His Hybrid Luna.

Raven's POV

The moonlight filtered through the trees, bathing the courtyard in pale silver. Raven stood at the edge of the balcony, her fingers brushing against the cold stone railing. The wind rustled the leaves below, carrying with it the scent of pine and earth. A welcome relief from the stale air inside the castle. Yet, nothing could wash away the heaviness pressing down on her chest.

She closed her eyes, breathing in the cool night air, as her thoughts spiraled into a familiar darkness. The prophecy. Her purpose.

Her life had never been her own. Since the day Lady Morgana had taken her in-an orphaned child, the sole survivor of a massacre-she had lived only to fulfill a single task: to save Orion.

Orion.

Her heart stuttered at the thought of him. The man she was bound to by fate, yet the one person who could never truly be hers.

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts, and she sighed, stepping away from the railing.

"Come in," she called softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

The door creaked open, and a figure stepped inside-a familiar, tall shape with broad shoulders and a tense posture. The expression on his face mirrored the frustration she felt deep within her soul.

It was Kieran, the castle's healer. A man who had always treated her with kindness, yet whose eyes now held the same burden she carried.

"Raven," Kieran began, his voice gruff. "Lady Morgana wishes to see you."

Raven nodded without a word. She knew why.

"Of course," she said, her tone flat, betraying none of the dread that welled up inside her.

Kieran hesitated, then stepped closer, his gaze searching hers. "Are you all right?"

She didn't meet his eyes, instead turning her gaze to the moonlight once more. "It's the same every time, Kieran. I know what's coming."

A long silence stretched between them. Raven knew he understood. They had both been witnesses to the unraveling of the prophecy. Neither of them had ever been allowed to forget what her purpose was.

"You don't have to do this alone," he finally said, his voice softer now, tinged with concern.

"I don't have a choice," she replied, her words brittle. "I never did."

Kieran's eyes softened, and for a moment, Raven could almost see the hesitation in his face. He wanted to protect her-she could feel it in his touch, in the way he always stood just a little too close. But he couldn't.

No one could.

"I'll walk with you," Kieran said.

Raven nodded, and together, they made their way down the stone corridor toward Lady Morgana's chambers. The castle was eerily quiet, save for the distant howls of wolves in the forest beyond the walls.

Lady Morgana's chambers were lavishly decorated, every inch of the room a testament to her wealth and influence. The fire crackled in the hearth, casting long shadows on the walls. Lady Morgana herself sat in her grand chair, her sharp eyes locking onto Raven the moment she entered.

"You've kept me waiting long enough," Lady Morgana said coldly, her tone carrying the weight of authority. "You know the significance of tonight, don't you?"

Raven felt her stomach tighten, but she didn't flinch. "Yes, Lady Morgana," she said, her voice steady.

"I've summoned you to make one thing clear," Lady Morgana continued, her gaze piercing. "The prophecy must be fulfilled. You must be ready to claim your mate. Do you understand?"

Raven swallowed hard. "Yes, my lady."

A cruel smile tugged at Lady Morgana's lips. "Good. Then you'll understand why I won't tolerate any more hesitation."

The weight of the words hung heavy in the air, like a dark cloud waiting to strike. Raven knew what Lady Morgana was implying. The bond between her and Orion had been foretold-an undeniable connection that would save him from the madness that plagued him. But it was never meant to be a bond born of love.

No, the prophecy had made sure of that.

Raven was nothing more than a tool. A means to an end.

Lady Morgana's gaze softened slightly, but the glint of command never left her eyes. "Orion will need you, Raven. And when the time comes, you will not fail him."

Raven nodded, swallowing back the bitter taste in her mouth. She had heard these words countless times before, but they never lost their sting.

"I will do my duty," she whispered.

Lady Morgana stood from her chair, her steps light and graceful as she approached Raven. "Good. You may go now."

Raven didn't hesitate this time. She turned on her heel and left the room, Kieran following silently behind her.

They didn't speak as they walked down the corridor, but the tension between them was palpable. Raven's mind raced with a thousand thoughts, but one word echoed through her mind louder than the rest: destiny.

No matter how she tried to deny it, Raven knew her path was already set.

Orion's POV

Orion paced in the dimly lit room, the shadows playing tricks on his mind. His thoughts were tangled, his senses dulled by the constant fog of madness that gnawed at the edges of his consciousness.

It had been weeks since he had seen Raven-since he had rejected her. The rejection had been a necessary choice, one made out of fear and duty. Lady Morgana's expectations had always loomed over him, suffocating him, dictating every decision he made.

But despite his best efforts to push her away, Orion couldn't escape the memory of Raven's face. The way her eyes had pleaded with him. He had seen the pain in her gaze, felt it in his own chest.

