Raven POV
"You're awake. Good."
I jerked upright, immediately regretting it when pain shot through my entire body. The room spun for a second before focusing. Expensive furniture. Soft bed. Floor-to-ceiling windows showing a city I didn't recognize.
Darius sat in a chair beside the bed, his green eyes watching me carefully. He held a cup of coffee that smelled amazing.
"Where am I?" My voice came out raspy, broken.
"My home. Haven City. You've been asleep for two days." He offered me the coffee. "You were exhausted. Your wolf needed time to recover from your first shift and the... rejection."
The word hit like a punch. Rejection. I'd rejected Kade. My mate. The bond still ached inside my chest—a constant reminder of what I'd torn apart.
I took the coffee with shaking hands, grateful for something to hold onto. "Why did you bring me here?"
"Because you needed help. And because shadow wolves are my responsibility."
I froze mid-sip. "What?"
Darius stood, walking to the window. His back was to me, but I could feel the tension radiating off him. "My mother was a shadow wolf. The last known one, or so we thought. She died when I was ten—hunted by Alphas who wanted to claim her bloodline for themselves."
The coffee cup trembled in my hands. "I don't understand."
"Shadow wolves are extinct because they were too powerful. Other packs feared them. Hunted them. Killed them." He turned, and his eyes glowed briefly gold. "When I sensed your wolf crossing into my territory, I knew exactly what you were. And I knew you'd end up dead if I didn't protect you."
"Protect me?" The word tasted bitter. "Or own me? Your driver was watching me like I was property. Alpha Thornwell wanted to sell me to the highest bidder. How are you any different?"
Darius's expression didn't change. "Because I'm giving you a choice. Stay here under my protection, learn to control your wolf, and live freely. Or leave and take your chances with the Alphas who are already hunting for you."
"Hunting?" My blood went cold.
"News travels fast in the shifter world. A shadow wolf appeared and rejected a powerful Alpha heir. Every unmated Alpha within three territories wants you now—either as a mate or a trophy." He pulled out his phone, showing me a photo. "This was posted on the Pack Network two hours after you crossed the border."
It was me. Shifted into my shadow wolf form, caught mid-run by someone's camera. The post had thousands of comments, and scrolling through them made me feel sick.
Claim her before someone else does.
Shadow wolf magic could strengthen any pack.
She's rogue now. Fair game.
I shoved the phone away, nausea rising. "They're talking about me like I'm... like I'm not even a person."
"To them, you're not. You're power. Resources. A way to strengthen their bloodline." Darius took the phone back. "That's why you need me. My pack can hide you. Train you. Give you time to figure out what you want without Alphas breaking down your door."
It made sense. Too much sense. But something about the way he said it—so calm, so prepared—set off alarm bells.
"What do you get out of this?" I asked carefully.
Darius smiled, and for the first time, it didn't reach his eyes. "Honestly? Having a shadow wolf in my pack increases our status significantly. Other Alphas will think twice before threatening us. You're protection and reputation all in one."
At least he was honest about using me. That was something.
"And if I refuse?"
"Then you leave. Right now. No hard feelings." He gestured to the door. "But understand that the moment you step outside this building, you're on your own. Every Alpha who wants you will come hunting. You're untrained, exhausted, and alone. How long do you think you'll last?"
The trap closed around me perfectly. Stay and be used. Leave and be hunted. Neither option gave me real freedom.
But at least Darius was upfront about his motives. At least he wasn't pretending to care.
"Fine," I said. "I'll stay. For now. But I'm not your property. I'm not anyone's property anymore."
"Agreed." Darius extended his hand. "Partners, then. You get protection and training. I get the reputation boost of housing a shadow wolf. Everyone wins."
I shook his hand, hating that it felt like making a deal with the devil. But what choice did I have?
A knock at the door interrupted us. The driver from before entered—a tall woman with short black hair and those unsettling gold eyes.
"Alpha," she said, her voice respectful but cold. "We have a problem."
"What kind of problem?"
"Kade Thornwell is here. Says he needs to speak with Raven immediately." The woman's eyes flicked to me. "He looks half-dead. The rejection is killing him."
My heart stopped. Kade was here? In Haven City?
"Send him away," I said immediately. "I don't want to see him."
"He said he'll wait outside until you agree to talk. He's been standing at the gates for three hours." The driver's expression was unreadable. "He collapsed twice. We had to give him water."
