Mated To The Alpha King (Raven and Ethan) novel Chapter 357

Chapter 357

Alpha Ethan’s POV

“Please, Reven… don’t leave us again.”

My voice cracked as I tightened my grip around her hands, afraid that if I loosened it even a little, she would disappear like smoke slipping through my fingers.

“We need you,” I continued desperately. “I need you. The kids need you.”

She stood in front of me, looking the way she always did in my dreams too real, too close, and yet already fading.

Her eyes held that familiar sadness, the kind that had always made my chest ache even before everything fell apart.

“I know,” she said softly.

Hope surged in my chest. “Then come back,” I urged. “Come home.”

She shook her head slowly.

“I don’t know how,” she whispered.

The words hit me harder than any blow.

“What do you mean you don’t know how?” I asked, panic creeping into my voice. “Just come back to us. We’re waiting.”

“You won’t understand,” she replied, her gaze dropping briefly to where our hands were still joined. “Not yet.”

“Then explain it to me,” I begged. “I’ll listen. I swear I will.”

She smiled faintly–a sad, distant smile that felt like a goodbye. “You just have to wait.”

My heart pounded violently. “Wait for what?”

“When the time is right,” she said. “I’ll find a way back.”

“No,” I said sharply, tightening my grip. “Don’t say that like this is goodb

Her fingers slipped from mine.

“I have to go,” she murmured.

“Reven!” I shouted as she turned away. “No, don’t.“She walked away from me, each step tearing something out of my chest. I tried to follow her, but my feet felt rooted to the ground, my body frozen, helpless.

“Reven!” I screamed. “Don’t leave me!”

The world shattered.

I bolted upright in bed with a harsh gasp, my chest heaving as sweat drenched my body My heart hammered so hard I

thought it might break through my ribs.

It took several seconds for reality to sink in.

Dark room.

Silent air.

Empty bed.

It was just a dream.

Again. I dragged a hand down my face, breathing heavily. My body felt like it had been through a battle, every muscle tense, my throat raw from screaming her name.

I don’t know why I still have these nightmares.

They had been haunting me for so long now different scenes, different words, but always the same ending.

Reven leaving.

Reven slipping away.

Reven just unreachable.

I reached for my phone on the bedside table and checked the time.

8:14 a.m.

I groaned softly. “I overslept again.”

That had been happening a lot lately too.

I forced myself out of bed and headed to the bathroom, splashing cold water on my face until my reflection stared back at me more clearly.

Dark circles framed my eyes, and the man looking back seemed older than I remembered being.

I freshened up quickly and dressed in simple clothes nothing formal, nothing that screamed Alpha. Just enough through the day.

When I stepped out of my room and headed toward the dining area, familiar voices reached my ears.

Laughter.

Small, bright, and unmistakably alive.

My steps slowed.

When I entered the dining room, the sight before me made my chest tighten painfully.

The kids were already there, sitting at the table and eating breakfast.

The moment they saw me, their faces lit up.

“Daddy!” they shouted together.

They jumped down from their chairs, abandoning their food as they ran toward me. I barely had time to brace myself before they collided with me, wrapping their small arms tightly around my legs.

I laughed a real laugh, one that surprised even me, and bent down to scoop them up one after the other.

“Hey,” I said warmly, lifting them high into the air. “Easy there.”

I didn’t answer.

I walked straight to my office and told my secretary, “Bring me all the work from the past few months. Everything I need to review.”

She nodded quickly and hurried off.

When the files arrived, I buried myself in them. Meetings. Reports. Contracts. Numbers. Decisions.

Work helped.

It gave my mind something else to focus on.

About an hour later, my phone buzzed.

I ignored it.

“I don’t have time for distractions,” I muttered.

It buzzed again.

Annoyed, I sighed and picked it up.

Unknown number.

My jaw tightened as I opened the message.

You should start thinking about your private investigator.

He’s dead.

My blood ran cold.

Another message followed immediately.

If you want to know the whereabouts of your mate, meet me at the cafeteria down the street.

8 pm

The room spun.

I stared at the screen, my heart pounding violently.

Mike was dead.

And someone knew exactly what I was looking for.

I clenched my phone tightly as rage and fear twisted together inside me.

Raven.

Someone had her.

And they were finally ready to talk.