Raven's POVI struggled against their grip, my heels scraping against the cold, hard ground as they dragged me forward. Stones and pebbles dug into my heels. I hissed, biting down on my lip to keep from making a sound.They weren’t even trying to be gentle.Bastards.“Let me go!” I pleaded again, twisting my wrists, trying to break free, but their hands were like iron shackles around my wrist.The taller guard, his face twisted in a permanent scowl, snorted. “Shut up. Be glad we’re being civil with you.”“Civil?” I barked out a bitter laugh, my chest heaving with anger. “You call this civil?”The shorter one, his grip tightening painfully, leaned down just enough for his breath to brush against my ear. “Trust me, outsider, you don’t want to see what uncivil looks like.”A shiver ran down my spine, but I refused to let them see fear in my eyes.We walked further and further away from the place where my mates had left me, confusion and fear twisting in my chest. My vision blurred as tear
Raven's POVI don’t know how long I’ve been here anymore. The days blur together, each one identical to the last.We are given stale bread three times and day and only allowed to bathe thrice a week.There is no sunlight, no warmth, just cold stone and the scent of decay.I’ve lost weight. A lot of it. My petite figure is now leaner and weaker. I chopped my hair off in a desperate attempt to regain some control.In the beginning, I tried keeping track of time, scratching lines into the wall with a dull knife I found in the corner of my cell. I think I lasted three days before I lost count.Ara, my wolf, has been silent for days.I should be expecting my third loaf of stale bread for the day, but instead, the scent that drifts toward me makes my mouth water. Steak.Rich, seasoned steak. Moon Goddess, the steak smells heavenlyI swallow hard.But what if the steak was poisoned? I hesitated, bringing it close to my nose and sniffing cautiously. It smelled divine, rich and well-seasoned,
Ansel's POVWe had been searching for days, but there was still no sign of her.After we met with Father, we ran back to where we’d last left her, only to realize our mistake almost immediately. We left our mate unmarked in a territory on the brink of war. She could be dead. Or maybe—the bitch managed to survive and ran back to her pack.A low growl rumbled in my chest at the thought.If I saw her again, I’d kill her myself for leaving just like that.Who does she think she is? Defying me and my brothers as if she had a choice. I am an Alpha. Her mate. She belongs to us, and the sooner she understands that, the better.But right now, we had bigger concerns than chasing after some dumb, disloyal wolf.I should have paid more attention when she spoke about her pack, but honestly, why would I? It doesn’t matter where she comes from. Her place is with us.Asher burst into my office, his fury rolling off him in waves. His wolf had been restless since she left, and frankly, so had mine.“An
Raven's POVCaleb told me to meet him behind the guardhouse once I was let out. I don’t know where that is, but I’ll figure it out, I just need to stay alert.Two days passed faster than I expected, and I’m grateful for that. I’ve been counting the hours, desperate to be free. Locking up a wolf is the worst thing you can do to our kind.The guard who comes to release me doesn’t bother with gentleness. He yanks me forward, his grip tight enough to leave bruises. I grit my teeth but don’t fight back; I can’t fight back; I don’t have the strength.Stepping outside, I take in my surroundings. There are other prisoners, just as battered and restless as I am, some of them looking scary. Guards stand scattered around, but none of them are watching us. It’s not carelessness, they just know we have no chance of escape.Outside the yard, there’s only one building. It has to be the guardhouse.Keeping my steps slow and careful, I move toward the back of the building, doing my best not to draw a
Raven's POVI keep running the moment I realize they aren’t from my pack.But then I notice, they’re running after me.Panic blooms in my chest as they close in, their movements calculated. They don’t just chase me; they slam into me, trying to knock me off balance.I dodge as much as I can, using my speed and agility to stay ahead. Werewolves may be large, but we are fast. Still, they are more experienced with their wolves than I am with mine. It doesn’t take long before they overpower me.A furious snarl rips from my throat as they pin me down. My wolf thrashes, enraged at being restrained again.We shift back to our human forms, and I barely have time to catch my breath before strong hands clamp down on my arms, holding me in place between the two of them.“Who are you?” I shout, my voice dripping with anger, hiding the fear clawing at my chest. I struggle against their grip. “Let me go!”A young man steps forward from the rest of the pack.His eyes were red, a very unusual colour
Raven's POV“The Moon-shade Pack,” he says with a slow smile.I stiffen. The name sounds familiar.I’ve heard it before—in the Crescent Silver Pack. It seems like this is the Pack having issues with the Silver Crescent pack. Knowing the alphas of that park are my mates won’t do me any good .I decided to hide it at all costs.“And why am I here?” I ask, my voice colder now.He leans back, watching me with that same unreadable expression. “Because we thought you needed help. This is a pack for those who have no home… those who feel unwelcome in their own. We saw you running alone, and that’s uncommon for a wolf.”His words linger in the air, but my mind is elsewhere.The Moon-shade Pack.Why does it feel like I’ve just walked into something far more dangerous than I escaped from?“Well, thank you for your help,” I say, my tone edged with sarcasm. “If that’s what you want to call it. But I really must leave now. I have my own home. I am not a rogue.”He doesn’t respond immediately. Ju
