Chapter 9

Ravenna’s POV

I stood frozen, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. I stared at Kael, searching his dark, bottomless eyes for a sign that he was bluffing. 

Surely, a man this powerful wouldn’t throw away his best card just for a moment of spite? But as the seconds ticked by, I realized the terrifying truth. He wasn't just threatening me. He was a man who thrived on chaos. If he couldn't own the weapon, he would see it destroyed.

He knew he had me. He could see the calculation in my eyes, the way my mind was searching for a backdoor that didn't exist.

"You're a monster," I whispered, the words tasting like ash in my mouth.

"I am a realist, Ravenna," Kael countered, his voice smooth and cold. "And the reality is that you are a wolfless girl playing a very dangerous game. Without me, you are a ghost waiting to be exorcised. With me? You are a revolution."

He stepped closer, his presence so heavy it felt like the oxygen was being sucked out of the room. "I want you to be my pet. My eyes, my ears, and my hands. Together, we will dismantle the Bloodmoon line. We will take everything they love and turn it into dust."

"I can't do this," I said, my voice shaking. "I came here for revenge, not to be a slave to another master. I won't be your pet.”

Kael’s expression didn't change. He simply reached for a piece of parchment on his desk, his fingers hovering as if he were about to write a letter to the palace. "Then our business is concluded. I hope you enjoy the dungeons, Ravenna. I hear the silver chains are particularly cold this time of year."

"Wait!"

The word tore from my throat before I could stop it. I closed my eyes, a wave of nausea washing over me. I thought about the three years of agony I had endured. I thought about the surgery, the brutal training, and the promise I made to myself in the mirror.

 If I was exposed now, all of it—every scar, every tear, every drop of blood—would be for nothing.

I couldn't let them win. Not Ronan. Not Selena. And if the price of their destruction was serving a devil like Kael, then I would pay it. 

I would use my body, my mind, and my soul as seduction. 

I would become the poison that killed the royal family, even if it meant I was poisoned in the process.

"Fine," I spat, my eyes snapping open, burning with a fire that wasn't entirely my own. "I’ll do it. I’ll do whatever you want."

Kael’s face transformed. A look of pure, twisted excitement lit up his features. It was the look of a collector who had finally acquired his most prized specimen. 

He walked back to his large leather chair and sank into it, crossing his legs with slow, arrogant grace.

"Excellent," he purred. "I knew you were a smart girl. Now, let’s get to work. I need to know exactly how deep your loyalty goes. I need you to impress me, pet."

I hesitated, my feet feeling like they were made of lead. I started to take a step toward him, my mind racing to figure out what "impressing" him even meant in this dark office. But he raised a hand, stopping me in my tracks.

"Not like that," he said, his voice dropping to a low, commanding growl. "A pet doesn't walk to its master. Kneel, Ravenna. Kneel and crawl to Daddy."

The humiliation hit me like a physical blow. My blood boiled with a rage so intense I thought I might actually shift, wolf or no wolf. 

I hated his dominance. 

I hated the way he looked at me—like I was a toy to be broken and rebuilt.

 My dignity screamed at me to turn and walk away, but the image of Ronan’s face at the bar—the confusion, the desire—held me back.

*For the revenge, I told myself. Everything for the revenge.*

Even though I felt small. I felt degraded. I tried to lower my hands to the floor, prepared to do the unthinkable, my head bowed in a shame I had never felt before.

Just as I shifted my weight to kneel, the heavy oak door suddenly flung open with a violent bang.

I froze on all fours, my heart stopping in my throat. I didn't even have to look back to know who it was.

 The scent of pine and an approaching storm flooded the room, more powerful than any magic.

Ronan stood in the doorway, his chest heaving, his blue eyes wide with shock. He looked from Kael, sitting regally in his chair to me—his new obsession. 

The silence that followed was deafening.