The Raven Queen

by Emma Jayne Mills

  “That’s my girl,” Aurora whispered.

  “You are already attaching yourself to the pack, Koraki.” Lykos leaned in beside her, brushing her hair aside with his fingers. “It is only a matter of time before you accept me along with them.”

  “Don’t hold your breath, old man,” she whispered back, with a defiant smile.

  Jax was a patient wolf, he’d had a lot of practice. Waiting for four years to be with the woman he loved had been an exceptionally long and extremely challenging exercise in patience. However, enduring that wait, only to have her plucked out from under his nose? Well, let’s just say he could be forgiven for not being at his most pleasant. Still, he held back. He took every ounce of strength he had left and he held back, for his Mother’s sake, when Caspian walked into their parent’s house demanding to help rescue Aurora. Jax wanted, with every part of his being, to batter seven colours of shite out of his younger brother. But he held back.

  “No,” was Jax’s only response, opting instead to continue shovelling his mother’s homemade pasta and meatballs into his mouth.

  “I know that castle. I know where he’ll be keeping her. I can get in,” Caspian argued.

  “You said you’d never met him until last night!” Jax’s rage-filled snarl was the first sign his patience had finally snapped.

  Swallowing the mouthful of food, he already had in his mouth, he carefully placed his fork down on the table. His movements were slow and purposeful, unfolding his body from the chair, until he was standing at his full height, and turning to face Caspian. The fear he saw in his brother’s eyes was no deterrent, the little shit deserved to feel fear. Caspian backed up a step for each one Jax took in his direction, until his back hit the wall. Jax’s hand snapped out, pinning Caspian by his throat, against the pink and white rose pattern of the wallpaper in their Mother’s pristine dining room.

  “Jax, no!” Janelle O’Conner cried, but Jax couldn’t let him go.

  “I lied,” Caspian admitted.

  “Explain,” Jax sneered, allowing his fangs to extend through his gums.

  “I thought I could still use him to my advantage. I can’t, I know that now. I was an idiot. Let me help you get Rory back. I still love her, Jax, no matter what I did.”

  “You do not get to say that name. You do not get to call her by any name. You are done with her. The only reason I’m not hurting you right now is because I want to see her do it herself!” Jax’s grip tightened, restricting his brother’s airway.

  “Fine. Okay, I relinquish my claim on her,” Caspian gasped, between strained breaths.

  “You had no claim!” Jax’s powerful roar rattled the windows and tilted the photographs of him and Caspian as children, that adorned the walls.

  “Okay! Shit, okay! She’s yours, I get it. Believe me, I fucking get it. I’ve lived with the fact for years. For her sake, listen to me now, because I can help you get inside that castle.” Caspian looked his brother in the eye, pleading with him to understand.

  “Boys, let’s discuss this calmly.” Sean attempted to diffuse the situation, but Jax was in no mood to let his brother go just yet.

  “How do I know you won’t be sending us into a trap? How do I know you’re not still in touch with him and telling him every move we make?” He loosened his grip on Caspian’s throat but didn’t let go.

  “Because if there was one thing that was ever true, it’s that I love her. You know I loved her for so many years, it’s the reason you left her with me. I still love her, Jax. I let the idea of being an alpha get in the way of what I already had and I betrayed her, but I never stopped loving her.”

  Jax knew how hypocritical he was being in admonishing his brother’s behaviour. He had no right to his anger with his brother. How could he be angry with Caspian for claiming to love her and still hand her over to another man, when he had done exactly that himself? He may have done it for what he believed to be noble reasons, but he had still done it.

  “Come with me.” Jax released him with a hard shove against the wall. He stepped away and turned to kiss his mother on the cheek, before leading his brother back to the community building and the rest of the team.

  “What the fuck is he doing here?” Marco demanded, when Jax pushed Caspian through the doors, into the conference room of the pack house.

  Zane, Hunter, Cole, Marco, Connell, Brone and his sons were already there when they arrived, followed a short time later, by Sean. Scrolls of paper were scattered across a large table in the centre of the room and a white board had been erected behind it.

