Raven (Book One of the Dark Lycans Series)

I crept along the ground to a tree with massive roots. Using my large paws, I dug a hole under the tree.

The roots combined with the hole made a hidden cavern in the dirt. I curled up inside, and fell into a fitful sleep.

************

A slow thumping tread followed me, as I walked down the hallway. I squealed when I was scooped up off the floor into a pair of strong arms.

Blake laughed and kissed my forehead. I grinned, closed my eyes, and wrapped my arms around his neck before kissing his lips.

I opened my eyes and pulled back in surprise. Blake's eyes were black and glazed over.

"Blake?" I waved a hand in front of his face but there was no response.

Suddenly he began to carry me out the front door. It was dark outside but there was no mistaking the orange flames that licked the sky. The was a giant fire in the front yard, and Blake was carrying me straight towards it.

I called his name multiple times, but his eyes were stilled glazed as he carried me on. Panicking, I shoved against his chest but his grip on me never loosened.

I screamed when my mate walked right up to the fire and tossed me into the flames.

************

I sat up fast, breathing very heavily. Fur still covered my body, as my wolf still wasn't settled enough to shift back. I shook my wolf head roughly, in an attempt to erase the dream from my mind.

It was the afternoon, and the light shone through the entrance to my den. I climbed out of the hole, and saw that I was very close to the lake where Blake and I first kissed.

Not wanting anyone to find my hiding place, I dragged a thorn bush with my teeth to block the entrance. I needed to talk to someone, and decided to mind link Jinx.

JJ?

Raven, what happened? Blake said you ran away again, her voice was worried. My wolf growled at the lie our mate told.

It's a little more complicated than that, I need to talk to you.

Tell me and I'm there, you know that.

Do you know where the lake is?

I think so, I'll be there in a few. I cut off the link and layed down, my head resting on my paws. The edge of the lake was a few feet away, and I watched the colorful fish leap out of the water to eat bugs. I realized my fur was coated in a thick layer of dried blood.

The side of my neck suddenly began to grow very warm. I shook, but my mark had begun to burn again. The growl my wolf let out shook the ground with its intensity.

I leaped into the water, trying to cool off the horrible fire on my neck, cleaning my fur in the process. The temporarily, bloodstained water was fairly cold, but it did nothing to help the pain of a cheating mate.

I decided to shift into a brand new wolf, knowing that the pain would be similar to my very first shift. I was hoping the pain would distract me from Blake.

In my mind I thought of a dark brown wolf, with sleek fur and large paws. My head went below the surface as my bones began to crack and rearrange themselves.

Unfortunately, the pain wasn't very great so it gave no distraction. But the wolf I was now shifted into, was designed for swimming. I moved through the now-clean water swiftly, and with great ease.

Thudding pawsteps brought my head back to the surface. A large, dark silver wolf with violet eyes sat at the edge of the lake. I swam to Jinx and shook off, sending droplets of water all over her.

She growled quietly and shifted. I didn't notice the bag next to her until she pulled out some clothes. She changed into a white halter top with super short, jean shorts and, of course, silver stilettos.

"I got some clothes for you," she said tossing the bag at my feet. My head dropped down, and I shifted my paws.

"You can't shift back, can you?" I nodded my head, happy that she understood so easily.

Blake cheated on me, three times now.

I heard a sharp gasp from Jinx, when I looked at her, her eyes were black. She growled, and I almost flinched at the anger showing on her face.

"The fucking son of a bitch!" She seethed.

That's what I said the first time he did it. He did it as a punishment for not telling him where I was being held and tortured. Then I caught him doing it last night, on the first floor while I was sleeping just above him! My wolf took over and fumed, breathing hard.

"Oh hun, that so isn't fair," she sympathized, and knelt down, wrapping her arms around my furry neck in an embrace. I rested my head on her shoulder.

Right after I asked you to come, he did it again. And he's still doing it, I told her letting out a wince of pain when a wave of fire hit my Mark again.

"Can you try and shift back so we can talk?" I nodded, closing my eyes and trying to shift back.

Akira, you need to let me shift, I told her firmly when I remained in my wolf form.

I'm trying to control myself but I am so pissed right now! She snapped.

We will get back at him, I promise you that.

Oh fine! She growled, and I felt my body shift. I opened my eyes to see Jinx smiling sadly, she held by it the bag that I took gratefully. Laughing, I shook my head when I pulled out a tiny, black lace dress.

