Raven's POV
The power flowing through me is terrifying and exhilarating at the same time.
Both Alphas kneel before me—Caspian with shock written across his face, Kieran with something that looks like satisfaction. The fire in my room has frozen mid-spread, flames suspended unnaturally like someone pressed pause on reality.
"What..." Caspian gasps. "What did you just do?"
I don't know. I have no idea what I just did or how I did it.
The voice in my head is gone. The power is fading. My legs start to shake.
"Raven!" Kieran lunges forward, catching me as I collapse. "Easy. First awakening is always the hardest."
"Don't touch her!" Caspian struggles to stand, fighting against whatever force is keeping him down.
"I just saved her life," Kieran snaps. "You're welcome, by the way."
Footsteps thunder in the corridor. Shouts. Guards coming.
Kieran looks at me, his amber eyes intense. "Last chance. Come with me now, or stay and let them turn you into their weapon."
"She's not going anywhere with you!" Caspian finally breaks free of my power, launching himself at Kieran.
They crash into each other. Real fighting this time—brutal, vicious, no holding back.
I stumble toward the door, my head spinning—
And run straight into Magnus.
The Alpha stands in the doorway with a dozen warriors behind him. His eyes take in the scene: the frozen fire, Isla unconscious on the floor, two Alphas fighting over me.
"Seize the rogue," he orders coldly.
Warriors flood in. Kieran fights like a demon, but there are too many. They drag him down, silver chains wrapping around his wrists.
"You're making a mistake," Kieran growls at Magnus. "She's more powerful than you realize. And when she fully awakens, she'll destroy you all."
"Take him to the dungeons." Magnus dismisses him like garbage. Then his eyes find me. "As for you, Miss Thorne... we need to have a serious discussion about your new abilities."
I'm so tired. So confused. I can barely stand.
"Father, she needs rest—" Caspian starts.
"She needs control." Magnus's smile is cold. "And I know exactly how to provide it."
They don't take me to the dungeons.
They take me to the medical wing—a sterile white room that smells like antiseptic and fear.
Dr. Thorne waits with equipment I don't recognize. Monitors. Wires. Restraints.
"No," I back away. "No, I'm not—"
Guards grab me. Strap me into a chair. I struggle, but I'm too weak from using power I don't understand.
"This is for your own good," Magnus says. "And the pack's safety."
"This is torture!"
"This is treatment." Dr. Thorne approaches with a needle. "You manifested dangerous abilities tonight, Miss Thorne. We need to understand them. Control them."
"You mean control me!"
The needle pierces my skin. Cold liquid floods my veins.
Everything goes fuzzy.
I wake to voices arguing.
"—barbaric! You can't just experiment on her!"
"I can do whatever is necessary to protect this pack!"
Caspian and Magnus. Fighting about me. Again.
I try to open my eyes. Can't. Try to move. Can't.
"The treatments are working," Dr. Thorne's voice. "Her power levels are stabilizing. If we continue the proximity sessions combined with the sedatives—"
"Sedatives?" Caspian sounds horrified. "You're drugging her?"
"Calming her," Magnus corrects. "Making her manageable."
Manageable. Like I'm an animal.
Rage burns through the drug-induced fog, but I still can't move.
"I won't allow this," Caspian says.
"You don't have a choice, son. As Alpha, I decide what's best for the pack. And what's best is ensuring that omega's power serves us—not destroys us."
Footsteps fade. A door closes.
Someone sits beside me. A hand takes mine—Caspian's hand, warm and shaking.
"I'm sorry," he whispers. "I'm so sorry, Raven. I'll find a way to stop this. I promise."
But his promises mean nothing.
I sink back into darkness.
When I finally wake fully, I'm in a different room. Still medical, but smaller. A single chair across from a monitoring station.
Dr. Thorne smiles at me. "Good morning, Miss Thorne. How are you feeling?"
Like I've been hit by a truck. "Let me go."
"Soon. First, we have your session." He checks his clipboard. "Starting today, you'll spend one hour daily in proximity to Caspian. We'll monitor how your presence affects his vital signs and power stability."
"I'm not a treatment!"
"You're exactly that." He says it kindly, like he's explaining something simple to a child. "Your abilities can save this pack. All you have to do is sit quietly and let nature take its course."
"And if I refuse?"
"Then you'll be sedated until you cooperate." Still smiling. Still kind. "It's your choice, really."
No. It's not a choice. It's an ultimatum.
The door opens. Caspian enters, looking like he hasn't slept. His eyes find mine immediately, full of guilt and pain.
