Raven Moon

Chapter Nine

: The Price of a Choice

The full moon hung low in the sky, casting silver light over the dense forest surrounding Raven's secluded cottage. The wind whispered through the trees, carrying secrets she wasn't yet ready to hear. She stood at the threshold, arms wrapped tightly around herself, staring into the dark, waiting for something—anything—to give her clarity.

But clarity never came.

Instead, footsteps echoed in the night.

Her breath hitched as Rogue emerged from the shadows, his green-and-purple-flecked eyes locking onto hers with a fire that sent a tremor through her core. He moved like a predator—silent, deliberate. He stopped a few feet from her, his lips curling into a half-smile, but there was something else there too—something raw.

"You've been avoiding me," he murmured, his voice a low growl.

Raven swallowed hard. "I needed time."

Rogue took another step closer, and suddenly the space between them felt unbearably small. His scent, dark and wild, wrapped around her. "And? Did time make your choice any easier?"

She wished she could lie, wished she could say she had finally decided, but the truth sat heavy on her chest.

"No."

Something flickered across his face—disappointment? Resignation? Perhaps he had expected her answer.

"I don't belong to anyone, Rogue," she whispered, more to convince herself than him.

His smirk was bittersweet. "I never asked you to."

Before she could respond, another sound split the night—hoofbeats, fast and urgent.

Conner.

He arrived like a storm, his black stallion kicking up dirt as he pulled the reins hard, stopping just short of them. His aristocratic features were shadowed, but she saw the tension in his jaw, the quiet fury in his icy blue eyes as he took in the scene before him.

"You shouldn't be here," he said, his voice cool, measured, but edged with steel.

Rogue didn't flinch. "Neither should you."

Conner dismounted, his movements graceful, controlled. "Raven, we need to talk. Now."

She bristled at the demand in his tone. "You don't get to order me around."

His expression softened, but urgency still bled into his voice. "Something's happening. My family—" He hesitated, glancing at Rogue, before settling his gaze back on her. "They know about him."

Her heart stuttered. "What do you mean?"

Conner exhaled sharply. "They know you've been… involved. And they see it as a threat."

Rogue let out a low, humorless chuckle. "Of course they do." And so what you are not married to Raven!

Conner ignored him, stepping closer to Raven, his fingers brushing against hers. "I'm trying to protect you. But you have to decide, Raven. Because if you stay near him, they'll come for both of you."

Why, who I am with has nothing to do with your family! Raven felt something was not right why was Conner pushing her to be with him.

The weight of his words pressed against her chest. This was no longer just about love or desire—this was about survival.

She turned to Rogue, searching his face for an answer, for reassurance, for something to make this easier. But he just looked at her with the same smoldering intensity, as if daring her to make the impossible choice.

Conner offered her safety, a future. But at what cost?

Rogue was danger, passion, the unknown. Could she live with the consequences of that? Maybe even on the run with him.

Her pulse thundered in her ears. The shadows deepened. The clock was still ticking.

And she still didn't know which path to take.