The Alpha's Forbidden Raven

Caw. Caw. Caw. Hundreds of ravens perched on the branches of the tallest trees, their enormous black wings folded against their bodies. Their feathers were as dark as the night sky, and their eyes glowed an unnatural shade of crimson. They filled the forest. Every branch. Every tree. Every shadow. Then, suddenly— Silence. I stood in the middle of them. Alone. A red gown flowed around my legs despite the absence of wind. My dark-red hair cascaded down my back, contrasting sharply against my pale skin. My eyes were the same dark crimson as the ravens surrounding me. I didn't move. I couldn't. Something dangerous radiated from my body. Something I didn't understand. The ravens stared at me. Not with the eyes of birds. With recognition. As though they knew me. As though they had been waiting for me. Then one of them opened its beak. "Elara..." I frowned. Another raven echoed the name. "Elara..." Then hundreds of voices merged into one. "Elara..." The sound grew louder. Closer. Until— "Elara! Wake up!" I thought the ravens were calling my name. Then I felt a tremendous force slam into me. It felt as though the ground had opened beneath my feet. I was falling. Deeper. Deeper. The forest swallowed me whole. "Ahhh!" I screamed— And opened my eyes. My chest rose and fell rapidly as I stared at the familiar ceiling above me. A pair of frightened eyes stared back. "Finally!" Reina released the handful of fabric she had been tugging. I blinked at her. She folded her arms. "Stop sleeping like a dead person!" I stared at her blankly. "What?" "I've been calling your name for almost ten minutes!" She pointed accusingly at me. "I thought you were dead." I slowly sat up, rubbing my eyes. "Sorry. I didn't know I slept that long." "You always say that." Reina grabbed my arm. "Come on. We're already late. If Mariah catches us, we're finished." She dragged me from the room before I could say another word. I glanced back at the small room we shared. It wasn't much. Two narrow beds. A tiny wooden wardrobe. A cracked mirror. And one small window that overlooked the servant's quarters. But after living there for years, it had become the closest thing I had to a home. My name is Elara. I was twenty years old, and I had spent almost my entire life inside the Houston Pack. I was an Omega. A servant. Or, as some people preferred to call us, a maid. But unlike the other Omegas, I wasn't born into the pack. I was found. When I was five years old, the Alpha discovered me unconscious near the borders of the Houston territory. No one knew where I came from. I had no parents. No family. No pack. Not even a memory of my past. The Alpha had saved my life. At least, that was what everyone told me. But being saved didn't mean I was loved. Life in the Houston Pack had never been easy. I grew up learning my place. Keep your head down. Don't speak unless spoken to. Don't look an Alpha in the eyes. And most importantly— Never anger Princess Marci. Reina was the only person who had ever truly stood beside me. She had also been found outside the pack as a child, though she remembered slightly more about her past than I did. We grew up together. Worked together. Ate together. And survived together. The two of us had endured years of humiliation at the hands of the pack's higher-ranking members, especially Marci, the Alpha's daughter. If I had survived this long, it was because of Reina. "You're thinking again," she said. I glanced at her. "About what?" "The dream." I stopped walking for a moment. She looked at me knowingly. "You had that look on your face." I frowned. "What look?" "The mysterious one." She imitated my expression dramatically. "Ravens. Forest. Blood. Darkness." I rolled my eyes. "You've heard it too many times." "Because you keep having the same dream." I sighed. She wasn't wrong. It was the third time. The same forest. The same ravens. The same red dress. The same strange eyes. And always the same voice calling my name. Maybe it was simply a nightmare. Or perhaps it belonged to someone else. Someone who had a wolf. Because I certainly didn't. I had never shifted. Never felt the presence of a wolf inside me. Never experienced the bond that every werewolf in the pack talked about. I was simply wolfless. And in a world where your wolf determined your worth, that made me almost nothing. "Come on." Reina pulled me again. "We're going to be late." We hurried into the packhouse kitchen. The moment we entered, a stern voice stopped us. "You're late." We froze. I slowly turned. Mariah stood near the large wooden table with her hands on her hips. She was the head maid of the packhouse. Unlike most of the servants, Mariah wasn't cruel. Strict, yes. But fair. She corrected us when we were wrong and defended us when she could. "I'm sorry, Mariah," I said. Reina immediately jumped in. "Elara was sick." I turned to her. What? Mariah studied me. I forced myself to cough. "Yes. I wasn't feeling well." Reina gave me a tiny wink. Mariah sighed. "Fine. Just get to work. We have a lot to do today." "Yes, Mariah," we chorused. We quickly tied our aprons around our waists and began working. The other maids glanced at us. A few whispered. Others scoffed. They had never liked us. I had long stopped wondering why. People didn't need a reason to dislike an Omega. Especially one without a wolf. I was washing dishes when Mariah called