Chapter 21 #2
“I shouldered the responsibility for your mother's death even though we both know there was nothing any of us could have done to prevent it.”
Even as I spoke, I could still see it happening.
The moment our day of celebration turned into sorrow. The moment my sister fell next to me, the first of the rain of silver bullets hit her forehead and killed her on the spot. It was only then that we'd realised we were under attack. There was nothing anyone could have done to prevent it.
Nothing.
Elias trembled at my words, at the shared remembrance of that horrible day and even without meaning to, my tone softened, my hold on him easing momentarily.
“I thought if I took on that weight, you wouldn't have to. Even though you were no longer a child, I still sought to protect you, Elias. But now, I realise I can't protect you from yourself.”
I raised my gaze to Elias's defiant glare.
“Embezzlement and treachery with the council, I can forgive, but Raven…” I leaned in, letting the full weight of my fury sear into him. “The moment you touched her, you signed your death warrant.”
Elias remained unfazed, the corners of his mouth slowly twitching into the shadow of a smirk with a lazy confidence borne from years of my indulgence.
“You wouldn’t—”
I snapped his neck before he finished getting the words out.
Sinclair reached the balcony seconds later, panting from the sprint. He took in Elias’s limp body with wide eyes but didn’t ask any questions.
“Chain him up in the dungeons with the others before he finishes healing,” I ordered.
When I’d reached out to Sinclair immediately after Raven’s fall, it was to arrange a medical team to examine Raven as well as order the immediate arrest of the complicit Elders.
“Yes, Alpha,” He hesitated. “The doctors are with Raven. She and the baby are fine.”
I nodded once, unable to form any words.
I was too volatile. Too raw to see Raven right now, but my feet were already moving.
By the time I reached Raven’s room, the doctors were already gone.
Raven stood in front of a full-length mirror, tugging at her neckline over her bare shoulders, only to fall still as her eyes caught mine in the mirror.
“Damien.”
I didn't respond as I stepped into the room, closing the distance between us, placing my hand above hers to reveal what she'd been trying to hide.
The initial cuts, undoubtedly from the fall, had ripped through her clothes and stained them with her blood, leaving behind raised pale pink stripes, marking her shoulders to almost midback.
I shook with a rage I could barely contain. I should have killed Elias.
“Next time," My words were a guttural growl. "Betray me. Don't you dare get hurt on my behalf.”
Raven's breath caught, and I felt a tremor working its way through her.
“Damien,” She whispered in silent protest, her voice cracking on my name.
“I forbid it,” I commanded, feeling as brittle as glass, and when she began to move away, I embraced her from behind, halting her motion.
Raven went stiff with surprise, but I was already pressing my nose to her nape, tracing my fingers down her body, tasting her skin and drowning in her scent in a bid to reassure myself that she was fine.
As my lips touched Raven’s nape, dropping the softest of kisses on her inflamed skin, she let out a soft whimper, her breath hitching as she turned molten in my arms.
Hearing that soft, almost muffled sound, whatever honourable intentions I might have had fell away.
I pressed a hungry kiss to her skin, then another and another, my hands moving over her—
Raven pulled away.
“You should leave,” She rasped out, unable to meet my gaze, her cheeks beautifully flushed.
I took a step towards her, blood roaring in my ear.
“Do you want me to leave, Raven?”
“I…" Raven swallowed, then those emerald green eyes met mine, and she continued haltingly.
"You don't need to pity me. I know my place. I know what we share is only physical, and right now, your mate… Rielle needs you now far more than me,” Her eyes glazed over. “I understand, Damien. Truly, I do.”
“No,” I took another step toward her. “I don't think you understand."
Raven let out a soft gasp as I closed the distance between us in the fraction of a second.
“Damien, what—”
I placed her hand over my chest, letting her feel the thundering of my heartbeat beneath her touch.
“Look me in the eye and tell me what you think your place is. Tell me what I feel for you is pity,” I demanded hoarsely.
Raven’s lower lip trembled, silent tears rolling down her cheeks.
