Mated To The Alpha King (Raven and Ethan) novel Chapter 168

Chapter 168

Reven’s POV

“Just go away. I don’t need your pity,” I told him, my voice cracking even though I tried to sound strong.

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My eyes burned, but I refused to let the tears fall in front of him. Not again. Not when I promised myself I wouldn’t break anymore.

But he didn’t move.

He just stood there, looking at me with those unreadable gray eyes that seemed to see right through me. His presence filled the room, heavy and suffocating, and for a moment, I wondered why he even bothered coming here. He should have left me alone like I asked.

“Raven…” His voice was low, almost a whisper, but it carried so much weight that it made my chest tighten.

I shook my head furiously. “No. Don’t. Just… don’t,” I said, hugging my arms around myself like a shield. “Whatever you think you’re doing, stop it. I’m fine. I can handle this on my own.”

He took a slow step forward, then another, until he was standing right beside me. I could feel the warmth radiating from his body, and it made me want to scream. Why was he so close? Why couldn’t he just leave like I asked?

“You’ve done enough,” I continued, forcing the words out through clenched teeth. “You helped me when I needed it, and I’m… grateful for that. Truly. But I can take it from here. I don’t need anyone else saving me.”

He didn’t reply right away. Instead, he lowered himself to the edge of the bed, sitting so close that our shoulders almost touched My breath hitched as the mattress dipped under his weight. I could smell him–woodsy, musky, a little like rain–and it only made it harder to keep my emotions in check.

Then, after what felt like an eternity of silence, he spoke.

“She’s alive,” he said.

I froze. My heart stopped for a beat before it started pounding so hard I thought it would tear through my chest. Slowly, I turned my head to look at him. His face was calm, but his eyes… his eyes were full of something I couldn’t name.

“Who?” My voice was barely a whisper.

“Elisa,” he said simply.

The name slammed into me like a punch to the gut. Elisa. My hands trembled as I stared at him, waiting for him to take it back, to tell me it was just some cruel joke. Because that couldn’t be true. It wasn’t possible.

“That’s not… that’s not funny,” I said, shaking my head violently. “Don’t you dare play games with me about this.”

“I’m not playing games, Raven,” he said, his tone firm now, like he needed me to believe him.

“No,” I whispered. “No, you’re lying. Elisa–she was shot. In the head. I saw the blood. No one survives that. No one. So, what the hell are you talking about?”

He turned his gaze toward me then, his eyes locking with mine. “I’m telling you the truth. After that incident… I knew something was wrong. I knew you were not the one.”

11:45 Mon, 25 Aug

Chapter 168

“The one?” I echoed, confused.

He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “The one behind all this.

The one who set everything in motion. After it happened, I started thinking. I gave you that device, remember?

I frowned, trying to piece his words together. “Yes… what about it?”

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“I duplicated it,” he admitted. “Made a second one. For backup. In case anything ever happened to the first. And when I checked, noticed something strange.”

“What?” I asked, my voice small.

“She wasn’t there,” he said.

Olivia left the pack house. I came looking for you, but I couldn’t find you; that set off alarm bells in my head. So, I went to look for her. But by the time I got there, she was gone. No trace. Like she vanished into thin air.”

My stomach twisted. “That doesn’t make sense,” I said weakly. “You’re saying she… escaped? After being shot? That’s impossible.”

“When I got there, I followed the tracking signal as far as I could, but I was ambushed.”

“Ambushed?” I repeated, my pulse quickening.

“Yeah. By rogues,” he said, his jaw tightening at the memory. “They came out of nowhere. Five of them. Big ones. They didn’t want me getting any closer, and I wasn’t about to back down. So, I fought. Took all of them down, but by the time I finished… the signal was gone. The device was smashed to pieces.”

I stared at him, trying to process everything he was saying. My head felt like it was spinning. None of this sounded real. It sounded like some twisted dream I couldn’t wake up from.

“But… how do you know she’s alive?” I asked again, desperate for something concrete.

He leaned back slightly, exhaling slowly. “Because I hired someone.

A private investigator. Since Alpha Ethan refused to do a damn thing about it, I took matters into my own hands.”

My breath caught in my throat. “And?”

“And he told me she’s alive,” he said quietly. “But… he couldn’t give me her location. Said it was too dangerous. Whoever took her is covering their tracks well.”

I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood. “Alive,” I whispered, the word feeling strange on my tongue. Elisa. My best friend. My only real family. Alive. After all this time.

My eyes burned with tears I couldn’t hold back anymore. “I wish she could just come back,” I said, my voice breaking.

“If she came back… maybe Alpha Ethan would stop punishing me. Maybe he’d believe me. And then… then I could reject him. Walk away from all of this. Start my life over. Somewhere far away from here.”

He didn’t say anything for a long time. Just sat there, staring at the floor like he was lost in his own thoughts. Then, finally, he spoke.

“I understand,” he said softly.

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11:45 Mon, 20 Aug W

Mon, 25 Aug

Chapter 168

I turned to look at him, surprised by the sincerity in his voice. There was something about the way he said it that made my chest. ache.

“And there’s… something else I need to tell you,” he added after a pause.

I frowned. “What is it?”

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