Mae POV
I woke up in Kieran's bed alone. Despite everything I have been through over the past couple of days, I am surprisingly well-rested. After lying in bed trying to reach out to the wolf that is living in my head and failing, I decide to take a shower.
After being in the dungeons, I feel disgusting. While in the shower, I wash my hair and body twice, trying to rid myself of the smell of the dungeons. As I begin to shave my legs, there is a knock on the bathroom door.
"Yes," I call out.
"It's me, Raven," she says with a weird edge to her voice.
"Oh," I respond, immediately feeling anxious. "I will be right out."
"Take your time," Raven tries to sound cheerful, but she isn't doing a great job.
I hurriedly finish running the razor over my legs before I shut off the water. I don't want to keep the Queen waiting. Wrapping a towel around my hair and another around my body, I take several deep breaths before I step out of the bathroom.
Raven is sitting on the couch in the corner of the room. Her legs are bouncing up and down nervously. When she looks up and sees me, she immediately composes herself. She spreads a fake smile across her face.
"Hello, Mae," she says sweetly. "I was hoping I could take you to dinner and we could chat."
"Umm, okay," I respond skeptically. "What should I wear?"
"Casual," Raven smiles.
I let my eyes roam over Raven. She is wearing a light blue sundress that makes her eyes pop. It isn't my definition of casual, but I plan to dress to match.
"Just give me a moment," I respond as I disappear into the closet.
Kieran had all of my clothes moved into his room. Standing in the closet, I stare at my clothes, and nothing feels like it is good enough to go out to dinner with a Queen. I shift the clothes around on the hangers, trying to find a specific dress, but it isn't here. It must have gotten left behind at the old apartment.
After spending too much time choosing an outfit, I pick a pair of nice jeans and a blouse. I quickly get dressed and step out of the closet. Raven doesn't seem to mind what I have chosen to wear. I run to the bathroom and quickly run a comb through my wet hair. Knowing I don't have much time, I pull my hair back into a loose braid. I put on some mascara and lip gloss before checking myself over in the mirror. Compared to Raven's beauty, I can't help but feel plain.
As I step from the bathroom, I notice that Raven seems nervous again. "Is everything okay?" I ask.
"Why wouldn't it be?" Raven avoids the question.
"You seem out of sorts," I respond honestly.
"There is a lot to discuss," Raven's smile falters slightly.
"Have I done something wrong?"
"Of course not," Raven responds. "You are perfect. Shall we go?"
"Yep," I respond. "I just need to say goodbye to Kieran."
"Kieran is in a meeting," Raven says a little too quickly, and it makes me wonder what he is really doing.
"Okay," I mutter. "Let's just go then."
Raven leads me down the stairs to the front door of the pack house. For the first time, the pack house is silent as we walk through.
There is a car waiting for us out front, and Oliver is waiting with it. I was hoping that it would be just Raven and me, but I should have known better. There is no way the Queen of the werewolves would be allowed to go somewhere unattended.
Seeming to sense my unease, Raven turns to me and whispers. "Oliver is my sensitive mate. What we say will stay between us."
My eyes widen a little as I listen to Raven talk about the differences between her mates. Raven giggles as Oliver opens the door to the car and gestures for me to climb inside.
I expect Raven to sit in the front with Oliver, but she squeezes into the back with me. I scoot over to give her some more space, but she only sits closer to me. She takes my hand in hers and pats it gently.
Oliver gets into the driver's seat and takes off. I stare straight ahead, not knowing how to start a conversation without Kieran present.
As we drive down the road, I watch as Raven and Oliver share glances with one another in the rearview mirror. I am almost certain they are having a private conversation.
Oliver pulls into the parking lot of a nice restaurant, and I swallow hard. "I don't think I am dressed well enough for this place," I break the silence in the car.
"Don't be ridiculous," Raven taps my hand gently. "You look beautiful."
Oliver opens the door for us to scoot out, and Raven places a little kiss on his lips before she guides me inside. Much to my surprise, Oliver gets back into the car.
"Oliver is going to wait here for us," Raven tells me.
As soon as we walk inside, we are seated in a private room. I wait for Raven to sit before I take my seat.
"You don't have to be so formal," Raven jokes. "We are family now."
I try to return her smile, but I am nervous. Laying my napkin in my lap, I look around at the private room. "This place is really nice."
"Kieran owns it," Raven says like it is no big deal.
I cough on my water. "What was that?"
"Kieran owns multiple businesses within the North Pack," Raven informs me. "He always wanted to make his own legacy."
I am feeling more inadequate by the minute. I need to change the subject. "So, what did you want to chat about?"
Raven takes a long drink of her water, and she refuses to make eye contact with me.
"That bad?" I fill the silence between us.
"When we return to the pack house, your mother will no longer be in the dungeons," Raven says matter-of-factly.
"Oh," I mumble. "Where will she be?"
"We are giving her a room in the pack house with a guard," Raven informs me.
"Why?"
Raven sits a little straighter. "We believe your mother is an oracle."
"Like a person who can see the future?" I laugh. "She is crazy."
"I don't think so," Raven sighs. "I think she is the key to finding the people who are hunting Kieran and me."
"I don't want to deal with her," I snap at Raven. "She has never been a mother to me."
Raven studies me for a moment before she starts to speak. "I don't think you should make such a hasty decision, but no one is going to force you into anything."
"Fine," I grumble. "Do what you want with her."
"Okay," Raven clears her throat awkwardly. "What would you like to eat?"