The Broken Raven - A Paradox Of Two Worlds Series Book 1

Chapter 63- Raven

I don't want to move since I don't have any energy. I pull the covers over my head after turning over to see that Clay isn't in bed. I go downstairs to check out the disturbance because everything was very calm until the yelling began. Brie turns her head to look at me as I walk into the kitchen and then glances over.

Aunt Lia?

"Raven, there you are, grab your things and let's go, you too, Brie," Aunt Lia demands.

"No, what's going on?" I ask, "I'm not going anywhere until someone explains what the hell is happening." I sit down, and I look over at Clay; he seems upset and mad at the same time.

Aunt Lia is losing her patience. She fixes her gaze on me while concealing her emotions behind a delicate face. She is standing there, her long, black hair flowing over her shoulders, and donning an oversized sweater that she only likes to wear when she needs to clean up a mess. She gestures with her finger as if she were about to ground me, and I am still five years old.

"I told you not to go around the vampires. Now, look what has happened. Zack is dead. The rest of the pack is angry, and I can't stop them from what's to come. All I know is you weren't supposed to end up with him," she scolds me, eyes slit at the mention of Clay.

I inhale deeply and sense my old self returning; Brie whispers to Clay and Logan, "Brace yourselves." And I turn to face Lia.

"Are you done?" I ask.

"Yes....." Before she could finish.

"My turn. How do you know Zack and his pack, and what do you mean I wasn't supposed to end up with him?" I say, pointing to Clay. She looks at me. I've never talked back to her, but I'm tired of all the secrets and lies; she doesn't say anything. "Answer me!" The house starts to shake.

To try to calm me down, Clay reaches out and encases his arms around me. Nobody has ever been able to calm me down like he does; he always knows how.

"We can talk about this when we get home?" She calmly states.

"Did you not hear me? I'm not going anywhere," I shout. "Answer my goddamn question."

She looks at me and inhales. "I know Zack because his pack has been watching you." I can feel Clay tense up; he knows something. "And as for Clay, you were not supposed to end up with him. You were to be with one of the boys from the pack so that you could put orders between witches and vampires behind us. It was your destiny," she finishes.

"What!" I yell. "Who the hell gets to determine my destiny? I'm so fed up with people telling me to be someone else but me!"

"Honey, no one is telling you not to be yourself, but your mother and father." She looks down. "They weren't supposed to be together, your mother was to wed a lycan from the pack, but since she didn't, your parents promised you would, so that they could have a powerful ally on their side if the vampires decided to attack either group of witches or werewolves or what is left of us." She takes a deep breath. "Now that you have gone against your parents' word, the pack is angry and will do anything to stop you and him from being together. They need you on their side to control the vampires."

I take a step back into Clay's arms; this can't be true. But there is more. "Now that some vampires have been killed, Abel's followers are determined to bring you down," she tells me.

"Is that all?" I ask.

"No," Clay pipes up, "tell her or I will."

"Tell me what?" I shout, "For the life of me, can I just get the whole story at once?" Aunt Lia looks at me with tears running down her face.

This isn't going to be good.

"I'm not biologically your aunt," she says through sniffles. "I was your mother's best friend like Brie is to you. But I'm not a witch, I am an elder now from the last remaining pack in this territory when your parents passed. I was ordered to watch over you since you trusted me."

The shock that runs through me is unbearable, I feel my legs weaken, and Clay holds me tight as I take this all in. "We can protect her," Clay says. "I can protect her."

"I know you can, but can you love her through all this? Love will be the only thing to get you through all this and win," Lia tells him. "You have no idea what you are up against."

"Loving her is the easy part," He says, kissing my hair.

"Raven, please, can you talk to me?" She begs. I turn to face her. "Do you love him?" She asks me softly, and I nod.

"Then I'll do what I can to help you. I love you like you are my own. I'm afraid I have to disagree with what your parents did, but I had to follow orders. But seeing you with him makes me believe he got through that wall of yours. That wall I've tried to break down for so many years after your parents died. Seeing your guard down now all because of him makes me think the love goes both ways. I want you to be happy, so I'll fight alongside you".

I give her a hug and say, "Thank you."

"I love you, honey."

"Me too." She stops and looks at Clay and Logan. "I hope you two know what you're fighting for and if it's worth it."

"We do," they both say.

"Clay?"

"Yes," He says. "Please take care of her. I'm handing over the reins to you. Protect her as I have." He nods as he wraps his arms around me. "Okay, so since this is how it's going to be, you all need to go into hiding while I try to talk to the rest of the pack leaders."

"Done," Clays says, "We're heading out of town today anyways."

"Okay, good, don't tell me where you're going; I don't want anyone to find you. I'll call you when I have talked to them." She hugs me goodbye and tells us to be safe.

I turn to face the other three. Can we get one day? That's all I ask. Clay pulls me towards him, and I inhale. I close my eyes and let myself get lost in the moment. For a few seconds, it feels like we're the only two people in the world. But then reality sets in.

Why me?