Claimed By My Adopted Uncle

2. How was it fair to me?

RAVEN

Anything was better than this.

I sat still, too scared to move even though my eyes were glued to him. He was getting engaged. No, he is engaged.

I finally learned to breathe when I heard Luna speak. She was excited for her brother in-law and she circled the table to give Kathryn, Chloe or whatever the heck her name was, a hug.

I had been in this pack for eight years and all I got was resentment. But this stranger got a hug on her first visit.

Just wow.

"Your wedding is going to be the talk of the town..." and then the rest of the words faded and so did the sound of her voice.

My eyes watered, right now I didn't care if I was acting out of place at all. I gazed back up at Kael, begging him to look at me with my eyes. Begging him to say something. To please deny it.

"It'll be my honor to be your mate, Kathryn..." I had never thought a day would come when I would hear the sound of a beating heart shatter into pieces. Today mine did.

My mate wants someone else. He was supposed to be my escape from the cruelty here.

"Kael..." I did the unforgivable. I spoke out of turn.

Be invisible. Be quiet, father said.

Not right now. Not when he was giving my mate to someone else.

I felt a rage inside me then. One that didn't come from me. I was too broken to be angered. But this was pure lava ready to erupt.

It was her. She clawed at me, snarling, growling. She wanted out.

My body twitched and my seat made a squeak before it crashed behind me.

"Raven!" Father barked, his aura reaching to me, almost choking. Wanting me to submit and behave.

I want out! My wolf screamed at the back of my head.

"f**k! She's shifting..." His voice was soothing, calming and I just wanted him to hold me.

"What? That's impossible, she's wolfless, remember?"

"I'm getting her out of here. Would you like to watch her shift?" Who was he asking? First time transformations were supposed to be private.

And as far as I knew it, Kael was responsible for guiding pack members through their first shifts, so that it wasn't hard without support.

He crouched to the ground with me, before scooping me into his arms.

My senses were heightened, his scent did an assault on my nostrils, but I couldn't get enough. I was clutching his shirt, as if to enter him.

"No Kael. It's alright..." A female voice answered and a growl rumbled low out of me. It was so low I was sure no one else heard it. He didn't ask his brother to watch but his new mate.

"Take her out of here. I'll keep our guests company..." Of course, he would rather entertain guests than be there for his daughter. What did I even expect?

Kael marched out of the house with me in his arms, holding onto dear life. Once we were behind the door, he cursed under his breath.

"You won't be the death of me, Raven..." and then he started to run. The pain increased a notch, she was closer this time. Once he came to a stop he placed me on the ground and my bones crackled. "Look at me, Raven..."

Now he wants me to look at him? "Find my voice. I'm here, just breathe..."

Being stubborn wasn't going to do me any good. So I listened, tried to and soon, I blacked out.

A pounding headache woke me. I stirred and forced myself to sit. "Ugh that hurts..." I mumbled to myself, holding my head with one hand, my eyes still shut.

"That's because it was your first shift..."

They snapped open at the sound of a deep voice that caused my wolf to purr. Kael?

I followed the direction of his voice and found him leaning against the wall in the corner of my room. In the attic. He never came here. No one did.

But, what...

How was I here? What happened during my shift?

I frowned, I had no recollection of the shift at all.

"What do you remember about your shift?" He asked, pushing himself off the wall and stalking towards my worn out bed.

Nothing. I remember nothing.

But I didn't answer. There was a bigger elephant in the room that needed to be addressed, but he didn't seem interested in doing so.

"You're my mate..." I blurted, changing the subject since he wasn't going to.

He drew in a sharp breath and straightened his back. "I am your uncle...What do you remember about your shift, Raven. It's important that I know." His eyes darkened, and not in the good kind. He wore a look that screamed different things. Desperation? Worry? Fear? He gripped my hand and yanked it forward painfully.

My brows creased even more as I searched through my mind for anything. I felt my wolf but saw nothing from last night.

“I don't remember anything.” I whimpered from the pain before his expression and grip loosened even though he didn't let go. “Can you let go now?”

“If you lie to me…”

“I don't remember a thing, Uncle Kael. I've answered your question, can you answer mine now? Are you really going to marry her?” Pain laced my voice. The knowledge was what triggered my shift, the pain too great.

Kael released me and took several steps back. And despite the soreness I felt, I swung my legs to the floor and followed him as he spoke.

"Listen to me, Raven. Whatever you think this is, it's wrong. We cannot be mates. The moon goddess must have made a mistake or something."

I shook my head. My hands rested on his chest and I couldn't help but grip at his shirt even as he had me pinned against the wall.

'The moon goddess never makes a mistake, Kael. Please don't do this. Don't reject our bond. I'm sure father will understand..."

He gave me an incredulous look. "No!" He snapped quickly, silencing me. "No one finds out about this. Think about his reputation and mine. What would the world think of me being mated to my niece?"

I think he forgot that I was adopted and not actually blood related to him. Or maybe he just wanted to avoid this altogether.

I bit my bottom lip hard, the pain in my chest was unbearable. I nodded and released my grasp on his shirt. He stepped back and ran his hand through his hair.

I walked past him without another word. But stopped right before I walked out of the door. "When do you intend to reject me then? So that you can be with your new mate..."

I was relieved to hear my voice come out normal, not breaking like my insides were.

"There won't be any rejection, Raven. If I reject you, it will hurt and everyone will know when they see you. I don't want you falling apart."

But wasn't that better than watching him with another? I hadn't any clue at all to what the difference was really. If I got rejected, it'll drain my wolf and I. And seeing him with her will kill me too. Either way, I was the one on the losing end regardless. How was this fair to me?