MasukLightning had just struck.
The war drums from the north were still echoing. Three times.I’d just been holding Alina.About to say "let's go home."The wind suddenly changed.Not rain wind.This wind... was sharp. Smelled like wet feathers. Smelled like old blood.Alina turned immediately. "Draven."I felt it too. The fur on the back of my neck stood up.From above the black clouds, a sound came._SCREEELightning had just struck.The war drums from the north were still echoing. Three times.I’d just been holding Alina.About to say "let's go home."The wind suddenly changed.Not rain wind.This wind... was sharp. Smelled like wet feathers. Smelled like old blood.Alina turned immediately. "Draven."I felt it too. The fur on the back of my neck stood up.From above the black clouds, a sound came._SCREEECH!!!_A roar. Not a tiger. Not a wolf.Bigger. Older.A black shadow as wide as a tent fell over us.An Eagle.But not a normal eagle.Its wingspan was 10 meters. Feathers black as coal. Eyes red.There were iron chains on its feet. And on its back... the emblem of the Wolf Clan."An Eagle Shifter," Rian hissed behind me. "Guardian of the Wolf Clan."The men instantly raised their spears. "Sir! Attack!""N
5 AM.The sky was still black. No sun. Just rain, mud, and the stench of old blood.I hadn’t slept in 2 days.My hand pushed the wooden door of the interrogation room. _CREEEAK_Empty.Chains on the floor. Still warm.The table was open. Drawers scattered. The key was gone.In the middle of the room, only my cigarette butt was still burning."RAKA!!!!"My voice echoed off the cave walls. Bounced back three times.One second later.Two guards ran in. Gasping. Faces pale like corpses."Sir... I swear we didn’t hear anything. We just started our shift 20 minutes ago," said Dimas. His knees were shaking.I didn’t answer. My eyes went straight up.The stone ventilation shaft.The iron bars were bent. Pried open.On the edge of the rock: mud. Blood. And three strands of hair. Human hair.He climbed out through the back cliff of the cave. With bare hands. Bleeding._CRACK!_I slammed the table. The teak wood split in two."DAMN IT! WERE YOU SLEEPING?! FOUR MEN GUARDING ONE CHAINED PRISONER A
The chains on my hands were heavy.Not because of the iron. Because of these hands.The same hands that once grabbed Alina’s shoulders.The air in the interrogation room was cold. Just one wooden table, one chair, and Draven sitting in front of me.No whip. No knife. He was just sitting there. Smoking. Smoke rising slow.Behind him, Alina stood in the corner. Arms crossed. Face blank.But those yellow eyes... those were what was killing me."So," Draven said. Quiet. "Talk."I laughed. Dry. "Talk about what? Bedtime story?"_SLAM!_Draven’s hand hit the table. The ashtray shattered."DON'T FUCK WITH ME!" he snapped. "For four days my woman wakes up screaming every night. For four days she can’t sleep without a knife under her pillow. And it’s because of YOU!"I stayed quiet. My throat was dry.Draven rubbed his face. When he opened his eyes again, they were red. "I just wanna know one thing. Why? Why her?"Alina was still silent. But her shoulders started shaking.I glanced at her. Bac
_CRACK!_Darto’s bone breaking is still stuck in my head.Darto. Old Wolf shifter. The last one from the Black Wolf Clan who still called me "Sir".Now he only has one arm left.I gripped the bars till my nails tore off. "ALINA!"She didn’t turn. Just walked out of the yard. Darto’s blood still dripping from her hands to the dirt.The Tigress.Back then I was the one who dragged her into the forest. I was the one who laughed and told my 3 friends: "Take turns. Then throw her in the ravine."Alina. The most beautiful woman. Arrogant. She rejected my proposal in front of the whole village.My pride was shattered. So I had to crush her.But I was wrong. She didn’t die. Draven found her. Now she’s Draven’s queen.---_Morning. Day Four._The door opened.Alina walked in. Alone.No whip today. Just chains and a black notebook.Her black armor still had dried blood on it. Darto’s blood."Day four," she said. Flat. "Choose."I laughed. "Choose what? My people are already gone.""Not all of t
I didn’t sleep all night.Not because of the cold iron floor. Not because of hunger. But because of the sound.The sound of Bayu moaning from the medical tent. The sound of Garon coughing up blood. And the most tormenting of all... Alina’s silence.Since she left me with that bowl of porridge at 3 AM, she never showed up again.Neither did Draven.There were only 4 Tiger guards watching me. They didn’t talk. They just stood there, staring at me like I was an animal in a zoo.Morning came slowly. Sunlight slipped in through the gaps in the roof, making the dust float in the air.9 AM.The gate creaked open.And she came._The Tiger Woman._Alina.Today she was different.Her hair wasn’t tied up. Her long black hair fell down to her waist, but it was tied at the end with a blood-red ribbon. That ribbon... that ribbon used to belong to her mother. I remember. 5 years ago
_CLANG!_The sound of our swords meeting. The torchlight reflected in Draven's eyes.But he didn't blink.Fuck.I pushed. Shoulder to shoulder. We were both breathing heavy. The smell of blood, smoke, and fear."You think beating me is easy?" I spat. I swung again.Draven blocked it. Easy. Like he was chopping wood."It's not about easy, Raka," he said. "It's about debt."From behind, Alina laughed softly. "A debt of lives, Raka. A lot of them."I stepped back. Panting. My men? Still frozen. No one helped.Cowards. Just like I was before."Then," I spat blood. "End it now."I lunged again. Reckless. No technique. Just rage.Draven dodged. His sword sliced my arm._Hot.__Stinging._I screamed. Blood sprayed on the ground."RAKA!" Garon yelled from behind. But he didn't move.Draven went still. Watching my blood drip."Stop," he said quietly. "Or I'll really kill you."I laughed. It hurt. "Then kill me! Better than living like a loser like this!"The wind stopped.Then Alina stepped fo







