Chapter 9 Raspberries

Chapter 9 Raspberries


Serena

"I want her cleaned, fed, and brought to my tent," he said. "Now."

His voice echoed like thunder in the silence.

The rogues didn’t speak. They didn’t move. They only watched as Xavier—their Alpha, their king—turned and walked away through the crowd. His tall frame moved with calm authority, his dark cloak trailing behind like shadows themselves bowed to him.

No one dared stand in his way. They parted like the sea, eyes down, bodies tense.

He didn’t look back.

But I felt his gaze.

The way his eyes had scanned me—like I wasn’t just some beaten wolf or broken girl—but something rare. Something dangerous.

Or something precious.

My skin still tingled from where he’d touched my face. My cheek burned where he’d wiped away the blood. There was something in his touch I couldn’t explain.

Something that made my heart stutter.

But I wasn’t safe.

I knew that much.

This wasn’t rescue.

It was ownership.

I’m still a prisoner. Just in a different cage.

They dragged me to a tent at the edge of the camp. Inside, it was warm but smelled of herbs and smoke. That’s where I met her—Karla, the head maid. An older woman, wiry and hunched, with sharp eyes like a hawk and a mouth that seemed permanently twisted in a scowl.

“Oh, so you’re the one the Alpha wants.” She spat near my feet, then scowled harder. “Should’ve let Kai kill you. Would’ve been quicker.”

I froze.

She leaned in close, voice low and bitter. “You think you’re lucky? Foolish girl. You’ll wish you died by morning.”

I wanted to argue. Scream. Tell her to back off.

But I couldn’t even stand.

“Clean her,” Karla snapped at the other maids. “Scrub her good. Alpha doesn’t like other scents on his things.”

My heart dropped.

Things.

They didn’t see me as a person.

Just a possession.

Karla narrowed her eyes at me again, nose twitching like she was sniffing me. “This one reeks... Three?”

Three what?

“She has three scents on her.” She muttered to herself. “How strange... Alpha will not like that.”

Wait.

Can she smell the triplets' pheromones on me?

No. That’s impossible. That bond was never fully completed.

Was it?

I was too weak to stop the maids. They stripped me and dumped me in a large metal tub filled with lukewarm water. I cried out as the heat hit my wounds, but no one cared. They scrubbed my skin with harsh soaps, scraping dirt and dried blood from my back, legs, arms.

My leg, the one injured, was bandaged afterward—roughly but with decent care. One maid even gave me clothes that weren’t rags: a soft, dark shirt that smelled faintly of herbs and leather.

Food was brought. Not much—just a small loaf, some salted meat, and water—but it was more than I’d eaten in nearly a week. My stomach groaned as I devoured it.

The warmth in my belly made me drowsy. My eyelids drooped.

But I stayed alert.

I saw Kai through a slit in the tent, pacing like a caged animal. His fists were clenched. His face red with rage. He wanted me dead—badly.

And then I saw it.

He raised his hand to strike one of the maids near him.

But he never got the chance.

“Maintain yourself,” Xavier’s voice cut through the air like a blade.

Kai froze mid-swing. His hand dropped.

His lips curled into a snarl—but he obeyed.

For now.

I didn’t see Xavier after that, not for a while. They left me alone in the corner of the camp, under watch. But then, as the sun began to set, two guards came to collect me.

“Time to meet the king,” one of them said, grabbing my arm.

My heart pounded.

They led me toward the largest tent at the center. It was dark red, and rimming woth aura.

“He hunts once a month,” one guard whispered to the other. “Goes out, finds the worst of ‘em, brings 'em back dead.”

“Tomorrow’s the full moon. The other rogues will return.”

“I heard he once killed an Alpha with his bare hands.”

They stopped talking when I turned to look at them.

I stood at the entrance, breathing hard.

Be calm, I told myself. You’ve faced worse.

But I didn’t believe that.

Nothing felt worse than this.

Still, I lifted my chin and stepped inside.

The tent was big. Dark, but clean, at the far end was a low bed made of furs, thick blankets, and heavy pillows. Weapons lined one wall—daggers, guns, swords, snipers, spears. A single torch lit the space, casting golden shadows.

He sat in a chair by the fire.

Xavier.

He didn’t stand. Didn’t speak.

Just stared.

I took a shaky breath.

“I have something for you." I said quietly.

The guards behind me hesitated.

“Leave us,” I added. Trying to bargain my life.

He raised an eyebrow, clearly amused.

But then he nodded.

The guards stepped out.

Now it was just me and him.

Alone.

“What’s your name?” he asked suddenly, voice deep but calm.

I swallowed.

“Serena. Serena Blackwood.”

The name hung in the air.

He blinked.

And then, something changed.

His gaze sharpened.

He stood slowly, his tall form towering over me. Every step he took toward me made my skin buzz.

“Blackwood?” he said, almost to himself. “I’ve heard that name before…”

His eyes narrowed. "Blackwood, meaning Marcus is not?”

I cut him off stiffly. “...my father, yes.”

He didn’t respond right away. His head tilted slightly, as if thinking hard. Then he took a deep breath, and I saw it—just a flicker in his eyes. His wolf.

He stepped even closer. His nostrils flared.

“You smell… strange,” he muttered.

My pulse spiked.

He sniffed again, this time deeper.

My breath caught in my throat.

“Three,” he said.

“What?”

“There are three… male scents tangled in yours.”

My mouth opened, but nothing came out.

“I know those bonds. Mating pheromones. Faint, but strong enough to notice.”

“I—” My voice shook. “It’s complicated.”

His eyes darkened, not in anger, but in curiosity. He looked almost… intrigued.

He took one more step toward me, until we were just a foot apart.

His voice dropped to a whisper. “Who are you really?”

I backed away slightly, but he followed.

“You’re not just some wandering pack wolf,” he said. “Not with this scent. Not with this presence.”

“I was banished,” I murmured. “I’m nothing now.”

He didn’t believe that. I could see it.

Suddenly, he stopped.

His nose twitched again.

“…raspberries,” he said.

I blinked. “What?”

He closed his eyes, inhaling like he was trying to memorize the scent.

“Your scent… it’s like fresh raspberries in rain.”

That… was new.

I didn’t know what to say. No one said my pheromones was like raspberries. Not even the triplets.

He opened his eyes. They glowed faintly gold now. His wolf was close to the surface.

And then—

He touched my hand.

The moment his fingers brushed mine, a jolt raced through my body. Like lightning. My knees buckled.

His head jerked slightly.

He felt it too.

“Something’s wrong,” he whispered.

His voice sounded different. Like someone else was speaking through him.

“I shouldn’t feel this.”

My lips parted.

“What are you—”

He took another step closer.

And then, slowly, carefully—

Xavier knelt in front of me.

He looked up, eyes glowing fully now.

His voice was soft, but it vibrated through me like thunder.

“Tell me… who are you really?”

I froze.

His hand reached up, gently brushing a strand of hair behind my ear.

And then I felt it.

A pull. A hum in my blood. My wolf rising, struggling to reach the surface.

And his wolf—

It tried to break through.

The energy in the air shifted. His scent wrapped around me. Warm. Intoxicating.

And so familiar.

His eyes widened, a growl forming in his throat.

I trembled.

“Scent… good,” he murmured. “Raspberries. My favorite…”

His hand grazed my cheek.

That’s when it happened.

Sparks.

Electric. Intense. Spreading from his touch into my skin, my bones, my soul.

I gasped.

My knees gave out.

And just as I collapsed, the world spun—

And everything went black.

What on earth is happening to me?