Chapter 117: Petition - Riven's POV

The last bit of class passed in silence as we finished up notes and did a little question sheet the professor handed out that wasn’t due until tomorrow. When the bell rang, I stood and gathered my things in the same unhurried way I always did, because the moment you moved differently was the moment people started paying attention to why.

And I didn’t need more eyes on me than I already had.

Callista fell into step beside me without discussion, the way she had been doing all morning, and for a few seconds we just walked.

"You're quieter than usual," she said, low enough that it didn't carry.

"I'm always quiet."

"You're more quiet." She glanced at me sideways. "What happened?"

I said nothing for a minute. The hallway was too full as students pressed around us in both directions. I had no interest in this conversation happening in pieces where anyone could catch wind of it.

"Not here," I said quietly.

She gave me a look that I felt more than I saw.

"I know," I added. "Lunch."

She accepted my words, but I felt something trickle through the bond. It wasn’t alarmed, but very attentive. She was more than curious what had changed my entire attitude.

Regardless, she didn’t press, and that was one of the things about her that I was still adjusting to.

We reached the hallway split again. If I had my original schedule, I would have turned, but I didn’t with the change.

I kept walking beside her, and she didn’t say a word. The hallway thinned as we moved toward the east wing, the crowd of students breaking off to their other classes.

I kept my pace even and unhurried. Inside me was a different story. I was still in turmoil.

The note was still folded in my jacket pocket, and I was acutely aware of it. I hadn’t bothered telling Callista yet and that was intentional. I wasn’t keeping it from her nor did I plan to.

But with what happened with Sabine before the second period, that had taken a toll on her. I wasn’t going to hand her another weight to carry until I had something concrete and a folded note from a boy I didn’t know wasn’t the most solid.

I needed more information first and I knew who I’d probably have to start with. Carsen.

As if the thought had summoned him, I spotted him at the entrance to our next class, leaning against the doorframe with his arms folded over his chest. The expression he wore was…enough. I knew he was here to see me.

His gaze moved from me to Callista, then back.

“I need to see Riven,” he said as we made it to the door.

Callista glanced at me. I said nothing, because I didn't have anything to say yet.

"Walk with me for a minute," Carsen said, dropping his voice. "Class doesn't start for four minutes."

Callista looked at me again, uncertainty flashing in her gaze. I motioned for her to go on, then went to walk with him. We moved to the side of the class, into a small alcove. Carsen checked both directions to make sure we were alone.

"Alric Voss," he mentioned dryly. “Did you get the note?”

“Yes,” I said, reaching up to tap my pocket. “What about it? This could be all hot air and nothing solid.”

“Oh, it’s solid. Your father has probably already received the challenge along with the petition. Alric’s father already filed it to take place before your supposed wedding.”

“He has no grounds—”

“As you and I both know, a petition is different. A challenge you can get out of. A petition isn’t as easy. They want this reviewed.”

“No, that’s impossible,” I snapped. “His father wouldn’t do this. It’s—”

He reached up and grabbed me by the shirt collar, jerking me forward. “A standard challenge at this stage could have been blocked at the Alpha level. You know this. This is a formal petition and your father can’t get you out of it. Ronan can still contest it, but he can't simply block it. It has to be heard."

The hallway was silent behind us. Most students were already in class, so I knew no one was hearing this, but still I felt on edge.

“I hate this,” I murmured.

“Shouldn’t be a big deal for you,” Carsen said casually. “Your bond has been contested once. But Voss's father is arguing that a bond established before the age of eighteen, under what he's calling irregular pack circumstances, isn't automatically binding under tribunal law."

The air between us went very quiet.

“That’s very…direct,” I murmured. “But why?”

“Because someone believes the Alpha King needs to be taken down a few notches. There have been some major questions since he decided to make you his successor and now you’ve declared you’re his second son,” Carsen whispered, dragging me closer. “You just painted a large target on your back.”

“Better they fear me,” I said firmly. “I could actually kill someone.”

“That’s another thing,” he added. “They called you a wild card. So, Voss has backing. They want to know what the Alpha King is truly up to.”

“He’s just doing what is good for the packs,” I mumbled, knowing it had nothing to do with that.

Carsen nodded and finally let my collar go. “The class bell will ring here in a minute. You should go in before Callista worries.”

We left the alcove, and he headed down the hallway a few steps before looking back at me with a grim smile.

“Watch your back.”

After those three words, he left, and I was staring after him, trying to figure out why he was even warning me. It didn’t benefit him ‌at all to do it.

I made it to class and slid into my seat just as the bell rang. Callista looked at me with wide eyes.

“What did he want?”

“To warn me,” I said, then looked down. “We can talk at lunch, okay?”

“Warn you about what?” She asked, but it would have to wait.

The professor walked in and looked at the class. “Today, we are going to talk about—”

Her voice was cut off as the alarms went off.