Chapter 16: No Sleep - Callista's POV

I barely slept after I settled in. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw his face and the fear in his eyes when he had called himself a monster. Then I remembered the way his lips felt against mine before he disappeared out the window. When I finally drifted off, the dreams came.

I saw fragmented images of red-gold eyes watching from the woods, of challenges at the ceremony, and of our bond being broken and reforming. Something in me said that we wouldn’t leave the upcoming ceremony unscathed.

When my alarm went off at six, I felt as though I hadn’t slept a wink.

I dragged myself out of bed, wincing at the marks on my shoulder that throbbed in time with my heartbeat. They’d been doing that since Riven left, like they were aching for him to come back. The mate bond hummed constantly in my chest now. It was a low pull that made me restless and very irritable.

Tonight, I reminded myself as I started toward the bathroom. Tonight, he was going to tell me everything.

The shower helped wake me up, but it did nothing for the anxiety in my chest. Today, I had to face the school, and I knew how they’d be. Like humans, wolves could be creatures of gossip. There would be plenty of questions about the kiss and probably come up everywhere. Then I’d have to come home and deal with the family meeting after school. I’d sit across from Riven’s parents and pretend I had no idea about anything except that our bond had formed.

And then, if I could sneak out without getting caught, the truth waited for me at the border.

My reflection in the mirror looked as tired as I felt. If not worse. Dark circles were under my eyes. My hair was tangled and wet. The marks on my shoulder stood out against my pale skin, impossible to ignore or miss.

I dressed carefully in the school uniform, making sure my collar covered the marks completely. Then I pulled my hair over my shoulder, like I did yesterday for extra coverage. I even checked three times in the mirror, just to be sure no one could see.

When I headed downstairs, Sabine was already at the dining room table, eating cereal and scrolling through her phone. She looked up as my shoes hit the tile floor.

“You look…awful,” she said bluntly.

“Well, thanks,” I said, my voice low. I grabbed a bowl from the cabinet and searched the countertops for the cereal. “Good morning to you too.”

“Did you not sleep? It looks like you were up all night.” She studied me over her spoon. “Or you were probably too busy thinking about Riven who climbed through your window last night.”

I dropped the bowl and it clattered against the counter. Thankfully, it didn’t break.

“How did you—”

“I heard,” she said simply. “And then I smelled him when I went to the bathroom later under all that spray. You’re lucky you weren’t caught. What happened? Why was he here?”

“Nothing happened,” I hissed, glancing toward the hallway to make sure our parents weren’t coming. “He just wanted to make sure I was okay after everything that happened yesterday.”

“Uh-huh, sure,” she said, not looking convinced. “He was here for…several minutes.”

I rolled my eyes. “Fine, I treated his injuries. He showed up bloody, because he got into a fight with Marcus. It was bad…real bad.”

Her expression shifted from suspicious to concerned. Then her gaze narrowed. “So, he wasn’t here to…do anything. How bad were the injuries?”

“Listen, Riven looked like he got the life beaten out of him and he said Marcus was worse,” I said, flipping over the bowl and hunting for the cereal again. “When we see Marcus, he’ll probably look like he went ten rounds with a semi-truck. Riven defended me, though. Marcus supposedly made threats and he wasn’t going to let it stand.”

“About the bond?” Sabine asked, her eyes slitted.

I found the cereal and poured it into the bowl before grabbing the milk. While I poured, I checked for any noise. “He wants to break it and claim me instead of Riven.”

Sabine’s eyes glowed with her wolf. “That is disgusting. You’re practically mated already.”

“Try telling that moron.” I sat down across from her, pushing the cereal around in my bowl without really eating much. “Apparently at the ceremony, there will be challenges and tests to prove our bond is real. I don’t see how it could be faked, considering I’m Moon Marked. It’s hard to fake that.”

“That’s… barbaric. It’s not like we live in the past where that was common. We’ve come a long way.”

“It’s pack politics.” I finally took two bites, though it tasted like chalk. “And today, I get to face everyone at school with that video floating around. Then after school, I get to meet his parents and sit here like…we have a clue.”

Sabine’s spoon clattered into her bowl. “That sounds like a joyous occasion.”

“Dad came to tell me right after Riven left and I had to pretend I was on the phone with Kalley to cover things up. This is a disaster.”

She shook her head. “Mom and Dad won’t let his family bully you. They’ll probably do the bullying.”

I wasn’t so sure about that. If Riven’s parents were anything like him, then this meeting could go wrong quickly.

Mom appeared in the doorway, already dressed for the day. “Girls, you should get going. You don’t want to be late for school.”

“We’re about to leave,” I said, abandoning the bowl of mostly eaten cereal and grabbing my bag.

Sabine and I walked in silence for the first few minutes, the familiar path to school feeling different today than on others.

“Are you nervous?” She asked, her voice low as we walked down the sidewalk.

“Terrified,” I admitted. “But what choice do I have? I can’t just skip school.”

“You could have faked being sick.”

I almost laughed, knowing that wouldn’t have worked. “It would give everyone the satisfaction of thinking that I’m hiding. So, no, I can’t do that.”

We reached the edge of the pack's territory, where the path widened toward the academy. I could already see groups of students ahead of us.

“Callista,” Sabine said, stopping me with a hand on my arm. “Whatever happens today, just know I have your back.”

“I’ll be fine,” I said, smiling softly. “Thank you. But you are two grades below me and only see me at lunch. It would be hard to defend me. I’ll be okay, though.”

The moment we continued walking to follow the other students, the louder their voices got. By the time we reached the academy gates, conversations stopped mid-sentence. I felt their eyes on me.

“That’s her.”

“I can’t believe she’s the one mated to Riven Nightshade.”

Another laughed. “Did you see that video?T That kiss was intense.”

“My mother said she can’t be mated already. They’re too young.”

I kept my head held high and my expression neutral, even if everything within me wanted to crack and shatter. Sabine stayed close, shooting anyone who dared to look too long a venomous glare.

Then I saw Marcus.

He stood near the main entrance with a group from his pack. And Riven hadn’t been lying when he said Marcus looked worse. Honestly, with how bad he looked today, I wondered just how close to death he had been last night.

Both eyes were blackened and swollen. His nose was clearly broken and taped. He moved stiffly, as if his ribs hurt with every breath.

Our eyes met across the courtyard. The hatred in his gaze struck me instantly. It promised retribution.

I looked away first, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing me afraid.

“Riven beat the crap out of him,” Sabine said, her voice filled with awe. “Wolves heal fast, so he had to be nearly dead last night.”

“I wouldn’t doubt it.”

Inside, the hallways were just as bad. Everyone was staring and whispering. Some even pointed and looked curiously at me. But all of them were watching and judging.

I made it to my locker and took a moment to breathe. I reached in, grabbing my books for my first class before I realized someone was hovering a little too closely.

When I whirled, with the book in hand, I found Riven leaning against the locker next to mine. He looked better than last night. The split in his lip had healed, and most of the bruises were gone.

“Good morning,” he said quietly.

“Good morning,” I said, closing my locker door. “You healed fast and look better.”

“Perks of good genetics and werewolf healing. Some seem to be still working on that.” His gaze swept over me, mostly focusing on my face. “You look tired.”

“I didn’t sleep much.”

He nodded. “Neither did I.” He moved closer, his hand briefly touching the small of my back before dropping away. “You’re still meeting me tonight, right?”

“Yes,” I said, gazing up at him. “I’ll do my best, too. If something happens, I need your number, though.”

A smile spread across his face. “Oh, does my little mate need my phone number? Maybe she should let me mark her so we can communicate easier.”