Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
Raven
My heart felt like it held its breath as the Ivory Moon Pack’s territory unfolded before me, a maze of shadowed pines and mist-wreathed hills, their silhouettes jagged against the midnight sky.
My car’s engine hummed faintly, the tires crunching gravel as I drove deeper into the land I called home. My hands gripped the wheel, my knuckles white, my swollen belly pressing against the seatbelt, the baby’s faint kick a spark of life amid the ache in my chest.
Despite the magnitude of what I had come for, my mind still lingered on where I had just departed.
Damien’s words echoed within me like a relentless drumbeat in my mind.
The accusation in his eyes when he called me reckless.
The way he accused me of endangering myself and my child when I was the one wronged.
His defense of Rielle, even as her choking sunflower scent lingered where my nest had been, felt like a betrayal that cut deeper than wolfsbane.
My heart splintered right there and then. Tears burned in my eyes as I realized I’d fallen in love with a man who’d never see me, not the way I saw him, not with Rielle, his fated mate, still holding his heart.
And the worst part of it all?
It had been my fault.
I should never have let it get this far.
I should never have allowed my feelings for him to grow the way they did.
It was supposed to be an arrangement. Practical.
Detached and pragmatic. He needed an heir.
I needed the means to reclaim my pack. That was all.
A simple agreement, sealed by circumstance.
But somewhere along the way, I lost sight of that. I let the heat between us confuse me. I let the way he looked at me, the way he held me, quietly and protectively, like I was something precious, convince me to want more. And now, his mate had returned.
She was the one the Moon Goddess had chosen for him and the woman he once loved enough to lose himself over. She was there, standing in his home, staking her claim as though no time had passed.
It shouldn’t have hurt as much as it did. But it did.
The thought of her scattering my nest…Damien’s shirts, his citrus and cedar scent, the sanctuary I had built, ignited a primal rage that surged through me. I wished he had fought for me.
I wished he had looked her in the eye and told her she had no right and that she had no place in my space…
our space. That he understood that his scent mattered to me.
That his presence, his touch, the quiet comfort of his things wrapped around mine meant something.
Because it did. More than I ever wanted to admit.
And maybe if he had stood up for me, if he had just said something, I wouldn’t have felt so invisible and replaceable.
Instead, I’d packed my bags and left. And so, here I was.
The promise of truth had lured me here, but love, stupid, unshakable love, was what had driven me away from Damien’s pack house, his scent, and his world.
The road twisted deeper into the territory, the pack house looming in the distance, its familiar stone towers felt like a reminder of the home I’d lost. The scale of the risk I was taking by coming back here wasn’t lost on me. But the fear paled in comparison to the burning need to know the truth.
Lately, my nightmares had returned…those haunted visions of the night my parents were killed. But this time, they were more vivid, sharper around the edges, like my mind was finally beginning to remember the pieces it had buried.
I still couldn’t see the faces of the attackers, not clearly. But it felt like I was getting closer. So if Voss had uncovered the identity of my parents’ killers, then the risk was worth it.
I pulled out my phone just as I pulled over, the engine idling, and typed a message to Voss: I’m in Ivory Moon territory. Need to meet discreetly. Don’t want to be seen. Voss’s reply came quickly: Agreed. Meet me at the old alley off Crescent Lane. It’s quiet there, no patrols.
I knew the place. It was an overgrown alleyway behind the pack’s market, a place that looked tailor-made for secret meetings. I shifted gears, the car lurching forward, my breath shallow as I steered toward the rendezvous, praying the truth would be worth the danger.
The alley off Crescent Lane was a narrow gash in the pack’s heart, its cobblestones slick with dew, the air thick with the scent of rotting leaves and forgotten stalls. I parked my car under a bent tree. My hands trembled as I stepped out.
I scanned the alley until a figure emerged from the darkness. Harlan Voss, his coat worn, his eyes sharp but heavy with something I couldn’t name.
He spotted me instantly, beckoning me over. As I moved towards him, his gaze dropped to my belly, and something that looked like sympathy crept up on him, softening his weathered features.
“Voss,” I said, forcing a smile, my voice steady despite the ache in my throat. “It’s been a long time.”
Voss’s expression stayed straight and professional, his lips a thin line. “Yes, it has, ma’am,” he said, his voice gruff, his eyes lingering on my bump. “I didn’t know you were so far along.”
“I can’t be here long, Voss,” I said, meeting his gaze, my voice firm. “The evidence you mentioned. What is it?”
His lips trembled, his voice barely a whisper. “I’m sorry, Ms. Raven,” he said, his head lowering, shame etched into his face. Before I could speak, a presence loomed behind me, the air shifting with a rosemary and malice scent I knew too well.
“Welcome home, cousin,” Ivy purred, her voice vindictive and mocking, a blade slicing through the night.