Good. Let him suffer. Let him feel what I felt for seventeen years.
But my wolf whimpered softly. Mate hurt. Mate dying.
"Ignore him," I told Darius. "Eventually he'll give up and go home."
"He won't." Darius studied me carefully. "Rejected mates become obsessed. They can't help it—their wolf is dying, and instinct tells them to fix the bond or die trying. He'll stay there until his heart gives out."
"Then let it give out!" The words exploded from me. "He never cared if I suffered. Why should I care about him?"
"You shouldn't. You don't owe him anything." Darius's voice was gentle but firm. "But you should know—if he dies because of the rejection, the bond will snap permanently. You'll feel it. Every moment of his death, you'll experience it through the incomplete bond."
The room went silent.
"You're saying if he dies, I'll feel him die?" My voice came out small, frightened.
"Yes. It's rare, but with shadow wolf bonds, the connection is stronger. Even rejected bonds echo." Darius looked almost sympathetic. "You rejected him to be free of him. But if he dies, you'll carry that death with you forever."
I wanted to scream. Wanted to throw something. This wasn't fair. None of this was fair.
"What do I do?" I whispered.
"You have three options." Darius held up fingers. "One: Talk to him. Hear what he has to say. You don't have to forgive him, just listen. Two: Reject him formally in front of witnesses, which will sever the bond completely but might kill him instantly. Three: Ignore him and let him die slowly while you feel every second of it through the bond."
All terrible options.
I stood up, my legs shaky but holding. "I'll talk to him. Five minutes. That's all he gets."
Darius nodded. "I'll have him brought to the courtyard. You'll be safe—my guards will be watching."
As I followed him downstairs, my wolf stirred restlessly. She wanted to see our mate. Wanted to make sure he was okay.
I told her to shut up. She was the reason we were in this mess.
The courtyard was beautiful—gardens and fountains and paths. But I barely noticed. My eyes locked on Kade immediately.
He looked terrible. Dark circles under his eyes. Pale skin. Shaking hands. He'd lost weight, and his clothes hung loose on his frame.
He was dying. Really dying.
When he saw me, his face transformed—hope, pain, desperation all mixed together.
"Raven," he breathed. "Thank you. Thank you for seeing me. I know I don't deserve—"
"Five minutes," I cut him off. "Say what you came to say."
He nodded, swallowing hard. "I'm sorry. For everything. For every cruel word, every time I hurt you, every moment I made you feel worthless. You deserved better. You deserved love and protection and kindness, and I gave you nothing but pain."
The words sounded rehearsed. Practiced. Like he'd been working on them for days.
"Is that all?" I kept my voice cold.
"No. I want you to know—I'm not asking you to accept the bond. I'm not asking for forgiveness. I know I don't deserve either." His voice cracked. "I just needed you to know that you were right. About everything. I was a monster. And if I die because of that, it's exactly what I deserve."
Something in his tone made me pause. He meant it. Every word.
"The bond rejection is killing you," I said flatly.
"I know."
"And you're okay with that?"
"If it means you're free? Yes." Kade met my eyes, and for once, there was no arrogance. No cruelty. Just exhaustion. "You're free of me, Raven. That's all I ever should have given you."
He turned to leave, stumbling slightly. Darius's guards moved to help him, but he waved them off.
That's when it hit me—the bond pulling hard. My wolf screamed inside my head. And I felt it: his heart struggling, fighting to keep beating.
He was telling the truth. He really was dying.
And suddenly, I realized something horrible: I didn't want him dead.
I hated him. Resented him. Never wanted to see him again.
But I didn't want him dead.
"Wait," I heard myself say.
Kade stopped, hope flashing across his face before he crushed it down.
"I need time," I said slowly. "To think. To figure out what I want. Can you... can you give me that?"
"How much time?"
"I don't know. Weeks. Maybe months."
"I have three days left. Maybe four." His smile was sad. "But I'll wait as long as I can. Even if it's just one more day of knowing you're alive and happy somewhere, that's enough for me."
He left before I could respond, and I stood there frozen.
Three days. He had three days to live.
And somehow, the choice of whether he lived or died had fallen to me.
"What are you going to do?" Darius asked quietly.
I didn't have an answer.
But as I watched Kade disappear through the gates, my wolf whispered something that terrified me: Save mate. Please save mate.
And I realized with horror that somewhere deep inside, I might actually want to.