by Lola Gabriel
“Of course,” Scout said immediately, even though he usually tried to avoid making promises. Sometimes, the strength of his will wasn’t enough to keep them.
“Can you promise me that you won’t let anything happen to Onyx?” Rayven pleaded. “I… I just got to see him after thinking I never would again, and I don’t want to lose him a second time. I don’t think I could lose him a second time.”
Scout recalled Onyx telling him he and his father had been separated from the rest of his family. He remembered how utterly destroyed he had looked as he talked about his twin sister, whom he thought was dead.
“I promise,” he said eventually. “I know how that feels, and I wouldn’t want either of you to go through that again.”
“You—you know how it feels?” Rayven asked.
“I—” Scout cursed to himself. He hadn’t meant to bring up his own complicated family. “Yeah. I do.”
“May I ask what happened?”
He stared at the struggle in Rayven’s eyes: how she wanted to know about it and yet didn’t want to push him if it was a subject he wasn’t comfortable discussing. Scout immediately knew he couldn’t say no to her.
“I lived in Minnesota with my parents and my four brothers,” he began.
He told her about the torch that had flown in through the window of his room, setting their home on fire in the middle of the night with his entire family inside. He told her how he had stayed behind to help one of his brothers, who had gotten trapped in his room. He told her how all five of them had to escape the flames separately, hoping that the others had made it out. He told her about their argument, about his youngest brother being the first one to leave, about each of them eventually following his lead and walking away from each other.
When he was done, Rayven stared at him with unshed tears filling her eyes.
“I’m… I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
“It’s fine,” Scout said, forcing a nonchalant smile on his face. “It was a long time ago.”
“And you have no idea where they might be?”
“Not that I care all that much about it,” he replied.
Rayven reached out to hold his hand. “Really? Because I think you care more than you’re willing to admit.”
Scout held back a sigh. He shouldn’t have told Rayven about his family, about his brothers. She and Onyx, who had most likely always longed to see each other again, wouldn’t understand his choice.
“I have to make a call,” he said, pulling his hand away and standing up from the couch, leaving the room through the sliding doors. For the first time in years, he felt vulnerable, the one thing he had vowed he would never be after the fire.
And then Rayven had come along and ruined him.
5
Rayven shifted her weight uncomfortably as the basement started to fill up with pack members. They all greeted one another with happy smiles, like they were one big, happy family. She spotted Onyx walking over to her, and she felt a little more relieved. She didn’t know anyone there, even though she had lived in Silverthorne for a while now, and it was nice to see a familiar face in the sea of people.
“Are you okay? You seem a little overwhelmed,” Onyx said.
“I’m fine. I was just looking at everyone. They all seem so happy to see each other,” she answered, crossing her arms.
“Well, we are a close-knit group. We’re all family.”
“Not bound by blood but bound by the moon,” she mumbled to herself. “Right?”
“I assume Scout told you about that,” Onyx replied.
Rayven continued looking at the crowd. “Do you think Scout will let me stay and become a pack member?”
“You’re his mate,” her brother said, and she assumed Scout had told him about that. “You became a member the very first time he saw you.”
“Doesn’t really feel like I belong here,” Rayven muttered, noticing the perplexed glances the other pack members shot in her direction.
“They’re wary,” Onyx explained. “You’re still a stranger to them.”
Before Rayven could say anything else, the large wooden doors opened, and Scout walked into the basement. Everyone’s attention immediately turned to him, silence echoing throughout the room as they all waited for their alpha to speak.
“Thank you for coming,” Scout said. “I know it was a bit of a last-minute arrangement, and I am sorry for that, but this is important.” He briefly glanced at Rayven, almost as if asking her permission, and she nodded back at him. “Onyx’s twin sister has been accused of murdering a human, but she is innocent. She was arrested by the cops, and Onyx broke her out last night.”
Most of the pack members turned to look at her, and Rayven lowered her gaze, an uncomfortable embarrassment taking over her.
Great, now they all hate me, she thought.
Scout recounted what had happened the night Rayven had been arrested. He told his pack about the blood he had found and the scratches that had been covered.
“We don’t know much more about the case,” Scout continued. “The only thing we know for sure is that Rayven did not kill that man, so I need all of you to keep your ears on the ground. If you hear or feel anything that doesn’t sit right with you, you are to report to me immediately. I don’t care if you think it’s just a hunch or a gut feeling. Don’t ignore your instincts.”
He paused for a moment to let the orders sink in. “In the meantime, Rayven will stay here, under my protection. If I or my betas can’t keep an eye on her, I will call on the higher-ranking members to do so. I trust that I have everyone’s cooperation in the matter?”
“Yes, alpha!” the entire room cried in unison, startling Rayven.
“Great. Does anyone have any questions?” Scout asked.
“Who was the man who was murdered?” someone asked in the back.
Scout motioned to Rayven, and she froze for a second. All eyes were on her, which made her extremely nervous, but after a reassuring look from both Scout and Onyx, she cleared her throat and answered, “His name was Anton Lombardo.”
