Chapter 35: First Day Back - Callista's POV

Sunday passed in a blur of settling in and trying to make everything feel familiar. I woke up late, nearly at noon, to sunlight streaming through my window and the smell of warm coffee from downstairs. For one long moment, I forgot where I was and expected to hear Sabine’s voice…or my mother moving around in the kitchen.

Instead, I heard Riven’s voice through the wall, talking to someone on the phone.

Right, I was in the Nightshade’s territory in my new home.

The day unfolded quietly. Luna made a massive brunch that could have fed an army. I had never seen so much food, but apparently it was just enough to feed us all. We ate together as a family around the table, just like I had at home. Riven showed me where everything was in the house, from the laundry room to their in-home library. It made my little book-loving heart happy. Then he showed me the pantry, which was the size of a closet, maybe bigger. It had rows of snacks with everyone’s name at the bottom. I had a row to myself, though empty.

Luna insisted I write down all the snacks I liked, so she could stock it.

“If you want a snack at two am, you just come down here and take it. We also share, but sometimes we have different tastes,” she said firmly. “You don’t have to ask for permission. This is your home now.”

In the afternoon, Riven and I took a walk through the territory again. This time we went further. He introduced me to more pack members, mostly families with young children who waved shyly. I met a few older wolves who assessed me with cautious curiosity and teenagers who whispered among themselves.

Everyone already knew who I was. I heard them after we’d left, mumbling about my being a seer or the Alpha’s daughter from the Monroe Pack. Then they’d mention how I was Riven’s mate who’d been marked two years early.

The whispers and mumblings followed us everywhere.

“Just ignore them,” Riven said when he caught me being tense. “They’ll get used to you and hush after some time has passed.”

By evening, I was exhausted and a tad more emotional than physical. I retreated to my room after dinner to unpack more of my things and arrange my books on a shelf. My clothes were mostly in the closet already, but some needed to be hung. It felt nice making the space mine, even though it still felt temporary.

Riven appeared in my doorway before bedtime, leaning against the frame with that casual grace that made my heart skip a beat.

“Do you want to watch a movie?” He asked. “We have a theater room downstairs and we could watch—”

“Actually,” I interrupted. “I think I just need to sleep. Is that okay?”

His expression softened with understanding. “Of course, you can. You’ve gone through a few major changes lately, so take all the time you need.”

He crossed the distance, giving me a quick kiss goodnight that was only a press of the lips that left me wanting more, then disappeared to his room.

I fell asleep to the sound of him moving around in the next room.

When my alarm went off the next morning at six, reality hit me like a freight train. We’d be going to school together at Silver Moon Academy and everyone would know that I was living with him.

I dragged myself through my morning routine, pulling on my uniform and braiding my hair with trembling fingers. When I finally emerged from my room, I found Riven waiting in the hallway, also in his blue and silver uniform, and looking far too awake for the time of morning.

If I could, I would still be sleeping.

“Good morning,” he said, his eyes tracking over me in a way that made the mate bond hum. “You look really nice.”

“I look and feel exhausted,” I corrected, but couldn’t help smiling. “But thank you for trying.”

“Mom has coffee ready downstairs if you want it. And she has breakfast.”

I breathed out a sigh. “Your mother is a saint, because I’ll need it this morning.”

We ate quickly, not saying much as we devoured our pancakes. There were still some left when we were down, which I assumed were for Alpha Nightshade and Luna. Then, he led the way to his car.

“I thought we’d be going with all the others going to Silver Moon with you,” I said, glancing around his car.

He smirked as he opened my door. “It’s just me and you. They’re taking one of the other guy’s cars.”

“Why?”

His smirk grew wider. “Because I like having you all to myself.”

I nodded, my gaze narrowing as I stared at him. “Won’t that make them mad?”

“They understand,” he said as I ducked to get in.

After he shut the door, he jogged around and got into the driver’s seat. He was quiet after that as he began driving to school. The twenty-minute drive felt shorter than I expected. Riven kept one hand on the steering wheel and the other resting on the center console, where my hand eventually found it. The mate bond seemed to demand constant contact now that we were living together, as if it were rewarding us for the proximity.

I had no idea how that was going to work at school.

“Are you nervous/” He asked as he parked.

“I’m terrified,” I admitted, blowing out a breath. “Everyone is going to have questions and I don’t know how to answer them. They’re going to know about the challenges, even if they weren’t right there watching them. Kalley will interrogate me and Sabine—” I trailed off.

Sabine would be there and probably grumpy that I was no longer living at home. We also hadn’t talked since Saturday beyond texts, so she’d probably throttle me.

“It will be fine,” Riven said, but even he had an uncertainty in his tone that twisted in my chest.

We walked into school together, and I felt every eye turn toward us. The whispers started before we even reached my locker.

“Is it true she’s living with him now? Seriously?” One girl asked.

“I heard her parents kicked her out because of the mating bond,” another added.

“No, she chose to go because of their mating bond. Didn’t you hear the Alpha King himself recognize their bond?” One scoffed. “They’re probably already mated fully now.”

The first girl whined. “They can’t be. They’re only sixteen.”

“Then why is his scent all over her?” The second one asked.

My face burned with embarrassment as I leaned toward my shoulder, sniffing lightly. I smelled like him. We’d been in the same house for two days now, though sleeping in separate rooms. But they were only separated by one wall and that’s not exactly scent-proof.

So, of course, his scent had rubbed off on me.

“Ignore them,” Riven whispered in my ear. His hand found the small of my back. “They’re all going to talk, but it’s okay. At least they know you’re mine.”

When we reached my locker, I was ready to leave already. I almost asked him if we could just go back to his house. But Kalley appeared beside me, her eyes wide with barely contained excitement.

“Oh my Fates,” she breathed. “Is it true that you two are living together and fully mated now?”

"Yes," I said, focusing on my combination lock. "I moved in Saturday, but we are not fully mated.”

“That’s huge, regardless of the mating situation.” She glanced at Riven, her eyes dragging up to his face a little slower than I liked. “How are things going? Are you okay? Is it weird?”

“It’s fine,” I said, huffing out a breath. “His family is wonderful to me and has welcomed me into the family.”

“I meant…the girls here,” she said, looking over her shoulder. “They love to gossip and well, you are the first mated couple in high school.”

I groaned. “They’re talking, but that’s to be expected.” I found my first book, history and geography. “Nothing has changed except where I sleep.”

She sighed heavily, then looked back. “The bell is about to ring. I’ll catch up with you at lunch.”

As Kalley darted off, Riven leaned against the locker beside mine.

“Come on, let’s get to history class. We have that group project due by Friday and we still haven’t started it.”

“Right, the project,” I said, remembering Mr. Cross had paired us up on his first day here last week. “We haven’t even started researching.”

“We have been a little busy,” Riven said dryly, taking my books and holding them. “Between the ceremony, the challenges, and you moving in, I think Mr. Cross might give us an extension. We are the first mated couple in the school.”

I glared at him. “We’re not…officially mated.”

He scooted a little closer. “We could be.”

My cheeks flamed crimson. “Not here.”

“Are you saying later? We could skip the school separation thing and sleep in the same room afterward.”

The bell rang, interrupting my thoughts before I could say anything. “We’ll discuss it later. Now, let’s get to class before we’re late.”

“Yes, my future Luna. Let us get to class before we’re late and ruin your ambassador status.”

I slammed my locker hard, then turned toward him. “Are you making fun of me?”

He grinned and waggled his eyebrows at me. “Never.”