Chapter 15

Lucian’s pov

“Darkroom” I roared, storming into the study where I had seen Raven go in last. There she was, seated beside the sprawling oak desk with a book open in front of her. The room was dimly lit, low lighting casting long shadows across the rows of ancient books lining the walls.

For some reason, she preferred to use her lantern to read instead of turning on the main light. Her eyes looked eerie in the golden light as she glanced up from the book.

"Alpha," she greeted smoothly, leaning back into her chair. "It's not often that you call me by my last name."

"And neither is it often that you go behind my back to do something that I would not agree to," I responded, annoyed.

"Would you mind telling me what you're talking about?"

I didn't respond immediately, letting my gaze sweep over the room as I tried to get a hold of my anger. I had a feeling I wouldn't feel this angry if Selene hadn't gotten hurt by Raven's reckless move.

"She got out," I said finally, my tone clipped.

She raised an eyebrow. "You're referring to Selene, I presume?"

"Don't play coy," I snapped. "Her door was left open and she could walk through it. That wouldn't happen without your interference."

Raven rose gracefully, smoothing the front of her dark robes with her hands. "Interference? I merely allowed her a moment of freedom. Don't you think she has earned that much?"

"We didn't agree on her earning any form of freedom," I snapped. "She's supposed to stay in her room until—"

"Until what? You get bored and decide to bring her to have dinner with you and send her back? You know she can't stay in there forever," Raven replied. "She's tied to you, Lucian."

I turned away immediately when she mentioned that. I hated being reminded of my bond with her.

"Her presence in this pack is not just about you—it's about the whole pack. She needs to be tested, strengthened, worthy of standing by your side."

I clenched my fists. "She has no need to stand by my side."

"If not that, then what about what's coming? If she's to survive it, she cannot stay cooped up in her room all the time. It's been three days since she was sent here, and since then she still hasn't fully recovered. It's from one unfortunate incident to another, showing you how much of a danger magnet that woman can be."

"Everything that happened to her, she brought upon herself," I cut in. "Even what happened today."

Raven stopped. "What happened?"

I crossed my arms and fixed her with a pointed look. "She was attacked because you left the door open and she got curious enough to step out."

"You see what I say? Danger magnet," she replied.

"But this time you were a part of it. Why couldn't you just let her stay in until she was fully recovered?"

"Coming here to scold me? I think you have a little girlfriend to scold. She knows the state of her health, and yet she took that risk. She should have been smarter than that."

"Don't you dare call her my girlfriend," I said in a dangerously low voice. I had a lot of respect for Raven, but sometimes she really got on my nerves, and I would hate to hurt her.

"Very well then. Well, it's something you have to start working on," she replied with a roll of her eyes.

I sighed. "We can continue this argument later. There was venom in Alphonso's claws when he scratched her."

Raven winced. "Oh, that's got to be painful. And deadly—that's why you need me."

"You're lucky I need you," I grumbled. "I might have gotten rid of you long ago if not—"

She laughed, shutting her book and placing it into the satchel slung over her shoulder. "You know everything I do is for your benefit. If you had sent me away, tell me who would have helped you interpret the prophecy that had you stumped?"

Now that was a good point. At the initial stage when the prophecy was brought forth, I had no idea what it meant, and neither did my elders' council. Though everybody had their own speculations, it was Raven who stepped forward with the interpretation, earning even more of the respect I had for her.

She moved past me towards the door, her tone shifting to something more clinical. "That venom could be deadly, especially if she's left for a long amount of time in that room. We might want to consider activating her powers again."

"That is only possible if she's outside of her room," I pointed out.

She stopped for a while, thinking. "Very well then, let's see what I can do while she's still in. Hopefully it's not a very critical case yet."

"You'll do this," I said, following her, "but this conversation is not yet over."

She stopped in her tracks and turned to face me. "Oh really? Do enlighten me then."

"You are not allowed to make decisions without my knowledge. Selene is under my control, not yours, so you cannot interfere unless I say so."

The corners of her lips lifted with a slight smile. "Control? You're really fond of that, Alpha. Well, I'm not undermining your authority; however, you might want to consider giving her a little more breathing space."

"Cages have a way of breaking people, you know, and broken things—well, they just shut down. They don't function properly."

I narrowed my eyes, letting the weight of her words settle in my chest. "So what are you suggesting?"

"Freedom—a bit of it, not totally. Just so that she could feel less trapped. She will resist less if you loosen the leash, so to speak."

I tilted my head, considering what she said. The thought of granting Selene a bit more freedom did not sit very well with me. If I had my way, she would be in her room forever.

But this was real life, and I did not have my way. The alternative was to let her rebellion and defiance grow—that was not appealing either.

"You heal her first, and we will talk about this later," I concluded.

Raven gave me a triumphant smile like she knew she had already won the argument and started walking again.