Page 16 of Raven

"Raven McCulloch." At the sound of my name, I immediately let go of Tia and stepped in front of her as a shield.

My fleeting relief evaporated the second I recognised that voice. Ah hell. “Davies …"

"You're not a bad kisser, it seems. Looks like she was enjoying that." His words stirred a mix of irritation andprotectiveness in me. My panther, always alert to the hierarchy of our kind, acknowledged the presence of a higher-ranked cat—a tiger.

Stephen Davies and Cade McDonald, as inseparable as ever, loomed at the edge of the car park. Their friendship was a puzzle; Stephen with his loud, brash intelligence, and Cade, the more reserved and thoughtful of the two.

"We're just here for a run," I countered, feeling no need to justify my presence. "What do you want?"

Stephen feigned shock. "Us too. What a coincidence." His tone dripped with sarcasm. "You're following me."

Stephen might bear the title of Malcolm's Son, destined for greatness, yet his youth and arrogance were all too apparent. "Did daddy let you drive tonight?" Despite being peers, our worlds couldn't have been more different, divided by the vast chasm of wealth and privilege.

Daddy wasn’t just any Other. Daddy was Malcolm Davies.

If it were just Cade, I wouldn't feel this tension. But Stephen, he required a careful approach. Despite his tendency to lord over others, he showed a respect for those who stood up to him.

"Cade and I were just curious about what you're doing up here. Don't see you much. Who knew you knew the way?"

I tilted my head, unimpressed. "Some of us actually have to work and study to get by in life."

Stephen shrugged, an air of faux contemplation around him. "If it wasn't so dreadfully dull, I might bother myself. So, where are we running to?" He had a way of pushing boundaries and there was a way to talk to Stephen without crossing the line—a tightrope walk when speaking to the alpha's son. There's banter, and then there's disrespect, a fine distinction in our hierarchy.

"Maybe we should head somewhere else," Tia suggested, her grip on my hand tightening.

Stephen craned his neck, trying to get a better look at Tia around me. "Fancy joining us for a run, darling? We know all the prime spots." His grin widened, a clear challenge.

"Stop being an idiot," Cade said, pulling Stephen back. Despite his reserved nature, Cade was no less formidable, carrying the weight of his own legacy as the alpha's son of the wolves. His strength lay in his silence, his decency, not flaunting his status.

"I'm not being an idiot," Stephen protested, undeterred. "She's interested in me. It's obvious."

"I'm not. I just ..." Tia's protest was cut short by Stephen's smug smirk, a look all too familiar to those who knew him.

"Oh sweetheart, every girl ends up interested," he boasted, eyeing me with a proposition. "How about we race for her? You and me. Winner spends the night with her."

The audacity of his challenge was staggering, but not surprising. Stephen lived in a world where everything was a game, including people's feelings. But this wasn't a game I was willing to play.

"Or we could act like adults and go our separate ways," I said through gritted teeth. The reality was, Stephen could do whatever he wanted, and I was powerless to stop him. He could take Tia if he chose to. But his antics seemed more about the game than genuine intent. Was he a threat? Maybe not directly. He was harmless until he wasn't, like most.

"Stephen ..." Cade began, a note of warning in his voice.

"Cade ..." Stephen parroted back in an exaggerated, exasperated tone. "Geez, you're so serious. Lighten up, McCulloch. I'm just messing with you." With characteristic lack of modesty, he stripped off his shirt, flinging it onto a nearby wall. His muscles flexed.

Stephen proceeded to remove his belt, and then his jeans, throwing a cheeky look back at us as he did. "I'm going for a run. Try to keep up, losers. If you can."

EIGHT

We shifted together, the four of us forming a square with our backs to each other. It wasn't out of decency or some sense of pride. We are shifters. Concerns about nudity that Humans have don't apply to us. There's no squeamishness or sideways glances. Our bodies are just that—bodies. We spent most of our lives unclothed. It's as natural to us as it is for any animal not to wear clothes. Our formation was chosen for protection, because shifting—that's when we're at our most vulnerable. And, joke as we might, Cade and Stephen were more than just normal shifters. They were their father's heirs.

If we hadn’t arrived at the same time, they would’ve likely shifted back-to-back. That's what Tia and I would have done. It allowed us to watch each other's backs. There were laws to protect us; Humans were forbidden from attacking us while we're partially shifted, but that's hardly a deterrent. They attack if they want. They find it amusing. And there's nothing like a good show for them to sneak up on us and try to watch.

We're at our most vulnerable in that middle moment, caught between animal and human form. Only a coward would take us down during this time, but cowards do exist, and who would be there to vouch for us if anything happened?

Sure, if it were Cade or Stephen, all hell would be raised. But Tia and me? My mother and I are barely part of society. Really, it's only Malcolm's generosity that keeps us safe.

We each shed our clothes, placing them in a pile behind us. As Stephen shifted and Tia was free of her clothing, she turned and peered out into the evening before her, stretching her arms out to the sides and tilting her head back, allowing the half-moon light to bathe her naked form.

I desperately tried to avert my gaze, focusing on the tall trees and the inky blackness beyond. We were on guard duty, protecting the heir of Society as he shifted into his animal form.

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