But he had no choice. The prophecy had been clear. His mother had made sure of that.

Orion's claws dug into the stone floor as he stopped in his tracks, his breath coming in shallow gasps. The madness inside him stirred, violent and untamed, a constant reminder of the destruction he was capable of.

He couldn't lose control-not again.

Yet, every time he thought of Raven, the pull between them was undeniable.

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts, and Orion turned to face it.

"Enter," he commanded, his voice harsh and strained.

The door creaked open, and a figure stepped inside-a shadowed silhouette that carried the weight of both familiarity and unease.

It was Lady Morgana.

"You've been brooding again, I see," she said, her voice cold but not without amusement.

Orion said nothing.

"You'll have to face her soon," Lady Morgana continued, her eyes narrowing. "You know that, don't you?"

He nodded reluctantly, his throat tight.

"You will not fail me, Orion. This must be done-for both your sake and the pack's."

"I don't want her to be a part of this," he said, his voice raw with emotion.

Lady Morgana's eyes flashed dangerously. "You don't have a choice, my son. She is the key to your salvation, and you will claim her."

Raven couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. She had left Lady Morgana's chambers with a heavy heart, and now, as she walked through the winding corridors, it felt as though the very walls were closing in on her. Every step echoed, a reminder of how trapped she truly was in her own life. The moonlight filtering through the windows above seemed to mock her, its silvery glow only accentuating the isolation that had followed her since her arrival in the castle all those years ago.

She didn't know how long she had been walking, but eventually, she found herself at the familiar door to her chambers. The door was ajar, and the faint sound of someone breathing inside made her pause. Her pulse quickened, her body on alert.

"Who's there?" she called out, her voice steady despite the tension coiling within her.

The door creaked wider, and there, standing in the shadow of the room, was Kieran.

"Didn't mean to startle you," he said, a slight smile on his lips, though it didn't quite reach his eyes.

Raven's heart skipped a beat, her chest tightening with a mix of relief and something else-something she hadn't allowed herself to feel in a long time.

"I thought I was alone," she said, the words leaving her mouth softer than she intended.

Kieran's smile faded, and he stepped into the room. "You shouldn't be alone, Raven. Not after everything that's been happening."

She swallowed, turning her gaze to the floor. "I can't change any of it, Kieran. Not now."

He didn't answer right away, and for a moment, the silence between them felt almost suffocating. Finally, he spoke again, his voice barely a whisper.

"I don't want to see you suffer. Not like this."

Raven's breath hitched, and she closed her eyes, battling the emotions that threatened to rise within her. She didn't know what it was about Kieran-his presence, his quiet understanding-that made her feel this way. He was the one person who had never asked anything of her, the one person who saw her for who she truly was, not as a tool to fulfill a prophecy. But even with him, there were boundaries that couldn't be crossed.

"You can't protect me from this," Raven said, her voice quiet but firm. "I'm trapped in a life I didn't choose. And I can't escape it."

Kieran didn't speak for a moment, his gaze fixed on her as if weighing her words. Finally, he crossed the room in two long strides, standing beside her. His presence was a steady anchor in the chaos that had become her life.

"I know," he said softly. "But I won't stop trying to protect you."

Raven's breath caught at the sincerity in his voice, and she finally turned to meet his eyes. For a moment, everything else faded into the background, and all that remained was the unspoken bond between them.

Her heart raced, her mind a jumble of conflicting thoughts. She couldn't allow herself to feel more than what was necessary-not for him, and certainly not for Orion. There was too much at stake.

"I'm sorry," Raven whispered, stepping away from him, needing distance. "But I have to do this. I have to save him."

Kieran didn't move. "And what about you, Raven? Who's going to save you?"

She didn't have an answer.

---

Orion's POV

The tension in the room was unbearable. Orion sat at the large oak desk, his hands curled into fists, gripping the cold wood. He hadn't seen Raven in weeks-not since the night he had rejected her, pushing her away when all his instincts screamed for him to pull her closer.

The madness inside him churned like a storm, unpredictable and dangerous. It was only getting worse, clawing at the edges of his mind, threatening to break free. He had thought that by rejecting Raven, by distancing himself from the only person who could help him, it would somehow make the madness easier to bear. But it hadn't.

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her-Raven's face, her tear-filled eyes as she had pleaded with him. And with each passing day, that image haunted him more and more.

"Orion."

The voice cut through his spiraling thoughts, and he looked up to find his mother standing in the doorway, her posture rigid and commanding.

"You've been brooding for hours," Lady Morgana said, her eyes scanning the room, her lips thin with displeasure. "You need to focus. The prophecy is not a suggestion. It's a command."

Orion clenched his jaw. "I know what the prophecy says, Mother. I'm not an idiot."

