The UnInvited Guest
1457 Words
I woke up smiling.
For the first time in my life, I woke up feeling... light. Like the weight I'd been carrying for eighteen years had finally been lifted.
Silas.
His kiss. His words. The way he looked at me like I was the center of his universe.
I touched my lips and grinned like an i***t.
Last night had been real. He was real. And for the first time since Damon rejected me, I felt like I might actually be okay.
I got dressed and walked downstairs, humming softly.
Silas was in the kitchen, making coffee. He looked up when I entered, and his eyes softened.
"Morning," he said.
"Morning."
He poured me a cup and handed it to me. Our fingers brushed, and I felt that spark—that electric pulse that told me the bond was alive and thriving.
"Did you sleep?" he asked.
"Eventually." I took a sip. "You?"
"No."
"Couldn't sleep?"
"Couldn't stop thinking about you."
I felt my cheeks warm. "That's cheesy."
"You love it."
"I do not."
"You're blushing."
"I'm not blushing. I'm—"
The doorbell rang.
We both froze.
"Who would be here?" I asked.
Silas's expression darkened. He set down his coffee and moved toward the door, his body tense.
"Stay behind me," he said.
My heart started pounding. The Alliance? Already?
He opened the door.
And Damon Kingsley was standing there.
---
He looked terrible.
His golden hair was disheveled. His blue eyes were bloodshot, ringed with dark circles. His jaw was covered in stubble. He was wearing the same clothes from the rejection night—like he hadn't changed in weeks.
And his eyes—his eyes locked onto me.
"Raven," he breathed.
I felt like I'd been punched.
"Get out," Silas said flatly.
Damon ignored him. He pushed past Silas and walked toward me, his hands outstretched.
"Don't touch her," Silas growled, stepping between us.
"Raven, please." Damon's voice cracked. "Just let me talk. Five minutes. That's all I'm asking."
I stared at him. This boy who had destroyed me. This boy who had watched me writhe in pain and done nothing.
"Five minutes," I said.
"Raven—" Silas started.
"Five minutes." I met his eyes. "I can handle it."
Silas looked like he wanted to argue. But he nodded stiffly and stepped back, his eyes never leaving Damon.
"Outside," I said. "Let's go outside."
---
We walked to the garden.
The morning sun was warm, but the air between us was ice-cold. I stopped near a fountain and turned to face him.
"Talk."
"I know you hate me," he said immediately. "I know you have every reason to. What I did—it was unforgivable. I marked you. I rejected you. I let you die in the dirt while I stood there like a coward."
"Your father threatened to kill me," I said flatly.
Damon flinched. "You know about that."
"Silas told me."
"Of course he did." Damon's jaw tightened. "He's been feeding you information, hasn't he? Making himself look like the hero while I look like the monster."
"He didn't have to make you look like anything." I crossed my arms. "You did that all by yourself."
He looked away, his hands clenching into fists. "I know. I know. But Raven, you have to understand—I thought I was protecting you. My father said if I didn't reject you publicly, he'd have you killed. I panicked. I made a terrible decision. And I've regretted it every single second since."
"Regret doesn't fix anything."
"I know." His voice cracked. "But I can fix it. I can help you. I can—"
"You can what, Damon?" I stepped closer, my voice rising. "Take it back? Take back the humiliation? Take back the poison that nearly killed me? Take back the years I spent loving you while you looked right through me?"
His face crumpled. "I was blind. I was stupid. I was a coward. But I'm not blind anymore, Raven. I see you now. I see everything you are. And I—"
"Don't." I held up my hand. "Don't say it."
"I love you."
I froze.
"I've always loved you," he continued, his voice desperate. "Even when I pretended I didn't. Even when I pushed you away. My wolf knew. My wolf has been screaming it for years. I was just too scared to admit it."
"You rejected me," I whispered. "In front of everyone. You chose Celine."
"I chose wrong." He stepped closer, his hands reaching for me. "I choose you now. I'll always choose you. Just give me a second chance. Please."
I looked at him. Really looked.
And I saw the boy I'd loved since I was six years old. The boy who'd held my hand once, when we were children, and promised to protect me. The boy who'd grown into a man who broke my heart.
But I also saw the man he'd become. The man who'd watched me suffer and done nothing. The man who'd let his father and Celine manipulate him.
"Look at me," I said.
He did.
"I was an Omega," I said quietly. "I was nothing to you. I was invisible. You walked past me every day in the hallways. You laughed with your friends while I ate lunch alone. You never once looked at me like I mattered—not until you saw my silver wolf."
"That's not true—"
"It is true." My voice was steady. "And I'm not going to pretend it isn't. You didn't want me when I was weak. You don't get to want me now that I'm strong."
He looked like I'd slapped him. "Raven, please—"
"You don't get to have me, Damon." I stepped back. "You lost that chance the moment you rejected me. I'm moving on."
"Moving on?" His eyes hardened. "To him? To Silas?"
"Yes."
He stared at me. His face went pale, then red.
"He's using you," Damon spat. "He's been following you your whole life. He's obsessed. He's not protecting you—he's manipulating you."
"He's been protecting me since I was born."
"Because his grandfather told him to! It's not love. It's duty."
My fist clenched. "You don't know anything about him."
"I know he's a Voss. I know his family is broken. I know he's been alone for a hundred years—and that makes him dangerous. People who are alone that long will latch onto the first person who gives them attention."
"Get out," I said.
"Raven—"
"GET OUT."
I shouted it. The ground shook. My wolf roared to life, golden light flickering in my eyes.
Damon stepped back, his face full of shock.
"This is my home now," I said, my voice ringing. "And you are not welcome here. Leave before I make you."
He looked at me—really looked. And I could see it in his eyes. The realization. The loss. The understanding that he'd truly lost me.
"Okay," he said quietly. "Okay. I'll go."
He turned away.
Then stopped.
"One more thing," he said, not turning around. "The Alliance knows you're here. My father told them. They're coming for you—with an army."
My blood went cold.
"How long do we have?"
"A week. Maybe less." He finally turned, his eyes meeting mine. "I'm not telling you this because I want you to forgive me. I'm telling you because I still love you. And I will do whatever it takes to keep you alive."
He walked away.
I stood in the garden, shaking, my heart pounding.
A week.
An army.
And a mother somewhere out there, waiting for me to find her.
---
Silas appeared beside me.
"I heard everything," he said quietly.
"Then you know we don't have much time."
He nodded. "We need to accelerate your training. You need to be battle-ready."
"I need to find my mother."
He looked at me sharply. "Raven—"
"I know." I met his gaze. "It's dangerous. I'm not ready. But if the Alliance is coming with an army, I can't wait. I need her help. I need her army. I need..."
I trailed off.
"You need her," Silas finished.
"Yes." I looked toward the forest. "I need my mother."
Silas was quiet for a long moment.
"Okay," he said finally. "We go at dawn."
I turned to him. "Really?"
"Really." He stepped closer, his hand cupping my face. "But if we're going to do this, we do it together. No running off. No heroic sacrifices. We find your mother, and we face the Alliance. Together."
I leaned into his touch. "Together."
He kissed my forehead.
And for the first time, I felt like I could actually do this.
- Writer
