Mated To The Alpha King (Raven and Ethan) novel Chapter 229

Chapter 229

Reven’s Pov

25 GGCTIN

“Why do you want us to relocate?” I asked, my arms folded tightly across my chest as I tried to study his expression.

46

Derick stood near the window, his tall, broad frame outlined by the fading gold light of the evening sun. The curtains fluttered slightly from the soft wind outside, brushing against his shoulders, but he didn’t move.

His gaze was fixed on the world beyond, distant, thoughtful, and frustratingly unreadable.

The twins‘ laughter drifted faintly from the yard. They were chasing each other, their little voices pure and full of life.

Normally that sound brought warmth to my heart, but not tonight. Tonight, everything felt heavy, uncertain.

“Derick,” I said again, my tone sharper this time. “Why do you want us to go back to California?”

He turned slowly, his hazel eyes meeting mine. I saw hesitation flicker there not weakness, but something else. Something guarded.

“Raven,” he said, his voice low and calm. “You know this was never meant to be forever. We’ve been here for five years. My pack, my people… they need me back.”

I frowned, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. “Oh, so now you remember your pack?”

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s not like that.”

“Then tell me what it’s like!” I snapped. “Because I remember you saying you wanted a fresh start. You told me you needed to get away that you wanted to raise the kids where they’d be safe and free from pack politics.

You said this was home, Derick.”

His jaw tightened, that quiet Alpha authority slipping into his tone as he said, “And it has been, Raven. But the twins are older now, and I can’t keep running from who I am. California is where I belong.”

I clenched my fists, anger boiling beneath my skin. “You had five years to think about that. Five years to tell me this was temporary. Why now?”

He looked away. “Because the longer I stay, the harder it’ll be to leave.”

“That’s not an answer!” I shouted, my voice cracking. “You’re talking about uprooting our entire lives as if it’s nothing!”

The room fell silent. The tension between us was thick, suffocating.

For a moment, his expression softened. “Raven, I’m not trying to hurt you. But I can’t ignore my responsibilities anymore. You know what being an Alpha means.”

19:30 Sat, Oct 4

Chapter 999

零的

35 youthent n your hent

“Yes” I said bitterly. “I do. It means power, duty, and a long list of things you put before me and your family” Before he could reply, a ringtone cut through the silence sharp, abrupt, echoing in the small living room. Derick’s gaze flicked toward his phone on the table. He hesitated, then grabbed it quickly.

Before I could even glimpse the caller ID, he pressed it to his car and muttered, “Excuse me,” before turning toward the hallway.

“Derick!” I called after him, but he didn’t respond. He just walked away, his back stiff, his voice low as he spoke into the phone.

I stood there, frozen, fury simmering in my veins.

My wolf stirred inside me, her calm voice cutting through the storm. Raven, breathe. Don’t overreact. You don’t know who’s calling.

“I know enough,” I muttered under my breath. “I know when he’s hiding something.”

You’re assuming “I know,” I hissed. “He’s been acting strange for weeks. Something’s off.”

My wolf fell silent, though I could feel her unease matching mine.

Derick had always been good at keeping secrets too good. But this… this felt different.

My heart raced as I began to pace, my thoughts spiraling. Why now? Why insist on leaving? Why keep avoiding the truth?

I stopped mid–step when I heard his voice faintly from the hallway deep, controlled, but strained.

I moved quietly toward the sound, my instincts pulling me forward before reason could stop me.

The house was quiet except for his voice. When I reached the slightly open door to his room, I froze, my hand hovering near the frame.

“Mom, please,” Derick was saying, frustration lacing every word. “I told you, I’m trying to handle it.”

My blood turned to ice.

Mom?

No. That couldn’t be right.

He told me his parents were dead–that they’d been killed in a rogue ambush years ago. I could still remember the pain in his eyes the night he told me that story, the way his voice trembled when he said he buried them himself.

But now… he was on the phone with his mother.

I pressed my hand against the wall, fighting the dizziness that rushed through me. My chest tightened as I leaned closer to the door.

19:30 Sat, Oct 4

Chapter 229

‘I can’t just leave everything here,” Derick said, his voice low but firm. “It’s not that simple.”

A woman’s voice replied, sharp and impatient. “You’ve been gone for five years, Derick! Five years away from your responsibilities, away from your pack, away from your family. How much longer do you plan to hider

He exhaled heavily. “I’m not hiding. Mom. I’m rebuilding.

“Rebuilding what?” she snapped. “You think the council will wait forever? You’re an Alpha, not some runaway pup. The elders are growing restless. The pack needs leadership, and you need a Luna by your side.”

My heart skipped a beat.

I wanted to scream to burst into the room and tell her that he already had someone. That he wasn’t alone. That there was me.

But something stopped me.

He didn’t say anything.

He didn’t tell her about me.

He just stood there, silent.

Finally, he muttered, “I’ll take care of it.”

His mother laughed, cold and bitter. “Take care of it? You said that years ago.

You’ve wasted enough time, Derick. It’s time to come home, take your place, and find a proper Luna someone the council approves of. You can’t build a future hiding among humans.”

My breath caught.

Among humans.

She didn’t even know about me. About the twins. About us.

He’d kept us a secret.

Every muscle in my body tensed as I tried to process what I was hearing.

Derick’s voice grew sharper. “Mom, enough! I told you, I’ll handle things my way. Stop trying to control everything.”

“You think time is on your side?” she scoffed. “You’re nearing thirty–five, Derick.

The council won’t wait. They’ll name another Alpha if you don’t return soon and that would be the end of everything your father built.”

Silence followed.

Then, softly, Derick said, “Don’t bring Father into this.”

19:30 Sat, Oct 4

Chapter 999

The woman’s voice softened for the first time. “He believed in you. He wanted you to lead. Don’t throw that

away

I swallowed hard, the bitter taste of betrayal rising in my throat.

He lied to me.

He said his parents were gone that his father died before he could take over the pack, and his mother didn’t survive the attack.

He said that’s why he left California.

All this time, I pitied him for a loss that never happened. I comforted him through a pain he never truly had.

The walls felt like they were closing in. My knees weakened, but I gripped the doorframe to stay steady.

He spoke again, quieter now. “Mom, please. Don’t call me again for a while. I’ll come when I’m ready.”

“You’ve said that before,” she replied coldly. “You have one last chance, Derick. Don’t make me regret defending you before the council.”

Then the line went silent.

He lowered the phone slowly, exhaling heavily.

I couldn’t move. Couldn’t think.

The man I’d loved, trusted, and built a life with the father of my children had lied about something so fundamental, so intimate, that I couldn’t even comprehend it.

Why would he lie about his parents being dead? What else had he lied about?

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