Chapter 223 The Witch

Chapter 223 The Witch
Chapter 223

RAVENNA

I grabbed my bag and looked around carefully before slipping the book about MoonWolves inside.

I wanted to show it to Torren, to ask him about the abilities described, to understand what I was capable of.

As I stepped out of my room, I nearly collided with Sam coming down the hallway.

"Where are you going?" she asked, steadying herself.

"I need to see Darius's parents," I replied. "It doesn't look right for me as their son's mate to not visit them all these days. Martina woke up ages ago, and now Richard has too. I should have gone sooner."

Sam nodded slowly. "Are you coming back to the school afterwards?"

I hesitated. "I'm not sure. I might stay at the hospital for a while."

Sam sighed heavily. "Dorian is going to see Darius. I could let them keep each other company whilst you keep me company instead."

She looked at me with pleading eyes. "I miss you. I feel lonely."

I laughed despite myself. "Stop behaving like a baby."

"I'm serious," Sam insisted. "Will you come back?"

I nodded. "Yes, I'll come back. I promise."

Sam's expression brightened. "Good. I'm joining a reading group in the common room. When you get back, come find me there."

"I will," I promised.

I boarded a taxi to the hospital where Martina and Richard were being treated.

The drive felt longer than it should have, my stomach churning with nerves.

When I arrived, Marcus was in the waiting area outside their room.

He smiled when he saw me. "Ravenna. Who's with Darius?"

"Dorian is," I replied. "Are either of the parents awake?"

Marcus nodded. "Both of them are. Come on, I'll take you in."

He led me down the corridor and opened the door to their room.

Martina was sitting up in bed, looking pale but alert.

Her face lit up when she saw me. "Ravenna! Come here, darling."

I rushed to her side, and she pulled me into a tight hug.

She kissed my forehead and my hair, her hands gentle. "How have you been?"

I sat on the edge of her bed, suddenly feeling the weight of everything. "Tired. Tired from everything."

"I'm so sorry I didn't come to see you sooner," I continued, guilt washing over me. "I had to take care of Darius, and deal with things about myself, and—"

Martina shook her head, cutting me off. "Don't apologize. I understand completely. You had your hands full."

I smiled gratefully, then turned to Richard in the other bed.

"Hello, sir," I said politely even though it felt wrong to my hearing. "I'm glad to see you're awake."

Richard just looked away, ignoring me completely.

Martina frowned. "Richard. Ravenna is greeting you."

Richard turned to his wife, his voice cold. "Am I deaf that I didn't hear the greeting? Am I blind that I didn't see her come in?"

He paused, his eyes hard. "What am I supposed to do with the witch girl?"

I felt like I'd been slapped. "I beg your pardon?"

Richard turned to me, his expression harsh and unforgiving. "Yes. You're a witch."

He sat up straighter, his voice rising. "You're the one who caused the fire explosion at my house that nearly killed my son. You're the reason assassins came to murder me. And as if that's not enough, you've destroyed my business empire!"

I stood there, frozen, confusion and hurt warring inside me. "I'm not involved in any of what happened to you. I would never—"

"You are!" Richard yelled, his face red with fury. "Since you came into my son's life, misfortune has befallen us! I warned Darius, but he wouldn't listen to me!"

He gestured wildly. "And now he's in a hospital, bedridden, whilst his mate is at the academy studying like nothing's wrong!"

The words cut deeper than any blade.

I felt tears burning at the corners of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.

I stood up silently, grabbing my bag.

Martina caught my hand. "Ravenna, don't listen to Richard's words. He's speaking from frustration. He doesn't mean it."

"Don't touch her!" Richard yelled at his wife. "Let the witch go with her powers!"

I looked at Martina, forcing a smile that felt like it might crack my face. "Take care of yourself. And try to call Darius. He's really worried about you."

Martina's eyes softened. "I did call him this morning. He's so happy. He even wanted to come see me, but I had to convince him to stay and rest."

I nodded, my throat too tight to speak.

I turned to Marcus and nodded once, then left the room.

I wanted to cry.

I wanted to collapse in the corridor and sob until I had nothing left.

