Mated To The Alpha King (Raven and Ethan) novel Chapter 161

Chapter 161

Chapter 161

Alpha Ethan’s POV

I sat on the chair inside my study, my elbows resting on the polished mahogany desk, a glass of bourbon in my hand as I flipped through the same file for what felt like the hundredth time. The words blurred on the page; none of it mattered.

All I could see was blood, Olivia’s lifeless body sprawled on the cold ground, and Elisa’s absence haunting me like a phantom.

Three days. Three damn days since the incident.

Three days since I dragged Raven’s unconscious body back here, her face pale, her lips colorless, her breathing shallow. And still, no answers. No explanation. Nothing.

My jaw tightened as I exhaled sharply, tossing the file aside. Papers scattered across the desk like fallen leaves, but I didn’t care.

I pushed back in my chair and pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling the pounding ache of exhaustion and fury clawing at the back of my skull.

Raven.

The name tasted bitter on my tongue. The woman who had turned my world upside down. The mate who had stolen my peace, my sanity, and now, my

sister.

I reached for the bourbon again and took a long sip, the liquid burning down my throat, grounding me for a fleeting second before the rage returned in full force.

I wanted her to wake up. No scratch that, I needed her to wake up. To open those defiant eyes of hers and face the reality of what she had done.

To admit it. To say the words out loud so I could finally stop pretending this gnawing hole in my chest was anything other than betrayal.

Slamming the glass down harder than intended, I leaned back in the chair, my eyes drifting to the photo frame on the desk. Elisa’s picture. My little sister’s bright smile captured in time, her golden hair catching the sunlight like spun gold.

God.

My fingers trembled as I picked up the frame, brushing my thumb across her face.

A smile tugged weakly at the corners of my lips–a broken smile that didn’t reach my eyes. “Wherever you are,” I whispered, my voice low, roughened by unshed tears, “just… come back to me.”

The ache in my chest deepened. If only I could hear her voice one more time. If only.

A knock on the door shattered the fragile moment.

I straightened immediately, setting the frame back on the desk with care before masking my face with cold indifference. “Come in,” I barked, my voice sharp, even as my heart thudded painfully.

The door creaked open, and one of my guards stepped inside, his head bowed respectfully. “Alpha,” he said, his voice steady but cautious, “Miss Raven has woken up.”

For a heartbeat, I froze. Then, slowly, I rose from my chair, my body moving with a predatory calm that belied the storm raging inside me. “I’ll shortly,” I muttered, my voice clipped.

re

“Yes, Alpha.” The guard bowed again and retreated silently.

As the door clicked shut, I allowed myself a deep breath. My pulse quickened, a surge of anticipation flooding my veins. Finally.

Finally, I would have my answers.

112

Chapter 161

I adjusted the cuffs of my shirt, squared my shoulders, and stepped out of the study, my strictes long and purposeful Evary dep echoed lane marble floor like the ticking of a clock counting down to judgment.

When I reached the room where Raven was being kept, I paused outside the door. For a moment, I just stood there, inhaling deeply, ferring my EDCOU a tight coil inside me. This wasn’t about anger. This was about the truth.

And the truth would come out one way or another.

1 pushed the door open.

The smell of antiseptic greeted me, mingled with the faint scent of lavender soap–a scent that clung to her skin regardless of where she went. My eyes swept across the room, landing on the figure lying on the bed.

Raven.

Her legs were still chained to the foot of the bed, her wrists cuffed in front of her. She looked… fragile. Too fragile for the chaos she had caused. Her dark hair spilled across the pillow in messy waves, her face pale but no longer deathly. Those stormy gray eyes of hers flicked to me the moment I stepped inside, and I saw it–the way her expression shifted, her lips parting slightly as emotions I couldn’t name flickered across her face.

Fear.

Guilt.

Or maybe just hatred.

I didn’t move for a moment. I just stood there, staring at her, letting the silence stretch taut between us like a wire ready to snap.

Finally, I found my voice. “Why?”

Her brow furrowed in confusion or mock innocence. “What?” Her voice was hoarse, raw from disuse.

I took a step closer, my boots clicking against the floor. “Why did you kill my sister?” I demanded, each word sharp as a blade.

Her eyes widened. “What? I didn’t.““Don’t!” I snarled, cutting her off, my voice echoing through the room. “Don’t you dare feed me that bullshit. If it wasn’t you, then why the hell is Olivia dead? Why did you make sure there was no witness left to speak? And why the fuck did you try to run?”

Tears pooled in her eyes, but her voice didn’t waver. “I swear, I didn’t do it! It was Olivia.“I laughed. A harsh, humorless sound that scraped at my throat. “Olivia?” My jaw clenched so tightly it hurt. “You expect me to believe that? That Olivia killed Elisa?”

She shook her head desperately, her chains rattling. “You have to believe me.““Believe you?” I hissed, stalking closer until I loomed over her like a

shadow.

“If you wanted revenge for what I did to you, you could’ve come for me. You could’ve dealt with me, not my sister!”

Her breath hitched. “Ethan… please…”

I froze. My name on her lips it did something to me. Something I didn’t want to feel. I shoved it down, forcing my face back into the mask of cold fury.

“You know the only reason you’re not rotting in a cellor handed over to the council?” I leaned in, my voice a deadly whisper. “It’s because you’re my mate. That’s it. That’s the only thing keeping you alive right now. So you’d better start talking.”

Her lips trembled. “I’ve told you the truth,” she whispered. “I didn’t do it.”

My vision blurred with rage. The audacity of her lying to my face when Elisa’s blood still stained my hands in memory.

“Maybe,” I said slowly, straightening, my voice low and lethal, “maybe when your face your worst fear, you’ll finally tell me the trut

Her eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

15:18 Wed 20 Aug

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