Chapter 3 Chapter-3

Raven's POV

I don’t know how long I’ve been here. It’s dark and cold. No light reaches me. Chains tie me to the wall. I feel my consciousness slipping. I’m tired and hungry.

Days blur together. The guards walk past without a glance. My pleas echo unanswered.

Alaric probably ordered them to leave me alone.

I screamed until my throat hurt. I hit the door so hard my hands got bruised. I begged for forgiveness for things I never did. No one answered—only silence.

My mouth is dry from yelling. No water here.

Why did my life turn into this?

But the pain in the mark never stopped; it increased even more, and Ryx was so heartbroken that she stopped responding.

The door creaks open. I squint against the sudden light. Kat stands there with an evil smirk.

“Having fun, sister?” she asks.

I’m too weak to snap back.

“Please,” I managed. “Water.”

“Not so fast.” She knelt, her smile cruel. “Now you know how it feels to be helpless. Maybe you’ll stop acting better than me.”

She kneels, smirking cruelly.

“I envied you, Raven, you used to have everything, Mom's Love, the pack, even Alaric, the one who once loved me, suddenly started loving you instead. You had power, shares, respect. And now look at you—pathetic. Chained like a stray dog.”

My throat burns. “Please, Kat. Just water,” I plead while tears fall from my eyes. Pride means nothing now.

“Do you want to know why I’m here?” She leans closer. “To see your ugly face one last time before you die.”

I blink weakly. “What do you mean?”

“I tried to become Luna, but Alaric won’t let me. He still wants you.” She laughed, bitter and cold. “Even though I’m the pretty one, he wants your brain. So you have to die. My men are waiting outside. They’ll kill you if they catch you.”

Her eyes darken. “I’m letting you go once. Run far. Run as much as you can. If they get you, you die. And that won’t be my problem.”

I stare, shocked. “Kat, don’t play games.”

She pulls a key from her pocket. “No games, Raven, you have to die, Raven. It’s the only solution.” The lock clicks. Chains fall. I rub my raw wrists, trembling.

Kat steps back, arms crossed. “You’re free. Run before I change my mind.”

I take a shaky step forward, my legs barely holding me.

But before I can shift into my wolf form, a sharp, burning sting rips through my lower back.

I gasp and spin around. Kat stands there with an empty syringe, smiling like the devil.

“What... what did you do?” My voice cracks.

“Wolfsbane,” she whispers, tilting her head. “Pure, concentrated wolfsbane.”

The burning starts small, like a match lit under my skin. Then it spreads. Fast, vicious, consuming. My veins feel like they’re filled with liquid fire. I scream, clutching my back as the poison races through my bloodstream.

“No... no, no, no...” I fall to my knees, gasping for air. My wolf, Ryx, howls in agony, weakening with every second.

‘Ryx!’ I cry out. ‘Ryx, please, stay with me!’

But her voice grows distant; the bond between us is disconnecting slowly.

Silence.

Complete, devastating silence in my mind.

My wolf is gone.

“Oh, look, sister… you’re bleeding from your nose,” she said in a mocking voice.

I collapse onto the cold stone floor, trembling violently. My body convulses as the wolfsbane works its poison through every cell. Sweat pours down my face. My vision blurs with tears and pain.

How can she be so cruel?

I struggle to stand. I fell. I rise again. My eyes blur. I take a deep breath and stumble forward.

“Run, Raven,” Kat says softly, her voice echoing like poison in the dark. “Run before they smell your blood.”

I ran through the forest. My feet bleed with every step. Sharp pain shoots up my legs. My chest burns. Breathing feels impossible.

My wolf stays silent. No matter how much I beg her in my mind, she ignores me. Kat’s wolfsbane stole all my strength.

The forest is dark—a cold wind slices through my torn clothes. I lose track of time running. My body is growing heavy.

Rogues are chasing me. Their snarls and howls fill the night. Their footsteps close in, and I try my best to escape from them. They move fast in their wolf forms. I’m just a weak human now.

Suddenly, my foot hit a rock. I crash to the ground. Pain explodes through my body. A small cry escapes me. I try to stand—my arms collapse. My body refuses to obey.

I look around, desperate. Tall trees and darkness surround me. I press against a tree, trembling hard. Pain and fear consume me.

I close my eyes and pray to the Moon Goddess one last time, hoping she’ll help me, or at least give me some of my wolf’s strength so I can fight them.

But nothing happens.

This is it—the end of my life.

A rogue lunges, claws gleaming. I close my eyes, accepting my fate.

Before they touch me, a shadow moves. A growl roars through the air. The rogue attacking me flew sideways. Bones cracked. Blood sprayed hot across my face.

Then I saw him.

A Lycan. Massive—easily twice the size of the rogues, but his eyes. One blue. One red.

The rogues scattered. Even with their numbers, they knew what he was.

Death.

He didn’t chase them. He turned to me, those mismatched eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that stole what little breath I had left.

Then he stalked toward me.

I should’ve been terrified. Should’ve run.

But I couldn’t move.

He knelt before me. One massive, clawed hand reached for my face. I flinched, but his touch was—

“Mate.”

The word echoed in my head.

“No,” I breathed. “That’s impossible. I already have—”

But darkness was already pulling me under. The last thing I felt was safe in his presence.

“Sleep, little wolf. You are safe,” I heard a voice before I lost my consciousness completely.