Obsidian: Raven (Book 3) (The Reaver Chronicles Spin off Series)

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I bolted once I was outside and headed straight for the track. I needed to blow off some steam. I wasn’t even wearing my running shoes, but I didn’t care. I threw my bag down on the bleachers angrily, taking some of my anger out on it. Then I got on the track and just started running.

I didn’t even care who was there, or if anyone was watching. I just ran until my lungs were burning with the need for oxygen. Only then, after I had gone over the scenario a hundred times in my mind, did I slow down a little to catch my breath. Honestly, I didn’t want to breathe. It was as if breathing reminded me that I was alive, and being alive meant what just happened was real.

How could the gods be so f*****g cruel? To pair me with the man that had tormented me since I was a child? The man who had pulled my hair, called me names, made fun of my clothes, teased me about literally anything he possibly could.

That man was supposed to be the man I would give my life for? The man who would complete me? Be my other half and protect me? Ha, yea right… Who would protect me from him? That’s right, no one. I would protect myself from him, and that was that.

I did the right thing, and he would have to accept my rejection eventually. Right? He would. He was just in shock, as much shock as I was. Once I had caught my breath I started running full speed again until I noticed Alpha Drake walking towards me from across the field. Thank god he was alone, but this was not a good sign. I just rejected his son, and I knew he was here to scold me.

We were always taught from birth that your mate was the most important person in your life. No matter what, you should always put your mate at the highest of priorities. I definitely did not do that today, and couldn’t fathom ever doing that. Not with him, not Talus.

I slowed down when my Alpha got to the track, allowing my gaze and his to meet, reluctantly. He was intimidating, to say the least, and I was uneasy around him on a good day. This was definitely not a good day. I shook the terror from my mind as I faced my Alpha, unsure what he was going to say next… but bracing for the worst.

“Hey Raven, Is your mother home by chance?” He asked me. My eyes widened, s**t. He was going to talk to my mother… “Yes, she is.” I replied meekly. I barely got the words out between my fear stricken panic.

“Good, I need to pay her a visit. Oh, and Happy Birthday.” He said to me, then he turned and walked towards the town, no doubt headed to my house.

“What the hell was that?” I said to Aya. She just ignored me, she was still mourning the loss of our mate, and she was pissed at me for rejecting him. She was going to be mad for a while, that I knew for sure. I sighed at myself.

What the f**k was I supposed to do? Accept him as my mate, and just forget about the last 15 years? Just act like they never happened and all was good? Just fall deeply in love with the man who made my life hell, everyday, for years?

Fuck all of that. I knew my worth, and I wasn’t about to change that for anything. I went and sat down on the bleachers lost in thought, when I decided to head to the forest and make a fire. When I got there, Talus was already there sitting by the fire. I turned around to walk away but he knew I was there, just as I knew he was there because of his scent.

“Raven.” He said softly. I stopped dead in my tracks, wishing I had the strength to just ignore him and keep walking. But I didn’t, I couldn’t. I kept my back turned though. “What?” I snarled. I was more than pissed and wanted it to be as clear as ice that I didn’t want him here.

“I...I can't accept your rejection.” He finally said. Just those words send a fury of fire coursing through my icy veins. I ignored the fact that the temperature seemed to drop a few degrees when I stormed up to him because I wasn't feeling any cold now.

“Why.” I said through gritted teeth, turning to meet his gaze. Except he wasn’t looking at me, he was looking down into the fire. “I don’t know, Raven.” He said with an exasperated sigh. I could tell he was facing inner turmoil too, and good. I was glad. Let him hurt like all the times he hurt me.

I felt the tears welling up behind my eyes again. f**k, I hated that I cried when I was angry. “The gods did this for a reason, they had to have!” He finally said, and I could hear the pleading tone in his voice. “I don’t know who you’re trying to convince, me, or yourself.” I said, still holding back the tears.

