KAI’S POV. “Still think your brother is the little boy you left at home?” Zeke asked, raising an eyebrow at me.I slowly went down with a nod, holding my position for a while, before going back up. Push ups was is not my daily activity but it helped clear my mind. And right now, my mind was in a total mess. Thinking about the smallest thing was like looking for a needle in a haystack. He sighed. “This is so frustrating. How could Allen have planned this? I mean he has the Lycan Lord's blood flowing through his veins but c'mon, everyone knows that Allen is just vicious but not this smart.”I remained quiet, still going up and down. Sweat dripping off my face, my eyes fixed on the sand like it was some enemy— my nightmares. I have been having this strange dreams recently where everyone I care about died, and by everyone I meant Raven and in her arms was a child and some creepy woman who keeps reminding me that I'm a failure masked in beauty and fragrance.“Can you believe it?” Zeke'
RAVEN'S POVEverything felt like it was crashing down on me. The moment Damien said we were on our own, something inside me snapped. I didn’t know what to think or what to say. I just stood frozen in the same spot, my hands shaking, my heart racing in my chest like a drum that wouldn’t stop. We were fucked. He kept saying we would figure it out. That it would be fine. But it didn’t feel fine. Nothing about this was fine. We were the opposite of fine, we were screwed.“Raven, breathe,” Damien said softly, his hand brushing against my arm. “It’s not over. We’ve been through worse.”“No, we haven’t,” I snapped, stepping back. “This is worse. We are completely screwed, Damien. The Lycan Lord just cut us off from the rest of the world. No one’s going to help us. And the council—” I stopped, my throat tightening.As if summoned by my anger, the council had called for an emergency meeting not even an hour later. The mood in the council hall was as deadly as poison the moment I walked in.
RAVEN’S POVI stood by the balcony, my arms folded tight across my chest, trying to keep my thoughts from spiralling. The conversation with Kai kept replaying in my head, and I hated that it did. I didn’t want to believe Damien could do anything like what Kai suggested. Damien had always been there for me. He was the most upright and just man I have met. But yet— somehow Kai's words were enough to shake everything I believe or held about Damien. I hate myself for investigating my best friend because some psycho asked me to but don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t doing this because of Kai. Hell no, Kai was the number one person I couldn't trust. I was doing this because I wanted to prove Kai wrong and also there were too many unanswered questions floating around lately. Some things were not just adding up. I inhaled deeply running a hair through my long hair. I have been so busy lately that I forgot to cut my hair. I looked into the mirror, admiring my feminine look. I wasn't looking that
KAI’S POV. I stood under the cover of trees outside the palace, blending into the dark, patiently waiting for Raven to come. The last time we spoke was the day she was returning home from the war. And there was a lot she needed— we needed to catch up to. Raven moved through the shadows skillfully. Black cloak draped over her shoulders, boots soft against the dirt, her hair tied back but still wild like always. She looked around before walking toward me.“You’re late,” I whispered.“Blame the council,” she muttered, brushing a leaf off her shoulder. “They wouldn’t shut up about the fight or should I say the manslaughter your people did.”“I swear I did not know what my brother was planning,” I defended. “If I had known you would have been the first to know.”She raised a hand to silence me. “Save it for the person who wants to hear,” she said coldly. I inhaled deeply, nodding my head. Her anger was justified. I can still remember her face as she buried her dead. “You okay?” I aske
RAVEN’S POVI stood outside Damien’s door, fingers clenched, stomach tight. After everything, coming here still felt strange… but also necessary.I knocked once. Loud enough so he’d know it was me.A second later, the door opened and there he was — Damien. Hair messy like he hadn’t slept properly, eyes tired, but soft the moment they landed on me.“Raven,” he breathed, like he’d been holding that in for days. “Thank the gods… you’re back.”“Yeah,” I nodded, stepping inside. “Things have been rough after the attack. The elders even tried to chop off my head,” I joked. “Well, I'm glad you are back,” he said with a smile. We went silent for a while. Stealing glances at each other everytime we thought the other wasn't looking. My cheeks on fire from the forced smile.“So how are you doing?” I asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence. “Being hell, but I'm pulling through.”“I heard you’re still doing your Beta duties even after I laid you off. That’s real dedication.”He closed the doo
RAVEN’S POVThe moment we stepped back into the pack, I already knew what was waiting for me.The heavy silence. The cold stares. They were all enough to tell me that the council was really disappointed in me. Well, I didn't care, I had more things to worry about. I walked slowly to the council hall. There was no need to rush, at least not when I know the council were patiently waiting to chop my head off. I finally got to the meeting hall. The guards pushed the doors widely, letting get a view of their angry stare before walking in. “Well,” I breathe, placing my hands on my waist. My eyes swept through the crowd with a casual look. A mixture of disdain and anger etched on their faces. They didn't even bother to acknowledge their Alpha. Rude. “You are all looking at me like I had personally invited the Lycans into our territory,” I scoffed making my way to my seat. “I know I messed up badly but I'm still your Alpha.”Elder Thorne didn’t waste time. “Rowan… you were supposed to p