Chapter 13: Warm Smiles, Hidden Scars
Kathy's POV
I had successfully stopped giving a damn about him. Well, that’s what I told myself.
I repeated it in my head like a stubborn little chant while I walked across campus after class. Riven who? The guy with the intense stare and zero words? Yeah, him. I was done. Totally done.
Except the second I stepped into the lecture hall earlier, I felt it again — his eyes burning into my back the whole time. I didn’t even need to turn around to know he was watching me.
It made my skin prickle and my pen shake a little on the paper. I hated how aware I was of him. I should stop caring. I really should.
So when Zayden texted me about grabbing something at the campus cafe after class, I said yes way too fast.
Anything to get my mind off the boy who walked away from me last night like I was invisible.
—--
Zayden was already there when I arrived, sitting at a small table under one of the striped umbrellas. The moment he saw me his whole face lit up with that sweet smile of his, the one that made a little dimple sink into his left cheek. It was impossible not to feel a bit warmer just looking at him.
“Hey, Kathy,” he said, standing up quickly and pulling out a chair for me like it was the most natural thing in the world. “Glad you could make it. I was worried you might still be buried in those old lore books from class.”
I sat down, smiling despite myself. “Thanks. And yeah, I almost was. The professor was going on about ancient bloodlines again. My brain kind of checked out halfway through.”
He laughed softly and slid a menu toward me. “Tell me about it. I spent most of the time doodling wolves in the margins. Want anything? Their iced honey lattes are actually decent.”
We ordered quickly. While we waited, Zayden leaned back in his chair, looking relaxed and easy in the afternoon sun. His messy dark hair caught the light, and those ice-blue eyes were warm when they looked at me.
“So how’s your day been so far?” he asked. “Besides dodging ancient werewolf history.”
I shrugged, playing with the edge of a napkin. “It’s been okay. A little weird. I keep feeling like everyone’s watching me because of my last name. But hanging out with Lina and Kai helps. They make things feel normal.”
Zayden nodded, that dimple appearing again.
Our drinks arrived and I took a sip, the sweetness settling nicely. Being around Zayden felt warm. Welcoming. Like I could actually breathe without everything feeling heavy or confusing.
He took a drink too, then tilted his head a little. “You seemed a bit distracted today. Everything alright?”
I hesitated, then decided to be honest. “Yeah… sort of. It’s just… your cousin. Riven. He’s always so detached. Like he’s somewhere else even when he’s right there. I don’t know. It bugs me more than it should.”
Zayden let out a low laugh, not mocking, just gentle. “Ah. Riven. Yeah, he has that effect on people. You get used to it after a while. Or you don’t. Most people don’t.”
I leaned forward a little, genuinely curious now. “Why is he like that? I mean, he seems so closed off all the time. Does he hate everyone or is it just me?”
Zayden shook his head, still smiling but his eyes turned a bit more serious. “It’s not you. Trust me. Riven’s always been that way. His dad put a ridiculous amount of pressure on him growing up. Wanted him to be the perfect strong alpha, just like him. Nothing Riven ever did was good enough. If he wasn’t the fastest in training, or the strongest, or the most disciplined… there was always something. His father never seemed pleased.”
I listened quietly, the warm feeling in my chest shifting into something heavier.
Zayden continued, voice soft but steady. “Riven didn’t grow up like the rest of us. While other kids were running around play- shifting for fun or playing rough games, he was indoors most of the time. Studying long scrolls about alpha history and pack law. Attending extra lessons, fight classes that went way past normal hours. He basically lived and breathed becoming the perfect heir. No room for mistakes. No room for being a kid, really.”
The memory of last night flashed through my mind suddenly — Riven shirtless, sweat glistening on his back, throwing those precise, powerful punches at the bag like he was fighting ghosts. The way his muscles moved, the focus in every strike. It all made sense now. That wasn’t just a workout. It was years of pressure pouring out.
Zayden took another sip before going on. “And then his mom died when he was twelve. After that… things got worse. His father punished him severely for even the smallest slip-ups. A missed lesson, a slower time in training, showing any kind of emotion — it all came with consequences. So Riven learned to shut everything down. To stay distant. It was safer that way. Easier not to feel anything than to feel too much and get hurt.”
My stomach twisted with guilt. I had judged him so quickly. Thought he was just arrogant or cold. But hearing this… it made my chest ache in a completely different way.
“I didn’t know,” I said quietly, fingers tracing the rim of my glass. “That sounds really hard.”
Zayden gave me a small, understanding smile. “It was. Still is, I think. But you shouldn’t worry too much about Riven. He’s survived more than you can probably imagine. He’s tough. Maybe too tough sometimes.”
I nodded, but my thoughts kept drifting back to Riven anyway. The image of him walking away last night, shoulders tense, refusing to turn around even when I shouted. The way his dark eyes had locked on mine for that long, electric moment. My heart did this soft little melt in my chest, a mix of sadness and something warmer I didn’t want to name yet.
Zayden noticed the shift in my expression and leaned forward a bit. “Hey, enough heavy stuff. Tell me something fun instead. What’s the weirdest thing Lina has said to you so far? Because I have a feeling she’s said at least three ridiculous things today alone.”
I laughed, grateful for the change. “Oh, easily. This morning she tried to convince me that the cafeteria pancakes are actually a secret shifting test. If you eat too many you’ll turn into a pancake wolf or something. I still don’t know if she was joking.”
Zayden grinned wide, dimple deepening. “That sounds exactly like her. Last week she told me the moon phases affect the wifi signal. I almost believed her.”
We kept talking like that for a while, the conversation flowing light and easy again. He joked about his own failed attempts at cooking in the suite kitchen, and I found myself laughing more than I had in days.
Around Zayden everything felt simpler. Safer. Like I could just be Kathy without the weight of expectations pressing down.
But even as I smiled and chatted, part of my mind kept slipping back to Riven. To the boy who carried so much silence and pain behind those dark eyes. My heart melted a little more every time I thought about it.
Maybe I hadn’t stopped caring after all.