Chapter 19: Spiraling - Riven's POV

The meeting dragged on for another two hours after my mother’s revelation. Our parents were discussing logistics and security for the ceremony while Callista sat beside me in silence. I could feel her tension radiating down the bond and the way she had withdrawn into herself after learning the truth about my wolf.

This wasn’t how I planned to tell her. Of course, there was more information that my parents had shared. And that was mostly because they didn’t know.

Sure, they knew my wolf was more aggressive and there was…something off. But they had no idea about the demon lurking beneath my skin. They didn’t know how devastating it would be if he got out.

When our families finally stood to leave, exchanging their very formal goodbyes and promises to coordinate tomorrow, I caught Callista’s hand before she could run upstairs.

“We still need to talk tonight, like we planned,” I said quietly.

She looked at me, and I couldn’t read her expression. I almost wanted to say that she was about to punch me, but she didn’t. “I don’t know if—”

“Please,” I said, the word coming out rougher than I intended. “There’s more you need to know, so you can understand it fully.”

“More?” She almost laughed, but there was no humor in it. “How much more could there be? What else are you hiding?”

So much more, the demon whispered. Tell her. Tell her what you really are.

I shoved him down, locking him behind mental walls that felt thinner every day. “Tonight,” I repeated. “Meet me at the eastern border at midnight. Please, Callista.”

She studied my face for a long moment, then finally nodded. “Fine, I’ll meet you then.”

Relief flooded through me at her words. “Thank you.”

My parents called for me, and I had to go, but that didn’t stop me from casting one last look at Callista standing in her living room. She looked small, vulnerable, and nothing like the fierce girl who’d patched up my wounds last night.

I’d done that to her. It was my fault there was fear and doubt in her gaze.

The drive home was silent. My father focused on the road while my mother sat in the passenger seat, occasionally glancing back at me with an expression I didn’t understand.

“You should have told her sooner,” she finally said as soon as we crossed out of their territory. “The poor girl looked blinded by the fact your wolf is more aggressive and that you already have a Beta.”

“I was trying to protect her,” I said through gritted teeth.

“By hiding things?” My father’s voice was sharp as he questioned me. “That’s not how being mates works, Riven. Trust is everything and without it, the bond is just pretty marks and chemical reactions.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” I snapped.

“Do you? You’re just a kid.”

The rest of the drive was silent until he parked the car at our house.

“From where I’m sitting, you’ve been keeping secrets from your mate since the moment your bond formed. And now she looks at you like she's not sure whether to trust you or run from you."

The words hit harder than a physical blow. “I’m going to tell her everything tonight. If that’s okay with you?”

My parents exchanged a look before my dad rolled his eyes.

“Going out at night again? Really?”

“I have to,” I said, opening the car door. “She deserves to know the full truth.”

My mother twisted in her seat to fully face me, a look of confusion washing over her face. “Riven, what else is there to tell her? She knows about your wolf and how he’s aggressive. We already warned her.”

I hesitated, one foot out of the car already. How could I explain this without revealing everything? “There are some details that I need to tell her myself, things that are between mates.”

My father’s gaze narrowed. “What kind of things?”

“Personal things,” I said, which wasn’t entirely a lie. “She deserves to hear it from me, not just secondhand.”

My mother’s expression softened slightly. “Just be careful, Riven. Don’t overwhelm her, because she’s already processing a lot.”

“I know,” I said, stepping fully out of the car. “But she needs to understand why I am the way I am and why the bond forming early may have been…necessary.”

Before they could press further, I headed into the house and up to my room. The house felt suffocating, as if every wall was pressing in around me. My wolf pressed restlessly beneath my skin, agitated by my mate’s absence and the looming confession.

What was I going to tell her? That her mate was possessed by a demon that could break the world if he got lose?

She'll reject us, the demon whispered, stirring in the depths of my consciousness. Once she knows what we truly are, she'll run.

"Shut up," I muttered, collapsing onto my bed.

But it's true, isn't it? You saw her face when they told her about your aggressive wolf. Imagine her reaction when she learns there's something darker. Something that whispers and corrupts and wants nothing more than to break free.

I pressed my palms against my eyes, trying to block out the voice that had been my constant companion for years. “She’s stronger than that. No, she won’t run from me.”

Is she? The demon's laugh echoed in my skull. Or are you just hoping she is because the alternative terrifies you?

I couldn't argue with that.

Hours crawled by and though I tried to sleep, I couldn’t. All I saw was her face with that same look of fear and uncertainty she had earlier.

At eleven-thirty, I couldn't stand the confinement anymore. I slipped out my bedroom window, shifted, and ran through the woods toward the eastern border. The night air was cool against my fur as the moon hung heavy overhead.

Tomorrow was the night of the full moon and the ceremony. My heart thudded harder. Yes, I had to talk to her now.

I reached the clearing early, so I paced around it a few times while I waited. Then I remembered the clothes I stashed in one of the hollow openings of one of the trees. I rushed to shift back and get dressed before she arrived.

But my mind kept spiraling.

What if she didn't come? What if she'd decided the risk was too great?

Of course she won't come, the demon purred. Why would she? You're damaged goods. Corrupted. Dangerous.

"She'll come," I said aloud to the empty clearing. "She promised."

At exactly midnight, footsteps approached through the woods. My head snapped up as relief and terror warred in my chest.

“Callista?”

But there was no response.