  “Tell them!” Jax ordered, surprising Connell with the influence in his voice.

  Caspian faced the men, bravado masking the nerves he felt. “I can tell you how to get into the castle. I’ve been there. I know where she’ll be.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” Marco lunged at Caspian and he hated to do it, but Jax stepped in, separating the two before fists pummelled skin.

  “I won’t stop him next time,” Jax gritted out at Caspian and pulled a snarling Marco a few steps away.

  Connell stepped into Caspian’s space, the sheer bulk of his alpha standing over him made Caspian feel small and intimidated. Still, he met the man’s eyes, refusing to look away. “If this is another one of your games and any harm has come to my daughter, I will not only banish you from the Shadow Pack but I personally will ensure that no other pack will take you in. You, Caspian O’Conner, will be a lone wolf.”

  “He’s telling the truth,” Jax ignored Connell’s threat to his brother.

  “Why is he still alive?” A still simmering Marco struggled against Jax’s hold.

  “Believe me, I wanted to. But as much as it pains me to admit it, he has eyes on that castle and he can help us get in. He remains unharmed... for now,” Jax reasoned.

  “HQ sent a layout of the castle and its grounds and we have maps of the area from the pack library here.” A wave of Zane’s hand indicated the rolled papers on the table. He turned his attention to Caspian. “I suggest you start talking, kid.”

  “He’ll be keeping her in his rooms.” Caspian moved to the table and picked up a map. Rolling it out, he smoothed the thick paper out flat. He tapped a finger on the paper, pointing out a tower to the left of the castle.

  “How can you be sure of that?” Cole wanted to know. “Smells a bit like fairy tale bullshit to me, she’s not sleeping fucking beauty!”

  “Rapunzel,” Hunter stated. “Rapunzel was kept in a tower. Or was that Cinderella?”

  “No, that was a kitchen,” Cole replied.

  “Shut the fuck up!” Zane snapped and gestured for Caspian to continue.

  “He plans to introduce her to the pack as his mate. She isn’t to be seen as a prisoner. He won’t lock her away, but she won’t be able to leave the castle grounds. The man has delusions of grandeur. Lykos believes Aurora is the queen to his king, he wants the pack to see her as such. Keeping her locked away won’t accomplish that. He’ll claim her in front of the pack as soon as possible. Likely tonight.” His eyes flicked to Jax. “He won’t bite her unless she wants it. He’s arrogant, he wants her to choose him, stroke his ego. Lykos isn’t your stereo typical bad guy. He’ll keep her against her will but he will also treat her properly. She might not be happy, but she will be safe with him.”

  “Sounds to me like you’re fangirling over this wank stain, little brother,” Jax observed, not looking at Caspian, as he leaned over the table to inspect the maps.

  “I admired him for a while, yes. Lykos is powerful and knows how to get what he wants. Now, I realise I was wrong to give her to him. I swear, if I thought for one second that he’d hurt her I would never have agreed to it.” He knew it would do him no good, but Caspian grovelled anyway.

  “Bit late for hindsight, Cas. Show us how to get in. I want a plan put together fast, or I’m going to go over there and start making things go bang!” Jax moved away from the table and paced the room, listening as his brother continued to speak.

&nbs
p; “You are tired, my Koraki,” Lykos stated.

  “Well, I yawned, so that was probably a clue,” Aurora said, sarcastically.

  “We can retire if you wish?”

  “We?”

  “We.”

  “You know what? Suddenly I feel wide awake, let’s party!”

  “Aurora, I made you a promise and I will stand by it. However, it doesn’t matter when you decide to sleep, when you do so, it will be in my bed.”

  “You’re right, I am tired. Why don’t you go on up and slip into something more comfortable? Like a coma?” She smiled sweetly and batted her eyelashes at him. He smirked but gave no other reaction to her sarcasm.

