Awakening The Silver Wolf

RAVENNA POV 

"Give me one of your most prized possessions. Something you value dearly. And do not just give me just anything and say it's prized, I would know if you're deceiving me." 

There was no way in hell I would know if he was deceiving me but Darius didn't have to know that. 

Why was I asking for his most prized possession, you may ask. It was a simple petty answer. I wanted Darius to hurt. 

My father had once owned a ring. It was given to him by my mother. He loved that ring more than he loved his own pack. When my mother died he used it to remember her. And then he had lost the ring during a trip. And the only time I had seen my father that heartbroken was when my mother died. 

Losing that ring had broken him finally. 

So if Darius had a prized possession like that, giving it up would hurt him, no matter how cold his heart was. 

It was just a gamble. I didn't know if this man could hold anything close to his heart. 

But it seems he did because his eyes darkened. 

"Ask for something else," he said, his voice low. All trace of playfulness was gone from his face, replaced by anger, and under all that was hurt. 

I had hit my mark.

I shook my head. "You said I should ask for anything and you'll grant it. Is the big bad alpha going back on his words?"

The rage that was coming out of Darius was worse than what I felt that day when I had injured him. He looked like he could snap my neck right where I stood. This was the real Darius, not that always smiling, teasing person. 

This Darius that was shaking with barely contained rage was the real thing. 

I tried my hardest best not to smile. I know I was being cruel but I couldn't bring myself to care. 

Darius had hurt me, had killed my best friend, and had captured me as a prisoner. So this was my petty little revenge. But oh, this doesn't even come close to what I was planning to do to him.

I was going to ruin Darius. 

"Ravenna." Mia tugged at my hand but I didn't remove my eyes from Darius. 

Lucian had left his punching bag and was now standing beside Darius, glaring hard at me. 

Darius let out a slow breath, then bent down to his ankle-length shoe and retrieved something, his gaze never leaving mine. 

"Darius," Lucian said softly, his voice laced with concern, as he saw what Darius held in his hand. 

I broke our little staring contest to see what it was. 

It was a dagger. A small golden dagger. 

The dagger features a blade that tapers to a sharp point, its smooth surface catching the light with a warm, soft glow. The hilt, entirely encased in gold, is elegantly shaped with subtle curves that fit comfortably in the hand. Delicate engravings of swirling patterns grace the blade and hilt. 

Despite its all-gold construction, the dagger maintains an understated elegance, making it both a striking and sophisticated weapon.

Darius stretched the dagger to me, his jaw clenched. "Congratulations. You've earned it," he said in a voice that one would use to tell someone they were being handed a ticking time bomb.

I couldn't hide my smile anymore. I let it stretch out on my face, wild and taunting. Darius' jaw was clenched so tightly that if he continued he might ground his teeth. 

I stepped closer and took the dagger from me. "Thank you," I said, still smiling. Then I turned. "I look forward to our next fight." 

I walked out of the room with Mia behind me. But before I left the room, I heard Darius say, "Same as I." 

***

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around how you managed to land that blow on Alpha Darius," Mia said as we lay on bed that night, staring at a ceiling we couldn't see because it was so dark. 

"Honestly? It was just luck," I admitted. "I was so goddamn exhausted that I was ready to just give up and let him win until I saw a narrow chance and took it." 

I haven't even thought for a moment that I could win. Darius' blow had been powerful and my strength had been waning. But then I saw a chance and grabbed it with both hands. 

The slight mistake that Darius had made had been my opening. 

"You should get ready for the next fight, because the way Darius had looked at you that night I thought he would have killed you right there." 

I released a breath. Darius had been literally shaking with anger. I was now thinking that he wouldn't wait till the last fight and just kill me in the next one. 

"The next fight would be brutal," Mia said. 

"Really brutal." 

***

All eyes were on me that morning during breakfast. I had seen this coming. 

With how close Darius had been with me yesterday, people were bound to talk. But look at the bright side: they were no longer scowling at Mia. It was just me. 

Mia and I filled our plates and walked to our usual table. No amount of scowls or whispers would stop me from enjoying my breakfast. 

"I can only imagine what they're saying right now," Mia said once she was done with her food. Mine was still half full. "'Did you see how close that new girl was with the Alpha? I'm sure she's fucking him.'" 

I snorted. "If only they knew that we're trying to get each other to our graves, not our beds." 

Mia scoffs softly. "Yeah. But it's for the better that they don't know."

I raised my gaze to her. "Why do you think so?" 

Mia leaned closer to me and spoke in a hushed voice. "If the pack knows that you managed to wound Alpha Darius and even won against him in a fight they would see you as a threat. And what do you do with threats?" 

I swallowed. "You eliminate it," I answered. 

Mia nodded and leaned back to rest her back on the wall. "Even though the alpha says not to hurt you, some thickheaded people will go against his words and do as they see fit. As long as it removes the threat. No matter what you've heard, this pack loves Alpha Darius. He's doing you a favor by keeping everything a secret." 

"And I'm supposed to be grateful for that?" I asked, my voice hard. "He's holding me prisoner, goddamn it!" Then in a lower, broken voice. "He killed my best friend." 

Mia's expression softened. She reached for my hand and squeezed it tightly. "I'm sorry, Ravenna." 

I wiped my tears when a few stupid tears fell and stood up from the table, abandoning my half-eaten plate as I left the hall. 

If I was going to cry at least I could still save my dignity and do it somewhere private. 

I turned a corner and collided with something solid. I cursed loudly as I held my nose. I think it's broken. 

"Is it broken?" came the voice that made me freeze. 

I looked up at the source of my collision. No, it wasn't a what, it was a who. My earlier anger flared back to life as my eyes met his, mismatched and filled with familiar mischief.