Even in darkness, some sparks are meant to find each other."
Raven – POV
"Oh look... Sleeping Beauty's finally awake."
The voice was low, slightly amused, mocking, male and distant, echoing through the damp walls.
Raven groanedas consciousness returned to her in slow, aching waves, blinking against the dim light, her head pounding. The stench hit her first—mildew, blood, and something rotten, the air was thick with rot and damp. Her stomach turned at the horrible stench wafting through the cramped cell she was in. Metal bars. Dirt floor. Stone walls. Slowly, the memories began to claw their way back into her mind.
The club. The strobe lights. Sasha's laughter. The music pounding through her chest.
Then—
A blackout.
Screams.
And the wolves.
She gasped softly as the memory gripped her.
FLASHBACK – HOURS EARLIER
It started as confusion—lights flickered, and people laughed, thinking it was just part of the club's vibe. But then someone screamed.
The first wolf tore through the crowd, its black fur streaked with red, eyes glowing with fury. Panic erupted.
Raven remembered dragging Sasha behind a toppled table, shielding her as another rogue crashed into the bar. Bottles shattered. People ran. Others... didn't make it.
A silver wolf, clearly one of the club's security shifters, lunged at the rogues. He was brave. But outnumbered.
She saw him fall.
Blood sprayed across the dance floor. Limbs. Howls. Screams. Fire.
Someone yanked her arm—Sasha—but they were torn apart in the stampede.
She remembered turning, searching. Then—a crashing blow from a falling beam.
And then... darkness.
BACK TO PRESENT
Her body ached as she tried to sit up.
"You're lucky," the voice came again. "Most don't wake up in one piece."
She looked up.
Across from her, in the adjacent cell, sat a young man. He was watching her intently. His sharp green eyes seemed almost luminescent in the dim light, and his copper hair was tousled like he hadn't slept in days.
Before she could make sense of him, another voice slithered through the cell block. This one darker, rougher.
Before she could speak, a loud, raspy laugh erupted from the corner of her cell.
"Well, hello, damsel," a grizzled man sneered, stepping forward from the dark. "What's a pretty thing like you doing in a place like this?"
Raven turned toward the bars between their cells—and recoiled. The man speaking was grotesque, with greasy hair and wild, hungry eyes. He was clearly another prisoner, but one who'd long since lost any shred of decency.
Instinctively, Raven shifted away from him, crawling back toward the copper-haired man's side. Something about him felt... safer.
"Back off, Rook," the redhead said sharply. "Leave the girl alone."
Raven instinctively shifted closer to the redhead, away from the stinking breath and greedy eyes of the other prisoner. Her heart pounded.
"Back off," the copper-haired man growled, standing up inside his cell. "Leave her alone."
The older prisoner cackled and backed off, he snarled but didn't push it. disappearing into the shadows once more.
Raven remained pressed against the far side of her cell, breathing hard, heart pounding in her ears.
The redhead looked at her now, his tone softening. "You alright?"
She nodded faintly, though her throat felt raw. "I'm fine..." Her voice cracked.
"You must've pissed them off real good," he muttered, eyeing the bruises forming on her wrists. "How're you holding up?"
She didn't answer at first, instead skillfully working her fingers around the silver chains still looped loosely around her wrist. Her limbs were sore, but years of training had taught her how to mask pain.
"How long was I out?" she finally asked.
"Just a few hours," he replied, sitting back down. "Hard to tell time down here, but you didn't miss much—except a fresh round of torment."
Speaking again she asked "Please... where are we?"
The redhead leaned closer. "Underground tunnels, near the outer edge of Black Angel city. Abandoned rogue site. They've been using it to sneak in and out."
Relief hit her like a wave. They hadn't taken her outside the city yet. That meant there was still a chance...
I can still connect with John. I just need time.
She scanned the stone walls, searching for any weakness, any crack... but the cells were sealed tight.
"There's no way out of here," he said flatly, watching her.
She turned to him. "There's always a way out."
He smirked. "Feisty."
Brian – POV
From the moment he saw her being dragged into the cell, bruised but proud, something in him stirred—something primal.
She wasn't like the others.
Even bloodied and chained, her presence had weight. A mix of fierce elegance and haunting vulnerability.
And now that she was awake, he couldn't look away.
The way she moved—graceful, cautious, trained. The moonlight caught her white hair, her piercing blue eyes catching glimmers of silver in the dark. Even now, with her hair a mess and her face marred by dust and blood, she was...
Beautiful.
But it wasn't just her looks.
There was something deeper. Something tugging at his instincts.
Could she be...?
He shook the thought away. Now wasn't the time.
Two rogues stomped into the dungeon, laughing loudly as they approached her cell.
"Well, well," one sneered. "Looks like Her Highness is finally up."
The other grinned wickedly. "What's a royal mutt doing in our kennel?"
Raven's voice was calm, cold. "Whatever they're paying you, I'll double it. Let me go."
They burst into laughter.
Behind the bars, Brian's hands clenched.
Raven's hair fell across her bruised face, and yet she held her head high, even as they opened the cell, stepping inside with chains glowing faintly in the dark—silver.
Brian's jaw tightened.
He hated this part.
Raven – POV
The rogues were bored—and Raven became their sport.
Still too weak to resist, she was dragged from the bars and shackled to the stone wall by thick, burning silver chains. They hissed against her skin, sapping what little strength she had left.
And then the beatings began.
One after another, they took turns landing blows, laughing like it was a game. Raven clenched her teeth, refusing to give them the satisfaction of hearing her scream.
They won't break me.
But the pain... the pain was becoming too much.
Her vision swam. Her knees buckled. Her body gave in long before her will ever would.
In one desperate move, she opened the twin bond she had shut off before leaving the palace.
John...
——
Somewhere miles above the underground tunnels, John Lockwood gasped—and crumpled.
"AHHH!" he cried out, clutching his stomach as pain tore through him like fire. It wasn't his pain. It was hers.
Their bond had snapped back into place like a lightning strike.
"John?!" Rachel Lockwood was at his side instantly. Her voice cracked with panic.
"I... I can feel her," he groaned. His face was pale. Sweat beaded on his forehead. "She's... she's hurt. Badly."
The morning sun filtered into the training grounds, but there was no light in Rachel's heart. It was their birthday—and Raven was missing. The city was still recovering from the attack the night before. Once they'd discovered she'd been at the club—and never returned—chaos had followed.
John had tried to track her, but the bond had been off. Now it was back, and with it came a torrent of pain that nearly knocked him unconscious.
"Can you track her now?" Rachel asked, voice trembling with hope.
He nodded slowly, eyes burning. "I just need a few minutes to steady myself. She's still in Black Angel. I can feel her—barely—but she's there."
He nodded, teeth gritted. "Yes. She's still in Black Angel. I just... need a moment to steady myself."
Racheal stood swiftly, already pulling out her comms device. "Then we'll find her. I'll gather a team—no more waiting. We bring my daughter home. Now."
Next time on Wolfbound: Raven's Curse:
"Not even chains can stop a bond written by the Moon."