Mated To The Alpha King (Raven and Ethan) novel Chapter 187

Chapter 187

Chapter 187

Raven’s Pov

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The first light of morning slipped through the thin curtains in Matthew’s

apartment.

The room was quiet, too quiet, and it made me feel heavy inside. My body ached because I had spent the whole night turning from side to side, unable to sleep.

Just when I finally started to drift off, the sharp ringing of my phone broke the silence.

I groaned and reached out with a weak hand, knocking over a book before I found the phone on the small table.

The screen glowed bright with two scary words: Unknown Number.

My heart jumped. Unknown numbers always made me nervous. For a second, I thought of Alpha Ethan. Could it be him? My stomach twisted into a knot. If it was Ethan, I knew it would not be good news.

I threw the phone back on the table and pulled a pillow over my head. Let it ring, I told myself. Whoever it was could wait.

But the phone did not stop. The sound kept buzzing and buzzing, drilling into my ears until I thought I would scream.

“Pick it up,” my wolf whispered inside me. Her voice was calm, but strong.

“What if it’s him?” I whispered back, my throat tight with fear.

“Then at least you will know. Do not let fear make your choice.”

I closed my eyes. She was right, even if I didn’t want to hear it. My hand shook as I

the phone again. I pressed the button and slowly raised it to my ear.

picked up

“Hello?” My voice cracked, soft and weak.

At first, there was only silence. Then a woman’s voice came through, smooth but sharp, filled with

anger.

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Chapter 187

“Who is this?” I asked quickly, sitting up straighter in bed.

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“I should be asking you,” she said coldly. “But let’s not play games. I’m Beta Matthew’s mate.”

The air left my lungs. My whole body froze. “What?” I whispered.

“Yes,” she said again, slower this time, like she wanted to stab me with every word. “His mate.”

I gripped the phone so tightly my fingers hurt. Matthew’s mate? But… he never told me. Not once. My mind raced in circles. My heart beat so loudly I could hardly hear anything else.

“Is something wrong? Is Matthew hurt? Did something happen to him?” My words tumbled out fast, full of panic.

She laughed, but it was not a nice laugh. It was cruel. “Hurt? No. Don’t think so highly of yourself. He’s fine. I only called to warn you.”

“Warn me?” I asked, confused. “Warn me about what?“.

“Stay. Away. From. My. Mate.” She dragged the words slowly, like poison.

My lips shook. “But we are only friends,” I said quickly. “Matthew and I are just friends. Nothing more.”

“Friends?” she spat, full of disbelief. “Friends don’t live in each other’s apartments. Friends don’t depend on each other like you do. Don’t lie to me.”

I wanted to explain.

I wanted to tell her that I had nowhere else to go. That Matthew had been kind when no one else cared. But she didn’t give me the chance.

“I don’t care what excuse you have,” she snapped. “If you don’t leave my mate alone, I’ll make you regret it. Do you understand? You will regret it.”

And then she hung up.

I stayed frozen, the phone still pressed to my ear though the call was over.

15:07 Sat, Sep 6

Chapter 187

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Her voice echoed in my head again and again: Stay away from my mate. I’ll make you regret it.

My hand shook as I lowered the phone to the bed. My whole body trembled as if I had just stared into death’s eyes. I lay back on the mattress, staring at the ceiling, too shocked to move.

“I can’t keep living like this,” I whispered.

My wolf whimpered inside me, sharing my pain.

“What if she means it?” I asked softly. “What if she really hurts me?”

Fear crawled through me like fire. I knew women like her didn’t make empty threats. Her tone was sharp and serious. If she came for me, what would I do? I had already lost so much.

Tears filled my eyes, but I forced them back. No. Not this time. I couldn’t cry. Not

now.

For a moment, I thought about calling Matthew. Maybe he could explain. Maybe he could tell me why his mate had just threatened me. But my hand froze before touching the phone again.

What good would it do? If she found out, she would think I was desperate. She would think I was trying to steal him. And I wasn’t that kind of woman. I couldn’t afford to look weak.

“No,” I whispered firmly, shaking my head. “No more leaning on someone else. I have to stand on my own now.”

The words felt strange, heavy, but I repeated them again, louder this time. “I have to stand on my own.”

Matthew had been my safe place, yes. But he was not mine to keep. If I kept depending on him, I would never break free from this pain and shame.

The first step was clear: find work. A job that would let me take care of myself so no one could say I was living off them.

The second step: find a home.

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Chapter 187

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My own place. A small apartment, even if it wasn’t fancy. Somewhere no one could drag me out or accuse me of things I didn’t do.

My fists clenched tightly as I made my decision. I couldn’t be the weak, broken Raven everyone saw. I had to prove to myself, to the world that I could survive.

But even as I tried to hold on to that spark of hope, a darker thought whispered inside me.

What if Matthew’s mate came for me before I even had the chance to change?

I stared at the shadows on the ceiling, my body still trembling.

“It starts today,” I whispered to myself, forcing strength into the words.

And with that, I knew there was no turning back.