Chapter 133: Secrets Exposed - Riven's POV

We found them together, which I hadn't expected. Ronan was in the sitting room, which seemed to be one of his favorites, considering how everything was worn. He was in the chair by the window. That was where he always ended up when he was thinking.

At least, that was what I had noticed in the last year of being here.

Raze was on the couch with a blanket over him, wide-eyed and looking rather wild. The demon was still riding him hard and it didn’t look like it would let up anytime soon.

They were talking when we appeared in the doorway. Or rather, Ronan was talking and Raze was listening with the expression he wore when he was absorbing information he didn't entirely trust yet.

I understood because I was at that point with our father as well. With what Callista had said and after what my father had admitted to doing, he couldn’t be trusted.

They both stopped when they saw us. Raze's eyes went straight to Callista.

Something moved across his face that I recognized because I had felt the same thing every time I had looked at her for the past six days. It was a relief so significant it was almost painful, like a muscle releasing after being held tight for too long.

"You're awake," he said, and his voice came out rougher than usual.

"I'm awake," Callista confirmed, and the way she said it was warm in a way that surprised me slightly. As if she and Raze had already established something between them in the back seat of the car that I had only partially witnessed.

Ronan rose from his chair.

His eyes moved from Callista to me, then back to Callista, as if he were studying her. "How do you feel?" He asked, and it came out almost like a normal question. Almost like something a person would ask rather than what he was actually doing.

Deep down, I knew he wanted to know what she knew. It was plain to see on his face.

“Better,” she murmured, picking up on the same things I was. “You should both know what I’ve found.”

Ronan gestured toward the couch. Raze shifted to make room without being asked, and Callista sat beside him. I sat on her other side, boxing her in between us. It was a little weird, and I glanced at my brother, but he didn’t seem bothered.

Callista turned to look at me briefly, as if she was making sure I was okay with this. All I could do was nod.

I knew my brother had no interest in her, not like a mate. He had told me once, a few months ago, he felt protective over her in a sisterly way, which warmed my heart. The only person he ever wanted was his mate, who was currently in another pack far from here.

Callista looked at my father and grimaced. “Our bond will seal away the demon. I think it’s time that you called Raze’s mate home.”

Ronan blanked. He was so still that I couldn’t even see if he was breathing. “What?”

“Bring her here.”

“How can you be so sure that this will work?” He asked with a laugh. “What did you see while in your dream-like state?”

“Enough,” she bit out. “Enough to know that the demons were summoned and placed in the Alpha King a very long time ago to defend the territory against enemies.” She paused and looked at me. “It was supposed to be a onetime thing because it’s dangerous.”

“Yes, but they have called on it multiple times since,” Ronan said, his voice low.

“Yes, we are aware since you decided to use it and put it in both of your sons to protect your seat instead of using it yourself.”

Ronan flinched, his gaze narrowing until his eyes were nothing but slits.

“They come in twos,” Callista continued. “But my question is, where are the others?”

“Others?”

This was new to me. She hadn’t mentioned anything about others when we were upstairs or even when we ate in the kitchen.

“What are you talking about?”

She glanced at me, a look of pity in her gaze. “I didn’t want to tell you, but now that we’re all together and everything is coming out, I might as well. When you summon a demon, it comes with a second one. Raze’s and Riven’s were from two different summons, meaning there are four.”

My eyes widened. I felt the blood drain from my face. “What?”

Raze went still, then almost laughed. “I knew there was something you were hiding, Father, but I never realized it was this.”

Ronan glanced between the three of us, his face turning crimson. “So, you saw.”

“Yes, I saw,” she snapped. “I saw everything. You didn’t do this simply to defend your position, did you?”

Ronan shook his head. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, but I do. The previous Alpha Kings started using their heirs to host the demons instead of themselves. Tell me why they would do that? What changed over the years?”

He froze on the spot. His gaze found mine and guilt flashed across his face.

“You wanted to use them as a weapon,” she admitted. “That’s why the Alpha Kings made the demons go into their heirs. They wanted weapons, but didn’t want to use themselves as the vessels.”

Ronan’s face fell. He stood there for several seconds in a tense silence. I knew there was something else he was hiding, but I didn’t realize it was this.

“You already knew that I summoned them and put them into them,” he admitted, his voice tinged with anger. “That’s all I did. It wasn’t to use them as weapons or for any other purpose. And I have a cure. They’ll be fine.”

“You’re lying. This isn’t just about your brother,” Callista said, her voice dipping lower. “You want to ensure that no other possible heir exists.”

I thought about how it worked in the past when the Alpha King’s heir would pass. They would use one of his siblings' children and move them into the position so it never left the family line. That also meant there were several families out there currently with the Alpha King’s bloodline running through their veins.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about, girl,” he bit out. “It’s best to leave things like this alone.”

“I know, but I was shown what would save him. Call Raze’s mate to him now. They need to have their ceremony,” she commanded.

Raze glanced at her. “My mate can save me? We’re not—”

“They’re not Moon Marked,” I finished for him when he couldn’t go on.

Callista turned to him, a warm smile on her face. “When Riven and I hold our ceremony, his demon gets sealed and yours won’t be able to feed off it.”

Ronan clapped, interrupting the moment. We all turned to him.

“While I commend your plan, you are forgetting one thing. If you are correct and there is another demon out there for each of theirs, they can still feed off them,” he said, bitterness in his tone. “Not that there is.”

“We’ll find them and then all of this will end. You’ll have to deal with your brother, if that’s what this is, with an old-fashioned challenge for the position,” Callista said under her breath. “We’re done here. Come on, boys. We’re leaving.”

I glanced at her, my brow knitting in confusion. For that one split second, I didn’t know what to do, but I trusted her more than my own father.

I stood, motioning to Raze. “Let’s go. We’re going home.”

“Your home is here,” Ronan mused. “Where do you think you’ll go? Without my help, your demons will escape.”

I shook my head and looked his way. “With your help, we’ll be your weapons.”

We headed for the door as he fell quiet. I kept looking back, half-expecting him to do something. But he didn’t. He just watched us go.

Then, once I was just crossing over the threshold, I heard his command.

“Don’t let them leave.”