CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 16
Finally, after the long three-hour drive, we reached the destination. I don’t even know why Raven chose to isolate me. How will that help me? How the hell will that undo whatever is happening to me?

The car park and I realized we are in the middle of nowhere, so I was right, he is isolating me.

A big mansion-looking house sat in the middle of a forest clearing. We got out of the car and slowly went inside. I was losing energy as time went by, and I could feel my skin getting pale and cold. Raven’s second in command, Kai, stepped out first, scanning the treeline before moving to the back of the car.

Raven walked to the front door and squeezed the door handle. The door opened with a creak. It was pitch black inside, even though it was daytime. I shivered, clutching the blanket my mother had wrapped around me earlier. I was getting worse; I just felt like crawling under a rock and going to sleep. 

My skin felt clammy, my breath shallow. My whole body was shaking uncontrollably from feeling icy cold.

My mother stood at the front porch looking at me with sad eyes. She took her hand in mine. “This is where you’ll stay,” she said quietly. Her eyes were tired, the lines around them deeper than I remembered. “Just until you stabilize, I trust him to look after you.”

“Him?” I asked, though I already knew the answer to my question. Raven stood a few feet away, glancing over, probably annoyed too.
My mother gave me a faint smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “I’ll come back when it’s safe.”

“Wait—safe from who?” I asked, reaching for her sleeve. “What the fuck do you mean, Mom? That man is looking for me, what will you be hiding fr-”

She pulled me into a hug before I could finish. Her voice trembled when she said, “You’re changing faster than I expected. You need to be with people who can protect you.” Her voice trembled as she said that. I looked, annoyed that she’s giving me away to the same man who rejected me. 

He must think my mother doesn’t want me, I mean, what kind of mother could constantly leave her daughter with someone who doesn’t even like her?

“Fuck, mom. You can protect me; you can’t leave me with him. He hates me.” I said the last part with my teeth gritted together in a whisper. “Don’t think about any of that, think about recovering.” How the fuck will I not be thinking about him when he’s right here?

“Can you stop fucking cussing? I can hear your damn thoughts.” I stood there, shocked for a moment. Why didn’t she ever tell me she could do that? For a moment, as I observed her, I realized I don't really know who she is, I mean. I was motherless my whole life.

What if she is not who she says she is?. I’m not even sure if she is my birth mother; she might have secrets, maybe her being away from me is for my own good.

She turned to Raven, her tone suddenly sharp. “If anything happens to her—”
“It won’t,” he said, his voice steady, calm, cold. I wonder how many days I have to spend with a man with an icy heart.

She nodded once, and before I could say goodbye, she was gone. The sound of her magic faded into nothing, leaving me with more questions.

Kai looked at Raven. “I’ll patrol the perimeter.” Without waiting for an answer, he shifted, bones cracking, brown and red fur bursting through skin, and disappeared into the dark forest.

We walked inside the house in silence, the kind of silence that is loud and makes you feel uneasy, so uneasy you would appreciate anyone who breaks it. He turned on the lights and led me to the living room that had a fireplace. I instantly felt a bit happy to see it. 

I hugged the blanket around me tighter, feeling like it wasn’t even there as I sat down next to the unlit fireplace.

My teeth chattered uncontrollably. Raven crouched beside the pile of logs, striking a match. The flame flared, caught, and began to spread. The light flickered across his face, highlighting the hard lines of his jaw, the exhaustion behind his eyes.

“You should sit closer,” he said.
“I’m fine.” My voice came out rough and deep; that’s embarrassing, he must think I have the same deep voice as his.

He didn’t say anything in return, probably thinking he had better things to do than this. Instead, he tossed another log onto the flames and waited, his eyes catching the firelight.

Minutes passed in silence. The only sounds were the crackle of the fire and the rustling of the trees outside, swaying in the wind. Then he looked at me again, like he was debating whether to say something or not. “How are you feeling?”

I laughed softly, though there wasn’t anything to what he said. “Terrible.” My throat ached with the word. “And cold. I can’t stop shaking.” He reached over, his hand brushing mine. 

“I think because your father is a vampire, seeing him awakened a part of him in you. But I believe we can fight off,” he said, his tone gentle but edged with something I couldn’t name. “I hope it passes soon.”

The warmth of his touch hit me instantly. My skin stopped trembling, my heartbeat steadied. I could feel his heat oozing off him like basking in the sun. 

For a moment, I wanted to lean in. To forget everything and to relax in that warmth. But then the memories flooded my mind in a second.

“Why did you do it?” I whispered, my voice cracking. I hate digging up the past, but I couldn’t help myself. I had to ask him for the real reason.

“Why did you reject me?” His hand stilled as if I had caught him off guard with the question. 

“It never would’ve worked,” he said finally. His voice was quiet and firm, leaving no room for consideration. I could feel my body giving out at the idea of living my whole life without him.

“Why?” I asked. “Because I’m a witch?”
He looked away like the question was too painful for him. “Because I’m an Alpha. And you… You belong to a world that doesn’t mix with mine.” 

Is this man serious? I could feel myself boil over the ridiculous reasoning. I lived with him for weeks, and now he says our worlds don’t mix. I swallowed hard, blinking to stop the unshed tears burning my eyes. “You didn’t even try.”

He turned back to the fire. “Trying would’ve made it worse.” Those words were the last straw; he had been speaking without care about how I felt. I think I should just leave him alone and give him time to reflect.

I stood up so quickly that the blanket fell from my shoulders. “You don’t get to decide what’s worse for me,” I said. My voice was shaking, but that was the least of my problems. This man rejected me for no fucking reason. 

“You rejected me before you even knew me. Do you have any idea what that feels like?”His jaw tightened, but he didn’t speak. The silence stretched so long it started to hurt.

The bastard doesn’t have anything to say to me; an apology for inconsideration would’ve been nice. He can’t even fucking look at me.

“I feel better,” I lied, my voice low. I just wanted to get away from him. “I’ll go to my room.”

He didn’t stop me as I turned and walked away. My legs felt heavy, and the headache felt like I had been hit by a truck. The mansion was dim, smelling of pine and smoke. I found the room at the end of the hall on the second floor, pushed the door open, and stepped inside.

The bed looked neat and untouched, so nobody stays here. I sat on it, pulling my knees to my chest, my heart thudding loudly against my chest.

I don’t know how, but I could hear him moving around the fire downstairs. I thought about his voice, the way he said it, never would’ve worked. And I hated that part of me still hoped that he would change his mind about us. 

I pressed my face into the pillow, trying to breathe past the ache in my chest. But then his scent filled my nostrils even though I was all the way upstairs. The pain and void in my chest got worse knowing that I will never be able to lie on his chest and breathe in that scent.