Page 52 of The Raven's Alpha
"As I came to, I found myself disoriented and vulnerable, my mind reeling from the belladonna. The hallucinations were like nothing I'd ever experienced - eerie whispers in my ear, twisting shadows that danced like living things, and objects that melted into grotesque, fluid forms. I was trapped in a waking nightmare, detached from reality, and it took me what felt like an eternity to grasp what was happening. By the time I snapped back to awareness, it was already too late to regain control - my rational mind was lost in the chaos, consumed by the swirling terrors that haunted me."
I'm struggling to find the right words, unsure how to respond to this revelation. “Are you okay?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper. “Do we need to take you to the hospital?” But it's a ridiculous question, isn't it? Of course, he needs medical attention.
I'm about to leap into action, desperate to get him to the hospital, when Darcy's hand shoots out and grasps my arm, holding me back. “No, I'm fine now,” he says, his voice low and steady. “The hallucinations have stopped, and I've been lucid for a couple of hours. But there's something I need to tell you.”
The fear that grips my mate’s face is a sight I'm growing all too familiar with, and it's one that fills me with a mix of frustration and helplessness. Hasn't he suffered enough already?
“My raven is gone,” he blurts out, his voice cracking with desperation.
I reel back in shock, and it's only then that I realise, my connection to my darling bird isn’t there. In the chaos of finding Darcy, I didn't notice that I still couldn’t sense his raven.
“When I stirred awake, I was met with an unsettling emptiness. My usual attempt to shift was thwarted. I reached out mentally, butmy mind was a void, devoid of even a whisper of his presence. The sensation was suffocating, leaving me feeling desolate and lost," his voice cracking with emotion.
When I open my mouth to speak, the doorbell's sweet ring pierces the air, shattering the momentary silence and signalling that our food has finally arrived.
The tantalising aroma of food wafts through the air, but my mind is elsewhere – on finding Darcy's missing companion – yet the unmistakable rumble of his stomach is a reminder that some problems can be solved with a simple solution: getting him fed.
“You stay here, I’ll be right back,” I tell him before rushing to answer the door before the doorbell chimes again.
I open the door to find Ezra standing on my porch, a steaming bag in his hands and a car speeding away from my driveway. His sheepish smile hints at his embarrassment as he says, "We showed up at the same time, so I figured I'd bring it in for you." He eyes me expectantly, waiting for an answer.
With a frown of confusion, I open the door wider, and with a subtle inclination of my head, I invite the mouse shifter into my cosy living room.
Approaching the sofa, Darcy's face mirrors my confusion, but before he can ask what's going on, his stomach growls loudly. I grab the bag from Ezra and dish out our breakfast, apologising to my friend for not having anything for him.
Ezra shakes his head, “No worries at all, I was just checking to see if you were home yet, I’ve been trying to call you and when you didn’t pick up, I was worried. But I see that you’re both ok, I’ll be on my way.”
Before the mouse can turn around and leave, I shout, “Wait!” Ezra spins around and waits for me to continue. “I just want to say thank you for your help with tracking the necklace, I was able to find Darcy fairly quickly.”
Ezra smiles and says, “It’s no bother at all, I’m just glad you’re both home safely.”
“Can I ask you something?” Darcy questions between bites of his food.
“Sure.”
“I don’t know what type of magic you used to track me down, but do you know how I can get my raven to come back to me?”
Ezra looks shocked but quickly covers the look, “What do you mean?”
"I'm a raven shifter," my mate explains, his voice trembling with desperation. "I've been trying to connect with my inner bird, but it's like he's buried beneath a layer of numbness. I feel him stirring, but I don't know how to bring him back.”
My omega friend's noncommittal "Huh" sends a shiver down my spine as he ambles over to Darcy, plopping down beside him on the worn couch. He eyes Darcy with a calculating gaze, his voice low and measured as he asks, "Mind if I take a closer look?"
Darcy turns to me, and I respond with a shrug and a nod, my confidence in Ezra evident. We've been through thick and thin together since I arrived in Everlong, and I know he'd never betray my trust – especially not when it comes to my mate. When Darcy gives his consent, Ezra's hands envelop my mate's head, his eyes burning with intensity as he takes in every detail before pressing their foreheads together in a gentle, intimate gesture.
Ezra's mouth forms words that sound like a foreign language, the syllables blurring together in a hypnotic rhythm that makes me lean in closer.
Ezra pulls back, his eyes locked on mine, and says, "He's in there, I can feel him. I can't tell you how to fix it." My mate's face crumples, and he sinks back into the couch, defeated.
Ezra's expression softens. "But I can offer you some advice," he says gently. "You've been through somethingtraumatic, so it may take time before he realises you're back home and safe. Spend some time with your mate, do something that makes you happy, and he should come back to you." He pauses, his gaze searching mine. "And remember, you were drugged. That's probably slowing down the healing process."
“I can do that,” Darcy says with a determined nod.
Ezra's voice drops to a whisper as he says, "Or maybe... you can seal your bond." His eyes flicker away, revealing his embarrassment, but his tone remains tender.
When night begins to fall, I cradle Darcy in my lap, his soft snores a comforting sound as Ezra's words echo through my mind. The warm glow of the setting sun casts a golden light over the landscape.
The weight of Ezra's suggestion settles heavy on me, like a stone in my chest. If we were to complete our bond, maybe Darcy's raven would come back to him, and the ache in his heart would ease. I glance down at his peaceful face, his dark eyelashes fluttering with each gentle breath.