After completing her medical studies, Raven is eager to become a healer in her native pack. But the jealous and cruel future Luna betrays her and exiles her. Forced to flee to save her life, Raven abandons everything... without knowing that she carries within her the heirs of a mysterious couple of Alphas with whom she shared a forbidden night under the last Blood Moon. Now alone and pregnant, she finds refuge in the Shattered Shadows pack, a feared territory where Kael, a fallen Alpha, feared by all, reigns. Kael is dangerous, broken, eaten away by a bloody past. But when Raven is forced to accept an alliance between their pack and a clan of renegades, she finds herself facing a secret bigger than herself. The Alphas who marked her destiny are not strangers... They are hunting her. They are asking for her. And Kael isn't about to let Raven go without a fight. She's not just a healer. She's the companion meant to break an empire...or rebuild it.
Chapter 1 Chapitre 1
The last wolf of the moon walked alone, his gaze fixed on the horizon. Raven felt tension fill her heart as she stood at the edge of the forest, her eyes fixed on her pack in the distance. It was a long-awaited return, but also a moment of unease she couldn't explain. She had just graduated from medical school, proud of what she had accomplished, ready to bring her knowledge and wisdom to her home pack, the Iron Wolves. But this wasn't how she imagined returning.
The first breezes of the evening blew through the trees, stirring the leaves like a rough sea, and Raven closed her eyes for a moment, inhaling the fresh air. The moon was slowly rising, drawing its silvery mantle above the sky. It was a moment of peace before the chaos that was coming.
Raven had never feared her place among her people. She knew that healing was a precious gift, a link between the wolf world and the human world. But there was something that changed the dynamics with each visit, a sense of friction in the air. And Raven had felt it from the moment she arrived. She didn't like the dull feeling that grew inside her as she approached the territory.
She hated this feeling of being watched. That cold, calculating look that reminded her of the jealousy of others. It was the same feeling she had perceived in the eyes of Emilia, the future Luna of the pack. A budding rivalry that she had not wanted to face, but that followed her, weighing her down with every step.
Emilia, she knew, didn't accept her place in the pack. Not only because Raven had been chosen as the healer, but also because the alpha of the pack, Corwin, seemed to have a special affection for her. It was something Raven had never sought to provoke, but it had always had repercussions she couldn't ignore.
She shook her head, trying to push the thought away, and focused on the road. The large wooden house that served as the pack's care center loomed before her. But immediately, the quiet of the scene was shattered. In the shadow of a tree, she saw the familiar figure of Dorian, one of the pack's lieutenants, watching her strangely.
"Raven," he said in a low voice. "You should know that this is not the time."
She stared at him, surprised by the intensity of his gaze. "Why? What's wrong?"
Dorian stepped forward slowly, his body tense, as if preparing to flee. "There are things you don't know, Raven. Things that... Emilia has manipulated."
Raven shivered. "Manipulated? What do you mean?"
Dorian bit his lip, looking nervous. "You haven't seen what's going on here. She's been telling Corwin... things about you. She's accusing you."
"Accuse? Of what?" Raven felt her heart race. "Accuse me of what?"
He lowered his head. "She said you were not worthy of the place you were offered. Let a stranger, an unknown, guide you. She insinuated things that... that raised doubts in the minds of the elders. They... they want you gone."
Shock hit her right in the heart. She couldn't believe it. Emilia, who always seemed like an ally, a friend... Manipulating like this? But why? What reason would she have to want to exile her?
"Dorian, you're lying," she whispered, but her voice lacked conviction.
"I swear it's not, Raven," he insisted. "The whispers are already there. Everything is already in place."
She shook her head, trying to clear the doubt. "It can't be. It's not her. Emilia is... Emilia..."
He stared at her, his dark eyes saying more than words could ever say. "You're wrong, Raven. Wolves talk. And the wolves in this pack see you as a threat."
A cold shiver ran down her spine. Dorian was right. She had never imagined this would happen. That a simple rivalry could become such a serious accusation. But she couldn't afford to give in to fear. She had to know more. She had to face this, and she had to face it now.
Without a word, she turned and hurried toward the medical center. Inside, the silence was heavy and oppressive. Most of the healers had left, their duties done for the day. Corwin wasn't there. But Emilia was.
Raven paused in the doorway for a moment. Emilia, dressed in her elegant dress, seemed to be waiting for her. She turned slowly, a cold smile on her lips.
"Ah, Raven," she said, her voice like velvet. "I see you've made the decision to come back after all. But it's too bad... There are changes that are deeper than we think."
"I don't understand," Raven replied, her voice cracking with tension. "Why accuse me? Why?"
Emilia stepped forward, her icy gaze never leaving Raven's. "Because you were a distraction. A weakness. Corwin, your dear friend, chose me to be Luna. And you are nothing more than a healer. You have no place here, Raven. The wolves have spoken."
Raven's blood ran cold in her veins. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. But Emilia was more confident than ever. Raven understood then that the accusations were only the beginning.
"You betrayed the pack," Emilia said, stepping closer. "I'm going to make sure you have no place here anymore. This territory is not yours."
The weight of his words weighed heavily on Raven, but she couldn't let it happen. She wasn't going to run away without understanding. But before she could answer, a shadow appeared at the entrance to the medical center. Another wolf, an imposing figure, slowly stepped forward, an intense gaze fixed on Raven.
"It's over," he whispered, his voice deep, seeming to envelop the air in an unmistakable menace. It was Corwin.
Raven felt her heart race. It was over. Everything was over.
"Raven, you must leave," he said in a calm but sharp voice. "Your presence is now a danger. You no longer have a place here."
The words hit Raven like punches. She took a step back, her breath coming in short gasps. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she shook them away. She couldn't cry. Not now. Not in front of them.
"I'm going to leave, but know one thing, Corwin," she said, her voice hard. "This is not the end. Not for me."
She turned on her heel, ready to flee. But deep inside her, a question lingered. Why was he betraying her like this? What was Emilia really hiding?
In that moment, Raven knew the truth wouldn't come easily. She had to run. Not to survive, but to discover what lay beneath the facade, beneath the lies. The Blood Moon was approaching, and an even darker truth was waiting to be revealed. But tonight, the young healer had no choice but to escape.
She ran into the night, without looking back, leaving behind everything she had known.
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