Raff

 Raff, please be okay.

Cold water splashed across his face, drawing Raff into consciousness. The sound of Meribella's sweet voice faded to nothing, leaving him feeling empty. And lost. 

Not even his wolf stirred inside of him, no doubt magically subdued.

"I must've hit you harder than I thought."

Blinking the water away, Raff jerked his head to move hair out of his eyes. He wanted Vivian to see the rage in them, to fear for her safety every time his arctic blues swept across her. The witch merely studied him, her worn face unreadable as she set a bucket down.

"Where's Lincoln? Thorne?" His tongue was swollen, flopping awkwardly around his words.

"Safe. Back at the boathouse like they were told. You chose to be difficult."

"Why?" Raff hadn't meant to ask. Told himself he didn't care, but he did. Oh, gods, he did.

"Does it matter?"

"I wouldn't have asked."

Vivian snapped and a stool slid across the room. She sat on it, leaning forward with her palms flat over her knees. Indecision burned his nose, the scent spicy and harsh, but then it hardened, like stone. 

Conviction.

Hands pressed together, she lifted them above her head, splitting them apart and making a circle around her face. Raff couldn't see the magic, but he felt something ripple across his skin. Vivian reached up and pulled an earring out of her ear. One minute, the woman he grew up with was sitting before him, the next a stranger.

"What the hell?"

Gone was the heavy, black kohl, the deep wrinkles, and uneven skin tone. Hair, the color of sunshine through autumn leaves, fell down her back in waves of silk. Eyes of indigo and violet locked onto him, their depths filled with ancient knowledge and sadness. But through all the changes, he saw her.

"Vivian?"

"That is one name I'm known by. Some have called me Nineve, Nimue, Niniane...the one you might know best is Lady of the Lake."

"Fucking arthurian shit," Raff shouted, pulling on his bindings. "What concern are werewolves to you? Shouldn't you be bothering the Guardians?"

"If my lady wishes for me to do so, then yes. But for now, she wants the werewolves to submit to her rule."

"Morgan? But you're a witch. Witches detest the Fae Queen."

Vivian ran her hands along her arms, her full red lips turning down as she considered her next words. "I do detest her. With every fiber of my being- I hate that woman."

"Then let me go."

"I wish I could, but Morgan le Fay owns me. Once, long ago, she bound me to the lake. To stray too far from its shore was to die. One day, she came to me and made an offer- learn all of Merlin's secrets in exchange for my freedom. But it didn't end there. If I don't do as she asks, I'll be sent back to the lake."

"Poor you," Raff spit out. He pitied Vivian. Morgan was a powerful foe, and the witch likely had no way to free herself. But her freedom meant more to her than doing what was right. What was good. He couldn't forgive that type of selfishness.

Vivian stood up and slapped Raff. Magic bolstered the hit, and he felt a tooth crack.  She shouted, "you don't know what it's like. To be kept in darkness for years. Alone. Forgotten."

If it was anything like the way he felt when he thought Meribella was dead, or even close to how he felt with her gone from him now, it was torture. He worked his jaw to tease out the soreness and spit blood before speaking, "I'd rather have integrity and be imprisoned than be free and corrupt."

"You speak like a stupid child, one who thinks the world is colored in black and white, good and evil. I don't agree with Morgan's methods, but she has a vision for this world. One where those who are special don't have to hide in the shadows."

"If she wants to live where her kind are free, she can go back to Avalon."

"She will. One day. She will rule us all from there, but to do that, she needs an army to defeat the nine imposters who sit on the thrones of Avalon."

"My men will not fight for her," he hissed.

Vivian stood behind him. She dropped her hands on his shoulder, and through the thin material of his shirt, Raff could feel the ice in her flesh. He couldn't stop himself from tensing as she ran her hands lower, over his chest.

"You already know what I can do. I can erase the bonds between you and your men. You will hold no sway over them."

He ground his teeth together, searching for a way to argue against her statement, but he knew the truth of it. The evidence was plain. "Why the drugs? And why use the wolves to pedal them?"

She laughed. "I'm not going to give away all our secrets, Raff. This isn't the climax of a movie where I waste precious time gloating over my victory. No cavalry is arriving to save you. I'm giving you a choice: join your forces to Morgan's, or I will destroy the Alpha bond. You'll go mad and die."

"I fail to see the choice that benefits me in any of this."

Sharp nails dug into his flesh, and she leaned down, pressing her lips to his ear. Revulsion shuddered through him. "Live or die. That's the best I can offer you. It's more than the Fae Queen wanted to offer."

A heavy door clanged shut, and he was all alone. A single light bulb dangled over him, it's weak glow casting a small circle of light around his bound form. Somewhere nearby, water dripped from a faucet, and the murmur of voices- too light to be intelligible- reached his ears. The room smelled musty, and he could feel no circulation in the air. None of these details revealed anything about his whereabouts. No doubt Vivian had chosen the location with his heightened senses in consideration.

The witch hadn't given him a time table for his decision, and he mulled over the best course of action. It would be easy enough to think he could agree to whatever scheme they were concocting, but they were members of the supernatural world. Any allegiances made were enforced with magic. The chances of working around it was slim.

But the alternative was risking his sanity, and without his leadership, his pack would end up in the same predicament. He let loose a fierce snarl, clenching and unclenching his fists while he banged his body against the chair. If his wolf was awake, the beast would've seized control, shredding through the chains binding his human.

"Blessed.... Mer...lla."

Whoever spoke on the other side of the wall raised her voice. He didn't have to hear everything to know they were talking about Meribella, and the idea that she might be dragged into all of this stoked his rage. What the hell had been the point of being apart for so long if she was going to end up involved? And it made perfect, terrible sense. Caspian was one of Morgan's biggest supporters, and Meribella was in his care. On some god forsaken island in the middle of nowhere.

"Wasn't part of the deal!"

A door slammed. Heels clicked down a hallway- the floor sounded hard, likely the same concrete substance as what was in his room. Was he in a warehouse? How original.

With renewed determination, Raff strained against the cuffs, holding back a shout of victory when the metal began to give. It made him think Vivian hadn't bespelled the bindings, and if he could free himself, he might be able to resume his full range of abilities. So help him, if the witch had done anything to harm Meribella, he wouldn't hesitate to sink his canines into her throat.

A sharp crack split the silence, and one hand was free. He crossed his arm over his chest, sliding his fingers beneath the cuff and pulling. The door burst open as the last restraint gave way. A rank stench filled the room, and hot air washed over his skin. Magic. Leaping to his feet, he tried to rouse his wolf, but the room tilted, his vision doubling every time he moved.

"Raff, I hope this isn't you choosing wrong," Vivian said, pushing him back into the chair with just a single hand.

Meribella.

Vivian's fingers snapped together and once more he went into the void.