Chapter 18: A Leash - Callista's POV

This was nerve-racking. I swallowed hard. The weight of their expectations, their doubts, and their need for answers weighed heavily on me. I wasn’t even sure I had answers I could give them or how far they’d prod to get them.

“It…began last week at the border when we had that meeting,” I started, choosing my words carefully. “It was nothing, except a slight interest at first. My wolf recognized something in him, but nothing happened fully.”

“And you’re certain this was a mate bond?” Luna Nightshade asked, her voice calm, but assessing. “You said there that it was attraction, or simply interest. Young wolves often mistake—”

“I’m a Seer,” I interrupted, probably more sharply than I should have. “Attraction and fate are easy to tell apart when I see things deeply. This was fate. That was just our first meeting, as I was saying. The bond hit when he transferred to our school and I became his ambassador.”

Her eyebrows rose slightly. “So, you are a seer. That’s quite rare.” She looked at my parents and I wondered if anyone had told her. “Have her visions been consistent and accurate?”

“Always,” my mother said firmly. “Callista has the gift. Even the Alpha King recognizes her potential and sometimes calls on her, though that isn’t often.”

“And yet, she didn’t foresee this bond,” Alpha Nightshade leaned forward, his eyes landing on me in a way that made me flinch. “Did you not have any warning that your bond would manifest early?”

My heart stuttered, because I definitely had a vision, just not the kind I could tell them about. Then again, was there anything before that I could use…something maybe I had years ago.

“The gift doesn’t work that way,” I said carefully. “Most of the time I just see threats, something dangerous, or possible futures. It’s not always my personal destiny. The Moon Goddess reveals what she chooses.”

"Convenient," he murmured.

My mother inhaled sharply, catching my attention. “But you did have a vision once about a wolf that would be your mate.”

I glanced at her, my brow furrowed. When did I have that vision?

“You were four,” she continued. “You told me that one day you would be the mate to an alpha with red-gold eyes. We didn’t think anything of it to be honest, but now seeing Riven, I think…I understand. It has been the only vision that I’m aware of that you’ve ever seen your own future. You were so young you probably don’t remember that one, though.”

Alpha Nightshade stared at her in disbelief. “That’s a convenient story. I think you want my son and this is a trick.”

“Father,” Riven said, his voice holding an edge of warning. “The marks speak for themselves. We’re both Moon marked. That’s not something that can be faked. Not even the darkest of magic can make this or replicate it.”

“Show us, then,” Luna Nightshade commanded.

I hesitated, glancing at my parents. My father gave a slight nod.

With shaking hands, I pulled down my collar, revealing the two crescent-shaped marks on my shoulder. They seemed to glow slightly in the afternoon light.

Luna Nightshade stood and walked to me, her movements as graceful as they were predatory. She examined the marks closely, even going so far as to trace one with her finger. I fought not to flinch at the contact.

“They’re real,” she said finally, returning to her seat. “I’ve seen enough Moon marks to recognize them.” She looked at her mate. “The Goddess has marked them.”

Some of the tension left Alpha Nightshade's shoulders. "Riven. Show them yours."

My mate pulled his shirt collar aside, revealing identical marks on his shoulder. My mother made a small sound of surprise.

"So it's true," my father said quietly. "You're both marked."

“That brings us to the real question,” Alpha Nightshade said. “Why would the Moon Goddess mark them two years early? What purpose does it serve?”

Silence filled the room, because none of us had an answer. Or at least, not one we could share.

“Maybe the Goddess has her reasons,” my mother said carefully. “Maybe they’re meant to face something together, something that requires the strength of the mate bond.”

“Well, while this is all legitimate, there is still the issue of the ceremony. Someone is going to challenge Riven. Others will want their sons to face him and I don’t want my son looking like a bloody pulp. You know they’ll send in multiple fights. It won’t be just one and done.”

“Let them do it,” Riven said, his hand tightening on mine. “I beat Marcus Stonecrest and I’ll do the same to the rest of the alpha’s sons.”

His parents turned to him, their eyes wide. He just smirked.

“No,” his father said, his voice low. “He deserved it, but still. You can’t expect to fight that many matches in a night. No alpha does that.”

