Awakening The Silver Wolf

RAVENNA POV 

As Darius and I walked to his training room, I kept telling myself that the reason I had hugged Darius and had tried to console him, was because he was grieving. 

But deep down I knew that was just a load of bullshit. I had wanted to hug him, had wanted to see that dead look in his eyes gone because I cared. 

I care for Darius. It was like there was a thread always pulling me to him. When I had seen him just standing there while the pyres were burning, a part of me had wanted to reach for him and hold him. 

I didn't care much about this pack. I mean I was a prisoner. How could I? But I cared for soft Mia, for always scowling Anya, even stone-cold Lucian. 

And I cared a whole lot for Darius. For this man who was cruel, and savage and had killed my best friend. But I was starting to see a heart beneath all that. 

I was starting to see the real Darius beneath the masks he wore. 

And he was hurting 

The death of their pack members had affected the people I cared about. Mia didn't say a word to me and just sat in a corner and tried. I had tried to console her but she had shut me out. 

Anya didn't come to my room today to perform her routine. Stonecold Lucian had looked sad when I passed him last night. 

Darius looks devastated. 

"Revanna to earth." A finger was snapped in front of me. 

I blinked and Darius' face came into focus, his eyebrows furrowed. We were standing in the middle of his training room and I didn't even know when we had gotten here. 

"Where'd you go?" Darius asked. 

"I'm here," I replied. 

"Good. Don't go zombie on me. It won't give you a pass from this fight."

I huff. "I was the one that suggested that the fight should be today, wasn't it?"

Darius shrugged his big shoulders. "Maybe you decide to chicken out at the last minute."

I rolled my eyes. "You wish. So what are we doing today?"

"My wonderful brain is currently not functioning well to think about anything creative, so let's go with hand-to-hand combat. You know the drill."

I nodded as I walked to the center of the mat and waited for Darius. I watched him as he pulled off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves, watching his muscles move with the action. 

I looked away once he started walking towards me, not wanting to be caught staring like an idiot. 

Darius got to the mat and grinned at me as he rolled his shoulders. "I'll go easy on you today." 

"Oh shut your mouth."

We circled each other, both poised to strike. I lunged first, my fists flying. Darius countered effortlessly, his movements fluid and precise. 

The way he moved, so confident and assured, sent a shiver down my spine. I darted to the side, trying to regain the upper hand, but he was right there, always a breath away.

Our strikes were a dance, a mixture of power and grace. With every blow, the air around us seemed to thrum with unspoken tension. 

When Darius caught my wrist, pulling me close, heat flared between us. I could feel his breath against my skin, and for a heartbeat, everything else faded away.

Our other fights haven't been like this: this was something different. 

"Is that all you've got?" he teased, a glint of challenge and heat in his eyes.

I twisted, breaking free, but he was quick to follow. We clashed again, each blow met with fierce determination. I ducked under his arm, my heart racing, but Darius's hands were always close, ready to catch me if I faltered.

With a sudden move, he swept my legs from under me, and I found myself on the ground, staring up at him. 

Darius loomed over me, his expression a mix of triumph and something deeper. "Looks like I have an advantage," he said, his voice low and intense.

I could feel the heat radiating from him, our faces inches apart. I swallowed, the tension between us palpable. "Not yet," I replied, gathering my strength for one last push.

But he was faster, seizing my wrists and pinning them above my head. The world fell away as our eyes locked, the struggle becoming something more than just a fight. 

I felt the weight of his body against mine, a mix of vulnerability and something I could no longer ignore that made my heart race. I had imagined countless times what Darius' body would feel against mine, but what I had imagined didn't come close to this moment.

With a slight shift, he pressed closer, his breaths mingling. "You're incredible," he said, a warmth in his voice that sent a thrill through me. 

But I was losing focus, the fight slipping from my grasp. Darius held me firmly, and with a final surge of energy, I realized it was over. He had won.

As I lay there, breathless and defeated, and staring up at his breathtaking eyes, I couldn't help but melt against him. 

"What do you want?" I barely, my voice barely audible. 

Darius' eyes dropped to my lips and he swallowed. He raised his eyes back to mine and the heat in them sent a shiver through me. 

Darius felt it, and he leaned in closer to me, his eyes darkening. 

"A kiss," he whispered, his breath hot on my lips. 

Out of habit, I licked my lips and Darius inhaled sharply. I didn't think, I nodded. With that look in his eyes and his body on mine, I wouldn't have been able to say no if my life had depended upon it. 

Darius didn't waste any time, his lips claimed mine, and I felt every nerve in my body waking. Everything faded except his hot lips, his hard body, and my racing heart. 

The kiss was soft at first, tentative as if testing the waters of this uncharted territory.

But as the kiss deepened, it became a dance of urgency and longing. I felt my worries dissolve, lost in the warmth of his body.

When he finally released my wrists, I tangled my fingers in his hair, pulling him closer, savoring the way he responded, his hands now resting on my waist as if anchoring me to the earth.