Marked by midnight.

Chapter 6: The Performance After the Performance. Rayne’s POV

The final note of my set drifted across the restaurant like smoke; sweet, aching and vanishing. Applause broke out like thunder, warm and wild. I stood beneath the spotlight, unmoving, every graceful shift of my body rehearsed, every breath accounted for.

I didn’t dare look into the crowd.

Not when I could feel him.

The pull was deafening. The urge to find him was stronger than anything I’d ever felt before. Our bond was awakening, searching, calling. It was reaching for him.

And now I would need to be the one to banish it, lock it away, bury it deep in my soul.

I didn’t need to see his face to know he was here. His presence pressed against me like a hand at my spine. My skin felt too tight, like it didn’t belong to me. I was Raven now. Raven, the singer. Matteo’s wife. Mum to beautiful twin boys. A human woman living an organised, ordinary life.

But in that moment, I was Rayne again; raw, trembling, exposed.

Still, I smiled. Still, I bowed. “Thank you,” I said, and my voice didn’t c***k, not even a little. Pretence was all I had lived for years.

But inside, my heart was pulverising. I felt like I was undoing.

I turned to leave the stage; to get away from here before the mask slipped. Before my mate unraveled me completely. Before Rayne clawed her way free.

I hadn’t made it two steps before an arm wrapped around my waist.

Matteo.

His grip was warm and tight; too tight.. it was possessive. Calculated. I stiffened against him, bile rising like a warning in my throat. Did he know something? Had he seen something?

“Nope,” Matteo said smoothly into the mic, his voice confident and charming for the crowd. “She’s not done yet.”

He pulled me closer, his hand sliding across my waist like I belonged to him.

“Because tonight,” he said, “we have big news.”

Oh Goddess.

I braced myself, spine straightening, breath catching. Please don’t let it be what I think it is. Please don’t let him know my truths; who I am, what I am.

Matteo’s grin widened. “Raven will now be available for private bookings, in addition to her monthly shows.”

The crowd cheered, unaware of the ice spreading through me. He hadn’t told me. Hadn’t asked. Another decision made for me, another string added to my puppet show.

I didn’t flinch. I didn’t scream. I reminded myself: This is what I signed up for. A human life. This is Raven’s life. Not Rayne’s.

But deep down, the ache was spreading. The cracks were forming.

And then..

My wolf stirred.

No.

But I felt her under my ribs. Claws scraping. Breath rising. That ancient ache to shift and run and be free.

She was supposed to be gone. Caged. Forgotten. But my mate had changed everything. Just being near him had started unlocking parts of me I couldn’t afford to feel.

Not here. Not now. Don’t come undone.

Matteo continued to speak; about my voice, my beauty, his vision. The perfect family. The perfect wife.

The perfect lie.

I forced a smile. My lips moved, but my heart did not. All the while, Midnight, my wolf, thrashed within me. Pushing. Reaching.

Then Matteo called the boys up to the stage.

A family performance for the crowd. Another scene in his theatre.

Romeo and Remy stepped up, right on cue. My boys. My heart. They looked more like men now than boys. Their smiles were tight. Polite. But their eyes told the truth; they were alert, not happy.

Romeo, the oldest by minutes, moved close to me. His protectiveness pulsed like a silent warning. Remy, softer but no less perceptive, brushed my hand with his fingers. A grounding touch.

They knew something was wrong. Of course they did. They always did.

Matteo spoke again, louder now. “Thank you all for always supporting my perfect family. And Raven’s outstanding voice.” Then he winked, voice thick with pride. “I think the only thing that might make this even more perfect is a little baby girl. But don’t worry.. we’re working on that.. a lot.”

Laughter exploded. Applause again.

I stood frozen, my face neutral. But inside?

I shattered.

He was staking a claim. Reasserting ownership. Something had rattled him tonight.. maybe someone. He was trying to show control.

And then I heard it.

A low, guttural growl from across the room.

Human ears wouldn’t have caught it. But I did. My body betrayed me before I could stop it.

I looked up.

And saw him.

Hidden in the shadows of the crowd. Obstructed, but unmistakable.

My mate.

His eyes; those eyes, locked onto mine. Electric blue. Furious. Pained. My heart stuttered. Everything he felt, he poured into that look.

I didn’t mean to stare.

But I couldn’t look away.

He was beautiful.

Angry.

Hurting.

His hand clenched at his throat. His chest rose sharply, his control slipping. I could feel his wolf rising; feel him fighting for the bond.

He knows.

And I had to pretend I didn’t.

I pulled my eyes away first. My body turned slightly, subtly, shielding myself from him. It was enough for him to notice. My face remained calm. My smile stayed in place.

But inside?

I was screaming.

I whispered a goodbye into the mic and waved as the crowd applauded. And then I left. I gathered the boys and led them backstage, my grin hollow, the applause still echoing like thunder in my chest.

As soon as we were alone, their arms wrapped around me. Romeo’s face was tight with worry.

“Mum, are you okay? What’s wrong?”

I smiled, fragile. “Just tired.”

It wasn’t a lie.

It just wasn’t the whole truth.

Remy looked at Romeo, silently calling it out. But they didn’t press. They never did. My beautiful boys. My only anchors in this life.

We made our way toward the office. I glanced back once through the curtain.

He was gone.

The shadows held no piercing blue eyes. No pulsing bond. Just stagehands packing up. Matteo smiling, greeting guests, oblivious. I let out a breath I didn’t realise I’d been holding.

Romeo opened the office door for me. “We’ll give you a minute,” he said gently.

I stepped into the small backstage room, closed the door behind me, and kicked off my heels with a groan. My feet hit the cold floor and I exhaled. This was the only space that was mine. The only place I could fall apart in peace.

In the corner, folded just the way I always left them, were my soft grey pajamas and matching robe. I kept them here after every show, part ritual, part escape. Raven took the stage. But Rayne always came back here to breathe.

I changed quickly, tugging on my soft pajamas and wrapping myself in my robe. The silk felt like armor. The cotton like a memory. I curled up on the couch, blanket pulled over me and exhaled deeply.

Not from exhaustion.

But from grief.

Grief for what I had just seen. What I had just denied.

My mate.

I’d looked him in the eyes and walked away.

For my sons.

For this life.

For the lie I lived.

But oh, it hurt.

I closed my eyes and drifted off into a restless sleep until a gentle tapping stirred me. I laid there, listening.

The knock was soft. Almost hesitant.

My heart stopped, anxiety filled my senses.

I sat up slowly as Remy peeked inside. I gasped in relief. Remy frowned in concern but didn’t address it.

“Sorry, Mum. Dad said he wants you to meet someone. A man downstairs; he’s asking about a private booking.”

My stomach clenched.

Of course he does. Everything with Matte comes down to money, power, status. Even me.

I forced a smile. “Of course.”

I stood, gathered myself and crossed the room. I checked the mirror. I had taken out my victory rolls but my curls were still intact. My makeup held. My mask firmly in place. Raven was ready to greet her fans, even if it was in Rayne’s comfort nightwear.

And with each step down the hallway, I felt it.

The cracks.

Growing.

Today they had opened.

One day, they would completely shatter.

And I don’t know who I’ll be when they do.