Mated To The Alpha King (Raven and Ethan) novel Chapter 148

Reven Pov

Lunch is ready, I told him as I dropped one plate of steaming pasta in front of him.

Beta Matthew didn’t respond right away. His eyes were glued to his phone, thumb tapping rapidly against the screen like the world would end if he stopped texting. Typical.

I rolled my eyes. “Seriously?” I said it louder this time. “You’re going to ignore my cooking for a text?”

He looked up, startled, as if realizing I was even in the room for the first time.

Then, in his usual clumsy way, his phone slipped from his hand and landed with a soft thud on the floor.

“Damn,” he muttered, reaching down to grab it. “Sorry, I didn’t realize. I was… distracted.”

“You don’t say.” I smirked, leaning against the kitchen counter with folded arms.

But his expression changed quickly as he caught a whiff of the meal. “Is this no way. Did you use sun–dried tomatoes this time?” His eyes widened with delight as he picked up his fork and dug in without waiting for a reply. “Reven, this is amazing. Like, restaurant–level amazing.”

“You act like I haven’t cooked for you a hundred times.”

“Yeah, but this time you didn’t burn it.”

I threw a napkin at him.

When did I burn your food I asked with a raised brow. Just kidding, he said.

Halfway through the meal, he suddenly paused, his mouth still full, and raised his brows. “Wait, what did you say earlier about Olivia?”

The warmth from his praise vanished from the room in a second. I sighed, pushing strands of hair behind my ear. “The last time she visited

me… she threatened me.”

Matthew stopped chewing.

“She said she’d get revenge on me,” I continued. “Her exact words were, ‘You’ll know how it feels to lose everything.“” I laughed bitterly. “As if

she’s the victim here.”

Matthew set his fork down slowly. “That’s… intense. But you should chill, Rev. You know Olivia. She’s always been dramatic.

What could she possibly do?”

I looked away, toward the window. The sun outside was bright, almost too bright for the thoughts swimming in my head.

“You don’t know her like I do,” I said quietly. “When she says something, she means it. She’ll do anything, go to any lengths.

She doesn’t bluff.”

He leaned back in his chair, rubbing his jaw. “Okay. I get it. I’ll help however I can. We’ll come up with a plan, keep you safe. You’re not alone in this.”

I felt something shift in my chest at his words. Gratitude, maybe, belief, but the silence that followed felt heavier than expected.

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Chapter 148

It lingered, thick between us like steam in the air. He cleared his throat finally and glanced at me, eyes searching.

“So… how are things with you and Alpha Ethan?”

Just like that, the room turned colder.

I looked down at my hands.

“I’m not ready to let go,” I said. “Even though my wolf…” I hesitated, then continued, “She wants him. She aches for him. But f… I can’t forget the pain. The lies. The betrayal.”

Matthew nodded slowly, eyes steady. “I understand. Truly, I do.

But maybe, just maybe… it’s time you try. Not for him. For you. For your wolf. You can’t keep caging her forever. Maybe spend time with him. You might see the good side.”

I scoffed gently. “How are you so sure he even has a good side?”

“Because we’ve been best friends since we were pups,” he said. “I know him, Reven.

I’ve seen him at his worst and best. He messed up, yes. But deep down, he’s not a bad guy.”

I chewed on my lower lip, the silence creeping back in.

“Okay,” I said at last, barely above a whisper. “I’ll try. I’m not promising I’ll forgive him, not yet. But I’ll try.”

“That’s all anyone can ask.” He stood, brushing the crumbs from his shirt. “Thanks for the meal. I’ll let you know if I come up with something

for the Olivia situation.”

“Thanks, Matt.”

As he left the kitchen, I remained behind, rooted to the spot. My thoughts circled like a whirlpool in my head.

Ethan.

Even his name pulled a current of emotion through me: desire, heartbreak, anger, and longing. It was maddening.

My wolf stirred restlessly beneath my skin, a low growl of yearning echoing in my bones. She didn’t care about the past.

All she cared about was the bond.

But I… I remembered too much.

The lies.

The night I saw him with her. Olivia.

The smirk on her face. The disbelief in mine.

That night changed everything. It splintered me.

Yet here I was, still craving him like air.

Still hoping.

Still wondering what it would feel like to be in his arms again, without the walls, without the weight.

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Chapter 148

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And damn it all, I hated that I still cared.

I walked to the sink, running water over the dishes without really seeing them. My mind was far, far away.

He had apologized, Repeatedly, He had said he was misled, that it was never what it seemed, that the bond meant more to him than anything else in the world. That I meant more.

But trust wasn’t built on words.

It was built on truth, and mine was buried in hurt.

Still…

Could I keep going like this? Holding onto anger like it was armor? When every part of me screamed for him, how long could I hold out before

1 broke?

Maybe Matthew was right.

Maybe I needed to try.

Even if it hurt.

Even if it risked everything.

Because what if… what if it didn’t end in pain?

What if we could still have our fairytale?

My breath caught at the thought. Was that even possible for a broken bond to be mended? For love to grow again in the place where trust

had died?

I didn’t know.

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