The Raven Wolf King: Wolfless novel Chapter 34

Chapter 34

~Valeria ~

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“AAAH!”

Guards surround the area now. Jade continues to scream,

cover my eyes.

and I

My phone is on the floor. I can hear Raphael through it, asking what happened, but I can’t move, I can’t speak.

“It’s Emmet! It’s Emmet!” Jade screams, and she’s right. It is

Prince Emmet.

The rest is a blur. I somehow find myself in my room, stunned. Jade is in hers. I can hear Mother consoling her.

My phone rings, and I think it’s been ringing for a while, but I don’t have the strength to pick it up. I know it’s Raphael.

How do I tell him? How do I tell him that his brother is… dead? My hands shake, remembering what I saw. He was mutilated. Skin hung off the muscles. Eyes were plucked out. His lips and ears were gone, and his fingers were just bare bones. Torn clothes showed signs he was trying to shift, but whatever got him was too fast.

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“Valeria.”

I look up at him, my eyes watering, and I break. He rushes me and takes me in a hug as I begin to sob.

“I’m so sorry you had to see that,” he says.

“It was… it was Emmet.”

“I know. The whole castle is in an uproar.”

My phone rings again. He takes it and turns it off, then hugs met once more. “I’ve convinced the head of the guard investigating the death to let you rest. You and your sister will be interrogated tomorrow. But for now, rest.”

“He… was dead,” I whisper, and he holds me tighter. “I’ve never seen anyone… dead like that.”

“You have to stop thinking about it.”

“How? I don’t think I can. I close my eyes, and all I see is…”

He exhales a slow breath. “I’m sorry. I’m being harsh, telling you to forget. But… eventually you will forget it.”

“How can you be sure?” I cry. “The image is engraved in my head, and I can’t stop thinking about him when he was alive.”

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< Chapter 34-1

“Your older brother…”

“Yes. He fell from a cliff on our pack’s land. I was there. I saw him lose his balance and fall. I was the one who ran down to the bottom to find him. The image haunted me for days before it finally faded. So yes, this will pass.”

I hold on to his words, hoping they’ll be true. He stays with me until morning. When we’re both awake, he calls for breakfast. As he sets the food, I look for my phone and find it on the floor. The screen is broken.

Crap. It won’t turn on. I must have dropped it last night.

“Here, eat.” Stephan caresses my head. “Stay here for the day, rest. When the King or the head of the guard calls for you, I’ll go with you.” He cups my face and suddenly slides his lips against mine. I slightly pull away, which makes him hesitate and retreat. “I-I’ll be back later.”

I nod, watching him walk toward the door, but now, even though he’s a good guy and I’m attracted to him, what he just did makes me feel uncomfortable. It wasn’t the right time.

When Stephan opens the door, Raphael is standing there, fist raised as if about to knock. For a heartbeat, his face shows concern-until his eyes fall on Stephan.

What the hell are you doing here?” he asks.

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Oh boy… suddenly the tension in the air could be cut with a

knife.

“So I stayed the night,” Stephan says.

Raphael’s jaw tenses. “Then you can leave now. I’m here, and I won’t leave her side.”

To my surprise, Stephan steps forward, brushing past Raphael and slamming his shoulder into him.

I can see it takes everything in Raphael not to retaliate. Instead, he storms inside and pulls me into a hug so tight I feel like I might burst. Yet as his arms lock around me, my body softens, and all the tension drains away.

“Valeria…”

“You came back…” I whisper.

“Yes. I called you all night.”

I show him the phone.

“That’s why you didn’t pick up? It’s fine, I’ll get you another one.” He caresses my cheek and then leans in, softly kissing me. For him, I don’t pull away. I just can’t with him. The kiss is comforting and sweet. It makes me feel better, but it’s mostly his presence that does that. When he pulls away, my eyes stay sluho

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“I… I see it when I close my eyes. I see it, Raphael.”

“Shh, don’t think about it. Come here.” He lies in bed and takes

me in his arms.

“I’m so sorry,” I tell him. “He was your brother-”

“I know. It’s… okay.”

