Chapter Twenty Five: Family Members

RAVEN

I walked down the hallway toward the breakfast room, my mind still a mess from the night before. I kept thinking about how Eilís would react when he saw me, and if he’d know I was awake for all of it.

I rounded the corner and stopped.

Eilís was standing in an alcove a few feet away. 

He was talking to a noblewoman I’d never seen before. She looked comfortable around him—too comfortable. As I watched, she reached out and put her hand on his shoulder.

Eilís didn't flinch. He didn't pull away like he usually did when people got close. He just stood there, listening to her.

I felt a weird pull in my chest, but I forced myself to look away. It shouldn't matter to me who he talked to. 

I kept walking, focusing on the floor until I reached the dining hall doors. 

The room was already half-full, and the smell of food made my stomach growl. I walked up to the head of the table and gave a small, respectful nod.

“Good morning, Your Majesty,” I said, keeping my voice light.

The King looked up, a huge grin on his face, he gestured to the people sitting around the long table. There were several faces I didn’t recognize—men and women with the same sharp, wolf-like features as the rest of the royal family.

“Raven, it seems our family has grown overnight,” the King said. “These are our extended kin. They’ve traveled from the outer territories and will be staying with us for a while.”

He went through the names, one by one. I nodded to each of them, trying to remember the faces. Then, he pointed to a man sitting a few seats down from him.

“And this is Devon Caravia, Eilís’s cousin.”

Devon stood up. He didn't have that cold, predatory look that most of the wolves in this castle carried. He looked younger, with a face that actually seemed capable of a smile.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Lady Raven,” Devon said. His voice was warm and sounded completely genuine.

I smiled back. “The pleasure is mine.”

“How are you finding Caravia your grace.” One of the women asked as the maids served our breakfast. 

The king had introduced her as Lady Malia. “It has been eye opening, your grace, Caravia has been good to me.”

She nodded before picking up her cutlery. “I am glad, my first time in Caravia was nothing short of horrifying.” Her smile was all teeth. “Everyone wanted a piece of the new mate.” 

The table went silent, Devon cleared his throat and glared at her. “What? Am I lying, I'm sure she's experienced it, her being human would definitely make it worse.”

"Ignore her," Devon said, giving Malia a pointed look. "She’s just bitter because her own transition into the pack involved more mud than silk."

Malia rolled her eyes but went back to her breakfast, though she kept glancing at me with a curious expression.

I sighed as I cut a piece of the roasted meat, I wondered if Eilis was still talking to the woman. They had looked close…and I had no idea why this was bothering me.

“I hear the South is quite different from our rugged terrain,” another voice broke in. It was an older man sitting across from Devon, whom the King had introduced as Lord Harkan.

“Tell me, Raven, what was it like growing up in the Dierna household? We hear so little of the inner workings of Southern noble families.”

I paused, my knife resting against the meat. For a second, a flash of my father’s cold office and my brothers’ mocking laughter crossed my mind. I had to be careful. I would be describing a life that belonged to a girl I was only pretending to be.

“It was quiet,” I said, keeping my tone neutral. “Most of our time was spent indoors, away from the heat. We focused on our studies and our duties to the estate. My father was… firm about our education.”

“Quiet? With so many siblings?” Harkan raised an eyebrow, a small smirk playing on his lips. “I find that hard to believe. In a house full of young blood, there is usually more noise than one can handle. Were you and your sisters not close?”

I felt a bead of sweat at the back of my neck. I thought of Kaden and Ricky, and the way they’d called me a sacrificial lamb just days ago.

“We all had our own paths to follow,” I replied, taking a small bite of the meat to give myself a moment. “But we understood the importance of our family name. That was always the priority.”

“A typical Southern answer,” Malia chimed in, though her voice lacked the bite from before. “So much discipline, so little fire. Didn't you ever do anything just for the sake of it? No midnight rides? No hidden secrets?”

She stared at me, her eyes lingering on my face.

“I spent most of my time in the library,” I said, and that much, at least, was the truth. “The stories in books were usually more interesting than anything happening in the halls.”

Devon nodded as if he understood. “I can relate to that. Sometimes the walls of a castle can feel smaller than the pages of a book.”

He was looking at me with that same genuine expression, but my mind was still drifting back to the hallway. I wondered if the woman in the alcove knew Eilís’s secrets, or if he was as much of a closed book to her as he was to me.

What could they be talking about for him to take this long to appear?

“Have you been to the palace library?” Devon asked. 

I shook my head. “I haven't, but I would love to see it.” 

His grin was bright. “I can take you there.”

Malia coughed, it was not subtle. “Be careful brother, not without the permission of the feral.” She smiled at the last word and I flushed, a sting of irritation washing through me.

Devon waved his hand. “Eilis wouldn't mind. Oh— here he comes.”