Asher's POV I have been frustrated since the day Raven disappeared. My wolf is restless, pacing in my mind, demanding that we find her. I can’t help but blame Ansel, it’s his fault she’s gone. We pushed her too far and let her slip through our fingers. And yet, I can’t bring myself to regret everything. She belongs to us. No matter how far she runs, she’ll never truly escape.I know we treated her harshly. We never gave her a chance, never let her feel safe. Ansel took things further than even I expected, but deep down, I didn’t stop him. I watched her break, watched her crumble under his dominance, and something about it made my wolf stir with satisfaction. Because no matter how much she fought, in the end, she always looked at me like I was her last hope. And I liked that. I liked knowing that after everything, she still saw me as her only escape.But now she’s gone. And that makes me fucking furious.Ansel has been leading the search, and I know he won’t stop until he has her ba
Asher’s povThe search had been going on for more than three weeks now. Everything had been silent—even from the Moon-shade Pack until today.Boom.The ground shook beneath me, and a loud noise echoed through the pack. I was mid-search when a guard mind-linked me, his voice laced with panic.“Your Highness, a part of the prison yard seems to have exploded! We need you here!”My body tensed. What the hell?“Fall back, men!” I ordered my team before taking off toward the prison. After days of nothing, was this finally a move from Moon-shade? My mind raced, but I didn’t have time to think. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, dodging scrambling pack members as dust began to fill the air.The moment I arrived at the prison yard, chaos greeted me. Dust still lingered in the air; Guards were running around trying to ascertain the situation, barking orders, trying to restore order. The destruction was contained to this section of the prison—nowhere else in the park had been touched.Tha
Raven's POV I was still in a state of shock when Kelvin strolled into the room, completely unfazed by the bodies at his feet. He walked over them like they were nothing like he’d seen this kind of carnage a thousand times before, and he probably had.He wore that infuriating smirk again, the one I was beginning to realize was just part of his face. Part of his behavior.“Your Highness,” he greeted Morgan with a bow. Then his gaze slid towards me. “Oh, the little queen is here. Lovely to see you, Raven.”I rolled my eyes, refusing to give him the reaction he wanted. The urge to punch that smug face of his clawed at me, but I held it down. Barely.God, if I ever got the chance, I’d kill them both. Rip them apart and bathe in their blood if that’s what it took.I felt my wolf stir inside me, a low growl vibrating through my chest.She didn’t like being separated from our mates, caged like that. And these two were responsible. Again.Twice now, they’d taken me from the ones I belonged t
Queen Gwen POVIt’s been three days since the battle.Three days since blood painted the earth and death hung heavy in the air—on both sides.It hurt to kill them. Those creatures… they were mindless, controlled by Kelvin and that cursed Queen. They were puppets, not monsters. But it was either them or us.And still… we lost.We fell for their diversion. We lost Raven.I’ve been trying—truly trying—to stay strong. I’m a queen. I’m supposed to be composed, logical, unshaken.But the thought of something happening to her…It chills me in a way I can’t explain.From the moment I first laid eyes on Raven, I knew.I don’t understand the feeling, not fully but I knew. I was meant to be near her. To protect her. To fight for her.I was meant to be her sword.And I let her down.“Hey… are you okay?” Loira asked gently, walking up beside me.I tried to force a smile. “Yeah. I’m just… sad, you know?” My voice cracked. “It feels like we were so stupid.”She said nothing, just listened.“She shou
Raven POV “What did you say, Raven?” she asked again, her voice low and skeptical.“I said I’ll join you, Morgan,” I repeated, steadying my voice. “But only on one condition.”She sighed as though she was enduring a headache. “And what is it now?”“You’ll release Mathias.”Her brows lifted. “Who?”Of course, she doesn’t even remember. The disgust rose sharp and hot in my chest, but I swallowed it. I was in enemy territory now. I had to play this smart.“Mathias is one of the prisoners. He was in the same cell I was thrown into.”“Oh,” she said with a chuckle. “That’s all?” Fine. I’ll have him released today.”“And—”She cut me a glare, her patience thinning. “And what?”“You’ll give me the dagger. I need it.”Morgan narrowed her eyes. “I’ll think about it. "Don’t push your luck, little bird.”She turned away, already done with the conversation. “When Kelvin returns, your real training begins. I’ll need you ready.”"But aren’t you scared, Morgan?” I asked, my gaze steady.“What?” she
