Anya sighed after calling Raven for the umpteenth time, only to be met yet again with the computerized voice announcing, voicemail full.
She quickly fired off another text message. Call me the second you get this. Urgent.
Panic swept through Anya as she redialed Raven's number again.
She'd awoken early morning with an overwhelming sense of dread. Something felt off. Something was inconceivably wrong. She could feel it in her bones.
She'd lost count how many times she'd called now. She didn't care how many times her name would come up on Raven's phone.
The best-case scenario would be Raven calling her about it and laughing at the grounder for being a clingy and needy stalker.
She grumbled as she was met with the computerized voice again. She was starting to hate that voice. Half the day was gone, and still, Raven hadn't picked up. This was bad. Really bad.
Anya paced outside her cabin, fear beginning to surge through her as she knew what she had to do next.
It was time to tell Lexa.
The commander would undoubtedly be furious. But it had to be done. If anything happened, the pack would be responsible.
She let out a long breath before glancing at the dark skyline atop the trees, finding a much-needed moment of comfort in its beauty before she went to see Lexa.
"What is it?" Lexa asked. She was leaned against her cabin, watching over the camp from her balcony. The commander's cabin rose higher than all the others, making it the best lookout point in the whole community.
Anya didn't answer right away. Instead, she shifted on her feet uncomfortably. She really didn't want to have this conversation. Lexa's wrath could be unyielding when caught on the wrong side of it. And Anya wasn't sure just how angry Lexa would become with the new information Anya had to tell her.
"Tell me," Lexa ordered, agitation already evident in her tone as if she knew bad news was coming. "Did something happen with the human?"
How did Lexa always do that? When it came to Anya anyway, she always seemed to know exactly what was wrong.
"I'm not sure. Maybe. She hasn't answered her phone all day."
Lexa's unreadable gaze slowly flickered over Anya, studying the blonde carefully as she often did. "Okay, and why are we concerned about this?"
Anya grit her teeth, really not wanting to tell the no-nonsense leader the next part. "I… fucked Raven the other night."
Lexa didn't waver, just stared patiently as she waited for Anya to continue.
"Annnd, she bit my lip. It bled. And yes, she swallowed it."
Lexa's jaw clenched together as she stood up straighter, urgency filling her eyes.
"How could you be so careless, Anya!? And why would you leave her alone afterward? You realize how bad this is, right? This is the only year out of a hundred where it is vital you keep your blood out of a human's mouth!"
"I've done well in that department up until now," Anya joked weakly. "I was bound to have a screw up eventually."
Lexa shook her head furiously. She wasn't laughing, not in the least. "This is serious, Anya. Our blood is never more potent than the year of the Turning Moon. And that moon is still months away. Raven will suffer until it rises."
Anya threw her hands up in defence. "Look, I don't even know if anything's happened! There was so little blood. She's probably just busy."
"You should have made sure she wasn't infected first!" Lexa began pacing back and forth. "You should have told me immediately! You should have kept her here until you knew for sure! What if she's loose in the city? And on the other side of the tracks no less! Outside our territory. She should not be among other humans — or alone during this time."
"How was I supposed to keep her here? It's not like we're allowed to say what we are or what might happen to her."
"If you intended to turn her, then you should have told her everything."
"I didn't intend it!" Anya was yelling now. "It just all happened so fast and was a complete accident."
The commander held her head in frustration. "She'll have to be told. And you'll need to stay by her side until her turning. Damn it, Anya! Things are intense enough around here trying to get the others to accept human-turns to join the pack in the first place. If this goes badly, the pack could split, a rebellion could break out. Allowing pack members to have a human join us vastly opens their options for a mate. To find love with someone other than pairing off with the most compatible pack member."
Anya looked away in shame. She silently scolded herself for losing control of the situation the night before. It had happened so quickly.
She thought back to the encounter with Raven two nights earlier, letting it unfold frame by frame. Her and Raven on the bed in the throws of passion, how Raven had sucked her lip gently first, followed by the lightest nibbles that made Anya groan and sink in further—and that was her mistake—indulging the invite.
After that first luxurious nibble, was when Raven had bit down, hard. At first, the act caused a great wave of pleasure in the grounder. Her body having fluttered and tingled in a way she'd never experienced. In the next moment, that heavy feeling of dread filled her as she'd realized what just happened and what it possibly could have meant.
"Shit," she had uttered.
But what could she had done? It happened. There was no going back. Instead, it would have to be the next day's problem, because, at the time, Anya had been too hyped up and horny to stop herself from enjoying what Raven was offering her on a silver platter. Plus, Raven was like a drug, Anya didn't know if she would've been capable of stopping anyway.
"I'll find her," Anya said with more conviction than she felt, but it was a promise none the less. Her mind was still reeling from the thought of Raven having gone missing and being alone with terrorizing werewolf blood in her system.
"You better, and you better hope she doesn't spread it to anyone else." Lexa took a deep breath before shaking her head again. "How could you be so careless, Anya? You of all people. And now that poor girl doesn't have a choice in what becomes of her. What happens when you tire of Raven? What happens when you finally take a mate and Raven is on her own in a pack that may not even accept her?"
Anya grit her teeth before answering and spoke with an unwavering certainty she'd never demonstrated before, "Raven will be my mate. There will be no one else."
Lexa's gaze signaled disbelief. "You've known the girl only three days, Anya."
"It's all I needed."
Lexa stared at Anya, expression unreadable.
As Anya turned to leave, she's stopped by a hand on her arm, causing her to turn and face the commander again. "Once you find her, do not leave her side under any circumstances. You know as well as I do, there are many in the clan that do not approve of humans being made into our kind. If she is carrying your scent, her condition won't stay secret for much longer."
Anya gave a firm nod before turning to leave again only to freeze mid-step as last night's conversation with Raven rushed back to her, and she realized they might have a second issue on their hands.
"Shit," Anya swore.
Lexa's angry eyes met hers as if expecting the worst was yet to come. "What is it?"
Anya sighed. She really didn't want to push Lexa further than she already had. "It's possible Raven did spread it to someone else. You better send someone to pick her up."