Chapter two : Shadows in the dark

Raven's POV

"Do you always look this miserable, or is it just because you’re stuck with me?"

Kael’s words cut through the silence like a blade, his voice low and laced with mockery. He stood at the edge of the grand hall, his sharp gray eyes fixed on me as if daring me to respond.

I clenched my fists at my sides, resisting the urge to lash out. The ceremony had ended hours ago, but the weight of it still hung heavy over me, suffocating and inescapable. The pack had cheered, their voices full of hope, but I had felt none of it. Not when Kael slipped the silver band onto my finger, not when I spoke the ancient vows that tied me to him.

Not now, as I stood before the man I was supposed to call my husband.

"Do you always try so hard to be insufferable?" I shot back, my voice sharp.

The corner of his mouth twitched, was that almost a smirk? but his expression remained cold, detached. He crossed his arms, leaning casually against the stone wall as if he owned the room. And maybe he did. This was his territory now, his home. I was the outsider.

“Insufferable?” he echoed, his tone mocking. “I was going for honest.”

I glared at him, my anger simmering just beneath the surface. “You don’t know me, Kael. Don’t pretend you do.”

“I know enough.”

“Enough to make judgments about me?”

“Enough to know you’ll do anything to protect your pack.” His voice lowered, taking on an edge that sent a shiver down my spine. “Even if it means sacrificing yourself.”

The words hit harder than I expected, and for a moment, I faltered. He wasn’t wrong. I had agreed to this marriage for my pack, for their safety. But hearing it said so bluntly, so casually, felt like a dagger to the heart.

“Is that what you think this is? A sacrifice?” I asked, my voice quieter now, laced with bitterness.

Kael didn’t answer right away. Instead, he pushed off the wall and took a step closer, his gaze never leaving mine. “Isn’t it?”

His question lingered in the air between us, heavy and unanswerable. I swallowed hard, refusing to let him see how deeply his words affected me.

The rest of the evening passed in a blur of strained silences and forced politeness. The pack feasted in celebration, their laughter and chatter filling the great hall. I played my part, sitting beside Kael at the head of the long table, my face a carefully constructed mask.

But inside, I was unraveling.

Kael spoke little, his presence commanding even in silence. When he did speak, his words were curt, calculated. He seemed uninterested in the festivities, his attention drifting toward the windows as if he were searching for something or someone in the dark beyond.

It wasn’t until the celebration ended, and we retreated to the chambers prepared for us, that the tension between us boiled over.

The door closed behind us with a heavy thud, the sound echoing in the quiet room. Kael leaned against the wall, his arms crossed, his expression unreadable.

“This isn’t going to work if we can’t even tolerate being in the same room,” he said, his tone devoid of emotion.

“You think I want this?” I snapped, the frustration I’d been holding back finally spilling over. “You think I wanted to marry you, to leave my home and my life behind for this?”

Kael’s gaze sharpened, his jaw tightening. “You think I wanted this either? You’re not the only one making sacrifices, Raven.”

His words stopped me in my tracks. For a moment, I saw a flicker of something beneath his cold exterior, a hint of anger, of pain. But just as quickly, it was gone, replaced by the icy mask he wore so well.

“You’re not the only one who’s lost something,” he said quietly, his voice softer now but no less firm. “But that doesn’t change the fact that we’re in this together.”

I wanted to argue, to tell him he didn’t understand, but the weight of his gaze held me still. For all his coldness, there was a truth in his words that I couldn’t deny.

~

That night, sleep refused to come. I lay in the unfamiliar bed, staring up at the ceiling as the events of the day replayed in my mind. The ceremony, the vows, the look in Kael’s eyes when he said, “We’re in this together.”

I didn’t want to be in this with him. I didn’t want to be in this at all.

A sudden noise jolted me upright—a faint rustling sound, like leaves brushing against a window. My heart raced as I listened, straining to hear over the pounding of my pulse.

And then I heard it: a low growl, deep and guttural, coming from just outside the window.

My breath caught in my throat, my senses immediately on high alert. I slipped out of bed, moving as quietly as possible, and crept toward the window. The forest beyond was dark, the moonlight casting eerie shadows through the trees.

“Raven.”

The sound of Kael’s voice made me jump, and I spun around to find him standing in the doorway. He was shirtless, his muscles tense, his expression hard.

“What are you doing?” he demanded, his voice low but urgent.

“There’s something out there,” I whispered, gesturing toward the window.

Kael crossed the room in a few quick strides, his movements swift and controlled. He glanced out the window, his sharp eyes scanning the darkness.

“Stay here,” he ordered, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Before I could protest, he was gone, the door closing behind him with a soft click.

My heart pounded as I stood there, alone in the dark, the tension in the air thick and suffocating. I wanted to follow him, to see for myself what was out there, but something held me back, a gnawing sense of unease that kept me rooted to the spot.

Minutes passed, each one stretching into an eternity. The growls had stopped, replaced by an eerie silence that made my skin crawl.

And then, the door burst open.

Kael stormed back into the room, his expression grim, his body tense with barely contained anger.

“What was it?” I asked, my voice trembling.

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he crossed the room, closing the window and pulling the heavy curtains shut.

“Kael—”

“Rogues,” he said finally, his voice clipped. “They’re closer than we thought.”

A chill ran down my spine. “What do we do?”

He turned to face me, his gray eyes dark and unreadable. “We prepare.”

I opened my mouth to ask what he meant, but the look in his eyes stopped me. There was something there, something that sent a shiver through me, darkness, a warning.

And for the first time, I realized just how dangerous this alliance truly was.