Chapter 62: Not Real - Riven's POV

Beta Kensley led us down another hallway in the west wing, stopping at two doors side by side. “These will be your rooms for the weekends,” she said, opening the first door. “Miss Monroe, this one will be yours.”

The room was spacious and larger than our bedrooms back home. A four-poster bed dominated the space, with a desk by the window and a sitting area with plush chairs. There were two other doors in the room, but those must lead to the bathroom and a closet.

“It’s nice,” Callista said, her voice strained.

“And this one will be yours, Mr. Nightshade,” Beta Kensley said, opening the door next to it.

The room was similar but had more masculine decor. There was dark wood furniture, deep blue bedding, but it had the same layout.

I stepped inside, checking it out. Once again, we would share a wall, which made me feel a little better. It meant if anything went on, I would hear it.

"The walls are thick," Beta Kensley said, as if she'd read my thoughts. "For privacy, you won't hear each other unless you're deliberately trying to."

Great. That didn’t sound as easy to hear then. If something happened to Callista in the middle of the night, I might not hear her.

"There are bells in each room if you need anything," she continued, motioning to each cord in our room, which hung in the corner. "Pull the cord and someone will respond within minutes. Breakfast, as I mentioned, is at seven sharp in the dining hall. Don't be late. The Alpha King is very particular about punctuality."

“I think we understand,” I said, this time a bit sharply. "Meals on time, don't go to the east wing, and be here Friday at five."

Beta Kensley’s expression soured. “Indeed. Now, unless you have other questions, you are free to leave. I’m sure your families are anxious to hear how things went.”

We didn’t have any other questions. All I could think about was getting us out of here.

The walk back to my car felt like it took forever. Once we were inside with the doors closed, I felt everything rush out of me.

“Well, we did it,” I said, starting the engine. “We negotiated and got him to compromise.”

Callista was quiet beside me, staring out the window as if she wasn’t actually here.

“Hey,” I said, reaching over to squeeze her hand. “We’re not living here full-time and we get to go home at night, except on weekends. This is a win. We’re getting the best of both.”

“Is it?” She asked, turning to look at me. I didn’t like what I saw in her gaze. There was doubt, fear, and something else swirling there. "Riven, he got exactly what he wanted. We're committed now. We'll be there every weekend, completely at his mercy."

“But we set boundaries,” I reminded her. “There won’t be anything done without us both present. We won’t be separated. If he breaks those rules—”

“Then what? We walk away and he destroys our packs like he already threatened us with?” She shook her head. “Those boundaries only work if he chooses to respect them. And I seriously doubt he will.”

"Then we'll deal with it when it happens." I pulled out of the circular driveway, heading toward the main road. "Look, I know you're worried. But we can't go into this thinking we're going to fail. We have advantages—"

"Stop saying that," she snapped. "We don't have advantages. We have a mate bond and some information from Mr. Cross's dead grandfather. That's it. The Alpha King has power, resources, decades of research, and a mansion full of people loyal to him. We're sixteen-year-old kids walking into a trap."

Her words stung, mostly because part of me knew she was right. But I couldn't think like that. If I started believing we were doomed, the demon would feed on that fear and grow stronger.

“We’re not just kids,” I said, hearing the edge in my voice. It didn’t sound like me. “We’re Moon Marked. The Moon Goddess herself chose us for this. That has to mean something.”

"Or it means we're pawns in something bigger that we don't understand." She pulled her hand away from mine. "Riven, you're not taking this seriously enough. You're acting like this is some kind of challenge you can win through sheer determination—"

"I am taking it seriously!" The words came out harsher than I intended. "What do you want me to do, Callista? Curl up in a ball and accept that we're screwed? That's not helpful."

"Neither is being overconfident and cocky!"

The word hit me like a slap. "Cocky?"

“Yes, you’re cocky,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “Ever since we left that study, you’ve been acting like you outsmarted the Alpha King, as if you negotiated some brilliant deal. But you didn’t, Riven. He got what he wanted from us and you’re over there acting like you won.”

"I'm not—" I stopped myself, gripping the steering wheel tighter. "I'm trying to stay positive and ‌not let fear control me. Is that so wrong?”

"There's a difference between staying positive and being reckless." Her voice softened slightly. "I'm scared too, but I'm not going to pretend we're in control when we're not."

The demon stirred, pleased by the tension between us. For some reason, he wanted us to fight. He wanted us to be at each other’s throats, though it didn’t make sense. Before, he wanted us to be together.

I shook my head, dismissing those thoughts.

She's right to be scared, it whispered. You are being cocky and overconfident. It's going to get you both killed.

Flashes of blood filled my mind. They happened so fast that I found myself pulling over on the side of the road a few miles down the road from the Alpha King’s mansion.

“Riven, what’s happening?”

I reached up, panting for breath, as I clutched my head and nearly screamed. More images came to mind. I could see bodies lying strewn about, blood covering them. There was so much blood that I could smell it.

“It’s not real.”

“What?” Callista asked, her voice hesitant.

“It’s not real,” I repeated as I saw myself moving closer to a lifeless body. That version of me bent down, rolling the body over. All I could see were Callista’s eyes looking back at me, hollow and empty. “No, it’s not. That isn’t right. I wouldn’t do that.”