The Raven Wolf King: Wolfless novel Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Valeria

Mother cleans the blood from her hands with a towel. “I will NOT let you ruin things for your sister. Am I clear?!”

I’m dazed, staring at the floor, but I can barely see. My face took the brunt of her anger this time.

“Am I clear!” she shouts.

All I can do is slowly nod.

“Now no one will look at you,” she mutters as she finally leaves the room.

Max slowly walks up to me, whimpering. He licks my hand, and I cry.

I… I want it over. I want them gone. Why can’t they just leave me be? No Mother. No Father. No Jade. No Raphael. No Tobias. No one. Just… leave me alone.

I sink back onto the bed and close my eyes. Max’s licks wake me, pulling me into daylight. I can see now. One glance in the mirror makes me wince. It hurts even to move my face. My skin is purple, my lip split. Blood stains the bed where I slept while still bleeding. One of my eyes is so swollen it looks smaller than the other.

I squint, looking closer. “Oh no… my nose.”

It’s crooked. I shut my eyes as tears slip free because I know this is going to hurt. I have to reset it, or it won’t heal right. I know how. I’ve done this before. This isn’t the first time Mother has gone for my face. But never–never–have I been beaten so many times in a single week.

It isn’t fair. Jade will heal in a day. Me? I’ll take longer. Always longer.

I scream as the crack echoes, pain ripping through me when I force my nose back into place.

My eyes fall on the black box from yesterday–the cause of all this. Inside rests a necklace: a thin golden chain, a raven in flight, clutching a dangling purple gem shaped like a tear. Raphael’s gift. I want to be angry, but I’m not. It’s beautiful. More than that, it feels like me. Ravens have always haunted my life, even though I dislike them. He didn’t send this just to send something. He thought about it.

But I can’t keep accepting gifts. I close the box and call Ronan to return it. He wanted to call a doctor after seeing me, but I refused. I insisted he didn’t.

Afterward, I take a long, hot bath, trying to molt the memories of the night as if they were old skin. When I wake again, it’s already late afternoon. I dress, though I don’t know what for. Mother surely expects me to stay locked away.

But I’m done with dresses. I pull on a simple white shirt, tuck it into my jeans, tie my hair back into a ponytail, and lace up white sneakers.

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Despite what Mother wants, I refuse to stay hidden. Max needs to go outside, and no one else even seems to remember he exists. I slip on sunglasses to cover my face as much as possible, then carefully step out with him.

I don’t see any of my family. Truthfully, I don’t even know where they spend most of their days. I’ve never really seen the palace properly. For now, I head to the back. Max runs free, nose to the ground, while I stand watching him, grateful for the quiet.

“I did not get to have a dance with you last night.” A familiar voice speaks from behind. I tilt my head and see Stephan.

I quickly look away. “I suppose too much happened for that to be possible,” I murmur, keeping my face

hidden.

Why do people keep insisting on talking to me?

“Yeah, supposedly a freak of nature kind of thing,” he says, following with a question, “Is this your dog?”

“Yes.”

He kneels down and pats Max, who even rolls around to have his stomach rubbed. What an attention- seeking whore this dog is. Shows his balls to anyone who’ll give him attention.

I get distracted watching Stephan and Max, not realizing Stephan’s eyes are fixed on me. “What happened?” He’s suddenly on his feet, closing the space between us.

“Nothing!” I snap, turning away, only for him to grip my chin, forcing me to face him. His touch is firm, and the weight of his stare makes my pulse race.

“Who did this to you?”

“Stairs. I fell.”

“Bullshit.” He’s blunt.

I pull my face away from his hand. “Max, come.”

“Valeria…”

I turn away, but glance back. He’s still watching me. Who is this man? He acts so concerned, yet I barely

know him.

I circle the palace and find a door that opens into what looks like a parlor. I stop at the threshold, my eyes drawn elsewhere. Raphael emerging from the woods, naked and drenched in sweat. Behind him, other men follow, just as bare.

I stare shamelessly, unable to help myself. I’m not the only one; women nearby have stopped to watch him, too. The problem is, he notices me. And then, with deliberate strides, he starts toward me.

Screw that. I am not talking to him, especially if he’s naked.

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I rush inside. The parlor has a few people, but no one I know, thankfully. I hurry through the doors and find myself in a hall. At first, I think I’m lost, but then I see it leads to the foyer, with the grand stairs and the doors to the ballroom.

People are still cleaning up from yesterday, and new windows are being put in. I run up the stairs just as more guests enter through the front door. Another family has arrived. At the top, I almost choke when I see Emmet. But Jade isn’t with him.

“Hey, what happened to you? Are you okay?” he asks.

I exhale slowly. I know I’ll be hearing this from everyone.

Then, suddenly, his attention shifts. I recognize the look on his face. I’ve seen it before. He rushes down the stairs, eyes locked on one of the new arrivals.

A girl. Brown curls, big hazel eyes, a modest flowery dress.

When she sees him, her expression mirrors his, shock.

“Do you… know each other?” the girl’s father asks.

“Mate,” Emmet whispers.

I cover my mouth, trying not to gasp.

Fated mates.

Emmet steps closer, takes her hand, and bends to kiss it. By the way he’s acting, Jade is finished. Good. I hate her for what she did last night.

Not wanting to be caught, I rush through the hall, laughter spilling out of me. But the thought hits hard- this will probably be blamed on me. And if not, it’ll still be taken out on me.

Something strange catches my eye, making me forget everything else. Grimm and a few servants hurry into the tapestry room. Grimm glances around, nervous, as if making sure no one sees.

I narrow my eyes and follow, easing the door open. Then I see it, Grimm pulls aside one of the heavy tapestries, revealing a hidden passage.