  “Let us bid our pack goodnight, my queen.” Lykos stood, once again all noise quelled and all eyes moved to him. “My mate is tired, it has been a long day and she craves... alone time.” Of course, these words were met with whistles. Aurora barely refrained from rolling her eyes. Lykos reached down to offer her his hand and she played the game, taking it and standing next to him, while he continued to address his minions. “Please, continue the festivities as long as you wish. It is not often we have reason to celebrate.”

  They made their way around the table and through the room, leaning in to Lykos she whispered, “What will happen to Melaina when we leave?”

  Lykos looked down at her intimately, before he glanced over to where Axel sat, with Melaina on his lap. She had gone willingly, earlier in the evening, but Aurora knew she wasn’t happy about it. “She is safe, Aurora, you have my word.”

  “I’m holding you to that, old man,” she told him as they walked down the steps and out of the room.

  What Lykos had referred to as “our rooms” was a tower at one end of the castle, with a collection of rooms spread over several floors. Castle really did mean castle too, with turrets, drawbridge and stone walls, the works. Only the place had been fitted with double glazing, carpets and wifi. While Lykos may have had medieval ideas when it came to claiming a mate, with everything else he lived in the 21st century like the rest of the world. The man even had Alexa! A fact Aurora knew because, as soon as they entered his rooms, he was chatting away to the computerised voice about music like they were old friends. The result being Alexa and Lykos’s idea of romantic mood music playing throughout the suite of rooms.

  He walked Aurora through the sitting room, a kitchen, bathroom, office, and bedroom before opening a door that lead to a balcony overlooking his little kingdom. This man believed he was a king. Ugh! Why couldn’t she get a normal psycho with Mummy issues like all her friends? Not her, no, she got the one with delusions of grandeur.

  “Everything you see is yours, Koraki. What’s mine is yours, as the saying goes.” He came up behind her as she pretended to look at the view from his balcony- in reality she was wondering if she could snap the chain on the necklace and take off over the edge of the balcony. The only thing stopping her was Melaina and concern for the other shifter’s safety. Lykos wrapped his arms around her waist and she squirmed, attempting to get away from him. “I know what you are thinking, Aurora. Do you think I would leave you alone out here now that I have removed your collar? Be assured, I won’t hesitate to put it back on if I feel you cannot be trusted with the necklace. I have shown my faith in you by giving you something you can easily remove, grant me the courtesy of returning that faith and leaving the necklace in place.”

  “So, essentially, I’m still your prisoner,” she snapped. “Nothing has changed.”

  “Aurora, I do not want you as a prisoner, I want you as a mate.”

  “Whatever you say, master.” She pushed him away. He had nothing to worry about, yet.

  “I do not want you as a slave either.”

  “Just as well, because I will kill a thousand men before I let one take me as his slave.” She stalked back inside.

  “You are going to love me, Aurora. It’s written in the prophecy. You and I are destined to be together.” He followed her into the room and gestured to the bar. “Drink?”

  “Yes.” She sat down on the white leather sofa. “Tell me about this prophecy, because I’m thinking you’ve seen a different version than I have.”

  “We can look at it tomorrow. You will see that you are my mate, Koraki. We have a bond.”

  “I have a mate. A true mate.” She grasped the stem of the glass of red wine he handed her and drank deeply, almost draining it.

  “Ah, but, where is he?” Lykos sat near her on the sofa and leaned in, scenting her. She cringed at his closeness, but refused to move, she would not show weakness to him. “While his scent lingers on your skin, it is old and weak.”

  “That is none of your business. You’re acting like a creepy old man, stop sniffing me.” She didn’t react to the news that Jax’s scent was still on her after four years. Caspian had mentioned it many times, but she had no explanation.

  “I think you argue so strongly because you know I am right. You know in your heart that it is me you belong with,” he crooned in her ear. “All you need do is say.”

  “I’d rather shit in my hands and clap!” She downed the rest of her drink and stood as he threw his head back and laughed loudly. “I’m going to bed. You can pretend like we’re an old married couple and sleep on the sofa!”

  “Sweet dreams, agapi, kalinychta.” He smiled into his crystal tumbler of whiskey, as though they shared a secret.