He looked up at me and I had never once seen him in this state. The sheer worry in his eyes had me almost stressed, looking for any way to calm him, to ease his suffering. I groaned internally, this f*****g mate bond. I hated it, and I hated him.

“I don’t know either, but I… I just can’t reject you. No, I won’t. I, Talus, from The Obsidian pack, refuse your rejection, Raven.” He said firmly. He had stood up and was facing me now. The tears started flowing from my eyes, I couldn’t hold them back any longer.

I turned and walked away from him, leaving him in the forest, in my f*****g spot, where he didn’t even belong in the first place… and I just walked. I didn’t even know where I was going, but I was just trying to get as far away from Talus as I possibly could.

The tears just continued to flow but I eventually stopped right in the middle of the snow covered trail and dropped to my knees. Once I did, then I started really crying. I let everything out I was holding in. All the pain, the fear, the feeling of being wronged. I let it all come out. I sobbed and sobbed into my hands, letting my tears fall onto the snow covered forest floor.

It was the only thing I could do, the only thing my body would allow me to do. I have no idea how long I cried for, but I knew Talus was close by. I could smell him. I was sure he had followed me, but I really just wished he would leave me the hell alone. Why wouldn’t he accept my rejection?

It would have been easy… so easy for him to just say the words. The bond would have broken, and we could have been put back into the pool to find new mates. It wasn’t looked upon highly, but life would have been so much better had he just accepted my rejection.

Plus, I would never be Luna material. That wasn’t me. I wasn’t a leader, I never led a thing in my life, let alone an entire pack. This was all a sick joke, and I was tired of it. I finally quit crying long enough to stand back up and wipe the mostly melted snow from my pants.

Luckily, they were white and the snow was white, so it didn’t leave a stain. But honestly, I didn’t even care. I started walking again, deeper into the forest. My mind was a jumbled mess. I couldn’t make out one single coherent thought. I didn’t even have another tear to cry. What I really wanted was just to sleep.

But the further I got into the forest the more I felt a pull towards it. Well, towards something. I wasn’t sure what it was, but my gut instinct told me to keep going. I could still smell Talus, but he had let me get quite a bit aways from him, so I figured he couldn’t see me.

I couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking about this whole thing. How did he honestly think we could go from being enemies who literally hated each other, to mates? How did he see that going in his head?

I rolled my eyes at the thought. The big bad Alpha’s son, Talus, having his life torn apart by me. Oh the irony. Suddenly, I was distracted from my thoughts when I swear I saw a shimmer over in the trees. My gut instinct was pushing me forward, towards the shimmer that I wasn’t even sure I fully saw.

The closer I got to the shimmer, or where I thought the shimmer was, the harder the pull felt. It was like I was exactly in the right place at the right time. Something was strange about how it felt, but in a calming way.

Once I got to the tree where I saw the shimmer, I circled it, looking for the shimmer again, before realizing I must have been seeing things. I let out the breath I was holding, and turned to walk away when I saw the shimmer again from the corner of my eye.

I could smell Talus’ scent a lot closer now, and rolled my eyes. Can he get the hint and leave me alone already? Ugh. I thought.

He was much closer now than he just was, and his scent was infiltrating my nostrils. Such a beautiful smell, intoxicating, but deadly. I turned away from him, knowing he was going to appear over the ridge any moment as I had wandered a lot further into the forest, far off the normal trail while following this shimmer.

I turned my attention back to the shimmer and I swear being this close I could see small orbs of light circling the area of the shimmer. It was like they were connected by an invisible string, and they were running a pattern over it, criss crossing and zig zagging.

I reached out to touch them, not really thinking of what I was actually touching, when I heard Talus’ husky voice call out. “Raven, No!”

But it was too late, I had already touched one of the orbs and I felt myself falling down through darkness.

Suddenly I landed on a softer than usual snow covered hill of sorts.

Thank you so much for reading! Please visit my website for more info on where to read!

Www.SeshaSteele.Com