Ravens of the Mist Book 3: Behind Enemy Lines

Stella

I can’t tell how much time has passed since they locked me up in here.

I wonder if Renard is worried about me. I’m pretty sure he is.

I keep my thoughts about him to myself. I don’t want to get into another argument with Onyx about him. I’m so done with those fights. She’s all I have in this place.

Being here makes me think about my past, about what happened to my old pack and my family.

It’s been eight years, but it feels like it was just yesterday.

I was reading a romance novel on my bed when my mother suddenly burst into my room. I didn’t have time to react. She grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the house.

That’s when I saw the bodies on the ground. It was snowing that day. The snow was stained red with their blood.

The only thing my mother told me was to be strong and not let anyone see me.

She smeared my skin and clothes with the blood of the dead bodies. She masked my scent so no hunters could find me.

I don’t know how it all happened, but we were running into the forest, and then suddenly, I was alone.

My mother was gone. She wasn’t by my side anymore.

I wanted to go back. I didn’t want to be alone. I was scared. But a voice in my head told me to keep running.

It was the first time I heard that voice. Deep down, I knew I could trust it. So I ran and ran until I couldn’t run anymore.

Three days later, something unexpected happened. I started to shift. I don’t know if it was because of the trauma I had experienced.

Usually, the wolf inside us emerges when we turn eighteen. But I was only fifteen when it happened to me.

I felt every bone in my body break as Onyx took control.

Because my first shift with Onyx was so painful, I didn’t let her out often. Only when it was necessary or when we were hungry.

But the more we shifted, the less painful it became.

A month later, Renard found me. He welcomed me into his pack even though I was a stranger to them.

I didn’t care that they were rogues. I wasn’t alone anymore. He saved my life that day, and since then, I’ve owed him everything.

“Onyx, how much longer do you think we’ll have to stay here?” I ask, looking around.

She sighs. ~“I don’t know.”

I swallow hard. “Are you still mad at me?”

“I was never mad at you. I just want you to be careful about who you trust.”

~ Not this again.

As I said before, I won’t discuss anything about Renard with Onyx. Not yet, at least.

“Watch out!” She warns me. ~“Someone is coming.”~ Onyx gets ready to shift if she needs to.

I stay still, sitting on the ground. My knees are pulled up to my chest, my arms wrapped around them.

I’m alert, staring at the only door that leads out of my cell.

A man with dark skin walks in, holding a tray of food.

I frown. Is that for me? I wonder.

Now that I think about it, I’m starving.

“Be careful!” Onyx warns me.

The man doesn’t say a word. He just stares at me with his brown eyes. I know he’s not the Alpha. I’ve met the Alpha.

He doesn’t seem to be the Beta either. I know he has a rank. I can feel it. Maybe he’s a Delta?

He puts the tray of food in my cell, and then he leaves me alone.

I rush to the tray and sniff the food to see if it’s poisoned. It’s just a simple sandwich with cheese and meat.

I finish the sandwich in two bites. It’s not enough. I’m still hungry, but that’s okay. It’s not the first time this has happened.

“The Alpha doesn’t seem to be that bad. He let you have some food.” Onyx comments.

~“Yeah, but he still gives me the creeps.”

~ How am I supposed to seduce him if he never shows up?

Even if he was here, I don’t think I could do it. His mate is pregnant.

Renard was wrong. He’s got the wrong idea about his Luna. Renard has some explaining to do. But whatever his reasons are, I’ll forgive him.

My eyes start to feel heavy. I need to sleep. I try to stay awake, but I’m so tired that I fall asleep almost instantly.

This time, I don’t dream about the brown wolf that I dreamed of before.

I’m lying in a comfortable bed. Strong arms are wrapped around me. I’ve never felt as safe as I do right now. I don’t want this feeling to end.

I turn to look at his face. All I see is a shadow. I try to touch it, but he fades away.

I wake up, opening my eyes. I know it was just a dream. The peace that I felt is gone.

I remember how it felt to be in that stranger’s arms. I should feel ashamed, even if it was just a dream.

I shouldn’t feel this way about a stranger, but I do.

I have to forget about him. He’s not real. He’ll never be real. It was just a stupid dream.

Suddenly, Onyx gets excited.

For a moment, I think she knows about my dream. But that’s impossible. My dreams are separate from hers. She can’t access that part of my brain.

“Do you feel that, Stella?” She asks, sounding excited.

I do, and it’s getting stronger, as if it’s getting closer.

What’s happening?

The door opens. A man with dark hair and light brown eyes is looking at me. I take a deep breath, and his scent fills my senses.

“Mate!” Onyx chants in my head.

I'm frozen in place, unsure of what to make of this revelation. I can feel it, the pull of the mate bond urging me to draw closer to him.

He's the one who can liberate me from the torment I'm experiencing.

But I can't let myself feel this way. I'm already claimed by someone else. I struggle against the bond.

The man before me continues to gaze at me, unmoving. His breaths are heavy and labored, mirroring my own.

“What's he doing?” Onyx questions. ~“Why isn't he freeing us? He's our mate.”

~ He finally makes a move, but it's not towards us. He turns on his heel and abandons us.

Onyx whimpers, her heartache evident as she watches him walk away. I find myself sharing her sorrow.

“I told you he didn't want us,” I tell her.

“He didn't reject us,” she counters. ~“There's still a chance.”

~“Then why did he leave us?” I retort, my tone sharper than intended.

Why does it upset me that he left us behind? I should be relieved that he doesn't want us.

Why do I yearn for his return? Even if he's my mate, why should I desire him? I have someone else waiting for me.

It's clear as day that this man wants to keep his distance from us.