Chapter 49 A competition
Chapter 049
DARIUS
The rest of the gala was rubbish. Complete and utter rubbish.
No matter how hard I tried to pretend nothing had happened, my mind kept replaying the video over and over.
Richard's voice discussing murder like it was a routine business transaction. The shock on everyone's faces. The whispers that had turned into open conversations.
I did not know who was responsible for this. But I knew Raven and Samantha had to be involved. This had their mark all over it.
What baffled me was how they had managed to get access to the projector. How they had infiltrated our security. How they had replaced the video without anyone noticing.
Dorian tried to comfort me. He tried to say something that would make it better.
"It will blow over," he offered weakly. "People have short memories. This will be forgotten in a few weeks."
"No, it will not." My voice came out flat. Dead. "You saw their faces. They will not forget what they heard tonight."
"Your father will handle it. He always does."
"Will he?" I turned to look at Dorian properly. "Did you see him up there? He looked terrified. I have never seen him like that."
Dorian had no response to that.
I was panicking. Actually panicking about what would happen between my father and me now.
I could see him across the room, engaged in a heated conversation with the head of the computer team. His face was red and hands were gesturing violently. He was furious.
And I knew that fury would eventually be directed at me. Somehow, this would become my fault. It always did.
I left the gala early, making my excuses and heading to the control room where the security team had begun their investigation. They were checking everything: reviewing footage, examining the computer systems, trying to figure out how someone had managed to infiltrate and manipulate the video.
But they found nothing. After hours of searching, they had absolutely nothing. No traces, evidence or clues.
It was as if nobody had done it. As if the video had simply appeared out of thin air.
"This is impossible," one of the technicians muttered, staring at his screen. "There should be digital fingerprints and logins. But there is nothing here."
"Keep looking," the head of security ordered. "Someone did this. We just need to find out who."
I watched them work until well past midnight. But they were getting nowhere. Whoever had done this was good. Really good.
Finally, my father appeared in the doorway. His expression was unreadable.
"Darius," he acknowledged with a curt nod.
"Father."
"You should go home. Get some rest. You have stressed yourself enough tonight."
I stared at him. "What?"
"I said go home. There is nothing more you can do here."
It was weird. Unsettling. There was a fire raging, our family reputation was in flames, and my father was telling me to have a good night like everything was fine.
"Are you sure—"
"I am sure. Go."
I did not argue. Just grabbed my jacket and left.
The following day, the academy was roaring with rumours. I could feel them the moment I stepped onto campus. The stares and whispers. The way conversations stopped when I walked past.
My phone had been blowing up all morning with notifications of different headlines, different news out... of them discussing what had happened at the gala.
"Pike Family Scandal: Video Exposes Dark Business Practices"
"Richard Pike Caught on Tape Discussing Murder"
"Is PikeCorp Built on Corruption?"
I stopped reading after the fifth article. It was too much.
When I arrived at the rink for practice, the team was already there. But something was different. They were giving me space, like I was contaminated. Like my family's scandal might somehow infect them.
Only Dorian came over to me. "Hey. How are you holding up?"
"I am fine."
"You are not fine. But that is okay. You do not have to be."
I pulled on my skates, trying to focus on something other than the stares I could feel burning into my back.
"The team is acting strange," I muttered.
"They do not know how to react. Give them time."
"Time." I laughed bitterly. "Right. Because time fixes everything."
Coach Bonn called us to order, and we began drills. I threw myself into them with a violence I had not felt in weeks. Every shot, pass movement was fuelled by anger and humiliation.
But something was wrong. Something was missing.
Raven was not here.
My wolf noticed immediately and started pacing. Atlas began searching., looking for her presence that had become such a constant part of practice.
She had not missed a single session since her injury. Even when she could only sit on the bench and watch, she had been here.
Her absence felt wrong. More of like it was deliberate.
Bonn put us through different drills—speed exercises, endurance training, team coordination.
But I could barely focus. My mind kept wandering to where Raven might be.
Why was she not here? Was she avoiding me? Did she think I would confront her in front of everyone?
Or was she celebrating? Enjoying her victory while I dealt with the aftermath?
The thought made my blood boil.
Practice ended, and we filed back into the locker room. The team was still quiet. Still giving me space and treating me like I might explode at any moment.
Maybe they were right.
I was pulling off my gear when I heard two of my teammates talking near the lockers behind me.
Marcus and Tyler were speaking in low voices, but my enhanced hearing picked up every word.
"Are you going to the competition tonight?" Marcus asked.
"What competition?"
"The biker club on campus. They are hosting some kind of race or something. It's supposed to be pretty intense."
"Is it worth going to?"
"I heard some of the best riders in the area will be there. It could be entertaining."
Tyler laughed. "You just want to see if that biker girl shows up."
"Which one?"
"You know which one. Raven. The one who has been driving Darius insane."
They both laughed, and I felt my entire body tense.
The biker club. A competition.
I suddenly had this overwhelming feeling that Raven would be there. That was why she had skipped practice. That she was preparing for something else entirely.
And I needed to see for myself.
I needed to confront her and demand answers. I wanted to make her admit what she had done.
Or maybe I just needed to see her, to know she was real and to confirm that this person who had turned my entire world upside down actually existed.