Raven POV We walked out of the cell, the heavy door slamming shut behind me with a loud clang that echoed down the stone halls.I tried to ignore the gnawing feeling in my stomach, tried to shove the fear deep down where it couldn’t reach me — but it was there, crawling under my skin.Facing that beautiful monster again made my heart pound harder against my ribs.We moved through a large hallway, the stone walls cold and silent witnesses to my march.From what I could tell, it was already dawn — soft light trickled through high windows.Two days.I had been trapped here for nearly two days without food.My legs ached, and my body screamed for rest, but I forced myself forward, step after heavy step.Finally, we entered a large throne room.At the far end of it, sitting on a towering, jagged throne of black stone, was Morgan.She looked… magnificent.Beautiful and terrible, like something carved from nightmares.Her smile, slow and cold, made my skin crawl.I paused, instinctively gla
Raven POV Unluckily for me, I was thrown into a cell by Queen Morgan’s hounds.The heavy iron door slammed shut behind me with a sound that echoed like a death knell. I stumbled forward, catching myself on the rough stone wall.I turned around slowly, trying to assess the cell.I’ve been locked up more times than I can count.This wasn’t new.I wouldn’t panic. Panic was the enemy now.First thing first, I needed a way out.But gods, it was dark.The air was thick with rot and something far worse—a sour, metallic scent that made my stomach turn. The walls oozed dampness, and the floor was uneven under my boots. The whole place felt like it had been forgotten by the world.Squinting my eyes, I edged deeper into the cell, ignoring the way the shadows seemed to reach for me.And then I heard a faint cough.It was soft and strained. From somewhere in the darkness.I froze, my heart hammering against my ribs.“Is anybody there?”My voice barely rose above a whisper, but in the stillness,
Ansel POV Raven is the child of the prophecy.And they kept it from us.Rowan and Raven both knew, and yet they chose silence. I don’t know what game the goddess is playing—first binding us all to the same mate, now tying her fate to an ancient prophecy—but I’m sick of being left in the dark. I should’ve seen the signs. The dreams she said she had, the divine visitations… they were all there, and I ignored them.And now, the truth burns in my chest like fire.My son—our child— will carry power in his blood. A legacy. He will be everything. But Morgan, if she’s taken Raven—if she lays a hand on what’s mine, I will tear this world apart.And if my brothers even think of challenging me for the child, for Raven, for the throne—I’ll destroy them too.We ran through the day and into the dusk, not stopping once. Our men were weary, barely holding themselves together, but there was no time for rest. Every second we wasted could mean losing her.When the palace finally came into view, I w
Raven POV Morgan didn’t look back at me. “What do I want? Oh, Raven, that’s the wrong question. What do you want?”The silence stretched out between us, the air thick with tension. My mind raced, trying to make sense of everything I was seeing.Morgan’s cruelty was evident in the creatures that slithered and prowled around us, their eyes cold and lifeless, their movements like puppets on strings. My anger surged, burning through my veins.“Why are you doing this?” I asked, my voice tight with fury. “Why are you enslaving innocent creatures, using them like this?”Morgan’s smile stretched into something far colder, more calculating. She tilted her head slightly, finally turning to look at me, studying me as though I were an insect in need of examination. “Innocent?” she repeated, almost amused. “You call them innocent? These creatures are nothing but tools—tools that help me achieve what is rightfully mine. They’re weak, living in fear. And I’m giving them purpose.”I shook my hea
Raven POV I stood there, with my hand pressed to my chest, heart racing, feeling the weight of the queen’s cold gaze upon me.“What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice shaking despite my attempt to remain calm.She chuckled softly, the sound low and almost mocking. “Oh, so you know who I am,” she said, her eyes gleaming with amusement. “That’s very interesting, don’t you think?”“Very interesting indeed,” I muttered under my breath, not able to stop the bitterness that seeped into my words.She stepped closer, her presence suffocating. “Well, it seems like you haven’t been getting my messages,” she said casually, “So I came to pick you up myself.”“I’m not going anywhere with you,” I snapped, clenching my fists, unwilling to show the fear that threatened to rise in my throat. “You monster.”She raised a single eyebrow, her lips curling into a slow, sinister smile. “Who told you that you had a choice, my sweet girl?” Her words were laced with such venom that it sent a chill dow
Rowan POV The battle raged on with death on both sides, but something felt wrong. I couldn’t see Morgan anywhere. She kept sending mindless creatures at us, but there was no sign of her.Was it a distraction? Was there something else at play?“Behind you!” I heard one of my comrades scream. I spun around just in time to block a strike that would’ve taken my head off. Beside me, one of my comrades fell, lifeless.I turned and squinted into the far corner. From the shadows, Kelvin emerged, with a smirk on his face.Damn, bastard.I charged towards him with everything I had, shifting midair. My claws slashed through the air, aimed directly at him.We collided in a brutal clash, a flurry of strikes. I clawed; he ducked and retaliated with punches, sending invisible strikes that rattled my bones. We were locked in an all-out battle—neither of us giving an inch.“Where is your queen?” I demanded, trying to catch my breath between strikes.Kelvin’s smirk deepened. “Oh, she’s exactly where