One Luna, four alphas

Episode3

RAVENA

Who hasn’t heard of Ethan? The royal blood rogue. Coldreys’ brother was one of the most talked about rogues in the Grail kingdom. A few have had an encounter with him, while a few have only heard stories of how he publicly flaunts his power and the son of a powerful man whose blood has given him the right to act as he pleases.

The Cold War between Ethan and coldrey was glaring as bright as the day before me. They both refused to take their eyes off each other, and I felt the growing tension in the air. Cold air swept across my skin as Ethan closed in on me.

“You’re scared, I can feel it,” he said, still holding his hand out. “Come with me, and you’ll forget all about your fears. You and I have something in common, ravena,” he added.

Coldrey wasn’t having any of this conversation. The wolves he came with were already snarling as Ethan walked closer. Every step he took stirred a growl from them, and it was only a matter of time before they would strike.

“You’re Ethan, the rogue. There’s nothing common between us,”

“You wanna know why I left home? Just the way you are doing?”

“Step away…from my mate!” Coldreys voice rumbled, low but commanding.

But Ethan went on, because my eyes must have pleaded for answers.

“My family, those I loved, those I called mine. The same people whom I served all day and night for, ensured the safety and strength was upheld as a young wolf that I was then, turned their backs on me. My father, my mother….they both picked their favorite…” his eyes drifted off to coldrey for a few seconds before dropping on me again.

“They neglected me, and taught me all about love and the fakeness that surrounds it. I left on my own, and I figured another path. A path of strength, a path of peace, and a path of power,”

By the time he spat his last words, he was already standing an inch away from me. His wolves followed behind, slow and steady, keeping their eyes out for the hounds that were behind coldrey.

“You left because you were jealous that you weren’t getting the favors as the heir. You left home because you grew envious and jealous of your brother,” Coldrey asserted.

An argument began from nowhere, both of them throwing shades at each other while I drowned in my thoughts.

Ethan looked no different from his brother—but he had something that would make me forget all about Coldrey and how messed up my life was when I was still with him.

“I’ll go with you!” I snapped with a voice loud enough to silence them.

Coldrey turned to me, disbelief crawling slowly across his face. His mouth parted, but no words came. Ethan’s expression, on the other hand, shifted. Surprise flickered first, quickly smothered by something deeper… satisfaction.

“You don’t know what you’re saying,” Coldrey finally rasped.

“I do.” My voice didn’t shake, even if my heart did. “I’ve been in the shadows for too long. You made me hide, Coldrey. You wanted a mate who could be shaped into a trophy, not a person.”

Ethan said nothing, but the corner of his lips curled. Not quite a smile. More like a recognition of victory before the war had even begun.

“Ravena—” Coldrey stepped forward, his wolves now restless behind him, confused by their Alpha’s hesitation.

“I followed your rules, Coldrey,” I interrupted. “I stayed in the background, swallowed my voice, stayed loyal—even when you stopped listening. But you didn’t choose me. You chose the image of who you wanted me to be.”

Ethan moved beside me, not touching, just… close. His energy hummed like static.

“I won’t stop you,” Coldrey said tightly. “But if you cross this line—” he pointed to the space between our wolves and his, “—you are no longer mine to protect.”

“Was I ever?” I whispered.

A beat of silence followed. Then I stepped across.

Just like that, the air changed. The growls quieted. Coldrey’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t move. His wolves shifted restlessly, some of them casting glances at Ethan’s side as if they, too, questioned the meaning of loyalty.

Ethan gestured, and his wolves parted just enough to let me pass through. As I walked forward, I felt their gaze on me—testing, weighing. I didn’t flinch.

“Don’t walk away from me!” Coldrey yelled. His voice roared with a growl, pushing a great wind across the trees and bushes. I halted for a second, contemplating going with Ethan or forging my own path, just like he did.

Ethan noticed after walking a few steps ahead, then he returned, bringing his mouth close to my ear to whisper.

“You are Ravena Dracarian. Born to Alpha Holland of the Nighthowl Pack. You were raised as a warrior and trained in battle. Yet look at you. Look at what my brother has reduced you to. There’s no decision better than this,”

His words sent shivers down my spine, and a nerve of self realization struck me.

This might just be the best decision Ive taken in years….

“Shall we…”

“I won’t let you walk away with my mate!” Coldrey snarled, then he began to shift.

“No one’s walking away with anyone!” A voice boomed from the western borders of the forest. It wasn’t far from where coldrey and I were, so it was easy to see the wolves crawling out of the thick bushes, with a boy leading them.

He looked about the age of Ethan…and his approach brought silence back to the woods.

The sun slanted through the trees, its golden light breaking over the tension like a blade, casting light on the boy as he stepped into full view. My heart stumbled.

Warden Smith?

I knew those eyes. Piercing, silver-gray, like a blade that had cut me more than once before. His presence carved a hollow ache in my chest—not just from the past, but from everything he used to represent.

He was the son of Alpha Ego Smith of the Ironclaw Pack. Ruthless. Vicious. Entitled. And when we were kids, he was my tormentor.

Warden didn’t just bully me—he made sure I remembered what weakness felt like. Every time I stumbled in training, every time I hesitated in sparring, he was there with his cruel smirk and sharper words. I remembered the way he’d mocked my stutter when I was younger, the way he’d sneered at the way I held a blade.

And now he stood there, flanked by wolves, leading them with the kind of confidence only born alphas exuded.

Ethan stiffened at my side. “What the hell is he doing here?”

“I should be asking you the same,” Warden sneered. But his gaze didn’t remain on Ethan for long as his eyes shifted to me. “I’m here to take the princess home,”.

I scoffed, holding the ironic laughter that almost gagged out of my mouth.

Princess? Home?

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“What’s going on here?” Coldrey chirped in.

“Isn’t it obvious, brother? The girl you rejected…is wanted by those who understand what true value means,” Ethan andseredd with a smirk. He grabbed my hand gently and made a nod. “We’re leaving, come on,”

Warden’s eyes darkened as Ethan took my hand. “You’re not leaving with him, Ravena,” he said, stepping forward. “Not again. I’ve changed. I can give you the kind of love you’ve always deserved. The kind of devotion they never offered.”

I stared at him, the weight of his words thudding like war drums in my chest. Love? From him?

“Devotion?” I laughed bitterly. “You bullied me when I was defenseless. Mocked me when I could barely speak. I would walk back to the life I’m running from before I ever take a step with you.”

His jaw tensed. “That was the past.”

“And this is now.” I turned to Ethan.

But that was the last breath of peace.

Coldfrey’s growl deepened into a rumble that split the ground. His body cracked and twisted, bones snapping as he shifted into his massive black wolf. “She’s mine!” he roared through clenched fangs.

The air erupted. Wolves launched forward on both sides. Chaos unfurled like a bloody curtain.

Before I could react, a wolf barreled into me. Pain exploded through my ribs as I was flung like a ragdoll into the side of a tree. The world spun. Distant howls and snarls echoed like distant thunder.

I blinked through the blur—Ethan in battle with Warden, Coldrey lunging for anyone who got near me. Blood stained the leaves. Everything slowed.

Then—A sharp crack behind me.

Before I could turn, something slammed against the back of my head. The world tilted sideways. My vision darkened, swallowed by shadows.

The last thing I heard was Ethan shouting my name.

Then nothing.

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