Mated To The Alpha King (Raven and Ethan) novel Chapter 248

Chapter 248

Reven’s POV

I know I didn’t belong here.

I told him that, my voice attempting to remain calm even though fear crawled beneath my skin like sharp needles. My paws were still planted on the soft carth, my wolf form trembling slightly as my eyes stared into his the eyes of a stranger, an Alpha I didn’t know.

“I asked you what you were doing here,” he repeated, his voice firm. His tall frame stood inches me, the scent of dominance rolling off him like shadows in the night.

away

from

I swallowed hard, or at least tried to, because in this form, fear was louder in my mind than in my throat. I ran. I ran and forgot where I was going. The words spilled from me through the mind link, shaky and low.

“I ran because I was angry… and I didn’t realize I had gone this far.”

Alpha Caleb stepped closer, just a tiny shift, but it felt like he was invading my skin. He inhaled deeply, as if taking in my scent would help him understand me better. His jaw tightened, and suddenly he stepped back like he had touched fire.

His blue eyes darkened.

“Shift back,” he said, no room for argument in his tone.

I shook my wolf head stubbornly.

I can’t.

“Why?” His brows furrowed.

The embarrassment hit first. Hard.

Because… I don’t have clothes with me, I responded reluctantly.

For a moment, the Alpha just stared at me, then a slow smirk crawled onto his lips, dangerous and teasing.

“And when,” he asked, brow lifted, “did I say I wanted to see you nude?”

My wolf ears flattened. My heart jumped. Before I could respond, he turned away, picked something up from

a black backpack lying under a tall pine tree, and tossed the clothing in my direction.

“Change. I won’t look,” he said—although amusement colored his voice.

I huffed under my bushes.

breath and scooped the clothes in my mouth, running to a shadowed corner behind some

The shift back into human form was quick but still painful bones snapping, fur melting into skin. I grabbed the large shirt first, yanking it on before my mind had time to process my nakedness.

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Then I pulled up the sweatpants he had given me they were too big, hanging loosely, but at least they covered me. My hair was a wild mess, sticking to my back as I rushed out.

When I returned, I froze.

Alpha Caleb had changed too, and all he wore was a pair of gray sweatpants hanging low on his hips. His entire upper body was bare, toned muscles carved by strength and years of leadership.

There was a scar across his left shoulder, a fresh one, but it only made him look more dangerous. More real.

My throat tightened, and I quickly looked away, pretending I didn’t notice the way my cheeks heated.

He noticed.

He sat down on the cool grass without looking at me. I hesitated, but finally forced my legs to move and dropped down near him not too close, but close enough for his scent to reach me again: cedar, rain, and the faintest hint of danger.

“I don’t mean to be rude,” he said suddenly, his voice calm but piercing. “But what made you so angry that you ran into someone else’s pack territory without realizing it?”

I wanted to lie. To change the subject. To disappear. My hands twisted together in my lap.

How could I tell a stranger everything?

How could I tell him about Derek?

About the flowers?

About my fear of losing everything I loved?

About the secret that could destroy us both?

I stared at the ground, unable to speak. My heart felt like it was choking me.

“You don’t want to tell me,” he said not as a question, but as a statement.

My head snapped up, eyes wide.

“H–How did you?”

He turned his gaze to me, the corner of his mouth lifting just slightly.

“It’s my gift,” he said simply. “When someone is close to me, I can hear their thoughts. Not everything… just the loud ones.”

My pulse jumped. Loud ones? My thoughts weren’t just loud they were screaming.

“You… you can read my mind?” I whispered, horrified.

“Only when you let the emotions consume you,” he replied quietly. “And right now… your emotions are

Chapter 248

deafening.”

His eyes held mine– steady, patient, unjudging.

He leaned back slightly on his hands, looking up at the moon.

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“It’s okay,” he continued. “If you don’t want to talk… don’t. You can stay here as long as you need to.”

Stay?

In a stranger’s pack?

In a place I wasn’t supposed to be?

Yet… the thought didn’t scare me as much as it should have.

Because going back… terrified me more.

Raven… don’t punish him like this.

My wolf’s voice echoed softly inside my head.

He was wrong… yes. But you also have a secret he doesn’t know. And when he finds out-

“Shut up,” I growled in my mind. “Not now.”

But you know I’m right.

“No. You’re annoying,” I hissed back at her. “I will tell him when the time is right.”

“Hey,” Caleb’s voice cut through my thoughts again.

I jumped slightly.

He looked at me with curiosity. “Do you want anything? Food? Water?”

“No,” I muttered. “I just want to sit in silence.”

Silence was safer.

Silence didn’t force me to speak truths I wasn’t ready to face.

But Alpha Caleb… he didn’t believe in silence.

“Don’t push him away,” he said unexpectedly.

I blinked at him, confused. “Who… are you talking about?”

He raised a brow.

“The person you’re fighting with.”

Chapter 248

My jaw dropped.

“Stop reading my mind!” I snapped.

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“I’m not. You’re just thinking too loudly,” he said without apology. “But listen to me… holding onto anger only steals time. And time is the one thing we never have enough of.”

I stared at him, stunned by his words.

Strangers weren’t supposed to understand things this deeply.

They weren’t supposed to speak wisdom that stabbed right into your chest.

I stood up, brushing grass off my pants.

“It was… a pleasure meeting you,” I managed to say, though my voice cracked slightly. “But I should go home

now.”

Home.

The word suddenly felt too heavy.

Caleb stood with me, tall, unshaken.

“It’s late,” he said simply. “And my territory isn’t exactly safe at night. Let me take you to your pack border.”

I wanted to refuse.

I wanted to show strength.

I wanted to pretend I wasn’t shaken or lost.

But truth?

My legs were tired.

My heart was exhausted.

And I didn’t have the strength to fight any rogue wolf who crossed my path.

So after a moment, I nodded.

We began walking side by side under the moonlit sky. The forest around us rustled with night creatures, but I didn’t feel afraid. Not with him near me. He didn’t speak, and I was grateful silence finally meant peace again.

My thoughts drifted to Derek.

Was he looking for me right now?

Was he angry?

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Chapter 248

Worried?

Relieved?

Did he think I left him forever?

A dark ache twisted my chest.

I wasn’t ready to lose him…

But I wasn’t ready to face him either.

:.

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We slowed down as we reached the edge of the forest. Beyond a line of tall trees my pack’s border.

Caleb stopped walking.

“This is as far as I can go,” he said gently. His eyes held something I couldn’t quite name concern, maybe. Curiosity too.

I took a shaky breath.

“Thank you,” I whispered, forcing myself to meet his gaze.

“You’ll be okay,” he replied. “Just… don’t lose the people you love because of fear.”

His words hit deeper than he knew.

I turned away quickly before the tears could betray me…

and stepped forward toward the border.