Chapter 153 The confession
Chapter 153
DARIUS
The word left my mouth before I could stop it.
"Mine."
The sound carried across the entire academy grounds, loud and unmistakable, reverberating off the stone walls and into the night. Silence fell immediately. Every wolf on the field froze. Every human in the stands stopped breathing. Even the torches seemed to burn quieter.
I felt the weight of what I had just done settle over me like a physical thing.
But I did not regret it.
Not even for a second.
The mate bond that I had been suppressing for months, the bond I had denied and fought against and tried to bury under layers of anger and pride, was no longer containable. Not here. Not under the full moon. Not with her sitting right there, staring at me with those wide hazel eyes that had haunted me since the day she first walked into this academy.
The energy inside me felt clearer than it ever had before.
For the first time in my life, I was not fighting it.
Atlas stirred in my chest, satisfied and victorious. "Finally," he rumbled. "You stopped being a coward."
I ignored him and kept my eyes locked on Ravenna.
She had not moved. She was still sitting in the center of the human section, her hand gripping Samantha's like it was the only thing keeping her tethered to the ground. Her face was pale, her lips parted slightly, her breathing shallow.
She looked terrified.
And I hated that I was the reason for it.
"Darius."
My father's voice cut through the silence like a blade.
I turned slowly to face him.
Richard Pike stood at the center of the field, his arms crossed, his expression dark with fury. The other Alphas had stepped back slightly, giving him space, but they were all watching. Waiting.
"What do you think you are doing?" Richard's voice was low and dangerous, the kind of tone that usually preceded violence.
I met his gaze without flinching. "I am claiming my mate."
"Your mate?" He stepped forward, his eyes narrowing. "She is human, Darius. You cannot claim a human mate."
"She is mine," I repeated, my voice steady. "The bond is there. It has been there from the beginning. You cannot deny what the moon has decided."
Richard's jaw tightened. "You will reject her now in front of the entire academy. You will end this nonsense before it goes any further."
Anger rose in me, hot and sharp, but beneath it was something deeper.
Regret.
I had spent months denying what Ravenna was to me. I had convinced myself that hating her was easier than accepting the truth. I had treated her like she was beneath me, like she was a threat instead of the other half of my soul.
And I had felt every moment of her pain through the bond.
I took a breath and turned fully toward my father.
"I knew," I said quietly. "From the very first day she arrived at this academy, I knew she was my mate."
The crowd murmured. I could feel their shock rippling through the air.
Richard stared at me. "You knew?"
"I felt the pull the moment I saw her," I continued, forcing the words out even though they tasted like ash. "I felt the bond lock into place, and instead of accepting it, I let resentment blind me."
I paused, my hands curling into fists at my sides.
"I hated that she threatened my position on the male team. I hated that she was human. I hated that she was able to get under my skin so easily. She was just a mere human, and yet she affected me more than anyone ever had."
My voice cracked slightly, but I pushed through it.
"I convinced myself that rejecting her was the right thing to do. I let that hatred grow because it was easier than admitting the truth. It was easier than accepting that the moon had given me someone I thought I could never deserve."
Richard's expression did not soften. If anything, he looked angrier.
"Throughout all the cruelty I showed her," I continued, my voice dropping, "I felt everything through the bond. I felt her humiliation. Her anger. Her pain. Her loneliness. And it tortured me, because I refused to acknowledge what she was to me."
I turned slightly, glancing back at Ravenna.
She was watching me now, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
"Suppressing the mate bond has been agony," I admitted. "Especially knowing I was the cause of much of her suffering. I hurt her. I humiliated her publicly. I listened to you and nearly killed my mate. Twice she’d have been dead all because of your selfishness and pride."
My throat tightened, but I forced myself to keep going.
"I refuse to lose another mate to pride, tradition, and obedience," I said firmly, turning back to my father. "I love her. I will accept the bond fully, no matter the consequences."
Richard's face went dark with rage.
"You would throw away your position as heir for a human girl?" His voice was rising now, loud enough for everyone to hear. "You would disgrace this pack, disgrace your bloodline, for her?"
"Yes."
The single word hung in the air between us.
Richard's eyes flashed gold. His wolf was surfacing, pushing against his control.
And then he made his move.
"Guards," he roared, his voice echoing across the field. "Seize the girl. Now."
The command sent a shock through the crowd.
Several of my father's personal guard wolves stepped forward immediately, their eyes fixed on the human section, on Ravenna.
I moved without thinking.
My body shifted forward, instinct driving me toward her, toward the need to protect what was mine. But I was torn. Torn between attacking my father and reaching her before the guards did.
Atlas snarled in my head. "Stop them. Now."
I was about to shift when another voice cut through the chaos.
"I would not do that if I were you."
Everyone froze.
Theodore stepped forward from the crowd.
He moved with a confidence I had never seen in him before, his shoulders back, his chin raised. And he was not alone. Flanked on either side of him were several men, all of them composed and disciplined, all of them carrying themselves like trained wolves.
They looked organized. Like they’d prepared for this.
Theodore stopped just short of Richard's guards and looked at them with an expression that was almost bored.
"Step back," he said calmly. "Or there will be bloodshed on sacred ground."
The guards hesitated, glancing back at Richard for direction.
I stared at Theodore in disbelief.
What was he doing?
How did he suddenly have men at his command?
Who was he?
And why did he have an army?