Raven POV
I ran.
My legs moved on instinct, carrying me deeper into the forest while Kade's pain-filled gasps faded behind me. Good. Let him hurt. Let him feel a fraction of what he'd put me through for years.
The mate bond rejection was tearing me apart too, but I welcomed the pain. It meant I was finally free.
Kade's jacket—which I'd stolen without thinking—hung loose on my frame. I clutched it tighter as I stumbled over roots and rocks. My wolf was quiet now, exhausted from her first shift. But even tired, she felt powerful. Strong. Everything I'd never been allowed to be.
Shadow wolf. That's what Kade had whispered when he saw me. I didn't know what it meant, but the way he'd said it—with fear and awe—told me everything I needed to know.
I wasn't defective. I never had been.
I was something they couldn't understand. Something rare.
The forest opened into a small clearing lit by moonlight. I collapsed against a tree, finally letting the tears come. Not sad tears. Angry ones. Seventeen years of being told I was worthless, broken, a mistake. Seventeen years of believing them.
All lies.
"Raven!"
My mother's voice cut through the trees. Of course she'd come looking. Couldn't have the family embarrassment running wild during Celeste's big night.
I didn't answer. Let her search.
But the footsteps came closer, along with another set. Heavier. Male.
"She came this way," Alpha Thornwell said. "I can smell her wolf. Shadow wolf blood. Do you have any idea what this means, Helena?"
"I don't care what it means!" My mother's voice was shrill. "She's ruined everything! The engagement, the alliance, Celeste's future—"
"Your daughter just rejected the most powerful Alpha heir in three territories. Do you understand the insult? The disgrace?"
I pressed myself against the tree, trying to stay quiet. Shadow wolf or not, I couldn't fight an Alpha. Not yet. My wolf was too new, too untrained.
"She's always been difficult," Mother said. "Selfish. This is exactly the kind of attention-seeking behavior I'd expect from her."
Attention-seeking. Right. Because nearly dying from a shift at midnight was all about getting noticed.
"The boy is in bad shape," Alpha Thornwell continued. "Rejected mate bonds can kill if they're not resolved quickly. If Kade dies because your defective daughter—"
"She's not my daughter."
The words froze me solid.
Silence stretched between them. Then Alpha Thornwell spoke quietly: "What did you say?"
"She's not mine. Biologically." Mother's voice was flat, emotionless. "My sister died in childbirth eighteen years ago. No mate, no pack, just a baby with strange violet eyes. I took Raven in to save the family from scandal. Raised her as my own. But she's never been truly mine."
The world tilted sideways. I gripped the tree harder, afraid I'd fall.
Not her daughter. Not really.
That's why she never loved me. Why she always looked at me with disgust. Why Celeste was the golden child and I was the mistake.
I wasn't her blood.
"Does anyone else know?" Alpha Thornwell asked.
"No. And it stays that way. The last thing we need is people digging into her real bloodline. Her mother was... complicated. From an old family that shouldn't exist anymore."
"Shadow wolves," Alpha Thornwell said slowly. "You're telling me that girl carries extinct bloodline magic, and you've been hiding her like a shameful secret?"
"I was protecting my real daughter! If people knew Raven had power, they'd pay attention to her instead of Celeste. They'd—"
"You're a fool, Helena. That girl is worth ten of Celeste politically. Do you know how many Alphas would kill for a shadow wolf mate? The alliances, the power, the ancient magic—"
"She rejected your son. She's worthless now."
"Only to Kade. But there are other Alphas. Older ones. Powerful ones who'd overlook a rejected bond for what she represents."
My stomach turned. They were talking about selling me off like property.
"What are you suggesting?" Mother asked carefully.
"I'm suggesting you find her, control her, and make her useful. If she won't be Kade's mate, she'll be someone else's. Someone who can benefit our pack. That shadow wolf blood is too valuable to waste on rebellion."
I'd heard enough. More than enough.
I started backing away slowly, careful not to make sound. But my foot caught on a branch, and it snapped with a crack that echoed through the clearing.
"There!" Mother shouted.
I ran. Again. Seemed like that's all I ever did—run from people who wanted to use me.
But this time felt different. This time, I had a wolf. I had power.
And I had nothing left to lose.
I shifted mid-run—my wolf responding instantly despite being so new. The world exploded into sharper colors and stronger smells. My paws hit the ground faster than my human legs ever could.
Free, my wolf growled. Finally free.
Behind me, I heard Alpha Thornwell shift too. His wolf was bigger, older, more experienced. He'd catch me eventually.
Unless I did something they'd never expect.
I reached the pack border—the invisible line that separated Moonridge territory from neutral ground. Pack law said I couldn't cross without permission. Leaving your birth pack without Alpha approval was basically exile.
I didn't hesitate.
I crossed the border, and the pack bonds that had always tied me to Moonridge snapped like breaking chains. The sensation was painful but liberating.
On the other side, I shifted back to human, gasping. Kade's jacket was gone—destroyed in the shift. I was completely exposed, alone, with nothing.
But I was free.
Alpha Thornwell stopped at the border, his massive brown wolf snarling. He couldn't follow me. Pack law prevented Alphas from entering neutral territory without cause.
I met his eyes, letting him see my defiance.
Then I turned and walked into the darkness, leaving Moonridge Pack behind forever.
I walked for hours. Cold, naked, exhausted. My wolf wanted to shift again, but I didn't know how to control her yet. Didn't know anything except that I needed to keep moving.
Dawn was breaking when I finally collapsed near a stream. I drank greedily, then lay on the mossy bank, too tired to care about anything anymore.
That's when I heard the car.
Not just any car—expensive, by the sound of the engine. It stopped somewhere close. Doors opened. Footsteps approached.
I should run. Should hide. But my body refused to cooperate.
A shadow fell over me. I looked up expecting hunters or rogues or someone else who'd hurt me.
Instead, I saw a man in an expensive suit, his dark hair styled perfectly, his green eyes sharp but not cruel. He crouched down, his expression unreadable.
"Shadow wolf," he said quietly. "I thought they were all dead."
I tried to speak, but my throat was too dry. He pulled off his jacket—designer, probably cost more than everything I'd ever owned—and draped it over me.
"My name is Darius Hunt," he said. "Alpha of Haven City Pack. You're on my territory, which means you're under my protection now. Whether you want it or not."
He lifted me easily, carrying me toward the car. I should protest. Should demand he put me down. But my body had given up.
"Who hurt you?" Darius asked as he settled me in the back seat.
"Everyone," I whispered.
His jaw tightened. "Not anymore."
As the car drove away from everything I'd ever known, I let myself believe him.
Just for a moment, I let myself hope that maybe—finally—someone saw me as more than a mistake.
But in the rear-view mirror, I caught Darius's driver watching me with eyes that glowed gold in the dawn light.
And I realized with cold certainty: I'd just traded one pack for another.
The question was—would this one be any different?