The Raven Wolf King: Wolfless novel Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Valeria

Wide eyes stare at me.

How did I just do that?

“V–Valeria…” My father doesn’t look away from me as he helps Mother up.

I glance at my hands.

“You are strong… you-”

“How?” I whisper.

Father studies me as though I’m both a miracle and a threat. “A… a late bloomer perhaps? You are a true werewolf after all,” he says, sounding very unsure.

That makes no sense. I’ve never heard of something like this happening. You’re either a true werewolf and get this strength when you gain your wolf soul, or you don’t. Simple as that. In any case, I’m strong

now.

I look into Mother’s eyes. “You will not touch me again. I will fight you, Meryl. I will no longer call you Mother. You don’t deserve that title because you’ve never been a mother to me.”

“You are a monster!” she shouts.

“Meryl! Enough!” Father raises his voice. “We all need to calm down.”

I laugh, low and bitter. “I’m the monster? I’ve been the one afraid of you all this time. I’m not the monster. But now I will be if that’s what it takes for you to leave me the hell alone.”

“We should all take a break. Rest. And we can talk tomorrow,” Father suggests.

“There’s nothing to talk about. I want Meryl and Jade to leave me alone. That’s it. Simple.”

I leave the room before they can speak. When I reach my own room and shut the door, I don’t make it to the bed. My knees give out, and I collapse to the floor. On all fours, I drag in deep breaths, fighting to steady the panic clawing at me.

Something is wrong. I don’t know what, but I can feel it.

I sink back, sitting on the floor. Max presses close, his warmth grounding me. I rest my hand on his belly, stroking gently, and close my eyes. The night replays in my mind, every word, every moment echoing until it feels unbearable.

“It can’t be true. Everything that happened… there has to be a reasonable explanation. I fell–threw myself out of the window. And yet, I didn’t die. I’m not even hurt. Somehow, I must have wandered into the forest, healing faster than I ever could before. Then I came back inside and I-”

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Chapter 16

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My breath catches. “Oh… my goddess.”

Raphael.

The dreams of the Raven Wolf King might have been illusions, but what happened with Raphael was not. That was real.

I lean back against the bed, closing my eyes. The memory floods me. The heat, the urgency and the way it consumed me. It was such an in–the–moment thing. I wasn’t thinking. I only wanted to feel. And goddess, it felt good.

My fingers brush the necklace he placed around my neck, and a smile flickers across my lips. I sigh, but the discomfort returns. The blood on my skin is dry, my clothes itch against me.

I sink into a long, warm bath, letting the water wash away the dirt, the tension, the weight of the night.

Back in my room, I open the box Jade had touched before. This one isn’t from Raphael. It shocks me.

It’s from Tobias.

Inside rests a golden ring, crowned with a massive blue oval gem. And within, engraved deep, is the royal insignia.

Damn. These men are going to make me rich with all these gifts. I stare at the ring, knowing I’ll never wear it. What the hell am I supposed to do with this?

I place it back in the box and shove it deep into one of my drawers, hidden away.

***

The next morning, Ronan wakes me with news: I’ll be having breakfast with Father. Instead of joining everyone inside in the banquet room, I find him waiting in the garden, a table already prepared.

“What happened last night with your mother was not right. She is not right. But I will never allow it to happen again,” he says.

I eat in silence, not caring about his words. He’s failed me too many times. I don’t trust him. But it doesn’t matter. I don’t need trust. I have myself. And I’ll never let anyone hurt me again.

“Things will be different from now on,” he says. “No one will hurt anyone.” He throws Max a sausage, Valeria, what happened last night? There was no way for you to come unscathed after that fall.”

I tell him what I remember. Not the dream or any of the weird stuff, but just that I woke up completely

unharmed.

“And now… you have true werewolf strength,” he mutters. His eyes flicker, uncertain, almost fearful. “ Keep this between us. Don’t tell anyone what happened last night.”

I roll my eyes. “Because you don’t want anyone to find out how abusive Meryl is?”

“No, because what happened was not normal. If people knew, they could make up stories.”

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“What kind of stories?”

“Look, don’t worry about any of it. I’ll deal with your mother from now on.

“Fine.” I take one last bite before getting up and waving at him, leaving the garden–and Max–with him.

Entering the castle, I head to the kitchen, where there always seems to be chatter.

“Bring the potatoes for tonight,” a woman says.

“What kind of wine will we serve?” another asks.

One of the ladies notices me.

“Hi, is Grimm around?” I ask her.

Grimm pops his head out of the pantry, having heard his name. I almost giggle. He’s cute, in that puppy- like way.

“Hey!” I wave at him. “Can I talk to you?”

“Sure.” He cleans his hands with a rag and follows me out to the hall.

“I’m sorry I’m interrupting you for this, but I don’t know where the library is. Would you have time to come

with me?”

“Yeah. I can spare some time.” He begins leading me. “What’s this about anyway?”

“The Raven Wolf King. I want to know more about it.”

“Oh. Why are you so curious about it?”

“The story intrigues me.”

“It intrigues many people, and some even fear it.”

“Was he evil? I’ve heard the stories, the nursery rhymes growing up. You said he was real?”

“Yeah, I’ll show you.”

We find the library, and it’s as I expected from a royal library. Grand, with a vaulted ceiling arched high, painted with constellations and mythic beasts, towering shelves rising like walls, carved from dark oak and lined with books.

“Here.” He pulls out an old book, its cover black and edged in gold. At the center gleams a golden wolf’s head, bared teeth frozen in a snarl. Behind it, a raven spreads its wings wide, poised as if descending from the sky. Grimm opens it. The pages are an old, yellowish color, but intact.

“Most of the Raven Wolf King books here are written to sound like fantasy, as if he were just a fairy tale. This one’s the one you want. Depicts date–to–date events.”

“It’s a huge book,” I say. “It’ll take me forever to read.”

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“You can take it with you.”

“Can I?”

He nods. “Just sign it out.”

After signing the book out, we head back. It’s so large it covers my whole torso, though thankfully it isn’t

too thick.

Grimm glances at me curiously as we walk. “You look… great. Makeup?”

I blink, confused and then remember. Yesterday, I looked like a walking corpse. Yet now I’m flawless.

“Oh, yeah. That’s what it is.” I nervously laugh.

When we reach the foyer, I smile at Grimm, ready to thank him. But before I can speak, Jade steps into our path.

Her face is streaked, eyes swollen from long hours of crying. Yet behind the tears burns fury. Her gaze darts between Grimm and me, sharp and accusing, as if she’s caught us in some unspoken betrayal.” Not him… you can’t have him!” she shouts at me.

People around us stop and stare.

“What?” I demand.

“He is mine!” Jade screams.

“What the hell are you talking about?! Who?”

Grimm heavily exhales with finality. “I’ve put up with this for too long. Jade Langford, I accept your rejection. I don’t want you as my mate.”

Jade gasps, stumbling back as if struck.

My head turns slowly toward Grimm. He stands motionless, hands tucked in his pockets, his face unreadable. Yet I see it. The moment the bond shatters. His composure falters, though he forces himself

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