Chapter 60 Mine
Chapter 060
RAVENNA
The emotions hit me before anything else.
Darius's hands were around my waist. They're strong and gripping me so tightly it felt like he was terrified I would fall and crack my skull open on the ice.
His chest pressed against my back. Ohh heavens, they're solid and warm behind me. I could hear his heartbeat thumping in my ears fast and loud like a drum.
His breath fanned across my neck. Hot against my cold skin. It sent shivers racing down my spine. Shivers I did not want to feel. Did not want to acknowledge.
For a moment, I forgot to breathe.
Forgot where I was.
Forgot everything except the feeling of being held by him.
Then reality crashed back in.
Embarrassment flooded through me, hot and overwhelming.
I had nearly fallen in front of everyone and Darius of all people had caught me.
The same person who had been snapping at me since we stepped onto this ice.
The same person who hated me. Who wanted nothing to do with me.
Why had he saved me?
Then I remembered Rowan's warning: partners had to help each other. If one fell and the other did not assist, both would lose marks.
That was it. That was the only reason.
He was not being kind. He was being practical.
I pulled away from him quickly. I stumbled back a step. My skates scraped against the ice.
"That was dramatic," I mocked, forcing my voice to sound unbothered.
Darius's expression darkened. His eyes narrowed on me and my heart raced wildly.
Without warning, he lifted his skate and slammed it down on a patch of ice directly in front of me. The impact sent cracks spider-webbing across the surface.
Then he shoved me hard.
I skidded backwards. My arms stretched out wide scrambling for balance.
The world tilted. I was going down.
But instinct kicked in. Years of riding motorcycles, of fighting to stay upright when everything was working against me.
I flipped mid-fall, twisted my body, used the momentum and pinned Darius into the snow instead.
He landed flat on his back with a grunt. I was on top of him, hands pressed against his chest and legs straddling his waist.
For a heartbeat, neither of us moved.
Then the cheers started.
Students gathered around us. Their voices rose in excitement.
"The Biker Girl versus the Alpha Heir!"
"Finally!"
"I knew this was going to happen!"
I could feel my face heating. Not from the cold but from the attention and the position I was in.
Darius's eyes flashed with something dangerous. Something wild.
Then suddenly, he moved.
He rolled fast.
Before I could react, I was beneath him, pinned in the snow, his hands braced on either side of my head and knees on either side of my hips.
His eyes glowed gold in a a very bright and intense way.
His face was close. Our breath mixed in the cold air. White puffs mingling between us.
My gaze dropped to his lips without meaning to. They were red, wet and slightly parted.
And every enticing.
My heart hammered in my chest. So loud I was sure he could hear it.
"Stay still," he growled. His voice was rough. Low. Almost a whisper.
The words sent a jolt through me.
But then reality snapped back into focus.
What was I doing?
I shoved him off. He rolled to the side and I scrambled to my feet. My skates slipped slightly but I caught myself.
"Do not touch me," I snapped, breathless.
Darius stood as well. His chest heaved, eyes still glowed faintly.
Around us, students were still cheering. Still watching.
Professor Rowan's whistle cut through the noise.
"Enough!" he barked. "Mr Pike. Miss Casmir. Get back to the task at hand. Now."
I turned away from Darius and started skating towards the other side of the lake.
My legs felt shaky. My mind was racing.
What had just happened?
Why had I looked at his lips like that?
Why had I felt that pull?
I shook my head and forced myself to focus.
This was just a class. Just an assessment.
And nothing more.
DARIUS
The first full-moon night hit the campus like a storm.
I could feel it building all day. The restlessness. The tension in the air. Every wolf on campus was on edge.
Full moons always did this. Made everything harder to control.
I stood at my bedroom window and stared out at the darkening sky. The moon was rising.
I knew we were close to the holiday season. Christmas was not far off.
But I was not sure they would give us the usual holidays. Not after the rogue attacks. Not after the wards had been destroyed. We had missed too many classes and much time.
Part of me hoped they would not give us any holidays at all.
I could not bear to go home and face my father.
Not after everything that had happened with Ravenna.
Atlas stirred inside me restless. He was agitated.
"Stop," I muttered.
He did not listen. He never did on full moons.
His presence grew stronger as he pushed closer to the surface. I could feel his instincts bleeding into mine.
And then I smelled her scent.
Ravenna's.
It hit me like a punch to the gut. Sweet and sharp and utterly overwhelming.
Atlas surged forward. His energy flooded through me.
"Find her," he growled.
"No."
"Find her now."
"I said no."
But my feet were already moving carrying me out of my room, down the corridor and out of the building.
I tried to fight it. I tried to turn back.
But the pull was too strong.
Every step brought me closer to her. Every breath filled my lungs with her scent.
I stalked the grounds. My hands clenched into fists. My jaw tight.
This was madness.
I should not be doing this. I should not be following her like some lovesick fool.
But then her heartbeat spiked.
Even from far away, I felt it. Heard it. The sudden quickening of her pulse.
Atlas jerked towards it. Towards her.
"She needs us," he insisted.
"She does not need us."
"She does."
I rounded a corner and stopped.
There ravenna was, standing alone in the courtyard bathed in moonlight.
She was glowing faintly. Just barely. But enough to see.
Her red hair looked almost silver in the light. Her skin seemed to shimmer.
She stood perfectly still. Her head tilted back, eyes closed and arms loose at her sides.
She looked peaceful.
Beautiful.
Atlas whispered one word in my head.
"Mine."