I spun, my heart lurching as I faced Ivy, her hair gleaming, her beta wolf’s power radiating, flanked by four guards in pack leathers, their eyes cold.
My gaze snapped back to Voss, his head still bowed, and fury ignited in my chest, a strange yet familiar surge of strength making my hands tremble.
“You betrayed me,” I said to him, my voice shaking with rage.
Ivy laughed, a cold, crystalline sound that grated my nerves. “You did the right thing, Voss,” she said, her smile cruel. “You know what would’ve happened to your family if you hadn’t cooperated.”
“You threatened his family?” I snapped, my fists clenching, feeling a pulse like a fire in my blood, stronger than I’d felt in years.
Ivy’s eyes glinted, her smirk widening. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner,” she said, stepping closer, her scent overwhelming. “And now, you’re here.” Her expression hardened, cold as stone. “And now that you’re here, I’m officially enforcing our blood duel.”
Anger and dread collided in my chest, my breath catching. “You agreed to wait until I gave birth,” I said, my voice steady despite the fear coiling in my gut.
Ivy’s laugh was vicious. “We’ve already completed the oath-taking, cousin. You have no grounds to delay the duel any further.”
A chill crept up my spine. She was right. By law, once the oath was sealed, the duel was set. Still, it was clear she was exploiting the fact that I was heavily pregnant to her advantage. Her eyes dropped to my belly, and her smile turned cruel.
“And don’t worry,” she said softly. “I’ll make sure you’re still conscious when I rip that bastard out of you and put you in the ground for good.”.
“You’re a coward,” I spat, my words leaving me in a disgusted snarl, anger surging through me as I realized she’d orchestrated this to lure me out.
Ivy’s hand lashed out, her slap stinging my cheek, the force snapping my head to the side. “Seize her,” she ordered, and the guards surged forward, their hands felt like iron on my arms, pinning me despite my struggles.
“You’re the coward, Raven,” she hissed, her face inches from mine. “Hiding in the Shadow Thorn Pack, behind Alpha Damien. But now, there’s no one to protect you, and I’ll take what’s mine.”
My heart pounded, and I felt something like a faint growl in my chest, but her next words froze me. “That message from Voss?” she said, her smile sadistic. “That was Rielle’s idea. We’ve been working together to lure you out of Alpha Damien’s pack.”
Shock stole my breath, my mind reeling. “Rielle?” I said, my voice breaking. “But she has amnesia. She was feral.”
Ivy’s laugh was a blade, sharp and mocking. “That’s what you think, you fool,” she said. “Rielle’s sane. It was all part of the plan. She’s reunited with her mate…her true mate. Damien can’t save you now.” Her eyes gleamed with triumph. “The Ivory Moon Pack will finally be mine.”
“The Ivory Moon Pack will never be yours!” I shouted, my voice raw and pulsing.
“Not yet,” Ivy said, her tone icy. “But by this time tomorrow, while your body rots in the dirt, it will be.”
She stepped closer, her hand caressing my belly, her touch a violation that made my skin crawl. “It’s what you deserve after everything you took from me. Elias abandoned me because of you. But I’ll make this right tomorrow.”
Her hand lingered, the baby kicking, and I felt that surge again, that strength almost felt like my wolf, making my arms strain against the guards’ grip. I felt stronger than I’d felt in a long time.
Ivy’s eyes widened, mocking. “Oh, look,” she cooed. “It kicks!” Her laugh was cruel. “Kick now, little one. It’ll be the last thing you do.”
Rage exploded, and I spat in her face. The act felt primal and defiant. Ivy’s hand cracked across my cheek again, the sting sharp, and she snarled, “Take her to the cells. Tomorrow, at dawn, our blood duel takes place!”
The guards dragged me through the streets, their grips bruising, my boots scraping the cobblestones as I kicked. They shoved me into a car, the engine roaring as we sped toward the cells. My screams fell on deaf ears. The guards remained quiet throughout the drive.
At the pack’s dungeon, they yanked me out, throwing me into a dank cell, the iron bars slamming shut with a clang that echoed like a death knell.
I sank to the floor, my breath heaving, my hand flying to my belly, my baby’s kick felt like a desperate pulse, as if the child growing inside me was aware of our situation and was terrified too.
The cell reeked of mold and despair, its stone walls cold, the moonlight barely reaching through a high grate. I had no phone, no way to reach Damien, no one to save me.
Dawn loomed, and I was wolfless, heavily pregnant, and facing a blood duel against Ivy’s beta wolf in front of the entire pack. Terror gripped me, my heart was racing, but somewhere within me, I felt a spark of defiance.
I steeled myself, my hands trembling, but I vowed to fight with everything I had for my child, my parents, and my pack, even if it was my last stand.