“Damien.”
I leaned in, unable to stop myself from tasting the tears on her skin, brushing my lips against hers. Once. Twice.
“Tell me this is just physical,” I murmured softly, the potent taste of her on my tongue making my head spin. “Say it again, Raven. I dare you.”
Raven shivered, emerald eyes dark as night, and when her red, full lips finally parted, it wasn’t to give a response but to crush her mouth to mine.
I lost track of everything in the haze of hunger that followed. I was lost in her scent, her taste, the sensation of Raven in my arms, alive and wanting.
Her fingers raking through my hair and over my shoulders, her nails scoring back, marking me as I wanted to her, her tongue flicking against mine.
The blood in my veins heated, her clothes coming apart in my hands as my lips left hers to mouth over her chin, her jaw, her neck, unravelled by my need to mark every inch of her.
I fisted her hair, the erotic scent of Raven’s desire thickening in the air as my canines nipped her nape.
Raven shuddered, then her hands found my shoulders, not exactly pushing me away but keeping enough distance between us so she could meet my gaze.
“Damien,” Her voice was a breathless, helpless rasp. “What are we doing?”
My thumb traced her bottom lip, red and swollen from my kisses, my words, a dark, honest confession.
“You are undoing me, Raven.”
I tore my shirt off, tossing it aside, and her eyes darkened, raking over me. I kissed her throat, savoring the pulse that raced beneath my lips.
Her skin was fever-hot, her scent overwhelming. My hands roamed her body, tracing the curve of her waist, the softness of her thighs.
She arched into me, a soft moan escaping, her hands tangling in my hair. “Damien,” she gasped, her voice a plea as I kissed lower, my lips brushing the sensitive skin above her breasts, teasing the edge of her bra.
I unhooked it, freeing her, and took one nipple into my mouth, rolling it gently with my tongue. She cried out, her body trembling, her nails digging into my shoulders.
My hands slid to her hips, peeling away her leggings, her skin glowing in the lamplight. I kissed her belly, the gentle swell where our child grew, my lips lingering like I was making a silent vow to protect them both.
Her fingers tightened in my hair, urging me back up, her mouth finding mine in a kiss that was all heat and desperation.
I shed my trousers, my arousal evident, and her eyes locked on mine, raw and unguarded.
“Tell me to stop,” I rasped, my voice thick with restraint, my body aching to claim her. My wolf clawed at me, demanding I mark her and make her mine in every way. But I needed her to want this, to choose me.
“Don’t,” she whispered, her legs wrapping around my waist, pulling me closer. Her heat pressed against me, searing, and I groaned, sinking into her slowly, carefully, mindful of her pregnancy.
She was tight, warm, and perfect, her body molding to mine like she was made for me.
We moved together, a rhythm as old as the moon, her gasps and moans a symphony that drowned out the world.
My hands gripped her hips, guiding her, each thrust a claim, a confession, a promise I couldn’t yet speak. Her nails raked my back, her breaths hitching.
“Damien,” she moaned, her voice breaking as her body tightened, her climax building. I angled deeper, my own release coiling, hot and urgent.
Her hands clutched my shoulders, her body arching, and she shattered, her cry sharp and sweet, pulling me over the edge with her.
I roared, my release crashing through me, a storm that left me trembling. We stilled, her head on my chest, her breath warm against my skin.
My arms cradled her, my fingers tracing lazy circles along her spine, her scent wrapping around me like a lifeline.
She was mine, child or no child, deal or no deal. I’d burn the pack to the ground, defy the council, and slaughter anyone who threatened her. Elias, the elders, and her cousin, they’d all pay if they came near her again.
My hand stroked her hair, her body soft and warm against mine, her breathing slowing as she nestled closer.
“I’d do anything for you,” I murmured, too low for her to hear, my wolf finally quiet. “Anything to keep you safe.”
A sharp knock shattered the silence.
“Alpha,” Gianna’s voice called through the door, urgent and tense. “It’s Rielle. She’s speaking. She appears to have regained clarity, and she’s asking for you.”