Chapter 134: Leaving Is Hard - Riven's POV

I stopped walking because the command surprised me. I hadn’t seen it coming the moment Callista had told him that we were done. It didn’t even matter when I saw something shift behind his eyes, but I should have known this was how it would go.

Behind me, I heard a movement as Ronan shifted. Two of his security were in the hallway, along with his beta. They stepped into position, effectively blocking us in. I hadn’t heard them approach, which meant they were probably waiting nearby for this to happen.

I turned slowly, eyeing him.

Raze tensed beside Callista, already moving in to protect her. I felt his demon stirring, making mine go crazy. The tension in the room changed, shifting into something far more aggressive. I reached out, putting my hand on Raze’s arm. He turned and looked at me, almost as if asking what was next.

Ronan was closer now. The version of him now was different from the one who had been sitting in the worn chair. This was the Alpha King, the one who was determined not to lose his seat.

"Ronan," I said, keeping my voice completely even. "Think carefully about what you're doing."

"I am thinking carefully," he said sharply. "I've been thinking carefully for all these years and what I've thought is that the two of you walking out of this house without a plan, without preparation, directly toward my brother's territory—"

“It is our choice,” I snapped. “After all you have hidden from us, I don’t know that I care anymore about the Alpha King position.”

“And if I don’t leave you a choice?” He asked.

“Without a demon of your own, I doubt you can handle both of your sons at once,” Callista said, her voice coming out commanding.

Ronan looked at her. "You saw things in that book. I don't doubt that, but seeing the structure of something and understanding how to survive it are different competencies. I know how to survive my sons. Do you?”

Callista huffed. “We are leaving. It is our choice whether we stay here or not.”

Ronan's jaw tightened. “If you walk out with both of them, you are signing your death. They need to be with me so I can help them through this. I’m their only hope of survival.”

“Tell them to move,” I bit out. “Tell them to get out of my way and let us leave.”

"Riven—"

"Tell them to move," I said again. "Or I will make them.”

The silence in the corridor was deafening. The three in the hallway were rigid and Ronan just stared at us.

I looked back at him, refusing to bow or looking away.

“You’re not weapons,” Ronan said finally, his voice shifting deeper. “You’re mistaken, so I think we need to sit down and talk about this until you understand.”

“What it was designed for doesn’t matter anymore,” I muttered. “What matters is what we do with it now, and what we are doing is leaving. So let us pass. If you have no ill intent, you wouldn’t fight so hard to keep us here.”

Ronan’s jaw ticked as he looked at his beta. “Stand down.”

I heard them step back, making a path. Without looking away, we backed through the doorway. Raze stayed glued to Callista’s side.

"Riven."

I stopped at the threshold.

“You’re going to kill her if you leave,” he whispered. “Are you sure you want that?

I stared at him for a moment, my heart thudding painfully in my chest. “We’ll take our chances.”

It was the hardest thing I had ever said. Did I want Callista to die? Of course not. I wanted her to live with me by her side for the rest of our very long lives. But I knew staying was wrong.

Ronan had changed. The more we found out, the more his words ‌unraveled. I didn’t doubt that he was hiding something else from me, even now.

Without another word, we left.

We moved through the house toward the front door, and the staff we passed stepped aside without being asked, which meant Ronan had communicated something to them that I hadn't heard. I didn't know whether that was him helping or him covering himself and decided it didn't matter right now.

At the front door, Raze stopped.

"I'm not coming," he said before I could say it. "I know. The demon makes me a liability until yours is sealed and I'm not going to be the thing that gets you both killed."

I looked at him, the air leaving my lungs in one solid breath. “No, you’re going.”

“I can’t,” he muttered.

“You’re going,” Callista said, her voice commanding once more. “We’re not leaving you behind.”

“But I’m supposed to be dead,” he uttered. “And my issue is more unstable than yours.”

Callista grabbed his hand and held it with both of hers. “We’re going to get your mate here and you’re having your ceremony. I feel this is what we must do.”

“But if—”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “Come with us.”

She pulled him with us as we went through the front door. He squinted against the harsh sun and looked around. His eyes were changing between red-gold and black, but then settled on red-gold. He looked up at the clear blue sky, letting his head fall back as a smile spread across his face.

“The sun,” he muttered. “I haven’t been outside since I got out and before that, it had been a while.”

I looked back through the doorway, only to find Ronan coming toward it.

“We need to go.”

Raze snapped out of it and we walked away as quickly as possible. We found my car and climbed in.

Callista looked back at the mansion. “What about our things?”

“We’ll send the pack for them,” I said, starting the car and backing out.

As we pulled away, Raze kept checking behind us and ensuring no one followed. We were several miles down the road when we all let out a collective breath.

“He’ll come for us,” Raze said, his voice barely above a whisper.

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel until my knuckles ached. “I know.”

The words sat heavy in the car.

The farther we got from the mansion, the worse the pressure in my chest became. It felt wrong to be outside the territory without a plan, without guards, without knowing where we were even going. Ronan had made sure we understood exactly how dangerous the world outside could be, but every instinct I had screamed louder at the thought of turning around.

Callista reached over the center console and rested her hand against my arm. The second she touched me, some of the chaos inside my head quieted.

“We’re okay,” she said softly. “We’re all okay. Let’s go to my house. My parents will take us in.”

“I need my beta,” I whispered. “If I’m away from Ronan, I’ll need my beta.”

Raze kept staring out the back window, his shoulders rigid. “He won’t send warriors immediately,” he muttered. “He’ll try talking first and convincing us to come back. That’s how he operates.”

“And if that doesn’t work?” I asked.

Raze finally looked at me. “Then he’ll stop asking. We don’t have long and I doubt he’ll wait until your ceremony.”

Silence swallowed the car again.

“We need to have our ceremony sooner. This full moon,” she breathed. “Or we can go against the grain and do it tonight.”

I glanced at her, and something warmed in my chest. She was right. We needed to do this as soon as possible.