Awakening The Silver Wolf

DARIUS POV 

I wanted to put an end to this meeting and it hasn't even begun. The agents Alpha Hale sent gritted on my nerves. 

The girl—I had forgotten her name as soon as she said it—was annoying as hell. Her voice was too high pitched, her face too doll-like with makeup, her smile too fake, her body language too forced. 

Like someone had instructed her to impress the savage alpha unless they'd take away her favorite doll.

Then the guy—whose name I had also forgotten—was plain arrogant. His nose was up in the air like something was stuffed on it, his shoulder forcefully high. 

Hell, I wanted this day to end already. 

"Your pack house is really beautiful, Alpha Darius," Barbie—that was the perfect name for her—said, as we walked towards the pack. That pitch made me clench my teeth. "It's like a castle."

"It's a castle," I replied dryly, not bothering to look at her. 

She squeaked—actual fucking squeak—and came to link her arm with mine. I particularly shivered from the touch, my insides turning.

"Will you show me around?" she asked, her voice dripping with false sweetness.

I gently removed her hand from mine. "No."

I walked ahead, needing to breathe clean air. Her perfume was making me dizzy.

Lucian, who was walking ahead, turned his head slightly towards me and I could see the cruel smirk on his face. Bastard. 

We had almost reached the pack house when I saw her. She was walking with Mia, her hair blowing in every direction from the wind, her face and body covered in dirt, and her face and neck dirtied with mud. 

My heart skipped a beat at the sight of her. 

I didn't mean to, but my eyes went to the Barbie still walking beside me and went back to Ravenna. 

I didn't know I had a type until today. And that type was Ravenna, obviously.

We got to the entrance of the pack house and my pack was already gathered. They greeted our visitors with handshakes and head bowed. They began to clear when I walked through.

And once again my eyes found Ravenna. But something was different this time. 

She stared behind me, her eyes wide with shock? Surprise? Fear? I couldn't tell. 

I turned back to see her eyes fixed on the two visitors who were still greeting the pack with their fake smiles. 

I turned from them and walked to Ravenna, my steps more hurried. She didn't even notice when I was standing in front of her, her eyes still fixed on those two.

Now that I was close to her I could see the look in her eyes clear—shock and fear.

I placed my hands on her shoulders and she flinched, taking a step back to move away from me. Her eyes finally landed on me and they were filled with uneasiness.

I tightened my hold on her and shook her gently. "It's me, Silver Wisp," I said gently. 

I was aware of everyone's eyes on us but I ignored them all. Ravenna was the only one that mattered at this moment.

"Hey." I shook her again once she kept staring at me blankly. "Hey, baby, come back to me." 

She blinked again and her eyes cleared from whatever fog had gathered in them. "Darius?" Her voice was small. 

I tightened my hold on her. "Yes, baby, it's me."

She shook her head as if to clear it. "I thought I saw…" She looked behind my shoulder and her eyes widened.

"Ravenna!" That fucking high-pitched voice. 

Ravenna swallowed and she seemed to compose herself because her face became blank, the picture of indifference, but her hands still shook by her side. 

"Zara," she said, her voice hard. 

Zara. Even the name was bullshit. 

Ravenna stepped away from my touch and faced Zara fully, her shoulders squared, her chin high. 

She looked at the guy who stood and stared at her with his eyes wide.

"Lucas," she greeted, dipping her head slightly.

Why would a parent give their child Lucas? 

Well, nothing was wrong with the name, Darius just hated the guy. And he was beginning to hate him more as he stared at Ravenna with what looked like longing in his eyes. 

Who the hell were these people? 

It hit him hard then, like a moving train, that he knew nothing about Ravenna's pack, not even where she was from. 

Because clearly, it seems she wasn't from Stonehowl.

"Ravenna," Lucas answered, his voice soft.

I clenched my fists tightly. 

"It's nice to see you again, Ravenna," Zara said, her fake smile faltering. 

"It's definitely not nice for me, Zara," Ravenna answered with her own smile.

Fuck, I was going to marry this woman. 

Zara's eyes grew hard, her mask cracking. She took a step closer to Ravenna and I fought the urge to shield Ravenna. 

Zara's lips curled into a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes as she stepped another step closer to Ravenna. "Well, well, Ravenna," she said, her voice sweet as honey, but with a sharp edge lurking underneath. "I must admit, it's such a relief to finally see you again. We've all been wondering where you'd run off to after... well, after your little incident back home." Her smile widened slightly, her words soft but heavy with implication.

Home. I was right, Ravenna isn't from Stonehowl pack. 

"We did miss you, you know," she continued, her tone a mix of mock sincerity and sweet venom. "It wasn't the same without you around. How could it be? You made such an impression, such a lasting one. It's not every day someone gets banished so dramatically. Really, you do know how to make an exit, dearest step-sister."

Banished. Step-sister. Fuck, my head was spinning. 

She took another step forward, her eyes never leaving Ravenna's. "But I can see you've landed on your feet. A fresh start. How wonderful. I'm sure your new pack is just thrilled to have you. They must be so grateful—no one could possibly compare to someone who defends themselves with such… finesse."

Zara paused for a moment, letting the silence hang, before letting out a soft, almost amused laugh. "You were always so good at making a scene. I suppose that's one talent you'll never lose." She let her gaze flicker over Ravenna, a smile curling at the edges of her lips. "But don't worry. We all wish you the best. After all, who wouldn't want to start fresh after being so gracefully shown the door?"

The whole pack was now quiet, everybody fixed on the drama. 

"Zara," Lucas said softly but his voice held a hint of warning. 

Zara snapped her head to him, her eyes like ice. She looked a little bit crazy. "Don't tell me you still have feelings for,"—her eyes roamed Ravenna's frame, and the hate in there was so bright— "her." 

So it would seem this Lucas and my Ravenna had a history. I had never wanted to stick a knife into someone more in my life before. 

Ravenna's hands had been trembling so badly from Zara's words but at the mention of Lucas still having feelings for her, they stopped shaking. And then she threw her head back and laughed.