Chapter 99

Chapter 99
Raven’s POV

The lights of the anniversary party shimmer like tiny stars scattered across the courtyard. Music flows around us, warm and steady, the kind that makes your heart thump in time with the drums. People laugh, clink glasses, dance. Everything smells like roasted meat, flowers, and joy.

But my mind keeps drifting back to the couple Caleb introduced me to, Mr. and Mrs. Jones.

I can still feel Mrs. Jones’ trembling hands on my arms. I can still see the way her eyes filled with tears the moment she looked at me. The grief in her voice… the way she held me like she’d been waiting to touch me for years.

That pain stayed with me.

Caleb squeezes my hand again, as if he knows exactly what I’m thinking.

“Hey,” he whispers beside me. “You okay?”

I nod slowly. “I just… I didn’t expect that. She looked at me like she’d known me once.”

Caleb hums softly. “She misses her daughter. You gave her a moment of comfort, even if it hurt too.”

Something warm fills my stomach at his words.

“You always make things sound gentler,” I murmur.

“That’s because you make the world gentler,” he responds, tugging me closer until my shoulder rests against his chest.

I’m about to tease him for being cheesy when a lively song begins, and some pack members rush to the dance floor, laughter erupts, someone raises their drink. The atmosphere brightens like someone turned a switch.

Caleb looks at me, a playful spark in his eyes.

“No,” I say instantly.

“I didn’t say anything,” he smirks.

“You were thinking it.”

“I think many things about you,” he leans in, voice low, “and dancing with you is the least dangerous one.”

I swat his arm, laughing despite myself.

He stands and offers me his hand. “Come on, just one dance.”

I hesitate only a moment, because he looks so damn hopeful, before taking his hand.

The moment he pulls me into the center of the dance floor, the crowd parts as if they’ve been expecting us. Wolves always sense energy, and right now Caleb is practically glowing. His presence fills every inch around us.

He wraps an arm around my waist, his other hand holding mine. I rest my free hand on his shoulder.

“Relax,” he murmurs into my ear. “It’s just me.” I never thought my life would be this way ever.

The man who saw me broken, who held me when I forgot him, who didn’t hesitate to protect me even when I arrived in his arms naked and shaking. The man who almost proposed to me tonight, though he thinks I don’t know. I saw the little velvet box and my heart froze, I waited but then I remembered his look when I told him I wasn't ready to be a mother so I guess he thought I wasn't ready to be a wife either.

The song shifts into something slower, and for a moment we simply sway, our bodies moving as though they’ve known each other for centuries.

“You look beautiful tonight,” he whispers.

“And you’re staring again.”

“I’m allowed,” he grins.

I roll my eyes but I can’t deny the way my cheeks heat under his gaze. He kisses my temple as we turn, and without meaning to, I sag against him. His warmth surrounds me. His scent anchors me. For the first time in two years, I feel whole.

But then… Something prickles along the back of my neck. A sensation , too sharp, too cold. My wolf stiffens instantly sensing danger, more like a presence like someone watching from the shadows.

Caleb feels the shift in me, his grip tightens. “Raven?” I swallow, eyes lifting, scanning the crowd.

Smiling faces, dancing bodies and lughter, nothing seems to be out of place.

But then, I see a flicker near the treeline, just a shadow though it disappears before I can fully register it.

My breath hitches, unease crawling up my spine.

“Raven.” Caleb cups my face gently. “Talk to me.”

I breathe out heavily. “I… thought I saw something.” My heart thumping so hard, I can't have another row of attacks. I can't, I don't think my heart can handle it.

His expression darkens, instantly alert. “Where?”

“Near the trees, it might’ve been nothing, though I don’t really know." I say, I don't want to ruin his time here so I try to brush it away. Maybe it's just my fear getting the better of me. Maybe I'm too used to chaos.

Caleb doesn’t dismiss it though, he never dismisses my instincts.

“Stay close to me,” he murmurs. “If anything feels wrong, we leave." He says firmly and I just nod.

But the strange part? As the song ends and people start clapping, I catch sight of Mr. and Mrs. Jones returning to their seats. From another direction, they weren't on the dancefloor.

Mrs. Jones looks at me again, but this time… It isn’t grief, its something deeper, something I can't decipher.

She just stands there, eyes locked on mine, tears spilling silently down her cheeks, and Mr. Jones looks pale. With one last look, they turn away from the party. I want to run after them but my feet don't allow me.

Caleb steps protectively in front of me. “What’s wrong baby?” He asks his face full of concern. I'm not going to ruin this night for either of us, so I just shake my head.

"It's nothing, I'm just being paranoid, let's continue dancing." I say wrapping my hands around his neck. We'll worry about all that tomorrow.