A few gasps were heard throughout the room, and Rayven frowned. She looked at Scout, who seemed just as shocked by the name as the rest of the pack was. The gasps became murmurs, which then grew a little louder until the basement was filled with four hundred voices all trying to speak over one another.
Rayven turned to Onyx and whispered, “Who’s Anton Lombardo?”
“I think you need to talk to Scout about that,” Onyx muttered.
“Settle down, everyone!” Scout ordered.
“I knew the Crescents were involved!” someone screamed.
“What do we do?” asked another voice.
“Are we safe?”
“Do we have to move again?”
The questions weren’t directed at her, but Rayven still felt like they were. She was reminded of the suffocating club she’d gone to that horrible night, and she pushed her way through the crowd, stumbling up the steps to the house. She had to get away from all the noise, the questions, the wary glances.
Rayven paced around the living room, and after a short while, she heard the basement clear out through the doors that led to the outside escape hatch, designed to look like a storm shelter door. She heard Scout talking to someone—Onyx, she assumed—but she couldn’t hear what they were saying.
Scout eventually came up to the living room, staring at her from his place on the doorway. “We have to talk.”
“I guess we do,” Rayven agreed. “Who’s Anton Lombardo?”
“He’s the brother of one of the betas in the Crescents pack,” Scout answered. “But he’s not one of us. His brother is a made wolf, rather than a born wolf.”
“And Anton Lombardo didn’t know about what or who his brother is?”
“I don’t think so.”
“But it doesn’t make any sense!” Rayven exclaimed. “Why would the Crescents kill a family member of one of their own? That can’t be allowed, right?”
“I
t’s not,” Scout confirmed, “but the Crescents are ruthless. Maybe Lombardo saw or stumbled upon something he shouldn’t have. Maybe the Crescents killed him as a warning. Maybe someone of a lower rank killed him to piss his brother off.”
“But why go and frame me for it?” she demanded.
Scout crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the doorway. “Who did you piss off, Rayven?”
“Wh—me?” Rayven cried. “No one! Not recently, anyway!”
“What about your mother?” Scout asked. “You said this detective guy, Morris, knew about her, right? Could she have done anything to get on their bad side?”
Rayven glanced away from him. “I wouldn’t know,” she answered.
Scout went to the couch and sat down, then patted the spot next to him so that Rayven would do the same. “I think it’s time you tell me about the day you and Onyx were separated. There might be something we’re missing.”
She didn’t want to talk about it. She didn’t want to remember the day she had started to believe she would never see the rest of her family again. She didn’t want to live through that again. But Scout was right. The answer they needed might be right in front of them.
With a dejected sigh, Rayven sat down next to Scout and leaned back against the couch.
“Onyx and I grew up in Vermont with our parents,” she started. “No one ever bothered us, and we thought we were safe. One night, my mother woke us up after midnight, saying we had to go. I fell asleep in the backseat of the car, lying on her lap, and Onyx sat in front while my father drove. Then I heard gunshots and my mom yelling at me to stay down and close my eyes.”
She could still hear the gunshots almost as clearly as that night, when she had jumped awake at the noise. She remembered how the car had swerved violently; the screaming; the sudden stop the vehicle had come to; the crash.
She remembered closing her eyes, hoping it would all be over when she opened them again.
“When I felt Mom starting to carry me out of the car, my dad and Onyx were gone,” Rayven went on. “My mother shifted into a wolf and ran into the woods with me clinging to her back, crying out Onyx’s name. I don’t know how long it was before she stopped running.”
All she knew was that the rain pouring down over their heads had felt like daggers stabbing her as she called out to her brother, who never answered.
“We ended up in Dallas and stayed there for a while. Mom kept saying my father and Onyx would come home soon, but they never did. Eventually, I stopped asking. One morning, I came back from hunting and found the whole house had been turned upside down. My mother was on the floor, bleeding out, and she told me to run. She told me to run as fast as I could, as far as I could. Then she didn’t say another word. And then I ran.”
Rayven took a deep breath, blinking back the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks. She glanced at the floor in front of her and felt Scout placing his hand on top of hers, but it wasn’t enough to fight the sorrow and grief of watching her mother die, of having been unable to do anything to save her, of having left her behind to save herself.
At the doorway, someone cleared their throat. Rayven looked up, seeing Onyx holding onto the doorway. She held out her other hand to him, and her brother walked to the couch to sit on her other side, holding her hand with his.
“Dad and I were grabbed out of the car, but Mom was able to get you out before they could capture you too,” Onyx spoke, staring at their held hands. “I don’t remember much else of that night, but I know it was the Crescents. They held us captive and tortured us for… I don’t know. Days. Weeks, maybe. They wanted to know where you and Mom were. We eventually escaped. They caught up with us in Yosemite Park. Dad didn’t make it.”
Onyx made a small pause, slowly breathing in and out, and Rayven tightened her grip on his palm, reassuring him that she was still there with him.
“Scout found me,” Onyx said, looking at her, “and he brought me to Silverthorne.”
Rayven turned her head to Scout. “You saved my brother.”
“I wish I could have saved your father as well,” Scout said, his tone filled with remorse.