  “Fuck you.” She slammed the door of the bedroom against further laughter.

  Aurora ripped at the material of the dress she wore, tearing it off her body and flinging it to the floor. She would not give Lykos the pleasure of her tears, but she would happily show him her anger. Swiping an arm across the dressing table, she sent little bottles of perfume and aftershave flying to the floor. The glass smashed and the liquid spilled onto the ornately patterned carpet, filling the air with a scent resembling a perfume shop, all the fragrances mixing together to form something potent and not remotely pleasant. Her fist came down hard on the wood, splintering it. A long crack crept along its length and the table collapsed in the middle. Anything that remained on its surface rolled into the well the crack had formed. Satisfied that she’d made her point, for now, Aurora climbed into the king size bed, pulling the sheets up to her chin and attempted to sleep.

  Sometime during the night, as she tossed and turned under the covers, craving her lost power of flight, she felt the bed dip. Swearing, she sat upright, ready to tear him a new arsehole, only to find a white wolf lying at her side. She watched the wolf lay its head down on the bed, submissively. It looked up at her through sparkling, bright blue eyes. Aurora had never seen a wolf with blue eyes before. Caspian’s eyes were amber, as were most of the wolves at the fen. Jax’s wolf’s eyes matched her raven’s, black as night. Although Aurora hadn’t looked for Lykos’s animal within him at any point, she knew instinctively that this was him. She could feel his presence beneath the wolf’s skin, just as she could feel the wolf when he was in his human skin. She also felt the strange link to him that had been an irritation to her from the beginning.

  “Lykos?”

  The wolf lifted and bowed its head, imitating a nod. She reached out and rubbed the spot on top of its head. The wolf sighed, contentedly. There was no denying he was a beautiful wolf. The fact he was white, when his human form was dark haired and olive skinned was a puzzle. “Okay, you can stay. But you remain a wolf, the second you shift and I find your naked arse in this bed I’ll kick it all the way to Tipperary!”

  The wolf did its nod thing again and moved closer, to snuggle against her legs. That night Aurora fell asleep with her hand in Lykos’s fur and slept all night.

  Chapter Seven

  Trust is an honour to be earned,

  never assumed.

  “Let me go in, he thinks I’m working for him. I can get her out and meet up with you on the outside.” Caspian knew he was clutching at straws, there was no way they’d let him have any input in how Aurora’s rescue went down.

  “I
see several issues with that. One, pretty sure your ship with him sailed when he washed his hands of you in front of your pack alpha. Two, I may only have met Aurora briefly, but I think I’m safe in assuming she’ll break your neck before she even lets you speak, let alone agree to walk out of there with you. And three, we don’t fucking trust you!” Cole stressed his last four words, letting Caspian know exactly how he felt about him being involved.

  “I’m all you’ve got,” Caspian argued.

  “Is he really saying he’s our only hope at getting her out of there? Because, correct me if I’m wrong, we’ve never needed him before, I don’t see why we’d need him now.” Hunter rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he mused.

  “We don’t need him,” Marco agreed. “Can I kill him now?”

  “At least let me speak to him before you go in. Let me feel things out, see if I can get back in. He wanted the book.” Caspian wasn’t giving up.

  “Book? You really need to stop dropping bombshells on us or I will let Marco kill you!” Jax glared at his brother.

  “The Morrigan Prophecies, Aurora took the book from the scroll chamber in the library. It was at our house,” he told him.

  “Our house?”

  “Mine and Au...” Caspian rubbed the spot on his jaw, where Jax interrupted him with a punch, before carrying on. “My house, the book was at my house. Lykos has part of the prophecy, but not the whole thing. He wanted the rest. Let me speak to him, tell him I want in with his pack and the book comes as part of the package.”

  “It could work,” Connell said, watching Caspian closely.

  “I thought the book was stolen at the poker game?” Marco aimed at his father, suspiciously. They hadn’t mentioned the rogue or the theft since Aurora’s disappearance, but it hadn’t been far from Marco’s mind.