Chapter 21: Preparations - Callista's POV

The walk back to my house felt…surreal. I couldn’t believe what I had heard, and I had so easily agreed to fall in love with him.

My legs moved automatically, carrying me through the familiar woods while my mind replayed his words over and over. The demon’s voice coming through Riven’s mouth was the most disturbing part. At first, I thought it wasn’t real, until I saw his completely black eyes with a speck of red in the center. The smile was nothing like his usual, either. It was too wide, too creepy.

I am hunger. I am shadow.

I wrapped my arms around myself, fighting off a shiver that had nothing to do with the cool night air. No, I was warm. This was something else.

Riven truly had a demon inside of him and had been born with it. Somehow, I was supposed to fall in love with him to keep it contained.

No pressure, right?

I was so lost in thought that I almost missed the sound of the patrol’s footsteps on the path. I dove behind a large oak just as two of them passed by, their voices carrying through the quiet night air.

“The ceremony is tomorrow night. The Alpha wants extra security.”

"Do you think there'll be challenges? Surely, no one is stupid enough,” the other said.

"Definitely. Monroe's daughter mated two years early? Every unmated Alpha's son will want a piece of that."

They moved on and I went unnoticed. I waited until their footsteps faded before slipping out and hurrying the rest of the way home. My window was still open from when I had left. I hauled myself through, landing as quietly as I could on the bedroom floor.

The house was eerily silent.

I changed into my pajamas and slid under the covers.

But sleep didn’t come.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the demon. I heard his voice, laced with something dark. There was a wrongness to it, especially as it used his body. But underneath the demon, there was something else.

Determination.

Riven had trusted me with his darkest secret and had shown me the monster that he’d been hiding. And instead of running, like any normal person, I had chosen to stay.

I’d chosen him.

The mate bond hummed contentedly in my chest, as if it approved of my decision. Of course, it did. It wanted us to be together, despite the issues. My wolf was more settled than she had been in days. She was satisfied that our mate had finally been honest with us and didn’t care about the demon inside.

“Stupid wolf,” I muttered. “We don’t know what we’re getting ourselves into.”

Tomorrow, I thought, staring at my ceiling. Tomorrow we face the ceremony. The challenges. Everything.

And somehow, we had to prove our bond was real while keeping his demon locked away. I finally drifted off sometime before daylight. My sleep was restless and full of dreams that I couldn’t make sense of. I’d see short glimpses of blood and bodies, like the dream I had when I saw him out in the woods, then it would flip to something else. Something that I didn’t understand.

I saw a little girl with his red-gold eyes with my nose.

When my alarm went off, I felt like I’d barely slept at all. I dragged myself out of bed, every muscle aching with exhaustion. The marks on my shoulder burned and were more intense than they had been since they first appeared. The mate bond pulled urgently in my chest, wanting Riven close.

Soon, I told my wolf. We'll see him soon.

I stumbled to the bathroom and stared at my reflection. I looked terrible with dark circles around my eyes, pale skin, and my hair was a tangled mess.

This was not how I normally started the morning of the ceremony. Last year, I woke up fresh as a flower and got everyone else up in the house. My favorite day was seeing all the couples find each other.

But this year, of course, was different.

Our bond would be tested, challenged, and possibly attacked.

My stomach churned with anxiety.

A knock at my door made me jump. "Callista? Are you awake?" My mother's voice filled the air.

"Yeah, I'm up."

"Good. We need to start getting ready. The ceremony begins at sundown."

Sundown. I glanced at the window where early morning light was just beginning to filter through the curtains. I had about…twelve hours until then.

The only thing I was thankful for at the moment was that we didn’t go to school today or tomorrow. I showered quickly, the hot water doing little to ease the tension in my body. When I emerged, I wrapped myself in a towel and went into my bedroom. I stopped when my gaze fell on a dress laid out on my bed that I definitely hadn’t left there.

It was beautiful and in the deepest midnight blue that appeared almost black with silver embroidery along the hem and neckline. This was the traditional ceremony attire for an unmated female of Alpha blood, except I wasn’t unmated anymore.

I touched the fabric, my throat tight. This was really happening.

"Callista!" Sabine burst into my room without knocking, her eyes bright with excitement. "Have you seen your dress? Mom picked it out weeks ago, but I just saw it and—" She stopped, taking in my expression. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Just nervous," I managed. “A lot is riding on tonight.”

She crossed to me, squeezing my hand. "It's going to be fine. You and Riven have the mate marks. The Moon Goddess herself marked you. No one can dispute that."

If only it were that simple. She had no idea that this could be dire. “What if someone challenges it, anyway? You know how some of the alpha’s sons are.”

“Riven will handle it,” she said confidently, and I admired her for that. “He beat Marcus so badly that he can still barely walk straight. Anyone who is stupid enough to challenge your bond will meet the same fate.”

I wished I had her certainty, but I didn’t. One thing I had learned was that there was always someone bigger and meaner than you out there. It was never good to be too cocky.

I nodded, then looked at the dress. Sabine helped me get ready, braiding my hair in a way that was also traditional for ceremony nights. The entire time, she chatted about the other packs that would be there, which Alphas were attending, and what kind of mate bonds might emerge. She had the same wonder in her eyes that I used to have and was so excited.

I hated to tell her that I had a gut feeling tonight wouldn’t be normal. My thoughts drifted as she talked, mostly to Riven and the demon. There was so many things that could go wrong tonight.

By mid-afternoon, the house was chaos. My father was coordinating with his Beta about security and how many needed to stay around us. My mother was going over protocols with pack members who stopped by. Wolves came and went as everyone prepared for the biggest gathering of the year.

I stayed in my room mostly, because I was too anxious to be useful and no one bothered me.

Around four, Riven texted me.

“How are you holding up?”

I laughed as relief washed over me. Just seeing his name had brought me peace.

“Nervous and terrified. Not sure which one is winning.”

His reply came quickly. “Same, but we’ve got this. We’ll be together and I’ll see you at the ceremony grounds. And Callista?”

I sighed. “Yeah?”

His reply came a few seconds later. “Whatever happens tonight, or challenges, I’ve got you. Always. No one will tear us apart.”

I nodded as tears pricked my eyes.

“I’ve got you too.”