Chapter 4 Blood Doesn't Lie

By morning, the mansion felt different.

Guards moved faster. Doors stayed shut. And the scent of rain hung thick in the air, though the skies were clear.

Raven dressed herself in clothes Helena had left-black jeans, tight black tee, and boots that hugged her calves like a second skin. She looked like someone preparing for war, not breakfast. Maybe that was the point.

When she stepped into the hallway, two wolves in human form flanked her immediately.

"Lucien's orders," one of them said. "Escort only."

"To where?"

Neither answered.

They led her down a spiraling staircase into a wing of the mansion she hadn't seen before. The walls were stone, the floor lined with sigils and silver-etched symbols that pulsed faintly as she passed.

"I'm not joining a cult," she muttered.

No one laughed.

The door at the end opened to reveal a chamber bathed in low candlelight. Lucien stood inside, shirtless, standing beside Helena and two other elders who all wore black robes stitched with the Drax crest.

"Is this the part where you sacrifice me?" Raven said, voice dry.

Helena rolled her eyes. "Sit."

Raven remained standing.

Lucien didn't push it. "This is the blood rite. We test the claim. If the bond is real, it will show."

"And if it's not?"

"Then I was wrong," Lucien said. "And you're free to go."

She studied him, searching for the trick. He looked tired. Tense. But not dishonest.

Raven stepped forward. "Fine. Let's get this fairy tale over with."

Helena handed her a silver dagger.

Raven didn't hesitate. She sliced her palm clean, steady and fast, then held it out.

Lucien mirrored her, cutting his hand without blinking.

They pressed palms together.

For a moment-nothing.

Then, a crackle.

A jolt of heat exploded between their skin, spreading through their bodies like lightning caught in flesh. Symbols on the floor lit up. Candles surged. The air turned thick and electric.

Raven gasped.

Visions tore through her mind.

Teeth. Blood. A forest drenched in silver moonlight. A crown made of bones. A war she didn't recognize-but somehow, she was in the center of it.

And Lucien... was at her side.

When it ended, she collapsed to her knees, breath gone.

Lucien dropped beside her, panting, his eyes pitch black.

Helena's face had gone pale. "It's true."

The eldest elder stepped forward. "The bond is sealed. The blood speaks."

Raven shook her head. "No. No, I didn't agree to this-"

"You didn't need to," Helena snapped. "You were chosen by something older than all of us."

"I don't want this!"

Lucien stood. "Neither do I."

Their eyes locked.

And something shifted between them.

Not tenderness. Not yet.

But recognition.

They were tethered. Whether they wanted it or not.

"Now what?" Raven asked, standing on unsteady legs.

Lucien turned to the elders. "Prepare the oath ceremony. Tonight."

Helena's head snapped up. "That's too soon-"

"If the Nightfangs know, we don't have time. The claiming must be public."

Raven's stomach turned. "Claiming?"

Lucien looked at her. "You're mine now, Raven. In blood. But tonight, I make it law."

She stepped back. "I never said yes."

"You don't have to love me," he said. "But if you want to survive, you'll wear my mark."

Her voice cracked. "I'm not property."

"No," he said, stepping closer. "You're royalty. And in this world, that crown weighs more than gold. It weighs in blood."

The door slammed open.

One of the guards rushed in, bleeding from the shoulder.

"They've breached the outer wall. Nightfangs."

Raven's heart stopped.

Helena growled. "How did they find us so fast?"

"They're after her," Lucien said. "And they won't stop until she's dead-or bound."

He turned to Raven, eyes flashing gold.

"You still want freedom?"

She nodded.

"Then earn it," he said. "Fight with me."

She didn't answer.

But she didn't run either.

And maybe that was the beginning.