Chapter 4 First Person POV

The last time I'd seen Raven Blackwood, I was nineteen years old and bleeding from the eyes while my body tried to survive a rejection that should have killed me instantly.

Five years had changed him. He was bigger now, broader through the shoulders and chest, his body honed into something lethal and unforgiving. Dark hair fell across his forehead, longer than he'd worn it before, and his face had lost whatever softness youth had given him. He looked like what he was: a pure-blood Alpha in his prime, dangerous and uncompromising, the kind of wolf that made others submit on instinct alone.

He also looked like he hadn't slept in about a century.

"Blackwood." Thaddeus's voice had gone cold, all pretense of civility vanishing. "This is neutral territory. You have no authority here."

"I have every authority where my mate is concerned." Raven's eyes never left mine, and the mate bond between us pulled taut, vibrating with five years of damage and longing and rage. His warriors had formed a wall between Crimson's hunters and my pack, effectively cutting off any chance of violence. For now. "And what I'm concerned about right now is why she's holding a suppressor collar and you're standing close enough for me to rip your head off."

"Your mate?" I found my voice, though it came out sharper than I intended. The collar was still in my hands, cold and wrong, and I dropped it like it had burned me. "You rejected me. In front of everyone. You don't get to show up five years later and claim that title."

Something cracked in his expression, a flash of pain so raw it stole my breath. But it was gone in an instant, replaced by that impenetrable Alpha mask. "We need to talk. Privately."

"We need to do absolutely nothing." I crossed my arms, hyper-aware of every wolf watching this disaster unfold. My pack looked confused and terrified. Crimson's hunters looked ready to attack at the first opportunity. Raven's warriors looked like they were waiting for an order to commit murder. The tension was so thick I could taste it, metallic and sharp. "You need to take your warriors and leave. I was handling this."

"Handling it?" Raven's voice dropped to something dangerous. "You were about to collar yourself and walk into captivity with a male who's been hunting you for years. That's your definition of handling it?"

"I was saving my pack."

"You were committing suicide." He took a step forward, and every one of his warriors moved with him, a synchronized show of force that made Crimson's hunters tense. "Do you have any idea what he wants with you? What he'd do once he got you alone?"

"I'm aware, thanks. I'm also aware that you showing up here doesn't change anything. Thaddeus still wants me. My pack is still in danger. And I still don't trust you as far as I can throw you." The mate bond flared again, protesting my words, trying to pull me toward him. I ignored it like I'd been ignoring it for five years. "So unless you have an actual solution, you're just making this worse."

Raven's jaw clenched, a muscle ticking in his cheek. For a long moment he just stared at me, and I stared back, refusing to be the first one to look away. The air between us crackled with everything we weren't saying, five years of hurt and anger and that damned bond that wouldn't let either of us forget what we'd lost.

"I have a solution," he said finally. "You and your pack come to Shadowfang territory. Under my protection. Crimson can't touch you there."

Thaddeus laughed, the sound ugly. "You think pack territory will stop me? I have allies, Blackwood. Three other Alphas who'd be happy to help me remove you from power."

"Then let them try." Raven's eyes flashed gold, his wolf rising to the surface. "But they'll have to go through me first. And I promise you, Crimson, I'm not the same Alpha I was five years ago." He shifted his attention back to me, and his expression softened just slightly. "Lyrix. Please. Let me protect you."

The please nearly undid me. I'd never heard Raven Blackwood say that word to anyone, never heard him ask instead of command. It felt wrong and intimate and far too close to the male I'd known for one perfect night before everything shattered.

"I don't need your protection," I said, but even I could hear how weak it sounded. "I've survived five years without you. I'll survive this too."

"You're dying." The words fell between us like stones. "I can feel it through the bond. Every day you're getting weaker. Every day the curse digs deeper. You have what, three months? Less?" His hands clenched into fists at his sides. "Come to Shadowfang. Let me help you. Let me fix what I broke."

"You can't fix this." My voice cracked despite my best efforts. "You rejected me. You called me weak and unworthy in front of everyone. You destroyed me, Raven. Some things can't be fixed."

"I know." The raw honesty in those two words hit harder than any declaration could have. "I know what I did. I know what it cost you. But I also know that if you die because you're too stubborn to accept help, I will lose the only thing in this world that matters to me."

Sage appeared at my elbow, her presence grounding. She looked between me and Raven, then at the two groups of hostile wolves surrounding us. "Lyx, we need to make a decision. Fast. This situation is about two seconds from turning into a bloodbath."

She was right. Thaddeus looked ready to attack despite being outnumbered. His hunters were coiled tight, waiting for his signal. And Raven's warriors looked equally prepared to turn this clearing into a killing field. My pack was caught in the middle, vulnerable and scared.

I thought about the collar in the dirt at my feet. Thought about going with Thaddeus and whatever nightmare he had planned. Thought about the curse eating me alive, the silver veins spreading further every day, the blood I coughed up every morning that I hid from everyone.

Thought about Raven's eyes five years ago when he'd destroyed our bond, and the way those same eyes looked at me now.

"If I come to Shadowfang," I said slowly, "my entire pack comes with me. They get full protection, full rights, no questions asked. And I don't stay in your house. I don't sleep under your roof. I don't owe you anything beyond accepting asylum."

"Done." Raven didn't even hesitate. "Whatever you need. Whatever keeps you safe."

"One more thing." I met his gaze and let him see every ounce of hurt and anger I'd been carrying. "You don't get to act like we're mates. You don't get to touch me or claim me or pretend that bond means anything. You rejected me. That doesn't just go away because it's suddenly convenient for you."

Something shattered behind his eyes, but he nodded. "Understood."

Thaddeus snarled, his control finally snapping. "You think running to Blackwood will save you? I'll have you eventually, little wolf. One way or another."

Raven moved so fast I barely saw it. One second he was standing ten feet away, the next he had Thaddeus by the throat, claws extended, eyes fully gold. "If you come near her again," he said, voice dropping to something inhuman, "I will make your death last for days. Weeks. I will carve away pieces of you until there's nothing left but screaming and regret. Do we understand each other?"

Thaddeus couldn't speak with Raven's hand around his windpipe, but he managed a jerky nod. Raven released him with a shove that sent the older Alpha stumbling backward.

"Get off my land," Raven commanded, and the Alpha power in those words made every wolf in the clearing drop their eyes in submission. Every wolf except me. I'd stopped being able to submit to him the day he rejected me. "Take your hunters and leave. If I see any of you near neutral territory again, I'll consider it an act of war."

Thaddeus gathered his wolves and melted back into the forest, but not before shooting me one last look that promised this wasn't over.

When they were gone, the clearing felt too quiet and too full at the same time. Raven turned to me, expression careful. "Pack your camp. My warriors will escort you to Shadowfang. You'll be safe there."

"Will I?" I asked, the question carrying more weight than just physical safety.

His expression broke, just for a second, showing me the male underneath the Alpha. "I don't know," he admitted. "But I'll spend the rest of my life trying to make sure you are."