Chapter 60

Raven

The morning sunlight streamed through the heavy curtains, warming my skin as I stretched lazily, a small smile curling at my lips. For the first time in what felt like forever, I woke up without the weight of the world pressing down on my chest.

Last night had been… spectacular, to say the least. I could still feel Neil’s lips on my skin, his warm body pressing against mine. And honestly, I wasn’t sure if I had ever felt ‘whole’ before last night.

I rolled over, reaching out instinctively, expecting to feel Neil’s warmth beside me. But all I touched was cool, empty sheets.

“Neil?” I murmured, my voice still a little gravelly from sleep. I blinked and rubbed my eyes, sitting up and clutching the sheet to my bare chest, frowning as I scanned the room.

The faint sound of the shower running would have reassured me, but the suite was utterly silent save for the hum of the air conditioning.

Sliding out of bed, I wrapped myself in a complimentary plush robe and padded toward the bathroom, pushing the door open with one hand. It was empty. No steam. Not even so much as a trace of him.

“Neil?” I called out again, louder this time. My heart began to race, and not in the pleasant, fluttering way it had the night before.

The suite was eerily still as I searched it, even going so far as to open closets and check behind the curtains like some kind of idiot. He was nowhere.

Panic began to bubble in my chest as I threw on some clothes—a pair of leggings and an oversized sweater I found crumpled in the overnight bag I’d brought to the hotel last night—and hurried out into the hallway. The elevator ride felt like it took an eternity.

When the doors finally slid open, I practically ran into the lobby, scanning the area for any sign of Neil. I thought that maybe he’d gotten hungry and was having the complimentary hotel breakfast, but when I checked the dining room, he wasn’t there.

Nothing. Nowhere. Had he left the hotel?

“Excuse me,” I said breathlessly as I ran up to the concierge desk. “The tall guy with dark hair—he was with me last night. Did you see where he went?”

The man behind the desk blinked at me, clearly confused. “I’m sorry, Miss Raven. I haven’t seen anyone fitting that description leave this morning.”

I swallowed hard, muttering a quick ‘thanks’ before rushing outside. The city was alive and bustling, the streets full of people going about their day, but I felt completely out of place, a stranger in my own world. My heart sank as I realized I had no idea where to look.

But Neil didn’t know the city, either. He must have gone back to my house—maybe to check on the guards. Or maybe he’d made the decision to slip back to my place in the middle of the night so as not to be recognized, and hadn’t wanted to wake me.

“I’m gonna give him an earful,” I muttered under my breath as I hailed a cab.

By the time I reached my house, I was out of breath, my hair a windswept mess. I pushed the door open and called out, “Neil? Eric? Ember? Castor?”

Silence greeted me. The mansion somehow felt even emptier than it had last night, a hollow echo following my every step as I searched room after room. No one was here. Not a single trace of them.

And that was when I saw it.

The black fur cloak, folded neatly on my bed. My breath caught as I stepped closer, my hands trembling as I reached out to touch the soft, familiar fur. Beneath it, a piece of paper caught the sunlight streaming in through the window.

A note.

My fingers shook as I picked it up, instantly recognizing Neil’s handwriting—he always wrote in all capital letters, like he was shouting. I swallowed hard and began to read.

“Raven,

There was an attack on the village last night—they breached the castle walls. During the attack, Serena was rescued from their clutches and her identity as my true fiancee. I had to leave immediately.

I did not wake you to say goodbye because… well, because I am a coward.”

My throat tightened, and I clutched the paper tighter, forcing myself to keep reading even though my eyes were already beginning to mist over.

“Raven, I will be blunt, as I often am: I have fallen in love with you. I love you more deeply and wholly than I ever thought possible. But you have been recognized as an impostor in the Lycan world now that the true Serena was discovered, and Hannah’s death was discovered to be your doing.

If you return to the Lycan kingdom, you will be killed on sight. And I love you too much to let that happen.”

My vision blurred as tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. “No,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “No, Neil…”

“This is why I have decided to leave you where you belong, Raven. I cannot make you live a lie, and I cannot bear the thought of you being killed simply for being a Werewolf. And if you try to return to the Lycan kingdom…

I will have no choice but to reject you as my mate. Please do not make me do that. Please.”

The tears spilled over now, streaking down my cheeks in hot, salty rivers as I sank onto the edge of the bed, the note shaking in my hands.

“I am sorry, Raven,” the note continued. “I know this will hurt you deeply, and that is the last thing I ever wanted. But I believe it is the only way to keep you safe. Perhaps one day, if I win the succession battle and become Lycan King, fate will push us together again. I hope it does. Goddess above, I hope it does.”

The final words on the page hit me like a blow to the chest.

“I love you, Raven. I love you more than anything and anyone in this entire world. And I will never stop loving you. —Neil”

As soon as I finished reading, I dropped the note, my hands flying to my mouth as a sob wrenched its way free from my throat. My entire body trembled as I clutched the cloak to my chest, burying my face in the soft fur.

It smelled like him, like earth and pine and safety, and it only made the ache in my chest that much worse.

He was gone.

The man who had fought for me, protected me, cared for me, challenged me in ways no one else ever had—gone. And it was all because he thought it was what was best for me. Because he thought he was doing the right thing.

But it wasn’t right. None of this was right.

I sank to the floor, clutching the cloak tightly, my tears soaking into the fur. My shoulders shook as the sobs came harder, my breath hitching in my chest. The world around me blurred, and somehow, the house felt even emptier and lonelier than it had the day I had left all those months ago.

“Neil,” I whispered brokenly, my voice barely audible over my crying. “Neil, please come back…”

But no one answered. And I was left with nothing but his scent, his words, and the unbearable silence.

And yet, through the haze, one thing became clear to me.

I couldn’t stay here. I couldn’t.

I had to find a way back to the Lycan Kingdom, back to Neil, even if it meant death.