Raven barely slept. Hunter's words kept spinning in her mind: "What if I told you I know exactly who did?"
Could he really know who killed Alpha Marcus? Or was it just a trick to make her talk?
Morning came with a shaft of sunlight through the tiny window and the sounds of the Bloodfang Pack starting their day. Voices called to each other, doors opened and closed, and the smell of cooking food made Raven's stomach growl.
The cell door opened, and a young man with light brown hair entered carrying a tray.
"Breakfast," he said, sliding it through a slot in the bars. "Alpha's orders."
The tray held eggs, toast, and a cup of coffee. Real food—not prison slop.
"Thank you," Raven said, eyeing him curiously. "You're not scared I'll attack you?"
The young man snorted. "If you're dumb enough to attack someone in the Alpha's compound, you deserve whatever happens next."
Fair point. Raven took a bite of toast. "What's your name?"
"Nate. I'm the pack doctor." He studied her with kind eyes. "You don't look like a killer."
"I'm not," Raven said firmly.
Nate shrugged. "Alpha wants to see you after you eat. I'd hurry if I were you. He hates waiting."
After he left, Raven wolfed down the food, her mind racing. What would Hunter ask her? What did he know? And most importantly—was he planning to turn her in for the reward?
Twenty minutes later, Scar-face came to fetch her. He opened the cell door but kept a tight grip on her arm.
"Try to run, and I'll break both your legs," he growled.
"Charming," Raven muttered.
He marched her to the largest building in the compound. Inside, it looked surprisingly modern—polished wood floors, comfortable furniture, and large windows letting in plenty of light.
Scar-face knocked on a heavy wooden door.
"Enter," came Hunter's deep voice.
The office they stepped into was spacious and neat. Maps covered one wall, with pins marking territories and boundaries. Bookshelves lined another wall, filled with old leather-bound volumes. Hunter sat behind a large desk, looking over papers.
He glanced up as they entered, his icy blue eyes landing on Raven.
"Leave us, Damon," he said to Scar-face.
So Scar-face had a name. Damon hesitated. "Alpha, are you sure—"
"Now." Hunter's voice held a warning that made Damon quickly bow his head and leave.
When the door closed, Hunter gestured to a chair across from his desk. "Sit."
Raven sat, back straight, chin up. She wouldn't show fear, even though her heart was pounding.
"Sleep well?" Hunter asked, his tone mocking.
"Wonderfully," Raven shot back. "Your cryptic comments made excellent lullabies."
A hint of a smile touched his lips. "Most prisoners don't talk to me like that."
"Most prisoners probably die too quickly to say much at all."
This time, Hunter actually chuckled. The sound was surprisingly warm, at odds with his cold eyes. "You've heard stories about me."
"Everyone has. Hunter Draven, the merciless Alpha who kills first and asks questions never."
"Yet here you are, very much alive and asking plenty of questions." Hunter leaned back in his chair. "I wonder why that is."
Raven swallowed. "You said you know who killed Alpha Marcus."
"I said 'what if.' But you're right to focus on that." Hunter stood and walked to the window, looking out at his pack's compound. "The Mooncrest Pack has put a price on your head. Fifty thousand dollars for your return."
Raven's stomach dropped. "Are you going to collect?"
Hunter turned, fixing her with those piercing eyes. "I could. It would be the simple solution."
"But?"
"But I'm curious why Lady Seraphina wants you so badly." He moved closer, studying her face. "What makes you special, Raven Silversong?"
"Nothing," Raven insisted. "I'm just an Omega. I was close to Alpha Marcus, but that's all."
"How close?" Hunter's voice held a strange edge.
Raven frowned. "Not like that. He was like a father to me. My parents died when I was young, and he took me in, gave me a place in the pack."
"Yet his mate's son, Kieran, is the one who accused you of murder."
The mention of Kieran's name sent a jolt of pain through Raven's heart. "Kieran and I were... friends once."
"More than friends, according to my sources." Hunter's eyes narrowed. "Until recently, when he became engaged to Elara Stormshade."
Raven flinched. How did he know so much about her?
"That's pack politics," she said stiffly. "It has nothing to do with Alpha Marcus's death."
"Doesn't it?" Hunter returned to his desk, picking up a folder. "Three days ago, Alpha Marcus was found stabbed through the heart. You were discovered holding him, covered in blood. But before anyone else arrived, someone saw a figure leaving his cabin. Someone who wasn't you."
Raven's heart jumped. "Yes! That's what I've been saying! Someone else was there!"
"The witness has vanished," Hunter continued. "And Lady Seraphina quickly took control, named you the killer, and sent hunters after you. Interesting timing, wouldn't you say?"
"What are you suggesting?"
Hunter tossed the folder on the desk. "I'm suggesting that Alpha Marcus's death is part of something bigger. Something that involves more than just the Mooncrest Pack."
For the first time, Raven noticed the dark circles under Hunter's eyes, the tension in his shoulders. He wasn't just interrogating her—he was worried about something.
"The attacks," she whispered, remembering the outline from her own pack meetings. "The rogue wolves working with humans."
Hunter's eyes sharpened. "What do you know about that?"
"Only rumors. Alpha Marcus mentioned strange occurrences—wolves going missing, territories being challenged. He was investigating something."
"And then he died," Hunter said flatly. "Convenient."
A knock at the door interrupted them. Hunter called for them to enter, and a tall woman with black hair streaked with silver stepped in.
"Alpha, they're here," she said, her voice grave.
Hunter's expression hardened. "Already? Put them in the meeting hall. I'll be there shortly."
The woman glanced at Raven with open suspicion before leaving.
"Who's here?" Raven asked, feeling dread pool in her stomach.
Hunter studied her for a long moment. "Representatives from the Mooncrest Pack. They've come for you."
Raven shot to her feet, panic flooding her veins. "You're giving me to them? After everything I just told you?"
"I haven't decided yet," Hunter said coolly.
"They'll kill me!" Raven's voice cracked. "Or worse—Lady Seraphina will use me to hide what really happened to Alpha Marcus!"
Something flashed in Hunter's eyes—something that might have been sympathy, or maybe just calculation.
"There's one way to prove your story," he said slowly.
"How?"
"Tell me who the witness was. The one who saw the real killer."
Raven hesitated. She'd been protecting this secret, afraid it would put more lives at risk. But now she had no choice.
"It was Lily," she whispered. "Alpha Marcus's youngest daughter. She was hiding outside his window. She saw everything."
Hunter went very still. "Lily is in hiding?"
"Yes. I helped her escape before Lady Seraphina could find her. She's safe, but I don't know where."
For several moments, Hunter was silent, his face unreadable. Then he walked to the door. "Wait here."
"Wait—what are you going to do?" Raven called, but he was already gone.
Alone in his office, Raven paced nervously. Mooncrest wolves were here—for her. Would Hunter hand her over? Use her as a bargaining chip? Or believe her story?
Ten minutes later, the door opened again. But it wasn't Hunter who entered.
Raven's blood turned to ice as she found herself face to face with piercing green eyes she knew all too well.
"Hello, Raven," said Kieran Moonshadow, his handsome face twisted with an emotion she couldn't read. "Did you really think you could run forever?"
Behind him stood a woman with platinum blonde hair and a cold smile—Elara Stormshade, his fiancée.
And between them, looking small and scared, was Lily.