But somehow, my heart felt hardened, like it had built walls around itself to survive.

The tears wouldn't come.

Richard's voice kept ringing in my mind like a constant reminder of what I was.

A witch. A curse. A bringer of misfortune.

When I returned to the academy, I went straight to the common room where Sam said she'd be.

The reading group was in full swing—about a dozen students sitting in a circle, discussing some assigned text.

They all looked up when I entered.

And I saw it in their eyes—wariness, fear, judgment.

They looked at me like I was something dangerous. Something other being a normal wolf .

I walked to an empty desk on the far side of the room, away from the group.

"Sam," I called quietly. "Come sit with me."

Sam looked torn, glancing between me and the reading group.

Finally, she gathered her books and came to sit beside me.

I could see the heartbreak in her eyes, but she didn't argue.

We sat in silence, pretending to study.

I must have fallen asleep at some point, my head resting on my folded arms.

The exhaustion from Torren's training, from the emotional turmoil, from the constant mental strain all caught up with me.

The nightmare hit like a tidal wave.

I saw fire consuming buildings—massive structures collapsing, flames reaching toward the sky.

Darius was screaming my name, his voice raw with terror and pain.

Blood pooled on stone floors, spreading like dark rivers.

Children's bodies lay torn apart, limbs scattered, faces frozen in final screams.

I saw Asteria's face, smiling coldly, her eyes empty of everything except hatred.

I saw another man with predatory eyes, cruel smile, watching me like prey.

War drums echoed, getting louder and louder until they were all I could hear.

I woke thrashing, gasping for air that wouldn't come.

And the moon's power exploded outward in response to my terror.

Every window in the common room shattered simultaneously.

Glass sprayed inward in a deadly shower, students screaming and diving for cover.

Furniture began levitating: desks, chairs, books floating in midair like gravity had simply ceased to exist.

Papers swirled in a vortex around me, faster and faster.

The walls cracked, spider-web patterns spreading across the plaster like the room itself was breaking apart.

Sam woke screaming, her arms covering her head as debris flew past her.

"Ravenna!" she shouted. "Stop it! You have to stop!"

I tried, desperately tried to pull the power back.

The vortex lasted maybe ten seconds before I managed to wrestle it back under control through sheer desperation.

But ten seconds was enough.

The common room was destroyed.

There were glasses everywhere furniture overturned, walls cracked and papers scattered like snow.

Students poured into the hallway from their dorms, shouting, demanding answers.

"What happened?"

"Was it an attack?"

"Oh my God, look at the room!"

Security burst in, weapons drawn, their eyes scanning for threats.

I stood in the centre of the destruction, my hands shaking violently, unable to explain what had just happened.

Unable to even speak.

The academy board held an emergency meeting at three in the morning.

I sat outside the conference room, wrapped in a blanket someone had given me, listening to raised voices through the door.

Parents were calling, I heard someone say furious, demanding their children be kept safe from "that girl."

An hour later, the principal emerged, her expression grave.

She sat beside me, her voice carefully neutral. "Miss Casmir, I'm afraid the board has made a decision."

I looked up at her, already knowing what was coming.

"You're a liability to this institution," she continued. "We have safety concerns for our students. And also nsurance implications and legal exposure."

She paused. "You're suspended pending a full investigation into these dangerous supernatural manifestations."

The words felt distant, like she was speaking underwater.

"How long?" I asked quietly.

"Indefinitely," the principal replied. "Until we determine you're no longer a threat to the student body."

I packed my belongings in what remained of the common room.

Sam helped me silently, tears streaming down her face.

Students gathered in the hallway, whispering loud enough for me to hear every word.

"She's a witch," one girl said. "Did you see what she did? The furniture was floating!"

"She's cursed," another agreed. "Everything bad that happens is because of her."

"She'll kill us all if they let her stay," a boy added. "Why don't they just expel her already?"

The words echoed in my mind.

Witch.

The same word Richard had used.

The same word that had been whispered since the power wave at the festival.

Everyone had been thinking it all along.

I was a witch. A curse. A danger to everyone around me.

And maybe they were right.