"You know me so well!" Jinx laughed with me as I slipped it on. It had an open back, and hugged my curves. I raised a brow when I saw the low neckline, and that it barely covered my butt.

"I thought you would want to go out," she explained. I smiled and nodded.

I put on the black stilettos she handed to me. We linked arms and started walking towards where the path into town was.

Jinx suddenly stopped at the edge of the road out of the territory, and I sent her a questioning look. She opened her mouth to answer when a black and red Lamborghini came to a screeching halt in front of us.

The window rolled down to reveal a smirking Jackson. I glared at Jinx.

"You told him?" I snapped. She ignored my glare and shrugged.

"Well yeah, Jackson's closest to Blake, so he would be able to figure out what's up with him." I huffed in annoyance before getting into the back. Jinx slid in next to Jackson and gave him a quick kiss.

"So, where to?" He asked looking back at me.

I smiled mischievously, "Midnight Moon." Jackson looked taken aback, but then he smirked and slammed on the gas pedal.

"Why are you all happy?" Jinx asked with narrowed eyes.

"Because, Blake is supposed to be there later tonight, which means that we get to watch Raven get revenge." He answered with a big smile.

"Damn right I'm going to get revenge," I growled, making them both laugh.

It wasn't a long drive to get to the club. We all got out of the car and stood in front of the entrance. The line to get in was growing longer, now that the sun was starting to go down.

"We should agree that we all get to have some fun, you two included." I pointed to Jinx and Jackson. They looked at eachother quickly, then gave me a grin.

"I can agree to that," Jackson said and Jinx agreed as well. Jackson led us to the VIP entrance where the bouncer let us in without a second glance.

We all went straight for the bar. Jinx and I ordered a round of shots, and Jackson got a beer. I threw back the drink, and ended up ordering two bottles of vodka.

I dragged Jinx with one hand, and the bottles in my other to a table by the dancefloor. I tossed one bottle to Jinx, who caught it easily, and we both started guzzling down the alcohol.

I swallowed the vodka, loving the burning down my throat. With a smile, I slammed the empty bottle down on the table almost the same time as Jinx.

"Just like old times, huh?" She said with a chuckle.

I nodded in agreement, "Just like old times." Looking around, I noticed that the club was quickly filling up with mostly wolves. The music seemed to be getting louder, and fog started to fill the room.

"Hey, its mostly wolves here so that means we don't have to watch our drinking," I said with a mischievous glint in my eye. Jinx gave me a look that I knew meant she was thinking about something naughty to do.

"I'll be right back," she said mysteriously before vanishing into the crowd. She was gone for a few minutes before coming back with another bottle of vodka, and two small boxes.

I raised a brow as she handed me one of the black boxes. There was a gold S carves into the top. Inside, there was a tiny, purple pill. I looked at Jinx questioningly.

"Its Salt," she said, swallowing her pill and taking a huge gulp from the bottle after. My mouth fell into a huge "oh". Salt was a genetically engineered drug that was extremely strong, meant for werewolves who were having trouble controlling their restless wolves.

I had only taken it one other time, but usually one was enough to get most werewolves drunk. They didn't have that much of an effect on me, but it was similar to drinking three bottles of vodka.

I popped the pill into my mouth and downed the rest of the bottle Jinx gave me. It began working almost instantly, and I felt myself becoming more relaxed.

Looking around the club, I saw that there was a lot of fog now, that gave it a mystical look. It was dark, and any human might have been scared at the vibe it gave off.

Jinx dragged me to the dancefloor, where we both started swaying our hips to the beat of the music. A large group of guys slowly started forming around us.

Jinx and I danced in a circle, grinding against the guys that cheered us on. Wolfwhistles could be heard everywhere, and my best friend and I started laughing.

It felt so good to be relaxed again, and so carefree with no troubles. Suddenly, two men jumped into the circle with Jinx and I. We paused our dancing, and watched as they did a bow and held out their hands.

My friend and I exchanged quick looks, then shrugged and placed our hands in theirs. Instantly, we were pulled against their chests.

The man was tall, even in my heels he was a few inches taller than me. His face was handsome and he had dark hair. His dark green eyes pierced my blue ones, and he gave me a smile that I returned easily.

I could tell he was a wolf, but for some reason, my guard didn't go up. I felt a hand on my waist, and the man began to dance with me.

"Who are you?" I asked, confused as to why I felt so comfortable around him. He smirked before whispering in my ear.

"My name is Derek Blackwood."