Raven froze outside Ronan's quarters, her wolf bristling beneath her skin. There was another scent—feminine, sultry, clinging to the heavy air. It wasn't hers. It wasn't supposed to be here.
The door opened and Lyra stepped out, her figure draped in a silk dress that clung to every curve. Her lips curved into a smirk the moment she saw Raven. "Oh… what a coincidence."
Raven's stomach knotted. "What are you doing in there?"
Lyra trailed a finger along the doorframe, her eyes glittering with mischief. "Checking on Ronan, of course. I heard about the rogues, and naturally, I came. He doesn't have to face the world alone—not when he has me."
Raven's fists clenched. "You don't belong in his private quarters."
Lyra chuckled, a low, smoky sound. "Neither do you. But here you are, acting like you own him. Tell me, Raven, has he marked you? Has he whispered your name the way he used to whisper mine?"
The words sliced through Raven, sharper than claws. She stepped forward, her wolf pressing hard against her control. "Stay away from him."
Before Lyra could answer, the door swung open again. Ronan emerged, his tattoos curling over his muscular chest, his bare skin glistening faintly as if he'd just washed.
His piercing blue eyes hardened as he looked between them.
"Enough," he growled.
Lyra immediately moved to his side, her hand grazing over the ridges of his bicep, too familiar, too bold. "I was only making sure you were safe, Alpha," she purred.
Raven's control shattered. She lunged forward, gripping Lyra's wrist and yanking it away. "Don't touch him."
Lyra's smirk widened, lips brushing Ronan's shoulder as she leaned closer to Raven. "Why not? He's always let me touch him before."
Ronan's jaw flexed, and in the next second he pulled Raven away, caging her between his body and the wall. His breath was hot against her ear, his voice raw. "You're letting her get to you."
"She's all over you," Raven spat, shoving at his chest. "And you let her!"
His hand caught her wrist, pressing it to the wall. His body pinned hers effortlessly, dominance radiating off him like fire. "You think I want her?" His lips brushed her ear, sending a shiver down her spine. "Then you don't know me at all."
Raven's wolf surged, her blood roaring as her body betrayed her anger with heat.
"You're making me crazy, Ronan." I (Raven) tell him.
"Good," he growled, his forehead pressing to hers. "Because you make me worse."
His mouth crashed onto hers before she could answer, hard, desperate, claiming. The kiss ignited every nerve, her fury tangling with need until she couldn't tell them apart. She clawed at his shoulders, her body arching against his as though pulled by a force beyond reason.
Lyra's mocking laugh cut through the haze. "Well, isn't this sweet? A wolf who doesn't know whether she's ruled by desire or rage."
Raven ripped her lips from Ronan's, her chest heaving, fury and shame burning her skin. She shoved him back, putting space between them even though her body screamed in protest. "This… this isn't supposed to happen."
Ronan's eyes blazed, his chest rising and falling as if he were fighting his own restraint.
"Don't deny what's between us."Ronan said.
"I'm not yours to take," Raven shot back, her voice trembling with anger and something dangerously close to longing. She turned to Lyra, who still lingered with a smug tilt to her mouth. "And you—stay out of his bed. Out of his quarters. Out of his life."
Lyra arched a brow. "Possessive, aren't we? But Ronan isn't marked. He hasn't chosen."
Raven's jaw tightened. "Then let him choose without your poison in his ear."
Ronan's gaze snapped to Lyra, a growl rumbling low in his chest. "Enough games, Lyra. Leave."
For a moment, the woman held his eyes, her smirk never faltering. Then she brushed past Raven, her perfume clinging like smoke. As she passed, she whispered, just for Raven: "You can have his body for now. But can you hold his soul?"
Raven trembled, her wolf howling inside her chest. The door closed behind Lyra, leaving only silence and the thundering of her own heartbeat.
Ronan moved closer again, his hand lifting to brush her jaw, but she jerked away.
"Don't," she whispered harshly. "Don't blur the lines. If you want me, then prove it by keeping your distance when I need it. Respect my boundaries, Ronan. Or stay away."
The tension in his gaze shifted—part wounded, part furious, part possessive. He leaned in until his lips hovered an inch from hers, his voice a low rasp. "Boundaries are hard to keep when every part of me wants to break them for you."
Her breath caught, her body betraying her again with the sharp ache of desire. But she forced herself to push past him, leaving him standing there, fists clenched at his sides.
In the hallway, she felt her wolf pacing inside her, restless, snarling. Desire and rage had never warred so violently within her. And she knew one truth—whatever path she chose, it would change everything.