RAVENI slammed the door behind me, the echo of it crashing shut still ringing in my ears. “Fucking asshole,” I hissed beneath my breath, storming back to the station where I had been before he called me in. My hands were trembling, not out of fear—but rage. I wasn’t scared anymore. I wasn’t the same Raven who cowered when he raised his voice. And still, the taste of that damn kiss clung to my lips, the memory of his hand gripping my waist burning hotter than it should have. I wiped my mouth furiously, disgusted at myself.“You let him touch you,” I muttered, jaw clenched as I shoved a stack of files onto the shelf.“You let him—damn it, Raven.”Just then, the sound of boots echoed down the hall, and I didn’t even have to turn around to know who it was.“You’ve got some nerve,” Dorian’s voice came sharp, low, like a blade dragged over gravel. “You don’t ever talk to the Alpha like that again. I don’t care who you think you are.”I turned around slowly, eyes narrowed, lips already curl
RAVEN I wiped the sweat off my forehead and bent again, hands on my knees, breathing hard. Two weeks. Two full weeks of waking up before the sun and working like a damned mule on this cursed construction site, breaking stones and hauling loads like some mindless laborer. Every bone in my body ached, but I didn’t complain. I couldn’t. Not because I enjoyed it—hell no—but because I knew my time hadn't come yet. Not the time to rise. Not the time to strike. Just… endure. That was what I kept telling myself. Just endure. I straightened up slowly, my back stiff and sore, and that was when I heard the click of her boots. I didn’t even need to turn around to know it was her. The scent of expensive perfume and arrogance came before her voice. Selene. Always Selene. “Well, well,” she said, her voice coated in poison-sweet sarcasm, “look what the moon dragged in.” I turned, and there she stood—immaculate as ever, dressed like she was heading to a royal council, not walking into a dusty, half
KIERANI found Dorian near the edge of the training field, arms folded, eyes surveying the younger wolves as they sparred under the noonday sun. I didn’t wait for him to notice me before speaking.“How did she take it?” I asked, my tone low, careful, like I was probing something sharp. He turned to me, eyes bright with amusement already, like he had been waiting for me to ask. His chuckle came before his words, the kind that crawled under your skin because you knew exactly who it was about.“Oh, she was pissed, Kieran,” he said, drawing out the word like it tasted sweet on his tongue.“Looked at me like I was the one who made the call. If looks could kill…” He laughed again, shaking his head. “She almost knocked over a chair—the poor thing didn’t even do anything. Stormed out of the hall and slammed the door hard enough to shake the walls. It was a scene.”I smirked without meaning to, a flicker of guilt dancing beneath it. “Serves her right,” I muttered, mostly to myself, but he hear
RAVENI blinked against the morning light, my head pounding faintly, my bones aching from the stiff mattress. Before I could even gather myself, the knock came, short, hard, like the fist behind it had no patience. The door creaked open and one of Kieran’s men stepped in, his voice clipped, almost bored.“You’ve been reassigned,” he said. “You’ll be working in the far outskirts from now on.”I stared at him. “Outskirts?”“Orders from the Alpha.” He didn’t even look me in the eye. “Packhouse wants less… distractions.”I swung my legs off the bed slowly, letting his words sink in. Distractions. Right. That kiss. That stupid kiss. My heart twisted for half a second before the rage swallowed it whole. So he wanted me gone. Out of sight. Far away.I yanked on my boots in silence, fists clenched. The man lingered for a second, then left. Moments later, as I stepped outside, Dorian was already waiting like a damn prison warden. Arms crossed. Face like thunder.“You move slower than a dying d
KIERANI lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, the silence of the room doing nothing to still my thoughts. I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling loudly as I turned on my side.“Damn it, Vee…” I muttered, my voice almost bitter, but not really. There was no bitterness in this. Just confusion. A tangle of emotion I didn’t want to name.The kiss… it wasn’t supposed to happen. Hell, it wasn’t even supposed to cross my mind, but it had, and worse, it lingered. Burned. Haunted me like a ghost. I turned again, lying on my back now, and covered my eyes with the crook of my arm.“Why did you let me kiss you?” I asked aloud to the empty room, as if she’d appear and give me an answer. “And why did you kiss me back?”Because she had. Fully. Like she’d been waiting for that moment for longer than either of us were willing to admit.I sat up, swung my legs off the bed, and rubbed the back of my neck. My room felt too hot suddenly. My skin prickled. Everything about this night felt wrong. Or maybe
RAVEN The moment Kieran's man showed up at my door, I knew something was off. He didn’t even knock twice—just one soft tap and a pause, like he wasn’t sure if I was in, or maybe he hoped I wouldn’t answer.“The Alpha has summoned you,” he said, avoiding my gaze, his tone stiff and formal like he was delivering bad news. My stomach turned a little, but I gave a small nod and followed, not even bothering to ask what it was about. I already knew.Kieran hadn’t looked me in the eye once since that night. Since his lips crashed into mine like a storm with no warning and even less apology. And ever since, it was like he couldn’t stand the sight of me, or maybe he couldn’t stand the sight of what he’d done. I didn’t know what was worse.I stepped into his chambers, arms crossed tightly against my chest, doing my best to look unaffected even though my heart had already started hammering the moment I walked in. He stood by the window, back turned to me, rigid as stone.“You sent it to me?” I