Mom?

"She is so stubborn, her heart has an argument with her head every time it wants to beat"

Raven's POV

I woke up... warm?
I was never warm. My room was always cold
My bed was always freezing
Heating didn't exactly factor into my mothers' stupid image of evil when she moved us into a castle in hell.

I opened my eyes, surveying the room
The fire had died out
Light was peaking through the curtains of the small window in here
And me... I was strewn across Micah's hot body
I had heard wolves were warm. But he was like a furnace.

I retrieved my leg from within his, removing my arm from his chest as I slowly sat up
It was morning. And I had no clue where we went from here
We couldn't leave, not unless I gave up my wings, and I was not prepared to do that.

Micah groaned beside me, shifting in the bed and disrupting my train of thought
"Mm, morning" he said sleepily, eyes still closed as his hand slid up my back slowly
I froze. He was so... affectionate
It freaked me out.

I had never had any experiences with boys. With anyone really.
I liked to be alone
"Get up, we need to go" I said, trying to get up, but I was against the wall, and that meant climbing over Micah.

An escape that swiftly ended when I got halfway across him and he grabbed my hips, landing me in a straddling position
"I said morning" he said simply
"Morning" I grumbled, waiting for him to let go
But he didn't
He just held me. And stared.

"Micah, let me go. Now" I said
"Why are you always so distant?" He asked
I groaned, rolling my eyes
We were going to do this, this early in the morning?

"Why are you always so persistent to have a deep meaningful conversation?" I asked back
"Because dear Raven, you are the first girl I've ever met that doesn't like to have any sort of fun, and yet you're the furthest thing from seriousness because you never want to talk about anything" he stressed, sitting up.

His arms caged me further
And I felt trapped. Physically and verbally
"I..." didn't know what to say
I had fun... sometimes
My fun was just different.

My fun was my animals and my music. My alone time

"Micah" I said
"Yes?" He said, pulling me closer, skin on skin
Nothing but our underwear covering us as we sat entwined
"You're my mate. You can talk to me" he said
And it snapped in my head
That fucking reminder.

His mate.

Micah's POV

She rolled her eyes, quickly pushing me away to stand up
What's her problem? All I did was call her my mate.

Why can't she understand that we're mean to be?
"Hang on" I said, standing up from the bed, she didn't spare me a glance as she grabbed her shirt from the floor
"Is that it? Because I said you were my mate? Is that why you keep pushing me out?" I asked.

"Leave it Micah, we have more pressing matters, like getting out of here" she snapped.
"It is, isn't it? What's so wrong about saying you're my mate?" I asked
"Micah" she warned
"What? Tell me, what's wrong Raven? Why are you so afraid to talk to me? To open up? To admit that we're bonde-"

"Stop it" she snapped, turning to face me as wings flourished from her back, knocking the frames off the walls and the ornaments from above the fire
Her horns snaked out from her hair, fiery red as bright eyes glared back at me

But they weren't hers
"Raven?" I said hesitantly after a moment of tense silence
"Morana" she said defiantly, standing strong
"Okay... Morana" I said, offering her a small smile
She tilted her head slightly, before moving towards me

And admittedly, I stumbled back in fear until I hit the door
"You run from me? Why?" She asked confused, looking me up and down
I was still in my underwear
And I now felt slightly vulnerable

The last time I saw her properly like this was the day we met. The day she tried to go after Quinn.

"I'm sorry" I said
"Why... why are you out?" I asked curiously
She shrugged
"I take over when Raven can't handle her feelings, when they get too much for her" she explained.

"So shouldn't you also be angry?" I asked
I thought they felt relatively the same
"No. I'm angry. But with Raven, not you" she said
"Why?" I asked, moving slowly over to the bed
I expected her to sit beside me

But instead she straddled my lap once more
Quickly. Confidently
"Because she won't let you in. She won't let us out. She won't admit that we need you. That we want you" she said, her face nearing mine.

"And why is that?" I asked
I know Raven should tell me herself
But I couldn't get anything out of her
"Raven's closed off. She's had a... lonely life. Except for me, well... me and the pup but she's been locked away for years" she said, thinking about it.

I couldn't help but cringe at the word pup.

"She's... insecure. She needs to know that you want her" she said
"As much as she wants you" she said, pushing me back to lay down, before she leant over me, her lips inches from mine
"I do show her. Constantly, she's all I want. Forever" I said.

"I know that. But you need to show her you want her, without the mutt bond" she advised, kissing my cheek softly
"It'll be a challenge though, our Raven is very stubborn" she said
"I know. That's what I love about her" I smiled to myself.

