CHAPTER 3 Pregnant?
Before Raven could process it, Nema pushed herself up. "Boris, he knows Raven! He recognized her!"
Boris's gaze sharpened. "What do you mean? How do you know our slave?"
Goddess, this is bad. She whispered.
Raven quickly shook her head at Damien, silently pleading with him.
His eyes widened slightly before his expression hardened.
Boris stepped forward, his tone demanding. "Well?"
Damien didn't even flinch. "Nothing is going on. I've never met her before."
Boris's suspicious gaze flicked between them.
Raven forced a steady breath. "Alpha Boris, Nema doesn't know what she's talking about. I've never met Alpha Damien before."
"Lies!" Nema snapped. "He knew your name!"
Raven tilted her chin up. "Probably because the guards pointed me out when he arrived. After all, we wouldn't want such an honored guest to go without service, would we?"
Damien nodded. "She's right. The guards told me to find her."
Nema folded her arms. "Which guard?"
A beat of silence.
Damien didn't know the pack's guards. If he hesitated too long, Boris would catch on.
But he kept his expression unreadable. "A shorter one," he said smoothly. "Or do you always interrogate your guests like this?"
Boris stiffened. "Of course not! Let's... let's make this right." He turned to Raven. "Take care of the Alpha's things."
Damien handed her his satchel, his fingers brushing against hers.
Raven carried his satchel to his assigned guest chamber, setting it carefully on the bed before stepping out. She inhaled sharply, steadying herself before heading back to the kitchen. Everything had to appear normal. No one could suspect anything.
But as she entered the kitchen, she stopped in her tracks. Damien was already there.
"I don't fully understand what's going on," he said, his voice deep and steady, looking intensely into her eyes, "but you can't pretend last night didn't happen. I took your virginity, Raven."
Her breath stopped and she quickly glanced around, ensuring no one was within earshot. "Damien, it's not safe to talk about this here."
His jaw tightened. "Why? Who's threatening you?"
She lowered her voice. "We'll talk after dinner. Meet me in my room in the basement. For now, try not to make a scene."
Damien brushed his fingertips lightly across her cheek. A shiver ran down her spine.
Her body betrayed her, remembering the way those same fingers had teased and claimed the most intimate parts of her the night before.
"I will make a scene," he murmured, his tone edged with danger, "if any of them mistreat you again."
True to his word, throughout dinner, Damien kept a sharp gaze on everyone in the room. His presence alone shifted the dynamic. The usual disdain Raven received from her pack was absent. Instead, they were cordial and respectful, which unsettled her because if Damien is ruthless enough to kill his mate, she thought, why does he care how her pack treats her?
After dinner, Raven slipped away toward her room. As she passed Boris's study, hushed voices caught her attention. She froze, pressing herself against the wall, straining to hear.
"You understand your orders for tonight?" Boris's voice was low, but firm.
"Yes, Alpha," another voice answered. "Wait until Damien is asleep... then deliver the killing blow."
Raven's blood ran cold.
Holy shit!
Her heartbeat thundered in her ears. Boris is going to have Damien killed tonight! The whole treaty talk is a lie!
She forced herself to move, forcing calm into her steps until she reached her room. Just minutes later, Damien's knock echoed against the door.
She let him in, but this time, there was a tension in the air.
She had spent the previous night wrapped in his arms, surrendering to him, but now she knew who he really was. The Alpha of the Shadow Moon Pack. A man with a brutal reputation.
Sensing her unease, Damien stepped back, crossing his arms over his broad, muscular chest. A slow, knowing smirk played on his lips.
"You were wild in my arms last night," he mused, tilting his head. "I've got the marks to prove it." He paused and never left her eyes. "But now you're afraid of me?"
Raven stiffened. "I'm not afraid. Why didn't you tell me last night that you were the Alpha of the Shadow Moon Pack?"
He dropped his arms and stepped toward her.
"I didn't tell you because you were the most beautiful woman I'd ever laid eyes on. I didn't want my reputation to cloud your opinion of me."
"Well..." she hesitated. "Is your reputation true?"
"That depends on what you've heard." His lips quirked, but there was something dark behind his eyes. "But I'd say most of the rumors about my ruthlessness are accurate."
She wanted to ask about the rumors of him killing his mate. About the bloodshed tied to his name. But she swallowed the question, uncertain if she wanted the answer.
Instead, Damien stepped even closer, watching her intently.
"Why does this pack treat you so poorly?" he asked. "A pack is supposed to be a family."
Raven's throat tightened. "I don't know. Boris's father stole me as a child. I've always been mistreated, but it got infinitely worse when Boris's father died last year."
Damien's entire body tensed, his eyes flashing with something lethal. "I'll tear them apart."
"No." She shook her head. "There are too many of them. Just do your business with Boris and be on your way."
Damien frowned. "What? You can't seriously think I'm going to just leave you here to be abused?"
"It's too dangerous right now," she whispered. "I have a plan to get myself out soon."
The words had barely left her lips when Boris's plan flashed through her mind.
Damien immediately caught the change in her expression and asked her what the problem was.
"Boris didn't bring you here for a peace treaty."
His entire demeanor changed.
"I overheard him," she admitted. "He's planning to kill you in your sleep."
A low growl rumbled deep in Damien's throat. The kind that sent chills through the air.
"I'd like to see him try."
"You can't take on the whole pack," she pleaded.
His jaw clenched. "You've never seen me fight."
Then he exhaled sharply, shaking off the anger for a moment as he refocused on her. His eyes softened.
"You risked a lot to tell me this," he said.
Raven bit her lip. "I don't want anything bad to happen to you."
He didn't respond. Instead, he stepped even closer, his thumb grazing over her lower lip, "These lips," he paused. "They're all I've been able to think about since I woke up in an empty bed this morning."
Their eyes met, and for a moment, it was as if the world fell away.
Then, slowly, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
His lips were fire. Burning. Claiming. Sealing himself into her memory forever.
But she pulled back, breathless. "Now is not the time."
Damien chuckled, his gaze heavy-lidded with desire. "Then come with me."
Her heart dropped. "What?"
"Let's leave tonight," he said, completely serious.
Both fear and hope surged through her. "Tonight? Are you sure?"
"I've never been more sure about anything." His fingers brushed against her waist. "At the rate you're progressing, you might not have the time."
Her brows furrowed. "Progressing?"
Damien tilted his head, his lips parting slightly in shock.
Then, suddenly, he leaned in. His nose brushed against her neck as he inhaled deeply. A low growl rumbled from deep in his chest.
"Your scent," he murmured. His hand gripped her waist as he inhaled again, slower this time. "The subtle shift in your hormones... the mixed aroma... there's no denying it."
Raven's stomach dropped.
"You're pregnant."