Raven's POV
"Absolutely not." Magnus's voice cuts through the shocked silence. "We don't negotiate with rogues."
"They're not asking to negotiate," the bleeding warrior gasps. "They're demanding. Fifty rogues at the border, maybe more. All armed. All ready to fight."
My legs feel like water. Someone I've never met—this Kieran Nightshade—knows what I am. Wants me. Is willing to start a war over me.
"Double the border patrols," Magnus orders. "Prepare for battle. And you—" he points at me, "—will stay locked in the Alpha wing where no one can reach you."
"Wait—" I start.
"This isn't a discussion!" His power flares again, making the windows rattle. Everyone in the room drops to one knee under the weight of Alpha command.
Everyone except me.
I'm still standing.
Magnus's eyes widen. "How—"
"Get her out of here," Elder Meredith interrupts quickly. "Before the rogues breach further."
Two guards grab my arms. I struggle, but they're too strong. They drag me from the council chamber while Magnus shouts orders about defense positions and attack strategies.
Caspian follows, looking sicker with each step. "Father, we need to talk about this—"
"Go with her," Magnus snaps. "Your power is useless in this state anyway. Make sure she doesn't escape."
The guards haul me through corridors that blur together. Wolves rush past, arming themselves, preparing for battle. The whole pack is mobilizing because of me.
Because of what I am.
They throw me into a room I've never seen before—large, beautiful, nothing like my tiny omega quarters. A massive bed dominates one wall. Moonlight streams through tall windows.
"Stay here," one guard growls. "Don't even think about leaving."
The door slams shut. A lock clicks.
I'm alone.
I run to the window, pressing my hands against the glass. In the distance, I can see torches gathering at the western border. Hear the howls of wolves preparing for battle.
People are going to die tonight. Because of me.
I sink to the floor, wrapping my arms around my knees. How did this happen? Yesterday I was invisible. Nobody. Just an omega scrubbing floors.
Now I'm a Primordial Omega—whatever that means—with rogues demanding my surrender and a pack ready to go to war.
Hours pass. The sounds of fighting reach me—distant howls, screams, the clash of bodies. I cover my ears, but I can't block it out.
Then, near midnight, I hear something different.
Footsteps in the corridor outside. Uneven. Stumbling.
The lock clicks. The door opens.
Caspian leans against the doorframe, and he looks like death. His skin is gray. Sweat pours down his face. His whole body shakes with tremors he can't control.
"Get out," I say immediately, standing. "I don't want you here."
"I know." His voice is barely a whisper. He takes a step inside and nearly falls. "I know you hate me. I know I destroyed everything. But please... please, Raven. I need to talk to you."
"We have nothing to talk about."
"The pack is dying." He leans against the wall, breathing hard. "Three more wolves went feral during the battle. We pushed the rogues back, but barely. And my power... I can't control it anymore. Every time I try to use it, I hurt someone."
Good, I want to say. Let him suffer like I suffered.
But seeing him like this—broken and desperate—makes something inside me ache.
"That's not my problem," I force myself to say.
"I know." He slides down the wall until he's sitting on the floor. "I know it's not. I rejected you. I chose wrong. I destroyed the most important thing in my life because I was a coward."
His eyes meet mine, and they're full of pain. "I thought I was doing the right thing. The strong thing. My father said omega mates weaken Alphas. That the pack needed a powerful she-wolf, not... not someone like you."
"Someone worthless," I finish bitterly.
"No!" The word explodes from him. "That's what I told myself, but it was a lie. You were never worthless. I was just too blind and too proud to see it."
He tries to stand and collapses back down, gasping. "My wolf has been tearing me apart since the rejection. Every day it gets worse. Like something inside me is breaking."
"Because you rejected your true mate," I say, remembering what the elders said. "Your wolf is rejecting you back."
"Yes." He laughs, but it's a broken sound. "Karma, right? I shattered you, so now I'm being shattered."
He looks up at me, and his silver eyes are full of desperation. "I'm not asking you to forgive me. I'm not even asking you to help me. But the pack—innocent people, children—they're suffering because of my mistake. Please. Just... just let me sit here for a few minutes. Your scent helps. Just being near you helps."
I should say no. Should throw him out. Should let him suffer.
But I'm not cruel like he was.
"Five minutes," I say coldly. "Then you leave."
"Thank you." The relief in his voice is pathetic.
I turn away from him, walking to the window. Outside, I can see wolves patrolling, on guard for another rogue attack. All because of me.
Behind me, I hear Caspian's breathing—ragged and painful. Then I hear something worse.
A wet, choking sound.
I spin around. Caspian is convulsing on the floor, his body arching unnaturally. Black veins spread across his skin like poison. His eyes roll back, showing only whites.
"Caspian?" Fear cuts through my anger.
He doesn't respond. His whole body seizes, power crackling around him in violent, uncontrolled bursts. The windows crack. The floor shakes.
He's dying. Right in front of me, he's dying.
I drop to my knees beside him. "Caspian! Can you hear me?"
Nothing. Just those terrible convulsions and the smell of burning ozone.
I don't think. Don't let myself remember the pain he caused. I just grab his hand.
The effect is immediate and shocking.
The wild power raging through him flows into me like water finding a channel. I feel it rush through my body—hot, electric, overwhelming—and then it flows back into him, but different now. Calm. Controlled. Pure.
His convulsions stop. His breathing steadies. The black veins fade.
His eyes open—clear silver, focused on my face with an expression I've never seen before.
Wonder. Awe. And something that looks terrifyingly like hope.
"You," he breathes. "All this time, you were—"
The door explodes inward.
Magnus stands there with Elder Meredith and a dozen pack warriors. They all stare at me kneeling beside Caspian, our hands clasped, power still humming between us.
"Perfect," Magnus says, his smile sharp and cruel. "You've just proven exactly what we needed to know."
"Father, this isn't—" Caspian tries to stand, but he's too weak.
"The council has made a decision." Magnus steps into the room. "Miss Thorne will be moved into the Alpha wing permanently. She'll attend all pack functions at Caspian's side. She'll be available whenever his power becomes unstable."
"No," I whisper, trying to pull my hand from Caspian's.
"Yes." Magnus's eyes glow with authority. "As of this moment, you are the pack's property. You belong to us."
"You can't—"
"We can. We will." He gestures to the warriors. "Show her to her new quarters. The room connecting to Caspian's."
The warriors move forward. I try to run, but Caspian's still holding my hand, and he won't—or can't—let go.
"Please," he whispers. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
They pull us apart. The second we disconnect, Caspian cries out as his power destabilizes again. But the warriors don't care. They drag me toward a door I hadn't noticed—a connecting door between this room and another.
My new prison.
"Welcome to your new life, Miss Thorne," Magnus says pleasantly. "I hope you'll learn to accept it."
They shove me through the door and slam it shut. I hear a lock click—but this time, it's locked from the outside.
I'm truly trapped now.
I sink onto the unfamiliar bed in my new prison and finally let myself cry—for the life I've lost, for the freedom I'll never have, for the mate who destroyed me and now owns me.
Then I hear it. A voice, barely audible, coming from outside my window.
"Don't worry, little Primordial. I'm coming for you."
I rush to the window. Below, half-hidden in shadows, stands a man I've never seen. Tall, dark-haired, with eyes that gleam like amber in the moonlight.
He smiles up at me—dangerous and promising.
Then he vanishes into the darkness, leaving me with one terrifying question:
Who is Kieran Nightshade, and why does he want me so badly?