“There was nothing you could have done, Scout,” Onyx added quietly. Just like there had been nothing Rayven could have done to save their mother.
Rayven put her arms around her brother and hugged him tightly.
“Could we not get all emotional right now?” Onyx asked as he pulled away from her, though she could see the tears in his eyes and the relief on his face.
“Sure,” she said with a small smile.
Onyx quickly wiped his eyes and stood up from the couch, walking to the door. Rayven was endeared to know that her brother remained the same, even after all these years. He didn’t like emotional situations, and he tended to avoid them whenever he could. Their mother used to joke around and say he had the emotional range of a slice of bread, and it was still true.
After Onyx was gone, Rayven turned to look at Scout, still sitting next to her. “You don’t have to look so worried,” she said at the expression he wore.
“The Crescents tried to kill your entire family, and now they’re pinning a murder on you,” Scout said with a frown. “I think I have the right to be worried.” He took her other hand so that he held both of her palms in his. “I don’t know how we’re going to get to the bottom of this, but I want you to know that I’m not going to let anything happen to you, or to Onyx. I promise you that. You’re safe here with me.”
“Thank you,” Rayven said, her voice almost a whisper. Against her best judgment, a yawn made its way past her lips, and Scout let out a soft chuckle.
“You should get some sleep,” he said. “It’s been a long day for everyone.”
She nodded wordlessly. She was exhausted. After her mother had flawlessly and effortlessly broken her out of her jail cell without being detected by the cops inside, she hadn’t slept for nearly twenty-four hours.
Scout led her to one of the bedrooms, and Rayven sat on the edge of the bed.
“Scout?” she called him. “Would you stay here with me?”
“Of course,” Scout assured her, walking around the bed to sit on the other edge.
Rayven slipped off her boots and watched as he did the same. They climbed into bed together, and Scout wrapped his arms around her. She nested into the shape of his body and, she had never felt as safe and at home in her entire life as she felt in that moment. She closed her eyes and listened to the beating of his heart, which sent her off into a peaceful slumber.
6
It was an hour before sunrise when Scout opened his eyes, still hazy from the deep sleep he had just woken from. He felt rested for the first time in longer than he was willing to admit.
Scout glanced over at Rayven sleeping beside him, and he noticed the curve of her body as she lay on her side. He felt the need to embrace her, to pull her close, to feel her body pressed to his, to kiss her and drown in the taste of her mouth.
Scout shook his head to himself. Rayven wasn’t even doing anything; she was just lying there, sleeping. Funnily enough, though, she didn’t look as vulnerable as one often did when they were asleep; instead, Rayven seemed… calm. Comfortable, like she would be capable of sleeping the entire day if Scout let her.
Perhaps he should. The last thirty hours or so hadn’t been gentle to her. First, she had been framed and arrested for a crime she hadn’t committed. Then she had found out her twin brother was alive after years of thinking he might be dead. Then said brother had broken her out of prison, and she had met and imprinted on her mate. Finally, she had discovered that the people who were trying to pin a murder on her were most likely the same people who had torn her family apart.
Scout gently caressed her hair. He would make sure she never had to endure so much suffering again.
He slid out of bed, and as he was about to leave the room, Rayven groaned.
“Where are you going?” she asked, her voice groggy and thick with sleep.
Rayven sat up and smiled a little sheepishly at him, a blush overtaking her cheeks. “Want some company?”
Scout stared at Rayven in disbelief. He would love for her to join him, but he didn’t want to make her think that she was obligated to do so.
“Are you sure?”
Her eager nod was more than enough answer for him. Scout held out his hand to her, and her palm fit against his as though they were two pieces of a puzzle clicking together.
They waited as the water of the shower heated up, enveloping both of them, but before they could step inside the shower, Scout turned to Rayven and pulled her towards him, wrapping his arms around her as he pressed his lips to hers like he had wanted to do since he had first seen her. Rayven kissed him back hungrily, letting out a soft moan that reverberated throughout Scout’s entire body, and he was overwhelmed by an insatiable need for her.
They undressed each other under the hot water; their clothes left a soggy pile on the shower floor. Scout kissed Rayven again and again, running his hands over her body as her hands did the same with his. She was perfect in every single way, and she responded to his every touch with one of her own, slowly building up their desire for each other.
When he slid inside her, it was in one fluid motion, with Rayven’s arms around his neck and her legs around his hips while Scout pressed her back up against the tile wall. Rayven pushed her mouth against his, gasping her pleasure into their kiss, her fingernails digging into his back, her body tensing against his, and Scout couldn’t hold himself back any longer. He plunged into her with one quick thrust and felt Rayven’s heated core tighten around his erection as she mewled in pleasure, her orgasm overtaking her body. Scout climaxed with her, releasing his own moans of ecstasy as he released into her.
Afterward, they remained intertwined beneath the hot water still wetting their spent bodies, trying to catch their breaths. Rayven continued to kiss him, her hands cupping his face, and as Scout’s arms encircled her and brought her closer to himself, the only thought running through his mind was that he never wanted to let go of her.