The Reaver Chronicles: Raziel

by Gift .

  I threw on the clothes, threw my hair into a messy ass bun, grabbed a stick of beef jerky and some cheese, and ran out the door. It was a little further to the training grounds than from my house. I didn't mind though, I jogged on the way there trying to get my heart rate pumping.

  I arrived at the stadium just in time to see Roman, "Hey Rayne" he said, his face lit up when he saw me. "Hey Roman!" I replied. I could tell he was staring at my mark by the slight burning but I ignored it, knowing he couldn't help it. No one could, the mark was just so powerful.

  We all lined up for training and my mark was burning a little more persistently with everyone's gaze upon it. I just kept a straight face and ignored them all.

  Alpha Drake came out and paired everyone off like usual, but he paired himself with me. I rolled my eyes, of course he would. "He needs to back the hell off" Wynter huffed. "I know, no is no, ugh" I huffed back. I was getting ready to lunge and start training when Alpha Drake grabbed my hand "come with me" he whispered.

  My mark started burning out of control at his gesture. It never liked being touched by Alpha Drake, and I didn't either. He led me out of the stadium where we trained and into a smaller arena we used for meetings and things.

  He stopped when we got to the middle of the arena and turned to face me, ignoring my attempts to pull my hand free from his. We locked eyes and I could see a plethora of emotion swimming in his ocean blues. Worry, fear, sadness, guilt, and regret.

  What could have him so upset, I wondered. He finally let go of my hand and put both of his hands on my shoulders. "Rayne, I need you to know that I am so sorry. I had no choice, I was forced into it." Alpha Drake said with sadness in his voice.

  I could tell he was sincere, not one ounce of venom in his voice. "What are you talking about Alpha?" I said, as an uneasy feeling started to form in my stomach. "You'll know soon, but just know I was forced into it. I literally had no other choice… Reya, dear, come here would you?"

  He purred that last part, with a little sparkle in his eye.

  A young girl, maybe 13 or 14 came running into the stadium. She had the same olive skin and ocean blue eyes as Alpha Drake. Her short brown hair in a Bob cut, she was wearing a red dress with no sleeves and some black sandals. She ran right up to Alpha Drake and he pulled her into a bear hug. He looked up at me with tears in his eyes.

  This coming from a man who in the 8 years I had lived in this pack never showed emotion, hardly even a smile. I took a step back, "Rayne, this is Reya… My little sister." He said. Shock flooded my face, "Oh my God" Wynter shrieked.

  "His little sister that was murdered in front of him, the same little sister that he murdered multiple entire packs over? The same little sister that he killed a multitude of innocents to avenge her death?? That little sister??" Wynter shouted.

  The pieces of the puzzle started to come together in my head, realizing what kind of price he would have had to pay to get her back from the dead. But he couldn't access the shadows? Someone accessed them for him…but why would he be sorry to me? What did any of this have to do with me?

  I was torn from my thoughts when Alpha Drake closed the gap between us, took my face in his hands causing an unwanted reaction from my mark, and looked straight into my eyes. "I truly am sorry Rayne, but I want you to know I wouldn't have done it if I had any other choice. I'm so sorry" he said, and kissed my lips softly.

  I pulled away from his advance and took a couple of steps back. I could feel the sincerity and regret in his kiss, he really meant what he was saying.

  "What did you do Alpha??" I stammered, taking another couple steps back. "I'm so sorry" he said, I could see sadness and regret filling his face, and I swear I saw an actual tear fall down his cheek.

  That's when I felt it, my mark fucking exploded with lightning. Ecstasy surged through my whole body sending me into a fit of pleasure, Raphael was here.

  "Son of a bitch" Wynter howled. She knew resisting the mark was going to be hard, and at that moment I understood what Alpha Drake was talking about.

  Alpha Drake gave me one last glance "Please forgive me" he mouthed, and then grabbed Reya and left the stadium. Of course he did, I thought.

  "Ugh I'm going to fucking kill him!" I said out loud. "Come here, beautiful" Raphael purred.

  I turned to face him. He was wearing black slacks, silver shoes, a black button down shirt and a silver suit vest. His hair was neat and perfect, with a little stubble on his chin, his face calm and collected, void of outward emotion like usual, but he had a fire burning in his silver eyes.

  He really was beautiful, in fact he was like a God. I couldn't help but admire him. As if on command my legs started walking towards him and I was helpless to stop it. I walked right into his arms, and the second we touched my mark went wild. Sending every type of pleasure coursing through my veins. The feeling of peace and content just washing over me.

  My mind was cloudy, with nothing else but the mark and Raphael. Inside I knew I wasn't supposed to be there, but my body would not react. As much as I fought it I couldn't move a muscle. "I've missed you, beautiful" He purred, sending a chill down my spine.