I gasp, and every head snaps toward me. Grimm’s eyes widen, the servants freeze, and for a heartbeat,

the room is silent.

“Valeria!” Grimm exclaims.

“What are you doing?” I ask. “There are secret rooms?”

They all stand in line with guilty expressions, holding boxes with what look to be snacks and drinks.

Grimm grunts. “Damn.”

I jab an accusing finger at him. “Uh–huh! You’re up to something and I caught you!”

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“We… were just going to go relax at our… secret hiding spot,” he says.

“Grimm! Don’t tell her,” one of the girls says.

He waves at her. “It’s fine, Elsie. She’s cool.”

“Hiding spot?” I ask.

“Yeah! It’s pretty cool,” Elsie says. “An old abandoned tower.”

“Ooh! Can I join?”

He steps closer, a smile tugging at his lips. “Sure, but what the hell happened to your face?”

“Ugh! Nothing!”

Max and I trail them through the dark halls until we reach a narrow opening. Steep stairs twist into a spiral, and we climb.

At the top, we step into a circular room framed with wooden planks and tall, grimy windows. The tower looks like it was never really finished on the inside and was used as a storage room, but is now forgotten. Crates and old boxes are stacked in corners. Sofas and chairs hide beneath dusty blankets, left to decay.

“Nice, huh?” Grimm asks.

“Yeah. I’d love a place like this at home where I could hide from everyone.”

“Well, if you can keep it a secret, then you’re always welcome here.”

One of the girls pets Max, and he melts instantly, rolling over to show his belly.

I turn to the window. Towers rise everywhere, and from here I can see the back of the castle, looming and vast. Two of the pack houses are completely visible from here.

“Seriously, what happened to you?” Grimm asks.

I don’t want to talk about it, so I change the subject. “I heard that you found your fated mate?”

He winces. “Yeah…”

I nod. “Mine rejected me,” I tell him.

He looks surprised. “Mine did too.”

“We’re wolfless. I guess it was bound to happen. But fuck ‘em. We don’t need them.”

He smiles, relaxing and leaning against the wall. “Yeah. I think I hate her at this point. She rejected me again last night.”

“You haven’t accepted it?”

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“No. I’m dreading what I’ll be feeling.”

I give a slow, understanding nod. “Yeah. It broke me at first. I spent weeks in bed wanting to just stop existing. And I didn’t even know the guy. It feels like… a part of you is shattered into tiny little pieces. It’s not fun.”

He takes a deep breath, closing his eyes, and lower his chin in acknowledgment.

“So last night, it was weird, wasn’t it? Ravens crashing the party. Do you think… it was the Raven Wolf King?” I laugh.

He looks down, seeming a bit serious, and then smiles. “That’s what people are saying. Did you hear about the assassination attempt? The King’s fated mate?”

“Uhm… yeah. I did.”

“People are saying that the man got past the guards so easily. I bet you he used one of the secret passages,” he says.

I almost gasp. “You’re right! You’re smart.” I tease him.

We spend more time talking until I look outside and realize the sun is beginning to set.

“I gotta get back!”

I say goodbye and rush out with Max. When I make it to my room, I find two black and gold boxes lying on my bed, but they seem to have separate notes.

“Oh no.”

I approach them and read the note on the first one. “From Raphael.” Then the second one, “From Tobias.” There’s more written in the notes, but I can’t read them because I begin to hear shouting coming from Jade’s room, and then my bathroom door flies open.

“See!” Jade cries with Mother behind her, pointing at my bed. “Now I have no chance! Emmet rejected me! He found his mate! And now I have no chance with any of them! Why do they want her!? Why?”

Mother grinds her teeth. She turns to Jade and holds her hands. “Go back to your room. We’ll figure this out.” Crying, Jade heads back to her room, and Mother turns her fury to me. “I told you…”

“I didn’t do anything-”

She rushes me and slaps me.

“I TOLD YOU!” she screams.

I back away from her, hitting the ledge of the window, unable to get any further away.

I knew she would blame me, but this isn’t my fault. This is unfair! I hate her, I hate Jade. Why do they treat me like this?

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She takes a knife from her back. “I’m going to make it so that no one will ever want to look at you again!”

She rushes me, taking me by the hair. I see pieces of my hair begin to fall, but I fight her this time. I slap the knife out of her hands, and I push her with all the strength I have–which compared to her, isn’t much, but I catch her by surprise. She stumbles back, hitting the vanity.

“DON’T TOUCH MEEEE!” I screech. “WHY?! Why do you hate me so much? WHY DO YOU HATE ME SO MUUUCH!”

“What is all this?” Father enters the room, but I’m in a frantic state.

“I will not let you hurt me ANYMORE!” I scream.

“Meryl, what is going on?” Father looks at Mother.

“This little… bitch! I never should’ve had you! You’re the bane of my existence!” she screams, the knife flashing in her hand. She lunges, but Father grabs her, pulling her back.

“Meryl!”

“Why? What have I done to make you hate me so much?” My voice cracks as the words spill out. Tears sting my eyes, but I don’t look away. “I refuse to live like this. You will never touch me again!”

She growls, “You should never have existed,” each word dripping with venom.

A sudden determination fills me. “I’ll grant you that wish. I refuse to live this kind of life.” I lean back, the world tilting, and let myself fall out of the window.

“NOOO!” Father screams, but then I hear nothing but the wind. The air rushes past, cold and stinging, as the castle walls blur beside me. For a heartbeat, there’s only weightless silence before the ground races up to meet me. For the first time ever, in those few seconds, I feel true peace. Then it all goes dark.