I look up at him, and I see it—the pain. He’s holding it in. My hand caresses his cheek, and I kiss him. For the next few hours, we lie down holding each other in comfort.

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< The Raven Wolf King: Wolfless

Chapter 34-2

A knock makes us part. Raphael is the one who gets up and opens the door. Godfrey, the slanky man I’d seen with the King, steps inside and bows at Raphael. “Alpha Prince Raphael. I’ve come to speak to Miss Valeria about the incident. The sister was not much help… she was hysterical.”

I don’t want to say Jade is faking it or being dramatic, because I don’t think she is. She was close to Emmet. They spent so many days together. To have to see him like that and so close up… even I’m traumatized.

Godfrey walks in with Raphael trailing him.

“I don’t know how much I can give you,” I tell him. “I was walking back to the castle with the guards. My sister went past us, and she tripped over the body.”

“And there was no one else?” Godfrey asks.

“No.”

“You see, the time of the murder must have been between the time the class ended when everyone came back, and the time you and your sister walked back. Why did you two not come back with the others?”

We… had gotten into a fight, and that’s why we were kept bæko

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“Maybe… fifteen minutes or less?”

That was all it took. The body was on the main road. The people who left first, like Grimm, didn’t see a body when they went

back.

“Godfrey… how did he die?” Raphael asks.

The man sighs. “My prince… it seems like… he was killed by

ravens.”

“What?!” Raphael and I both shout.

“He was covered in feathers, scratches, and puncture marks.”

“H-how is that possible? How can ravens kill a full-size man so easily-and a werewolf at that?”

“I don’t have that answer. My speculation is that it must’ve been more than a hundred birds, if that’s even possible. As for the reason, it eludes me. Ravens aren’t this aggressive, and I’ve never heard of them murdering anyone before. Not in our time anyway. The body is currently being examined, so hopefully we’ll have more.” The man gives me a small nod. “I’ll convey your story to the King.”

The way he said that made me feel as if I were guilty of something.

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“Not yet.”

“You should.”

“I’m not leaving you. Not when you have a vulture watching you. Why was Stephan here anyway? Did he really spend the night?”

Crap!

“Uhm… yeah, he did, but nothing happened.”

The angry stare he gives me tells me he doesn’t care that nothing happened.

“Raphael…” I mutter.

He turns away, breathing heavily. “It’s not your fault. You were in a vulnerable spot and needed someone by your side. And I wasn’t here.”

I slide a hand on his back, and his body relaxes. We stare out the windows, watching ravens fly in the distance as they always do. My heart quickly sinks. What if the ravens were trained to kill? Everyone keeps saying how smart they are and how easy it is to train them. And the one person that pops into my head is Grimm. My heart breaks. I consider him a friend, so deep down I’m hoping-begging-to be wrong.

Blook up at Raphael. “Go see your dad. I’ll keep the gards.18:40

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Wait for me. I’ll be back soon.” He steals a kiss from me and

rushes out.

“I’ll wait for you when you come back,” I mutter.

A few minutes after he leaves, I step into the hall. “My lady, where are you going? The castle is on lockdown,” one of the guards says as he follows. But I’m not the only one outside. Others fill the corridor, gathered at their doors, murmuring to each other.

“He’s back. It’s the Raven Wolf King.”

“There’s no other explanation.”

“Ravens don’t just kill people. This is supernatural.”

“The Dark King is back.”

“The signs were all there.”

It’s a mix of voices. All manner of rumors reach my ear. I keep walking until I reach the kitchens and see Grimm.

I take a deep breath. I’m a little scared-if it were him, then I could be in danger. But we’re in a public area.

“Grimm!” I call for him.

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I catch up to him.

“I’m busy, Valeria.”

“Busy how? Everyone’s confined to their rooms. You know what happened, right?”

“Yes. I heard.” He doesn’t look at me.

“Are you avoiding me?”

He takes a deep breath and turns to me. “We all saw what happened with your sister. Ravens attacked her when you were fighting, and now someone died in a raven attack.”

Does he think I did this?

“I didn’t do this! How would I? You’re the one who learned how

to control them!”