  He then pulled a beautiful silver bracelet from his suit jacket and placed it on my wrist. As soon as he clasped it, a pink orb surrounded my wrist and absorbed into the bracelet. Magic I assumed?

  "I've missed you too" I said back, involuntarily. Why can't I fight it? What is happening?? It was like I was watching myself from the sidelines. I was there and I knew I wasn't supposed to be, but my body was doing whatever it wanted and I was helpless to stop it.

  "You are so beautiful" He purred in my ear, intensifying the feelings coursing through my veins. He pulled me closer and our lips met. Lightning struck intensifying our connection. I wanted to pull away but I couldn't, I was screaming inside to fight and break away like I did before, but my cries for help fell on deaf ears.

  Instead it was like the more I tried to resist him the more my body didn't. I put my hand on the back of his head deepening our kiss, causing more lightning to course between us, our tongues exploring each other, trying to feed a hunger that was insatiable.

  Raphael pulled away, while tracing his mark on my skin. His eyes still full of fire. We materialized in a lagoon, one I had never seen before.

  It was a beautiful sight, vines and colored flowers adorned the spaces between the trees, hanging down as if they were a canopy. The water in the lagoon was crystal clear and the same beautiful turquoise from the river and water well in my childhood.

  There was a willow tree on the edge of the water with branches protruding far enough out and long enough to almost touch the water, making a small cove you could go inside and be hidden from the views of others.

  A little further back there was a cottage inlay within a bed of silver rose bushes. It was a black and silver layout, almost resembling Raphael's home but smaller.

  He took me inside, the entryway opened up into a living room on one side and a kitchen on the other. All the furniture and appliances were silver and black.

  Upstairs we walked into a foyer that was also a library with shelves on all sides adorned with black and silver spined books. There were two bedrooms up here, and two bathrooms.

  The one bedroom looked like a guest bedroom, just a simple black and silver bed inside and dresser. Nothing fancy. Raphael led me into the other room which was more of a master suite with a four poster bed in silver and black in the middle of the room.

  It resembled Raphael's bed, I thought. A bar on one side, fully stocked. A walk-in closet full of clothes in my style and colors, with built in dressers on the other side. A reading nook in the middle of two bookcases filled with black and silver spined books. They matched the ones from out in the foyer.

  Then a master bathroom was off to the left hand side. The room was beautiful. "This is where we will be staying for a while, beautiful" Raphael stated. "This place is amazing," I exclaimed.

  Wait why are we here? What are we doing here, what is this pl
ace and why can't I speak up? I shouldn't fucking be here, and I cant do anything about it. What is going on?!

  I tried so hard to fight back, to say no, to walk away, but my body just wouldn't budge. My thoughts were screaming for me to get away.

  Raphael closed the bedroom door, and started walking back towards me.

  I was trapped in my mind and my body was under Raphael's control.

  Chapter 38

  (Alpha Drake)

  "I'm so sorry" I said as I softly pressed my lips to Raynes. She tasted sweet like coconuts. She of course pushed me away like I figured she would, but I wanted her to feel my regret and I hoped I had gotten the message through.

  "What did you do, Alpha?!" Rayne said with fear in her voice. Guilt flooded into my chest when I saw the look in her beautiful Silver eyes. "I'm so sorry" I stammered as a stray tear fell down my cheek.

  I couldn't believe I had been forced to agree to this. I just wanted to yell for Rayne to run to just go, but I knew I couldn't. If I did, the shadows could take Reya. After everything I was forced into that ended up giving me her back, I couldn't risk it.

  I honestly never thought I would be willing to give Rayne up, but I also never knew about the shadows and certainly never thought they could bring someone back from the dead.

  No wonder Reavers are so powerful, they literally have every supernatural power at their disposal. It's just insane, there has to be a way to stop them.

  I was snapped from my thoughts when Raphael materialized behind Rayne. I could tell that she knew he was there just by her reaction, which I'm sure was courtesy of the mark.

  I hadn't noticed the first time but as soon as Raphael was within a few feet of her, that mark started glittering. It was actually really beautiful. It was positioned perfectly on the side of her face, and as much as I hated it because I wanted her for myself, that mark really did fit her.

  I locked eyes with Rayne and mouthed "Please forgive me" as I grabbed Reya and we left the arena. I took one look back as Rayne walked right into Raphael's arms. A pang of guilt flooded through my body when I saw it, but I knew I couldn't do anything about it.

  I had just ruined any chance I ever could have had of being with her or making her Luna of the Obsidian pack, and I knew it. I was filled with so much guilt and regret, I looked down at Reya just to remember what sacrifices I had made to get her back.

  That's when it hit me, they said a life for a life and I didn't get to choose. The shadows hadn't chosen yet, I was sure of it. I suddenly got nervous, wondering who they might take and when.

