm bells in Mia’s head. Yes.Yes.Yes.Yes to everything Dalian. Yes to the way he was kissing her like her lips were bread and he was a starving man. Yes to the way his tongue entered her mouth and dominated hers. Yes to the way his lips molded against hers, hard, starving, eager, perfect. God, so perfect. Yes. Oh God, fucking yes. Mia moaned as she hooked her legs around his waist and pressed him tight against her, not caring about his weight. She shuddered when his zipper rubbed against her naked, wet flesh, moaning into his mouth and he swallowed every damn sound. His tongue curled around hers and he sucked it, grinding against her, and his zipper rubbed against her again. He did it again. And again. And fucking again. Until she was shaking, moaning into his mouth, moving her hips to match his rhythm, his passion. He held one of her legs open and rolled his hips, panting into her mouth, not breaking the kiss even when both their l
Mia felt like she couldn't breathe and at the same time, she felt flooded with too much breath in her lungs. Dalian was naked, his well-ripped and tanned body in full view, and Mia drank him in, her eyes raking over his body. This was the first time she had seen his back, and she could it was littered with tiny scars, some white and long, some a bit red and tiny. He bent to get his boxers on and her eyes dropped to his round, firm ass, and she could see his ball sac. She bit her bottom lip, her hand going with its own mind to touch herself from her clothes. Fuck, she wanted him. So damn bad. Why the hell had she agreed for them to be just friends? But then, friends do fuck each other, don't they? They could still be friends and do things to each other. Because Mia needed him, more than she needed to breathe. Dalian slipped into his boxers and then into his trousers. He picked up his shirt and that was when he finally turned to her. Their eyes met and held. She didn't look away l
Lucian exhaled and looked out the window, as if the words would come easier if he didn't meet their eyes. “It's like… something is calling me. Not just a hunch or instinct—it’s deeper than that. It hurts. It pulls.”Silence. The car engine hummed beneath them, steady and oblivious. “I know this sounds crazy,” Lucian added quickly, his voice quieter. “But it’s like a part of me is already there, waiting. Like if I don't find it… I’ll lose something I never had. And my wolf… my wolf has been damn restless, at the edge.”Dalian spoke, his voice even, “That sounds like–”“I know what it sounds like,” Lucian snapped, then winced. “Sorry. I just… I'm not ready to say it out loud yet.”Dalian nodded, his eyes fixed on the road. Nobody said anything for a while after that. The forest on either side of the road blurred into movements, the radio once again filling the silence. “Do you think that was how Darius felt when Ravenna… left?” Mia asked, her voice quiet, her eyes following a bird t
“What was that?” Lucian asked the couple, an eyebrow raised. “Hmm?” Darius said, feigning innocence. “What was what?” Ravenna asked, blinking at Lucian. Lucian stared at them with a bored expression. “That.” He waved at them. “Whatever it is the both of you just did.”“I do not know what it is you speak of,” Ravenna said. Mia’s eyebrows furrowed. “Why are you talking like that?”Ravenna turned to her. “Like what?”“Like that stressful way people of the old age speak,” Dalian was the one who answered. “You could have said that sentence in like five words, but you chose to prolong it.”Darius rolled his eyes. “Nerd.”Ravenna nudged him with her elbow. “He’s not. Or maybe just a little.”“People!” Lucian cut in, frustration tightening his features. “Can we just go back to what we were talking about?”“Ah, yes,” Darius answered. “We were talking about how Mia was going to accompany Dal
The silence in the hall was so heavy, you could hear the dust settle. No one moved, no one even shifted as if they feared something would get them if they did. This was one of the things they had feared. Ravenna had said the pack wouldn't agree and that was what was happening. They were scared. Mia could feel it, smell it. The plan wouldn't continue if they didn't agree, so now they would think of something. But this plan was the most solid they had. Ravenna sighed, her shoulders dropping. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words got caught in her throat when a young girl stepped forward, about the same age as Mia. She stepped out from the crowd and stood in front of the platform, looking at Ravenna with bold eyes. She was a Lupinarian. “I’m in, Luna,” she said, loud enough for the others to hear, her voice small but bold, sure. Then she turned to her people. “You’ve all been talking about how this peace won’t last. And here is a solution looking you all in the eyes. Yet, yo
“Thank you all for gathering here,” Ravenna began, her voice loud and clear even though she didn't raise it. “For too long, we have only known conflict and violence—both packs. Territory disputes. Power struggles. Bloodshed. But I believe–” she glanced over at Darius before she looked back at the pack. “–we believe that we’re capable of more.”She paused, sweeping her gaze across the sea of faces. Some curious. Some uncertain. All listening. “It's time we stopped surviving and started living. We've built something strong here—something worth protecting. But we all know that wouldn't last. That something is coming. So we have to build. Plan. And that means risk. It means trust. It means opening a door that has been shut since.”Mia looked around her and she could see some people had already figured out where Ravenna was going with this. Some shifted in their feet. Some faces grew hard. Mia winced inwardly. This was going to be hard. Absentmindedly, her eyes trailed to Dalian. He was