Chapter 51: Desperate - Riven's POV

Her words should have been comforting, but they made the guilt so much worse.

The demon taunted me at the back of my mind, saying they loved me for now. Of course, that would change once they see what I really was.

I finished my coffee in silence, helping my mother with breakfast as the house slowly came to life around us. Alpha Monroe was the next person to the kitchen, looking as exhausted as I felt. It looked like I wasn’t the only one who didn’t sleep. Luna Monroe came next, then my father.

That left Sabine and Callista.

By seven, Callista appeared with her sister following her. Oddly, Sabine looked grumpy about being awake at this time of morning.

But then our eyes met across the kitchen, and the mate bond jumped with comfort. There’s my mate.

“Morning,” Callista said, coming to stand beside me.

“Morning,” I replied, almost leaning down to give her a quick kiss, but stopping myself when I noticed our parents’ eyes on us.

Sabine headed to the table and plopped down, rolling her eyes and making a face. “Just kiss already. You’re mated.”

I laughed, and the tension in my chest tightened. “Not with an audience.”

By seven thirty, we were all gathered around the dining room table. The atmosphere was so thick with tension it could have been cut with a knife. Everyone was picking at their breakfast rather than actually eating.

“We should just call him,” Alpha Monroe finally said.

Luna Monroe was wringing her hands nervously. “What if he refuses? What if he demands the answer today, like we agreed on? This might not go well.”

“Then we'll deal with it if it comes down to that,” my father said, though his voice was tight. He pulled his phone out, setting it in the center of the table. “Everyone stays quiet, got it? Let me do the talking unless he asks to speak to someone specifically.”

We all nodded.

He dialed, putting the phone on speaker. The ringing seemed to echo through the silent room, each tone making my heart beat faster.

One ring. Two rings. Three. Then, a smooth voice filled the dining room.

"Alpha Nightshade. I was expecting your call."

The way he said it was as if he expected that our parents would call and that sent a chill down my spine.

My father's jaw tightened, but his voice remained calm. "Alpha King. Thank you for taking my call. I wanted to discuss the offer you made to my son yesterday.”

"Of course. Have you reached a decision?"

"Not yet. That's actually why I'm calling." My father glanced at me, then at Callista. "This is a significant decision with far-reaching implications. We'd like to request additional time to consider all aspects of your generous offer."

Silence on the other end. It stretched long enough to become uncomfortable.

"How much time are we talking about, Alpha Nightshade?"

My father almost growled, but he refrained. “A few days, or maybe up to a week. It’ll only be long enough to fully discuss the ramifications and ensure that this is the right path for both of them.”

Another pause. I could feel everyone at the table holding their breath as they waited for his answer.

“I see,” the Alpha King said quietly. “And tell me, Alpha Nightshade, is this request coming from you and Alpha Monroe? Or is it from Callista and Riven?”

The question was a trap. I could see it in my father’s gaze when he looked at me.

“We’re all in agreement,” Alpha Monroe said carefully. “The decision affects all of us and our packs. We want to make sure they make the best choice.”

“Mmm,” he said, the sound noncommittal. “May I speak with young Mr. Nightshade directly?”

My father nodded and handed me the phone.

"I'm here, Alpha King," I said, trying to keep my voice steady as I took it off the speaker.

Not that it would do any good at hiding what he asked.

"Ah, good. Tell me, Riven, and I want complete honesty, is this delay because you're having second thoughts about my offer? Or is it because others are influencing your decision?"

The demon stirred, interested in how I'd answer. I looked at Callista, then at our parents, then back at the phone.

"I'm not having second thoughts," I said slowly. "But this is the biggest decision of my life. I want to make sure I'm choosing for the right reasons, not out of fear or pressure. Surely you can understand that."

"I can," he said, and I couldn't tell if he was pleased or annoyed. "Very well. You have three days. Seventy-two hours from this moment to make your decision. After that, the offer expires."

He had given me three days, not a week or even an open-ended time that we’d hoped for. But at least it was more than one day.

“Thank you, Alpha King,” my father said quickly. “We appreciate your understanding.”

"Oh, one more thing." The Alpha King's voice took on a different quality. It was so much sharper than before. "In those three days, I suggest you all think very carefully about what refusing my offer might mean. For your son. For your mate. For everyone you love."

The line went dead.

We all stared at the phone, his words hanging in the air like it was a threat.

"Was that—" Luna Monroe started.

"A threat," Callista finished quietly. "That was definitely a threat."

“I can’t believe he threatened us,” my mother said, her voice shaking slightly. “He threatened all of us. What do you think this means?”

"Not directly," Alpha Monroe said grimly. "He was careful with his wording. But the implication was clear."

"What does he mean by 'what refusing might mean'?" Sabine asked, her voice small. She looked between all of us, fear evident in her eyes. "Is he going to hurt us if Riven says no?"

“He won’t hurt anyone, would he?” My father asked, his voice dipping lower. “That would be too…noticeable. He’s the Alpha King and has to maintain clear standards and rules. I doubt he’d try to wipe us out when that would be too public.”

"Can't he?" Callista asked quietly. "He's the most powerful Alpha in the region. Who's going to stop him if he decides we're a threat? If he claims Riven is dangerous and needs to be contained?"

The words hung heavily in the air, because she was right and we all knew it. The Alpha King had ultimate authority. If he wanted to justify wiping us out, he could find a way to make it legal and make it seem necessary.

“This changes everything,” Alpha Monroe said, standing and pacing. “With a threat like that, it means he might be hiding something. If his offer was genuine, if he really wanted to train Riven as his successor, he wouldn’t just threaten us.

"Unless he's desperate," Luna Monroe suggested. "If his son is really gone, maybe he needs Riven. Maybe we have more leverage than we thought."