  It was as if the shadows heard me thinking about it because the next thing I know that familiar icy chill to the bone sensation was all around me and Reya. "Reya, get to the pack house right now, find Sean and tell him I said to watch you until I return." I shot.

  "No, I'm not leaving you alone" Reya shot back. "Go, now!" I yelled, making her flinch. I felt bad, I didn't mean to scare her, but I didn't want her anywhere near the shadows again. I mind linked Sean to let him know she was on her way.

  She ran off towards the pack house reluctantly, leaving me in a mess of writhing shadows and ice cold. They were swirling around my feet and torso whispering in many voices, all different tones. "A life for a life, a price you must pay." They slithered.

  It seemed like more of them kept appearing as the seconds went by. "Who have you chosen to take?" I asked them reluctantly. The shadows dissipated and within minutes returned with a woman.

  She had her back to me, but I would recognize those blonde beach waves anywhere. My heart sank in my chest, my mate bond exploded and was crying out for her. Samael was howling in my mind at her proximity.

  Angel was in my old pack. This was before they were slaughtered and absorbed into the Obsidian pack. When I turned 21 I found out that Angel was my intended mate.

  She was absolutely perfect with her medium length blonde hair full of beachy waves. Her porcelain skin, and beautiful baby blue eyes. She was only about 5 foot 4 inches, very petite. I was quite a bit larger than her in stature.

  The issue was she was already in love with another. Regardless of the mate bond, she rejected me. I couldn't bring myself to accept her rejection. I contemplated it multiple times but I couldn't bring myself to say the words.

  So instead, I tried and tried to win her over. I was not successful. Her heart belonged to another and she wasn't budging. She eventually moved away and left our pack to be with him.

  My longing for my mate never really went away and I know hers hadn't either. Late at night when I was alone my heart would reach out for hers. I knew she felt it too, because there were times when hers reached out for mine, and I could feel it.

  I knew I would have to accept her rejection when I took Rayne as my Luna, and I was fully prepared for it if the time came. But I wasn't fucking prepared for this.

  "No" I yelled to the shadows, "Anyone but her. Please" I begged. "You do not get to choose" the shadows whispered.

  "Drake?" Angel said, fear engulfing her voice. "What is going on? What are these creatures?!" She stammered with tears in her eyes. "Angel, my dear, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault, please forgive me" I stammered back.

  She tried to run towards me, Samael was howling trying to get to her but I didn't dare move a muscle. The second her foot lifted the shadows overtook her small figure in a fury of ice and tendrils, writhing and seething.

  I could hear her screams of fear and agony. I was in complete shock, I couldn't even bring myself to look away. Tears were streaming down my face for the third time today, as the shadows made slice after slice on her delicate body and drained her of every ounce of blood she had.

  The shadows then gently laid her violated body onto the ground where she once stood and disappeared back into the everything and nothing, lifting the ice chill when they went.

  Once she had taken her last breath, I felt what could only be explained as someone ripping my soul straight from my body. I fell to my knees as my mate bond shattered into a million pieces. I felt my heart rip from my chest and shatter.

  Every ounce of air was suddenly sucked from my lungs. My head was pounding, my chest was burning, my heart was broken. I was in the most excruciating pain I had ever in my life endured.

  It was mental and physical pain. Samael was mourning the loss of our mate as well, and I had to endure his pain on top of my own. It was all I had to just crawl to her lifeless body, hold her in my arms while moving her once beautiful hair from her still beautiful lifeless face, and cry.

  After what seemed like an eternity, I wasn't sure that I had any tears left to cry. I set Angels body down in the arena, I used my mind link to call Beta Sean. "Leave Reya with our Omega, and meet me in the arena." I said, then shut the mind link down.

  I needed to gain my composure. I pushed Samael out of my mind because he was having a harder time than I was adjusting to our now shattered mate bond and it was affecting my composure. I needed to get my shit together.

  I never fathomed that losing my mate bond would hurt so bad or affect me that bad. I am the Alpha of the biggest, most ruthless pack in the world. I couldn't show weakness, or lose my composure.

  I had already lost it 3 times today, and that was my limit. I don't have any more room for weakness, I've expended it. It was time to get my head back on and be the Alpha that my pack needed.

  Sean entered the arena and headed my way. I put on a straight face, no emotion showing like usual. Sean however was the only one in our pack who knew what Angel was to me.

  I gauged the emotion in his eyes as he took in the scene. It was clear he knew who she was, and then he assessed me, looking for any hint of emotion. I showed none. "The shadows?" Sean asked. "Yes, had I known the price wouldn't just be some random innocent, I never would have made the Deal." I said back.

  Sean just looked at me with a sense of understanding. "Clean this up, return her body to her lover. Make up a story, a vampire attack, I don't care. Let them give her a proper funeral." I said.
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