"Love" she said surprised, sitting up
"Not love... I meant..." I sighed. I didn't know how to explain
I was quickly falling in love with Raven
Who couldn't? She was every thing
And that wasn't just the mate bond

I liked Raven because of who she was
Not because the moon goddess has told me to.

Her resilience. Her attitude. Her small affections even though she was unaware that she showed them.

"You're cute Micah. Don't mess it up, our Raven is... fragile" she said
"I know, I plan to protect her with everything in me" I said
She nodded, looking over me once again
"Hmm, besides the quicker she realises she needs you... the quicker we can mate" she said, freezing me on the spot.

"What?" I asked nervously
She smiled, grabbing my jaw and pulling me in to plant a kiss against my lips
It was our second kiss
And as much as I liked every part of Raven, I wanted to kiss her. Not her demon.

We needed to bond properly first.
And I hadn't even met her wolf yet.

And especially as we had only kissed once
Her horns slowly disappeared and her wings retracted
And before I knew it, Raven was sat on my lap once more, lips against mine
Before she realised she was back, and she pulled away.

"What did she say?" She asked
"You don't know?" I asked back
"She blocked me out" she said
I didn't know demons could do that.

"She just told me to go a bit easier on you. That you need me to prove that I want you without the bond" I said honestly. I wasn't going to lie to her
A relationship was built on trust
A good one was anyway.

"She... she shouldn't have said that" she said, getting off of me once more
"Why not?" I asked
"Because it's not true" she said
"Isn't it? You do know that I want you Raven. Bond or not. You're beautiful and smart and enticing beyond belief. You're different. Unique" I said.

She just looked at me blankly. Unaware of what to say
I sighed, grabbing my shirt from the floor
"Come on, let's go" I said, feeling slightly deflated
I was hoping for some sort of reaction. Anything.

Anything but... nothing.

Narissa's POV

Trudging around purgatory was the most undignified thing I'd ever had to do.
I was a queen. I should be sat upon my throne
Not dead.
Not running around after my daughter
After a mutt. A mutt she would grow to love if they continued being in each other's presence.

I screamed out of frustration
Where the hell was she?
Why couldn't I find her?

Raven's POV

"Stop sulking" I said, following behind Micah
"I'm not" he said
"You are" I said
Why do you care?
"What do you care? Eh?" He asked, his voice flat and... sad

"What?" I asked
He sighed, stopping and facing me
"I am trying Raven. I am really trying with you. But you won't let me in, you won't open up, you won't give me anything. I can't get anything out of you because you're so closed off. I know that's just who you are but..." he faltered

"But it's hard is all" he finished, before he continued walking
I felt something I had only felt very rarely in my life
A feeling that was familiar to me more times than not before my death.

I felt... bad
Bad for him
Bad about myself

"Micah" I said simply
He didn't say anything, merely continued walking
I sighed
"What's your favourite colour?" I asked
"What?" He asked confused.

"You're favourite colour. Mines green, what's yours?" I asked begrudgingly
Trying to claw back any sense of feeling... better.

He was quiet for a bit, just walking.
Leaves beneath our feet the only sound
"Blue" He said simply.

I nodded
"Okay... family?" I asked, making him smile slightly
"Uh, I have my dads, and my little sister Laila" he said, thinking back
"Dad's?" I asked

He nodded
"Yeah, me and Laila were adopted" he said
I... never knew that
He was my supposed mate and I was quickly realising I knew nothing about him.

"What about you? I know you're Sin's sister but, who did you grow up with?" He asked
"My mom, mainly... then she got married. To Lucian" I said, deciding to share
"Is he the step dad you mentioned?" He asked
"Yeah he's uh..." I sighed
"The ruler of hell" I said.

"What?" He asked, stopping
"He... he runs hell okay? He... he's the king" I said honestly. I knew he'd react like this
Everyone did
Like it was a big thing
Like Lucian was something to be afraid of

He wasn't. He was an idiot
A love struck idiot who followed my mother anywhere.

"So you're like... a princess" he said
"No" I said immediately
I wasn't a fucking Princess
That's all anyone would call me in the castle.

It was fucking stupid.
"But you are, being the king's daughter" he said
"I'm not his daughter" I said
"I'm sorry" he said, putting his hands up in surrender, nearing me
"You'd make a good princess though" he commented with a smirk.

"Don't" I warned. I didn't like his teasing.
"Okay... princess" he said, standing before me
"Micah" I snapped at him
"What?" He asked innocently, his hand ghosting down my arm into mine.

And there's those god forsaken flutters through my skin again
Mate
Mate
I wish they would stop
Because every passing second they would whine for him. Yearn for him.

"Raven" he said, edging closer
"What?" I breathed out
"I..." he faltered.

"Raven?" My head snapped to my left
A shock jolting my body at that voice
"Mom?"

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