my name. "Elara." I immediately turned. "Yes, ma'am?" "Go to the wine cellar." She pointed toward the doorway. "The Alpha's red wine is finished. Bring five bottles." "Yes, ma'am." I dried my hands and reached for the wooden bucket. As I walked away, Reina whispered, "Be careful." I smiled. "I will." Mariah called after me. "And don't take forever!" "I won't!" I hurried down the long corridor. The Alpha preferred red wine. I had never tasted it. Servants weren't allowed to touch the things belonging to the Alpha unless instructed. But I had heard people say it was sweet. As I walked, my thoughts drifted back to my dream. Those ravens. Their eyes. The strange feeling that they knew me. I shivered. Maybe I was overthinking it. Maybe it was simply a dream. I was so distracted that I almost collided with someone. I stopped. My heart dropped. Princess Marci. She stood directly in front of me. Her beautiful face twisted with irritation. "Are you blind?" "I'm sorry." I immediately lowered my head. "Please forgive me, Princess." She stepped closer. For a second, I thought she would strike me. Instead, she scoffed. "You're lucky I'm in a good mood today." She walked past me, her shoulder deliberately brushing against mine. I waited until she disappeared around the corner before releasing the breath I had been holding. I was lucky. On other days, Marci's mood could cost me more than a bruise. I hurried toward the wine cellar. The heavy wooden door creaked when I opened it. Cold air greeted me. I stepped inside. Rows of wine bottles lined the walls. I found the Alpha's red wine and carefully picked up five bottles. I placed them inside the bucket. "This should be enough." I turned toward the door. Then stopped. Voices. My heart skipped. They were coming from deeper inside the cellar. I listened carefully. "We can't keep meeting here." A woman's voice. I recognized it. My eyes widened. The Luna. "Someone could see us." A man's voice answered. "It's gone too far." I froze. The voice belonged to the Beta. Beta Wilson. My stomach twisted. "The Alpha is already suspicious." The Luna sounded frightened. "I know." There was a pause. Then Wilson spoke again. "You know how dangerous this is." "We were supposed to be together." The Luna's voice trembled. "But your father wanted more." I swallowed. I shouldn't be listening. I needed to leave. Immediately. I carefully reached for my bucket. Then— Crack! My foot struck a bottle. It fell against the stone floor. I froze. Silence. Then— "Who's there?" My heart slammed against my ribs. I grabbed the bucket and hurried toward the door. "Stop right there!" I froze. Slowly, I turned around. Beta Wilson emerged from the shadows. His expression was terrifying. He walked toward me. "What are you doing here?" I swallowed. "It's me." He stared at me. "Who?" "Elara." His eyes narrowed. "The Omega." I nodded. He came closer. My hands trembled around the bucket. "How much did you hear?" "Nothing." He stared at me. "Don't lie." "I wasn't listening." His face hardened. "You heard everything." I lowered my eyes. "I'm sorry." He grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him. "If you breathe a word of what you saw here, I will kill you." My entire body went cold. He leaned closer. "I'll bury you where no one will ever find you." My throat tightened. "And don't think the Alpha will save you." He released me roughly. "The Alpha wouldn't even notice if you disappeared." My eyes stung. I lowered my head. "Yes, Beta Wilson." "Now get out." I didn't need to be told twice. I hurried away, clutching the bucket tightly. My legs felt weak. I was terrified I would fall and break the bottles. The moment I stepped outside the wine cellar, I released a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. I glanced behind me. The door remained closed. I hurried back toward the kitchen. But I didn't notice the figure standing at the far end of the corridor. A pair of cold eyes watched me disappear around the corner. The figure had heard everything. And unlike me... they weren't afraid of Beta Wilson. They were waiting. Waiting for the perfect moment to expose his secret. I returned to the kitchen and placed the wine on the counter. Reina rushed toward me. "You're back!" She lowered her voice. "What happened? You look terrified." I forced a smile. "Nothing." She studied my face. "Elara..." "I'm fine." I turned away. But my hands were still trembling. I knew I should tell her. I knew I couldn't keep a secret like this forever. But Beta Wilson's threat echoed inside my head. I'll kill you. I looked toward the large windows of the kitchen. Outside, the afternoon sky had suddenly become unusually dark. A flock of ravens flew across it. One. Two. Ten. Then dozens. I watched them disappear behind the trees. A strange ache suddenly spread through my chest. And for reasons I couldn't explain... I felt as though they were watching me. As though they knew something about me that I didn't. Then, from somewhere beyond the packhouse walls— I heard it. Caw. I froze. My heart began beating faster. Caw. Reina looked at me. "What is it?" I couldn't answer. Because beneath the sound of the ravens, I heard something else. A whisper. So faint that I almost convinced myself it wasn't real. Elara... My blood ran cold. The same voice from my dream. The same voice that had been calling my name. And this time— I was wide awake.