Raven POV;
The energy surged between us, like electricity in the air, and I could feel it—the pull, the need for him to acknowledge it. But Lucius? He wasn't having any of it.
"Don't you dare feel that pull," he spat, his voice dripping with venom. "I won't be your mate. You hear me?"
I wanted to scream, to tell him it wasn't my fault. I didn't want this either. But his grip was suffocating me, and I was losing my strength.
You will not break me, Lucius.
It was a silent promise, but the more I thought it, the more I could feel the bond pushing at me—pressing me to reach for something inside myself that I had long buried. Something wild. Something powerful.
But before I could summon the strength to fight back, I felt it—his grip loosened, just for a second. Enough to make me draw a desperate breath. My body was shaking, my heart pounding in my chest as I forced my hands up to push against his wrist, trying to break free.