“Someone is going to try to break it,” his mother continued. “Other packs will want her for her abilities and ties to the Alpha King.”

"Then they'll deal with me," Riven said, his voice dropping to something dark and dangerous. “I told you I would handle it.”

His father's eyes flashed. "You can't fight every challenger who comes forward, especially not all in one night.”

"Watch me,” he said sharply.

"Riven—"

“No,” he said, standing up and pulling me with him. “I’m done pretending this is complicated. Callista is mine and I am hers. The Moon Goddess has marked us and anyone who tries to come between us will regret it. That’s not a threat. It’s a promise. This is why I think you should let us be at least marked officially as mates.”

Pride and fear warred in my chest. He had defended our bond so fiercely that it would make any mate blush, but I feared what this defense might cost.

“Sit down, son. You all shouldn’t be thinking about marking each other. Once that happens, your wolves will…drive other things along. That needs to wait,” Alpha Nightshade said, though there was something almost approving in his tone. “No one here wants to break your bond. We’re trying to protect it and you.” He glanced at my father. “Both our packs will be targets at the ceremony.”

My father nodded slowly. "Agreed. Our families should stand together and show that both packs support this union."

"There's one more thing," Luna Nightshade said, her gaze fixed on me with uncomfortable intensity. "Miss Monroe. Has my son told you about his... condition?"

The room went very still. Riven's hand gripped mine almost painfully tight.

"Condition?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Luna looked at her son. "You haven't told her."

"Mother—"

“She has a right to know,” she said firmly. “If you are truly mates and this bond is real, then she needs to understand what she’s binding herself to.”

“What condition?” My father demanded, standing and looking at Riven. “What aren’t you telling us?”

Alpha Nightshade sighed heavily. "Perhaps we should discuss this privately. Alpha to Alpha."

"No," I said, surprising myself. "If this affects Riven and affects our bond, I want to know.”

Riven turned to me, conflict written all over his face. "Callista—"

"Is it about what you said last night?" I pressed. "About being dangerous? About being a monster?"

My mother gasped. "Monster?"

"I'm not a monster," Riven said through gritted teeth. "But I am... different. My wolf is different and stronger than he should be. And maybe a tad more aggressive and dominant, even among other alphas. It’s why I already have a Beta.”

"How much stronger?" My father asked carefully.

Alpha Nightshade and his mate exchanged a long look.

"Strong enough," the Alpha finally said, "that we've had to keep him isolated from other packs. During the full moon, his wolf is nearly impossible to control and strong enough that we fear what might happen if he bonded before he masters it.”

Ice flooded my veins. "And now he's bonded to me."

"Now," Luna Nightshade said softly, "you're the only thing that calms him and the only anchor that keeps his wolf from losing control completely."

I looked at Riven, seeing the fear and shame in his eyes. It all made sense. He said that I made him sane. This is what he had been hiding from me and had been terrified to tell me about.

"So I'm what?" I asked, my voice shaking. "Some kind of supernatural sedative?"

"No," Riven said fiercely. "You're my mate. You're everything. The bond doesn't make you responsible for controlling me. It just‌ helps and makes it easier to stay grounded."

"But if the bond breaks?" I asked quietly.

No one answered, because we all knew what that silence meant.

If the bond broke, if someone succeeded in severing what the Moon Goddess had created, Riven's wolf might be unleashed. And that would be dangerous.

"This is exactly why," my father said slowly, "we need to ensure the bond is protected at the ceremony for both our sakes."

Riven turned, looking at both our fathers. “This is why I think we need to at least mark each other. It’s not worth the risk of me losing control.”

His father shook his head. “While I want to agree with you, I think we need to get through the ceremony first before doing that. We need to present a united front and not look like we are doing things underhandedly.”

As the adults continued discussing strategy and politics, I sat frozen, processing everything I'd just learned. Riven wasn't just hiding generic secrets. He was hiding a fundamental truth about what he was and about the danger he posed.

I was the only thing standing between him and complete loss of control. The mate bond suddenly felt less like a blessing and more like a leash.

A leash I hadn't chosen but was now responsible for holding.