Free Web NovelChapter 49: He hates me the least
Raven
"What are you doing here?" Lilian snapped, fury etched across her face, her lips curling in open disgust as her sharp gaze raked over me like I was something filthy dragged in from the dirt.
It was hard not to look past her, hard not to let my eyes drift to the woman behind her, the woman I had called mother for so many years.
She sat on the ground with her back against the wall, her body slumped, her face hollow and lifeless as if whatever spirit she once had had been stripped away completely. Her husband was dead. Leon was dead. And from the look of her, she hadn’t recovered from either. freēwēbnovel.com
"I need to talk to you," I said, forcing my gaze away from her and fixing it firmly on Lilian instead, even as her expression twisted further like my presence alone offended her existence.
"We’re talking now," she snapped immediately, her tone sharp and cutting, as though she wanted nothing more than to tear into me and be done with it.
I shook my head slowly, keeping my voice low despite the tension building in my chest. "Somewhere quiet. It’s important." I held her gaze, refusing to back down even as her eyes narrowed, her disgust deepening.
She scoffed loudly, folding her arms beneath her bosom as she leaned her weight onto one leg, looking me over like she was deciding whether I was worth the effort. "More important than fucking the Alpha in the forest?" she shot back, her words laced with venom.
The insult hit harder than I expected, not because of the words themselves but because of what they meant. She had seen us. Or worse—someone else had. And if it was already spreading, then it wouldn’t be long before it turned into something far uglier than whispers.
"What problems could you possibly have now," she continued mockingly, "that the Alpha is wrapped between your legs?" Her lips curved in a cruel smile as she tilted her head, clearly enjoying every second of it.
I exhaled slowly, swallowing the anger rising in my throat. Arguing with her here would solve nothing. It would only make things worse. "If you’re curious," I said instead, my tone tight, "then meet me outside."
Without waiting for a response, I turned and headed down the stairs, my steps quick and deliberate. Staying there any longer would only push me into saying something I couldn’t take back, something that would ruin whatever small chance I had of getting her to listen.
As I walked, doubt crept in, heavy and suffocating. Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe coming to her at all had been foolish. Mother couldn’t even stand on her own right now—how could she travel? And Brandon... could Lilian really leave him behind?
By the time I stepped outside, I almost hoped she wouldn’t follow.
But she did.
I heard her footsteps behind me, steady and unhurried, and I didn’t turn back, didn’t speak as I led the way further into the quieter parts of the pack. The further we walked, the thinner the noise of the pack became until it was just the sound of the wind brushing through the trees and the distant calls of night creatures stirring awake.
I didn’t stop until we were close enough to the forest for its presence to loom over us, dark and watchful.
"So... spit it out," Lilian said the moment she came to a stop beside me, her impatience clear, though there was curiosity beneath it now, something sharper, more interested.
I hesitated for a brief moment, the words catching in my throat before I forced them out. "You know I’m..." I paused, my chest tightening, but I pushed through it anyway. "I’m sleeping with the Alpha."
"What do you want?" I added quickly, turning to face her fully, not giving her time to twist it into something else.
She scoffed again, though there was a flicker of something in her eyes now, something calculating. "Am I supposed to believe you actually care about me?" she asked, amusement lacing her tone.
I rolled my eyes, my patience thinning. "I’m yet to point out that the rest of my family is still alive," I said coldly, my gaze hardening.
That was enough.
She went still, her expression tightening as her eyes locked onto mine, sharp and dangerous, like she was weighing just how serious I was. But I didn’t look away. I couldn’t afford to.
I needed help.
And I was running out of time.
"Do you want to escape?" I asked, my voice quieter now, but no less firm.
Her eyes narrowed instantly, suspicion flashing across her face. "You expect me to believe that?" she said slowly. "You’re sleeping with an Alpha and you want to leave the pack? Lies."
Tears burned at the back of my eyes, and I hated it—hated how weak it made me feel, how exposed. "It... I didn’t want it," I gasped, the words tumbling out unevenly.
She threw her head back and laughed, the sound sharp and mocking in the quiet night. "Are you mad?" she asked, looking at me like I had just said the most ridiculous thing imaginable.
"You have power," she continued, her voice rising slightly as she gestured toward me. "And you don’t want it?" Her disbelief was almost palpable.
I shook my head vigorously, my hands curling into fists at my sides. "Rex wants me dead," I said, my voice shaking despite my efforts. "He’s just—"
"Use your head, Raven!" she snapped, cutting me off as she raised her hands to her temples in frustration. "He’s sleeping with you. Twice. And more." Her eyes bored into mine, sharp and unyielding.
"The fact that he still wants you after what you did says enough," she went on. "You can use that."
I stared at her, confusion and disbelief crashing together inside me, my thoughts scrambling to make sense of what she was saying. Use it? Use him? The idea felt wrong, dangerous, impossible.
She suddenly gasped, her eyes widening as she looked up at the sky like she had just realized something profound. "Why do fools get all the best things?" she muttered, pacing in a small circle. "Why am I not the omega?"
She ran a hand through her hair, her frustration spilling out in restless movements. "With that face..." she continued under her breath, glancing back at me, "the things I could achieve."
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to stay focused despite her rambling. "I need help," I said, cutting through her thoughts. "I... I think I’m pregnant."
For a split second—just a second—I saw it.
Something raw.
Something ugly.
The amusement vanished from her eyes, replaced by something darker, something that made my stomach twist. It was gone just as quickly as it appeared, but I had seen it.
"Wow," she said slowly, the mockery slipping back into place like a mask. "Pregnant and unbonded. That’s bad."
I nodded, my throat tight, my hands trembling slightly at my sides.
"I need to escape and—"
"You need to make him bite you," Lilian cut in abruptly.
My eyes widened in shock as I stared at her, the words hitting me harder than anything else she had said.
She shrugged lightly, already turning as though the solution was obvious. "He already controls you, doesn’t he? The moonbound oath." She glanced over her shoulder at me. "The bond will remove it."
"He... he’s too angry," I stammered, my heart racing. "He won’t." I shook my head quickly, trying to make her understand. "He would never agree to it." ƒreewebɳovel.com
Rex would rather tear the world apart than bind himself to me.
"Then pick another person," she said with a careless shrug.
My breath hitched.
"Pick another Alpha."
I stared at her, realization dawning slowly, heavily, as the meaning of her words sank in. She wasn’t just offering a solution—she was pushing me toward something else entirely.
"Yes," she said, reading the shock on my face, "I’m helping you... for when I need help too."
Her lips curved faintly as she turned away from me, already walking back toward the pack as though the conversation was over, as though she hadn’t just altered the course of everything.
I stood there long after she left, the silence of the forest pressing in around me, my thoughts spiraling faster than I could control.
Bond someone else. Another Alpha.
The idea felt impossible. Terrifying and yet... it was the only option that made sense.
Slowly, I began to walk back, my steps slower now, heavier, my mind turning over every possibility, every face, every name.
"Who would be willing to bond with me?" I murmured under my breath, the question hanging in the air like a curse.
I thought about it over and over again, searching for anyone—anyone at all—who wouldn’t hate me enough to refuse.
But no matter how much I tried, no matter how far I reached, my thoughts kept circling back to the same person.
The only one who hadn’t looked at me with pure hatred.
The only one who might actually listen.
Thor.
It was Thor.