Lady Morgana stepped further into the room, her gaze sharp and calculating. "Then why do you insist on fighting it? You know as well as I do that Raven is the only one who can save you. The madness will consume you if you continue down this path."

His hands trembled slightly, but he masked the reaction quickly. "I don't need her, Mother. I can control this."

Lady Morgana's eyes darkened. "You've been saying that for months, and yet, here we are. The madness is growing stronger. You can't outrun destiny."

Orion stood abruptly, the chair scraping violently against the stone floor. "I won't be a puppet in this game anymore. I'll find another way. I don't need Raven to fix me."

Lady Morgana's lips curled into a cold smile. "You're lying to yourself, Orion. And you're lying to her. We both know the truth."

He clenched his fists, his claws digging into the palms of his hands as he turned his back to her. "Don't speak of her."

Lady Morgana's presence was suffocating, but her voice was laced with quiet authority. "You will face her soon, whether you want to or not. The pack is waiting, and if you do not take control, they will find someone else who will."

Orion stiffened at the words. He had heard the whispers, the rumors. The other Alphas who were starting to eye Raven, seeing the same thing that had haunted him for years. She was more than just a healer.

She was his mate.

And soon, someone else might claim her, if he couldn't overcome the madness that was slowly destroying him.

Lady Morgana's voice cut through his thoughts. "You will make the right decision, Orion. For the good of the pack. For the good of your future."

His heart thundered in his chest as the weight of her words settled over him.

Was there any way out of this? Was there any path that didn't lead him back to Raven?

---

Raven's POV

The wind had picked up as Raven stepped out into the courtyard, her cloak billowing behind her. The cool night air bit at her skin, but it was a relief compared to the suffocating tension inside the castle.

Her mind was a swirl of emotions-confusion, fear, and something else. Something she didn't want to acknowledge. But the truth was clear, whether she accepted it or not.

No matter how much she tried to fight it, the bond between them was undeniable. But it wasn't just fate at work. There was something else. Something deeper that she couldn't escape.

As she walked toward the garden, where the scent of roses mixed with the sharp tang of the night, Raven heard a familiar sound. The soft crunch of footsteps behind her.

She didn't need to turn around to know who it was.

"Raven."

Her heart skipped a beat at the sound of his voice. She didn't look at him. Couldn't look at him.

"I told you before," she said, her voice trembling despite her attempt to remain strong. "I have to do this."

"Do you?"

Raven finally turned to face him, meeting Kieran's eyes. There was an unspoken understanding between them, one that neither could deny.

"I have no choice," she said quietly.

For a moment, neither spoke, but the weight of the silence was more than Raven could bear.

"I'll always be here for you," Kieran said, his voice gentle, his eyes full of something unspoken.

Raven could feel the warmth of his words, but the cold truth of her reality held her captive.

"Not like this," she whispered, turning away.

The pale light from the moon spilled across the garden where Raven stood frozen, her gaze fixed on the distant silhouette of the castle. Her thoughts churned like a storm, swirling and unrelenting. Kieran's words echoed in her mind. He had promised to always be there for her, but she knew the truth-she could never let him close.

The bond she shared with Orion was not something that could be easily broken. Not when it was etched into the very fabric of her being. Even now, she could feel his presence, like an invisible thread tying her to him, a constant pull in her chest.

She had tried to resist it for so long. But the more she pushed it away, the stronger it became.

The sound of footsteps behind her pulled her from her reverie. Her heart skipped a beat, and she stiffened, every instinct telling her who it was.

"Raven."

His voice was low, rough-carrying the weight of unspoken words.

Turning slowly, Raven found Orion standing there, his figure bathed in the silver light of the moon. The dark shadows under his eyes made him appear more hollow, more consumed by whatever madness plagued him. His eyes, once sharp and full of determination, were now clouded with something she couldn't quite define.

"What are you doing here?" Raven asked, her voice sharper than she intended.

Orion took a step forward, his presence an overwhelming force that made her breath hitch. "I could ask you the same thing."

Raven swallowed, forcing herself to remain calm. "I needed air."

"You always run from what you can't control," he observed, his tone laced with a quiet bitterness. "But you can't outrun this. You never could."

The words hit her like a punch to the gut. She clenched her fists, refusing to let him see how much they hurt.

"I'm not running," she snapped, lifting her chin in defiance. "I'm just trying to breathe for once."

Orion's lips tightened into a thin line. "You think you're the only one trapped here? You think I haven't been trying to breathe through this madness every day?"

His words were laced with pain, but Raven could not allow herself to be swayed by it. Not when so much was at stake.

"You don't understand," she said softly, though the sting of truth lingered. "You're the one who pushed me away. You chose this path. And now we're both paying the price for it."

