The Raven Wolf King: Wolfless novel Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Chapter 33

~Valeria~

“I’m basically hugging you, Valeria,” Stephan says. “The enemy won’t be this gentle. Put your arms around my neck.”

“Like this?”

“Perfect. Now bend your knees, lean forward, and pull as hard

as you can.”

I do as he says, and though I don’t get him off my back, he does lift from the ground just a little.

“Did you really put any strength into it?”

I laugh with embarrassment. “No.”

“Oh, so you just want my hug? Is that why you’re delaying it?”

My cheeks burn. Having him so close to my ear, feeling his breath on my skin, is… delightful.

“If that’s what you wanted, then we should stop this training and

go somewhere else.”

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Then the truth cuts in: he isn’t mine. The thought of what he did twists inside me, and anger rises instead.

Suddenly, Stephan is flying over me and slams onto the ground in front of me.

“Or you can kick my ass like that,” he groans.

“Holy shit! I did it! I’m so sorry.””

He laughs, sitting up. “Don’t be. You did what you were supposed to. Much stronger than I thought you’d be for a wolfless. But now you have an idea of how to get rid of an enemy that grabs you from behind.”

I sit next to him. “Thank you for taking the time to teach me.

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“It’s no problem at all.” He gets up and holds a hand out, helping me up. His dark eyes wear a gentle stare. “You’re making the effort of getting up earlier to come train, and I like that kind of determination. But we have to end it here for today. I have to feed the ravens before training starts.”

“Feed the ravens?”

When I rise to my feet, he motions with his head to follow him.

“Remember? We have a flock of ravens trained to be

messengers, and we have to keep them fed.” He leads me to the9

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The tent smells of raven shit, feathers scattered everywhere, and the croak of their screams fills the air-especially when they see Stephan enter.

“Wow, so many.”

“About fifty. We keep them for emergencies and to carry the King’s secret messages.”

“And they’re trained?”

“Yeah. You’d be surprised at how easy it is. They’re highly intelligent animals.” He holds a bucket with big pieces of meat and begins to feed them. The ravens flap their wings and croak loudly, fighting for each bite. Some hop closer, others stretch from their poles.

I watch as the ravens tear into the flesh, their beaks driving deep, claws raking through muscle so easily. The sound of ripping meat makes my stomach twist.

When they seem fed, Stephan picks up a small metal device. “Want to see something cool?”

“Sure?”

He pushes a button on the device, and it makes two clicking sounds. All the birds take flight around us and land in the cages.

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I laugh.

He suddenly takes my hand and gently caresses a bruise I got while practicing with Stephan. “Dang, what happened?” He lets my hand go and squints. “Has someone been hurting you again?”

“No. It’s just practice.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Why? What were you going to do if someone had hurt me?”

“Get angry on your behalf.” He laughs. “I’m no knight in shining armor.”

“Well, now that you’re learning to fight, maybe you will be one day.”

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