Rejected By The Alpha Loved By The Rogue

The first sign Raven knew her mate wanted her dead was the poison burning through her veins. At first, she blamed the strange heat spreading through her body on exhaustion. She had trained hard that afternoon, pushing herself until her muscles ached, so the dizziness seemed easy enough to explain. Then her knees nearly gave out. Raven caught herself against an oak, gripping the rough bark as the forest tilted around her. She blinked several times, trying to clear her vision. “Roman.” He stopped ahead of her and turned. Raven waited for him to come back. He simply watched. A chill settled beneath her skin. Only an hour earlier, Roman had found her near the training grounds and asked her to meet him in the woods. His expression had been serious, but there had been something almost hopeful in his voice when he told her they needed to talk about their bond. She had wanted that conversation. For weeks, something between them had felt wrong. They argued more often. He had become distant, and Raven had spent far too many nights wondering what had changed. She had hoped tonight would fix it. Then Roman had handed her a drink. “You're suspicious of everything,” he had teased when she looked at the cup. “I'm suspicious of you.” He had smiled. She had smiled back. And she had drunk it. Raven looked toward the ground behind her. The empty cup lay in the leaves. Her stomach turned. “The drink.” Roman's face remained unreadable. “You put something in it.” “I needed you to come with me willingly.” Her heart slammed against her ribs. She stared at him, waiting for an explanation that would make sense of the fear crawling through her. He gave her none. “You poisoned me.” “I gave you something that would weaken you.” The calmness in his voice made her blood run cold. “You drugged your own mate.” “I had to.” Raven shook her head. “You could have rejected me.” “You wouldn't have accepted it.” “I would have.” “You're too stubborn.” “I would have walked away.” Roman's gaze hardened. “You don't know yourself as well as you think.” A bitter laugh escaped her. “Apparently, I know you better than you know me.” She pushed away from the tree, determined to put some distance between them. Her legs folded beneath her. She caught herself before she hit the ground. Roman watched without moving. Raven looked at him in disbelief. There had been a time when he would have crossed the distance between them before she even realized she was falling. He had always been the first person at her side after training injuries, the one who would sit beside her while the healer worked. Now he stood there as though her suffering were something he had been waiting to see. “You're afraid of me.” His jaw tightened. “You have always been difficult.” “Because I disagree with you?” “Because you challenge me.” “You make decisions that affect everyone. Someone should.” “You refuse to obey.” “I refuse to follow a stupid order.” His eyes darkened. “You were supposed to be my Luna.” “I was going to be.” “You were supposed to understand your place.” Raven went quiet. The words brought every argument of the past few months rushing back. The complaints about her training. His irritation whenever she sparred with the warriors. The times he had told her that a Luna should be softer, quieter, more willing to step back. She had thought he wanted her to become a better leader. He had wanted something else. “You wanted me weaker.” Roman's silence answered her. The realization hurt more than she expected. She had loved him enough to imagine a life beside him. She had pictured herself standing at his side during pack meetings, raising children with him, sharing the responsibilities that came with his position. She had never considered that he might see her strength as a threat. “You're afraid I'll challenge you.” “I won't allow anyone to challenge my authority.” “Even your mate?” “Especially my mate.” Raven stared at him. Her throat tightened. She reached for her wolf, hoping for the familiar rush of strength. Instead, she found darkness. Her wolf stirred somewhere deep inside her, weak and frightened. Raven's breath caught. “What did you give me?” “Something that will suppress your wolf for several hours.” “You knew exactly what you were doing.” “Yes.” The answer came without hesitation. Raven felt sick. “How long have you been planning this?” Roman said nothing. She searched his face, looking for some sign that he regretted what he had done. There was nothing. “You brought me out here because nobody would hear me.” Silence. “You weakened me before we came.” Silence. “And now you're going to kill me.” Roman's eyes held hers. “I can't risk you returning to the pack after this.” Raven felt the last pieces fall into place. This went beyond a rejection. He wanted her gone. “You're afraid I'll survive you.” “I know you would come after me.” Raven's lips parted. For all the years they had spent together, that was what he believed of her? That she would spend the rest of her life hunting him because he no longer wanted her? “You really think I'd do that?” “I know what you're capable of.” She swallowed against the ache in her throat. “You should.” A branch snapped behind him. Raven turned. Two men emerged between the trees. Her stomach dropped. Vance. Cameron. Roman's Beta and Delta. She knew them well. Cameron had trained with her for years. They had fought hard enough to leave each other bruised and laughed about it afterward. Vance had always been more reserved, but Raven had trusted his judgment. He had been one of the few people who could challenge Roman during council meetings without fearing his reaction. Seeing them here made something inside her sink. They had been waiting. Raven looked at Vance. “You knew.” His expression tightened. “Raven…” “Don't.” Her voice cracked. She wanted him to tell her this was a mistake. He looked away. That was all the answer she needed. Raven's gaze moved to Cameron. He wouldn't meet her eyes either. Her chest tightened painfully. “You're all doing this?” Roman stepped forward. “It's already decided.” Raven stared at him. The fear she'd been fighting suddenly gave way to fury. “You planned this.” “Yes.” “You brought me here, drugged me and brought your men to finish it.” Roman's expression remained cold. “I couldn't take the chance that you would fight me.” A strange laugh escaped her. Even now, he was afraid of her. She had never betrayed him. She had never threatened his position. She had simply refused to become smaller for his comfort. “You were supposed to love me.” For the first time, Roman's expression flickered. Raven held his gaze. The words had escaped before she could stop them, and saying them aloud made the betrayal feel real in a way nothing else had. “You were my mate.” “I was your Alpha first.” The answer shattered whatever remained of the woman who had once loved him. Raven's eyes burned, but she refused to let the tears fall. She straightened as much as her weakened body allowed. Cameron moved to one side of her. Vance took the other. Roman approached from the front. Raven's pulse raced. Her wolf gave a faint growl, gathering whatever strength remained. She had never been afraid of a fight. Tonight was different. Her body was failing. Three men were closing in. The man she loved had arranged it. For the first time in her life, Raven understood what it meant to stand completely alone. She looked at Roman. “If you're going to kill me,” she said quietly, “at least have the courage to look me in the eyes.” He stopped. Their gazes locked. Raven could hear her heartbeat pounding in her ears as Cameron moved closer and Vance followed. She knew what was coming. She knew it would hurt. Fear twisted through her stomach, but beneath it burned something stronger. Rage. Roman had spent years believing her strength was something he needed to destroy. He was about to learn how badly he had underestimated her.