Orion stiffened, his eyes narrowing. "You think I wanted this? To lose you before I even had a chance to keep you close?"

Raven's throat constricted, the weight of his words nearly suffocating her. But she couldn't allow herself to feel this way. Not now. Not when she had to save him, even if he didn't want it.

"You've already made your choice, Orion," she said, turning her back on him. "There's nothing left to say."

She started to walk away, her heart pounding with every step. The last thing she needed was to be caught in his orbit again, trapped by the emotions that had always been just beneath the surface.

But before she could leave the garden, Orion's voice stopped her.

"I never wanted to hurt you, Raven."

The words hung in the air, and for a moment, she felt a strange flutter in her chest. She wanted to turn around. She wanted to let him in. But she couldn't. Not now. Not with everything on the line.

"Then stop pretending you don't need me," she whispered, barely audible over the wind.

---

Orion's POV

Orion watched her walk away, his heart in pieces. The distance between them had always been there, even before the prophecy had dragged them into this twisted fate. The pull, the bond they shared-it was suffocating, and yet he couldn't imagine life without it.

Her words cut deeper than anything else. "You've already made your choice, Orion."

Had he? He didn't know anymore. He only knew that the madness inside him was growing louder, threatening to tear apart everything in its path.

"I never wanted to hurt you, Raven."

The words felt hollow, as though they were echoes of a version of himself he no longer recognized. He had hurt her. He had pushed her away when he needed her the most. The thought of her slipping through his fingers made him want to scream, to lash out, but he knew he had no right to demand anything from her now.

His hand clenched into a fist, the pain of rejection coursing through his veins. It wasn't just the madness that was consuming him-it was the fear of losing her forever.

Raven had been his tether to sanity, the one thing he had clung to before the madness began to erode him. But now, she was slipping away, just out of reach, and he didn't know how to pull her back.

"Orion."

He spun around at the sound of his mother's voice. Lady Morgana stood in the shadows, her eyes cold and calculating as always.

"Did you speak to her?" she asked, her tone almost clinical.

He nodded stiffly, though the answer felt like a betrayal of everything he had tried to ignore.

"I tried," he muttered, his voice rough. "But she's... she's too far gone. She won't forgive me."

Lady Morgana studied him for a moment, her gaze intense and unyielding. "You don't need her forgiveness, Orion. You need her cooperation. Without it, the madness will consume you, and it will destroy everything we've worked for."

He closed his eyes, the weight of her words pressing down on him.

"You've been saying that for weeks," he snapped. "But what if I don't want this anymore? What if I don't want to be a puppet in your game?"

Lady Morgana's expression didn't change. "It's not a game. It never was. And you will accept that, one way or another. Raven is the key to saving you. And if you don't make the right choice soon, you'll lose her-and your last chance at survival."

Orion could feel his claws pressing against the skin of his palms, his mind battling between what he knew was true and what he desperately wanted to believe. He had no choice. Not anymore.

"Then what do I do?" he asked, his voice low and tortured.

Lady Morgana's eyes softened, but only slightly. "You do what needs to be done. You claim your destiny, and you claim her."

He wanted to scream in frustration, but he held it in, knowing it wouldn't change anything.

---

Raven's POV

Raven had returned to her chambers in silence, her mind a chaotic whirlwind. She had tried to convince herself that pushing Orion away was the right thing to do. But every time she looked at him, every time their eyes met, she felt the pull-felt the bond that had always been there, hidden beneath the surface.

She couldn't be what he wanted. She couldn't be the cure for his madness if it meant sacrificing her own heart in the process.

But then, why did the idea of losing him make her feel as though she was drowning?

Her hands trembled as she sat down by the window, looking out at the moonlit landscape. The night seemed so peaceful from here, so calm, yet her heart felt like it was in turmoil.

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. She didn't need to ask who it was.

"Come in."

The door opened, and Kieran stepped inside, his eyes searching hers with concern. "Raven," he said softly, his voice carrying a note of quiet understanding. "What happened?"

She swallowed, trying to keep the tears at bay. "I saw him again. Orion. I don't know what to do anymore."

Kieran stepped closer, his presence a balm for her fractured heart. "You don't have to face this alone. I'm here for you."

Her chest tightened at his words. She wanted to believe him. She wanted to fall into his arms and let him take away the pain. But the bond she shared with Orion was something Kieran could never understand. And no matter how much she wished otherwise, it was something she couldn't escape.

"I'm sorry, Kieran," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I can't."

Kieran's face softened, and he nodded, though his eyes betrayed the hurt he tried to hide. "I know. But I'm not going anywhere."

Raven closed her eyes, feeling the weight of her own conflicted heart. There was no easy choice here. No easy path.

And the worst part was, she didn't know if she could save either of them.