Chapter 1: Crash into Fate

Raven’s POV

“Don’t look back.”

I muttered the words to myself as I leaned low over the handlebars of my motorbike. My fingers ached from holding the throttle too tight, but I didn’t loosen them.

There was a snowstorm that blurred the road ahead and the last thing I wanted was to let myself get caught in it. 

I knew who was chasing after me and I didn't turn to check the mirror.

A wolf’s howl cut through the storm and it was getting closer. Even with my bike, there was no guarantee I could outrun a wolf.

My stomach tightened as I shifted gears. The back tire slid a little over the frozen pavement. My long black hair whipped across my cheeks under the helmet.

“Raven, stop right now.” I pressed my lips together and kept my eyes trained on the road. I could hear his voice in my head. Axel, my ex and also the man who I was running away from was catching up to me.

I’d always believed I was human until the night Axel bit me and awakened my wolf, and not out of love. 

He bit me during what seemed like a romantic moonlit ride, but it was really a claiming bite and a way to bind me to him as a pawn in his rise to power.

I thought it was passion but later, once my wolf awoke, Axel turned controlling and violent, using my strength against me and marking me with scars that proved I belonged to him.

But the bond backfired and Axel weakened instead of growing stronger. Convinced I had stolen his power, he swore to cut it out of me. 

My mother had discovered what Axel had done and urged me to run to Ridgeway.

My chest ached with memories I didn’t want. Axel’s smile under the moon, the way he’d looked at me like I was everything. 

The way his teeth had broken my skin when he bit me. I’d thought it was love. I’d been so stupid. I had no idea he’d been trying to make me his mate by force.

My mother’s warning came back like an old wound. Run, Raven. He won’t stop until you’re dead. Go to Ridgeway, you’ll be safe. 

Now I wished I’d listened to my mother earlier when she warned me about him, right after we’d just started dating. But I’d been a fool in love.

Fuck love. I muttered under my breath.

I heard another howl. He was getting closer, and my motorbike was not going any faster. “Not tonight,” I hissed.

I bent forward, the bike roaring down the empty road and rushing past the thick trees on either side. 

Ridgeway arena was only a few miles and it glowed in the distance, white and gold against the storm. I knew if I could get into the gates, I’d be safe. Or at least have a place to crash.

Unfortunately for me, my tires hit black ice and the bike jerked sideways. I pulled hard, fighting really hard to steady my bike. It was too late.

Headlights cut across the street, a sleek black car slid out just before I could register what was happening.

“Shit—”

The bike slammed into the hood of the car, and metals screamed. I flew over the handlebars of my bike, twisted in the air, landed hard on my boots and dropped to one knee.

My awakened powers and wolf strength were fascinating. My breath tore from my lungs and for a split second, my wolf stirred inside me causing my eyes to flash golden before I forced it back down.

The car door opened and a tall guy stepped out. He had blonde hair that fell into blue eyes and a jaw so defined that it looked like he’d walked straight out of a poster. 

He was wearing a maroon hockey Ridgeway jacket. He froze when he saw me. “You’re not human,” he said almost immediately.

I pushed myself to my feet, and pulled off the helmet. “No kidding.” Then I shook the snow out of my hair. I reached out to grab my bike that was crushed against his car.

He stared. “You could’ve been killed.”

“I wasn’t.” I brushed snow from my leather jacket and lifted my chin. “Sorry about your car.”

His lips twitched like he wanted to laugh but didn’t. He stepped closer, tall enough I had to tilt my head a little to meet his eyes. “You’re bleeding,” he said.

I glanced at my arm. Indeed, there was a thin cut running across my skin where my sleeve had torn. I shrugged. “Give it some time.”

“You shouldn’t be out here.” His tone softened, like he was trying to make sense of me.

“You shouldn’t block the road,” I shot back. 

For a moment we just stood there, snow falling between us, his breath visible in the cold. He looked like someone used to control, the perfect golden boy everyone listened to. 

I heard another howl, and stiffened. I turned my head toward the woods.

He noticed, and his eyes narrowed. “Who’s out there?”

“No one,” I lied, too quickly.

He closed the distance between us, his height forcing me to look up at him. He smelled clean, with a hint of frost and soap, and musky. 

My wolf pressed against my skin, pulling me towards him without my permission. Stop it. I told my wolf.

“Don’t lie,” he said quietly. “Your eyes changed. I saw them.”

I forced myself to take a step back, but my boot slid in the snow and I lost my footing. But he caught me before I could fall. 

The contact disarmed me. His hand was warm despite the cold, and my body betrayed me, leaning closer for a second.

He seemed to notice but he didn’t let go. “Who are you?” he asked.

I pulled my arm free. “Nobody.” I bent to pull my bike upright, ignoring the pain in my shoulder. The handlebars were twisted, the engine was hissing and there was smoke. Great.

The guy crouched beside me, one hand brushing against mine as he steadied the bike. 

The touch made my wolf jolt inside my chest. “Let me help,” he said.

“I don’t need help.” I countered. 

“You clearly do.” He was looking at me with curiosity and I was suddenly all too aware of that.

I shook her head. “You don’t want to be near me.”

He leaned in slightly, searching my face, and I noticed the snow that clung to his lashes. “Maybe I do,” he said.

My stomach dropped, and I opened my mouth to argue but another sound cut me off. 

It was another howl, and it was so close that my hairs stood on end. The boy’s shoulders went rigid. 

He looked toward the woods and I could feel his wolf bristling under his skin. “Do you hear that?” he asked.

My throat went dry. “Probably just the wind,” I said, though we both knew it wasn’t.

His eyes stayed on me, “You’re lying again.”

“Back off,” I snapped, shoving at the bike even though it wouldn’t budge. Instead of moving away, he stepped closer, his jacket brushing against my sleeve. 

“You don’t belong here,” he said. “But my wolf…he’s acting like you do.”

I didn’t answer. What was I to say? That my wolf felt the exact same way?

He studied me, lips parting like he wanted to say more, but another growl echoed, louder this time, coming from the tree line. 

His wolf pushed against his skin so hard his hands curled into fists. He turned back to me, his blue eyes bright even at night, and asked the question I’d dreaded from the moment I crashed into him.

“Why are you here? This is a private property and…” He took in my clothes, my biker shorts and my tank top. “You clearly don't go to school here. And what's your name?”

My heart slammed against my ribs. “Raven. My name's Raven.” I hadn’t thought this through. I opened my mouth to say anything that came to mind, but then staggered back, my head suddenly pounding. 

“Ahhh” my hand flew to my head.

“Miss, are you okay?” He reached for me but I tried to move away from his reach.

 “I…I’m….” the next wave of pain made me lose consciousness.