"Raven—"
"Don't," I cut him off. "Don't say you're sorry. Don't pretend you're not part of this."
"I'm not! I tried to stop my father—"
"Tried isn't good enough!" My voice cracks. "I'm being drugged and experimented on, and you're just... letting it happen!"
"Excellent," Dr. Thorne interrupts cheerfully. "Already elevated emotional response. That should make the readings more interesting. Now, if you'll both sit..."
He gestures to two chairs positioned close together—too close.
Caspian sits reluctantly. I have no choice but to follow.
The moment we're both seated, Dr. Thorne starts connecting monitors to Caspian. Heart rate. Blood pressure. Brain activity. A strange device that supposedly measures "power fluctuations."
"Now," Dr. Thorne says, "I need you both to remain still for the next hour. Try to relax."
Relax. While imprisoned. While being used as medicine.
Sure.
Time crawls. I stare at the wall, refusing to look at Caspian even though I can feel his eyes on me constantly.
The monitors beep steadily. Dr. Thorne hums, pleased with whatever he's seeing.
"Remarkable," he murmurs. "Your presence drops his stress hormones by forty percent. Power stability increases by sixty. Absolutely remarkable."
"Glad I'm useful," I say bitterly.
"You have no idea how useful," Dr. Thorne agrees, missing my sarcasm entirely. "With regular sessions, we could stabilize the entire pack's bond structure. You're a medical miracle, Miss Thorne."
"I'm a person."
"Of course you are." Pat on my shoulder like I'm a good dog. "A very special person."
Caspian shifts in his chair. "Can I talk to her? Privately?"
"Absolutely not. Any emotional upset could skew the readings."
So we sit in silence. An hour of being studied like a lab rat while the man who destroyed me watches with guilty eyes.
Finally, mercifully, it ends.
"Excellent first session!" Dr. Thorne announces. "Same time tomorrow. You're both dismissed."
I bolt from the chair and head for the door.
"Raven, wait—" Caspian grabs my arm.
I spin on him, yanking free. "You want to help me? Really help me?"
"Yes. Anything."
"Then let me go. Tell your father to release me. Stop this insanity."
Pain flashes across his face. "I can't. The pack needs—"
"The pack." I laugh bitterly. "Always the pack. Never me. Never what I need or want. Just what serves everyone else."
"That's not fair—"
"Nothing about this is fair!" I'm shouting now, months of pain exploding. "You rejected me! Destroyed me! And now I'm being drugged and experimented on to fix your mistakes! How is any of that fair?"
He has no answer. Just guilt and helplessness.
I leave him standing there and return to my beautiful prison.
That night, I lie awake, staring at the ceiling.
Tomorrow, another session. Another hour being studied. Another day as their tool.
How long can I survive this? How long before I break completely?
I'm still wrestling with those questions when I hear scratching at my window—softer than before, almost gentle.
I open it. Another black raven. Another note.
They're breaking you slowly. But I can stop it. I've allied with someone inside the pack—someone who wants Magnus gone as much as I do. Someone who can get you out.
Trust will come tomorrow during your session. When the door opens, run. Don't question. Don't hesitate. Just run.
Your real awakening is coming, little Primordial. And when it does, they'll all kneel.
- K
I burn the note immediately, my heart racing.
An ally inside the pack? Who? And can I really trust Kieran?
I don't know. Don't know anything anymore.
But tomorrow during my session, a door will open.
And I'll have to decide—stay in my cage, or risk everything for freedom.
I'm still trying to decide when the connecting door opens.
Caspian stands there in sleep clothes, his hair messy, his eyes desperate.
"I heard your heart racing," he says quietly. "Couldn't sleep. Are you... are you okay?"
"No," I answer honestly. "I'm not okay. I'm never going to be okay again."
He steps into my room—just one step, like he's afraid to come closer.
"I'm going to fix this," he promises. "I don't know how yet, but I will. I'll find a way to free you from my father's control. To give you real choices."
"Why should I believe you?"
"Because..." He takes a shaky breath. "Because I love you, Raven. I've loved you since the moment the mate bond snapped into place. And I'm going to spend the rest of my life proving it—even if you never forgive me."
Before I can respond, an explosion rocks the estate.
The walls shake. Alarms wail. Shouting erupts everywhere.
Caspian runs to the window. His face goes white.
"No. No, that's impossible—"
"What?" I demand.
He turns to me, his eyes full of terror.
"Kieran escaped. And he's not alone." His voice drops to a horrified whisper. "He's brought an army."