Chapter 41 Chapter 41 Alpha Ethan's POV +28 The sound of my boots echoed against the marble floor as I walked past her without a word , grabbing the document I had come for . I didn't spare her another glance as I exited the room , but the image of what I had just witnessed clung to my thoughts like a stubborn shadow . The tension between Olivia and Raven had been thick - unmistakably so . Something about their posture , their stiff expressions ... it wasn't a normal exchange between Luna and maid . Could it have been an argument ? That didn't make any sense . Olivia would never lower herself to publicly argue with a maid - she was far too polished , too calculating . Then again , Raven wasn't like the others . She had a defiant streak . Maybe Olivia had caught her doing something inappropriate and was reprimanding her . Still , the whole interaction felt off . I clenched my jaw , trying to shake the unease gnawing at me . I didn't have time for distractions - not when border tensions were rising and alliances were hanging by a thread . I pushed the thoughts aside and returned to my office , where a mountain of paperwork waited for me . Contracts needed signing , reports needed reviewing , and my inbox had been flooding with messages for days . I sat down heavily , the leather of my chair creaking under the weight of responsibility . Flipping open a thick file of alliance proposals , I scanned the terms with a practiced eye . The border dispute with the Eastern Pack was worsening . If I didn't seal this treaty soon , war could be knocking at our door by the end of the month . My pen hovered above the signature line , unmoving . My fingers itched , but my mind wandered . Raven's face crept back into my thoughts - calm , unreadable . There was always something elusive about her . She wasn't like the others , who flinched in my presence or looked at me with reverence . Her gaze was steady , unflinching , like she was looking right through me , peeling back layers I didn't even know I had . And now ... she was avoiding me . That shouldn't matter . She was a maid . A servant . A tool - someone meant to serve a purpose and be forgotten once that purpose had been fulfilled . Thad told her that . The memory came back with a sting , like salt in an open wound . I hadn't intended to be cruel . It was meant to be a boundary , a reminder of who we were -what we were . But the flicker of pain in her eyes when I said it ... it had stayed with me . Haunted me . More than it should have . I tried to refocus , but the room grew quiet around me . Too quiet . The sun was already dipping beyond the horizon , casting amber hues through the tall windows , painting golden lines across my desk . My spine ached from hours of sitting hunched over . I leaned back with a groan , rotating my shoulders to work out the tension . I needed a massage . And not just any massage - I needed her . Her hands , her calm voice , the way she worked in silence without expecting anything in return . Raven had a gift -not just with her fingers but with her presence . She made silence feel like peace instead of loneliness . I pressed the intercom on my desk . " Send someone to fetch Raven , " I ordered curtly . " Yes , Alpha , " came the guard's immediate response . I stood and moved to the corner of the room where a coffee pot sat . I poured the remainder of the now - cold coffee down the sink , the metallic clatter of the cup hitting porcelain louder than I intended . I tried not to admit it to myself , but I was anticipating seeing her . That calm steadiness . That rare spark in her eyes that made me feel ... something I didn't have a name for . I waited . Ten minutes passed . Then fifteen . Finally , a knock . But instead of Raven , the guard stepped in - alone . 1/3 21:10 Fr , 18 Jun Chapter 41 " She's not in her quarters , Alpha . " I frowned . " What do you mean she's not there ? " " We checked twice , sir . The room is empty . There's no sign of her anywhere ." A cold chill ran down my spine . " Check the kitchen . Laundry room . Storage . Everywhere she might be . " " Yes , Alpha , " the guard replied quickly and left .. 66 % +28 The silence that followed was deafening . My hands curled into fists as an unfamiliar sense of dread bloomed in my chest . She was gone . She couldn't have run away ... could she ? She wouldn't . She can't . Raven was a rogue when she arrived . She had no pack , no family - no place to go . But the thought clung to me like thorns . I had told her she was just a tool . Just something to be used and discarded . And I said it with enough coldness that , hearing it now in my mind , made my stomach twist . Had those words pushed her away ? I stormed out of my office , my heart thudding with a fury I couldn't name . My guards avoided my gaze as I stalked the corridors . I reached the garden , stepping into the cooling twilight air . The stone bench near the rose hedge - her usual spot - was empty . " Raven ! " I called . The sound of her name rang through the trees . No answer . Damn it . My mind raced . If something had happened to her - if someone had taken her , or if she had truly left - I needed answers . Fast . And if anyone knew anything , it would be Beta Matthew . He and Raven had been ... talking lately . Nothing overt , but enough for me to notice . Enough to make me suspicious . I changed course and headed straight for Matthew's quarters . The hallway was quiet , the pack mostly tucked away for the night . I didn't bother knocking . I shoved the door open . And froze . The room was dim , the soft flicker of a bedside lamp casting golden shadows . My brain stalled , refusing for a moment to accept what my eyes were seeing . There on the bed - were two figures , nestled beneath a thick duvet . Raven . And Matthew . Cuddled close . My breath caught . They weren't entangled in anything indecent , not exactly . But Raven's head rested on his chest , her eyes closed , and Matthew's arm was wrapped around her in a gesture so intimate , so familiar , that it ripped the air from my lungs . I didn't speak . I couldn't . " I just stood there , rooted to the spot , as the scene seared into my mind . A sharp pang tore through me - rage , betrayal ... and something far more dangerous . 2/3 21:11 Fri , 18 Jul Chapter 41 Jealousy . The primal kind . The type that ignites wars . I wanted to tear them apart . To pull her from his arms and demand an explanation , though I had rio right . I had pushed her away . I had built the wall . And now she was leaning on someone else someone I trusted . The silence in the room was deafening . The walls closed in as the ache in my chest deepened . My fists clenched , but I didn't move . 3/3 Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!