Chapter Two

Raven’s POV

For years, the man from my dreams had haunted me. In the darkness of sleep, he appeared—towering, merciless, eyes glowing like molten silver.

Sometimes he stood on a blood-soaked battlefield; other nights, he stood in shadows, his voice a low growl calling my name though I could never answer.

I would wake trembling, my heart pounding. I was convinced the visions were as a result of the stories whispered about him by my pack.

I told myself I dreamt of him only because of what I’d overheard—his power, his cruelty, his name spoken only in whispers. His true name was forbidden, never uttered for fear it would summon him. They called him Chaos instead.

But now he stood before me in the flesh, and every nightmare I’d had felt like a warning I hadn’t understood.

He was exactly as I had seen him in my dreams, only worse. More real. More terrifying. The sight of him stole the air from my lungs.

His jaw was sharp, severe, as if carved from stone, and his black hair framed his face with an untamed elegance. But it was his eyes that trapped me—icy blue, piercing through me like shards of frozen glass. They were merciless, cold, the kind of eyes that had witnessed and delivered death without hesitation.

Yet, despite the terror that rooted me to the ground, something about them pulled at me, deep and unwanted, as though the darkness inside them recognized something in me.

His shoulders were broad, his body built with lethal strength. The kind that promised ruin, and carried an authority that demanded submission. He was terrifying, a nightmare in flesh… but I hated how my chest tightened, how my breath caught, as though some part of me was drawn to him.

I was. Misty was the cause of it.

I feared for my life. Everything I’d heard about his brutality, his ruthlessness was true. Yara, the alpha’s sister who had tormented me for years, lay lifeless at his feet, was proof that he cared nothing for royal blood. He killed whomever he pleased. Yet what frightened me even more was what my wolf whispered to me, something I dared not voice.

- - -

We arrived at the Nightcrawlers’ territory at midday, leaving behind the ruins of Trinity Pack under the cover of night.

The massive gates creaked open to reveal a breathtaking sight. In the blinding sun, the Nightcrawlers’ pack house glowed like a palace. Its marble walls and limestone floors gleamed in flawless beauty. Wide concrete paths led to the grand building, ringed by smaller, rougher structures—stone barracks, plain blocks, and bare concrete houses.

The pack house sat at the center, obedience at the edges.

The alpha paused when he noticed a car parked to one side of the concrete yard. He exhaled deeply. Other warriors approached us with eager grins as he turned to face us.

“Which of you are virgins?” he asked, his voice laced with death.

“Don’t be shy,” a man beside him with the aura of a Beta added. “Virgins are usually free to go.”

Nervous eyes darted about.

“Are we really free to go?” One woman dared to ask.

The Beta nodded.

She stood. “Thank you very much,” she whispered, then turned to leave.

“Anyone else?” He asked.

One by one, they scrambled to their feet, thanking the alpha before walking away.

My heart trembled. “Let’s get up,” I urged my wolf, Misty.

“Do not dare,” she warned me.

From the corner of my eye, I saw the alpha nod to his warriors, and then the sound of gunfire ripped through the air. I clamped my hands over my ears, eyes brimming with tears. How could they be so evil?

Screams filled the courtyard. When I looked up, the warriors’ eyes glittered like predators. Was killing fun to them?

“Anyone else?” The Beta asked again.

Suddenly, I felt eyes on me.

“Raven’s a virgin!” Kira’s shrill voice cut through the chaos. I turned to her—of course it was her. That bitch. Even now, she wanted me gone?

Old wounds reopened in my mind. Kira’s laughter echoed there, cruel and sharp. She and Yara had made my days unbearable—forcing me to scrub floors until my hands bled.

Tripping me so I’d spill trays of food, then beating me when I tried to defend myself. They had called me worthless, slave-blooded, a mistake the goddess should have erased. Forgetting that I was once the beta’s daughter.

I remembered Yara once holding my face against the dirt while Kira poured water over my head, choking me with it until I nearly passed out. The humiliation burned deeper than the bruises.

And now here was Kira again, her venomous voice ready to tear me down once more.

Had the torment she and her cousin Yara put me through not been enough?

Every pair of eyes fixed on me.

I clenched my teeth. “I’m not a virgin,” I lied.

“That’s a lie!” Kira spat.

“I do not tolerate lies in my pack,” the alpha finally spoke.

“I’m not lying,” Kira and I said at the same time.

“Then let’s test it,” the Beta said, signaling to two warriors.

They yanked me off the ground. “You’ll be taken right here, right now.”

My heart hammered. No. No way! They shoved me to the ground and began ripping my clothes off. I looked around for help, but Kira only smiled.

I fought them off, kicking and scratching.

“Son of a bitch,” one warrior cursed as my foot connected with his groin. A slap came fast across my face. I grimaced in pain. Lycan’s fists were brutally painful.

Suddenly, the weight on me vanished. I turned and saw the warrior hurled to the ground, his nose broken.

“I did not say you could hit her,” a deep voice growled.

I looked up to see the alpha wiping blood from his knuckles.

“Fucking and hitting are two different things,” he added darkly.

This was the second time he’d defended me. What did it mean?

“I’m sorry, Alpha,” the warrior groaned, clutching his nose. The other warrior released me.

“You know I don’t believe in apologies, Damien. Don’t repeat this mistake.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

“And as for you, slave,” he said, turning to me. I scrambled from the ground and dropped to my knees.

“From today onward, you’re my personal slave. I will be the one to test your prowess.”

My eyes widened, and so did the warriors’.

“If I discover you’re lying to me, I’ll have you killed,” he continued, then addressed his warriors. “No one touches her but me.”

The Beta’s eyes bored into mine with pure hatred.

Great. Another enemy. It wasn’t like I wanted to be liked, but I hadn’t expected to be in a danger zone on my first day as a slave in another pack.

The alpha turned to the man beside the Beta. “Ronan, take her to Roselia. The wing opposite mine should be prepared for her. She must be ready before nightfall.” He spoke as if it were nothing.

“I have matters to attend to. You know what to do with the rest, Zane.”

The Beta nodded. I watched the alpha’s proud back retreat into the majestic pack house. He had made me his personal slave? I didn’t know what to think. Maybe I should be thankful I hadn’t yet been taken by these savages.

But once he finds out I'm not a virgin, I’d be dead. Panic surged through me as I began to plan my escape before nightfall.