Chapter Thirteen – Ash and Obedience
(Raven's POV)
The Bone Crown didn't rest on my head—it rooted itself there.
I could feel it, not just pressing against my skull, but sinking into it. Tendrils of ancient magic threaded through my scalp like veins of fire, pulsing with every heartbeat. It wasn't just a symbol. It was a parasite. A promise. A curse.
The Elders had vanished into the trees, their cloaks trailing behind them like smoke. The wolves had melted into the underbrush, their golden eyes the last to disappear.
Only Darius remained.
He stood at the edge of the clearing, watching me like I was a storm he wasn't sure he could outrun.
I turned away from him, my hands trembling.
What have I done?
We made camp in the ruins of the old temple. The sky above was a bruised purple, the stars distant and cold. A fire crackled between us, casting flickering shadows across the broken stone.
Darius sat across from me, silent.
I could feel his eyes on me. I could feel everything now—the heartbeat of the earth, the breath of the trees, the blood in his veins.
It was too much.
I stood abruptly. "I need air."
"You're already outside," he said.
"I need… space."
He didn't stop me.
I walked into the trees, the Bone Crown humming against my skull. My thoughts were a tangle of fire and ash.
You're queen now. You should feel powerful. Invincible.
But all I felt was hollow.
I found a stream and knelt beside it, splashing cold water on my face. My reflection stared back at me—familiar and foreign. My eyes glowed faintly, the gold brighter than ever. My skin shimmered with runes I hadn't noticed before, etched into my collarbones, my wrists, my throat.
I touched the crown.
It pulsed.
You are not a girl anymore, the voice whispered. You are a god in a cage of flesh.
I clenched my jaw. "I didn't ask for this."
You didn't have to. You were born for it.
"I didn't want this."
Want is irrelevant. You are what the world needs. What it fears. What it deserves.
I slammed my fist into the water, shattering the reflection.
When I returned to the fire, Darius was still there, sharpening his blade. He looked up as I approached, his expression unreadable.
"You okay?" he asked.
I sat down across from him. "No."
He nodded. "Didn't think so."
Silence stretched between us, thick and heavy.
Finally, I said, "Why didn't you stop me?"
He didn't look up. "Would you have listened?"
"I might have."
"No," he said. "You wouldn't have. You needed to do it."
I stared at the fire. "I don't know who I am anymore."
"You're Raven."
"I'm something else now."
"You're still you."
I laughed bitterly. "You keep saying that."
"Because it's true."
I looked at him. "You don't know what it feels like. The power. The hunger. It's like… I'm standing on the edge of a cliff, and something inside me wants to jump."
"Then don't jump."
"What if I already have?"
He met my gaze. "Then I'll catch you."
I stood, pacing. "You don't get it, Darius. You don't have this thing inside you. This… monster."
He rose too. "You think I don't know what it's like to be afraid of yourself?"
"You don't have a crown fused to your skull."
"No," he said. "But I have a wolf that wants to tear the world apart every time someone looks at you the wrong way."
I stopped.
He stepped closer. "You think I don't feel it? The rage? The hunger? The need to protect you, even from yourself?"
I looked away. "I don't need protection."
"I know," he said. "But I'm not going to stop offering it."
I turned to him, my voice shaking. "What if I become like them? What if I lose myself?"
"Then I'll remind you who you are."
"And if I hurt you?"
He smiled, sad and fierce. "Then I'll heal."
I stared at him.
He stepped closer. "You don't have to carry this alone."
"I don't know how to let anyone in."
"Then start with me."
The fire crackled between us.
I reached out, slowly, fingers brushing his.
He didn't pull away.
"I'm scared," I whispered.
"So am I."
"I don't know how to be this."
"Then let's figure it out together."
I looked up at him.
And kissed him.
It wasn't soft.
It wasn't sweet.
It was desperate. Fierce. A collision of teeth and breath and fire.
His hands tangled in my hair. Mine gripped his shirt, pulling him closer.
The Bone Crown pulsed.
The forest howled.
And for the first time, I didn't feel alone.
We lay beside the fire, our bodies tangled, our breaths slowing.
Darius traced the runes on my shoulder with a calloused finger. "They're beautiful."
"They're a curse."
"They're you."
I turned to him. "You don't have to stay."
"I know."
"But you're still here."
"I always will be."
I closed my eyes. "I don't know what comes next."
He kissed my forehead. "Then we'll find out together."
Inside me, the voice stirred.
He will betray you. They always do.
I pushed it down.
For now, I chose to believe him.
For now, I chose to hope...