Chapter 76: Interesting - Riven's POV

Her eyes flashed for a second, and I thought she might actually try it. She squared her shoulders as she glared up at me, her chest rising and falling faster than it had a moment ago. The hallway around us was silent, the stone walls carrying every breath and every shift of movement between us.

I leaned in, my body pressing against hers and holding her against the wall.

“Don’t call me that like it’s a weapon,” she snapped under her breath.

My grip on her wrist loosened slightly, but still, I didn’t move away. “I’m not using it as a weapon,” I said, though even to my own ears the words sounded harsher than I intended. “It’s the truth. You are mine.”

Her gaze burned into me. “The truth? You’ve been lying to me.”

The words hit harder than they should have. “About what?’

“About him taking over and blending in,” she said with a newfound fury. “You never mentioned that before you marked me.”

“Callista, you were marked to be mine before we even had a proper conversation,” I snapped. “Fate doesn’t make mistakes. So what if I hid that little detail?”

Her brows rose. “Are you being serious right now? Honesty is cherished between mates and you’re now saying you’re fine with hiding things? What else are you hiding from me?”

“What else? What else would I hide from you? You can feel it through the bond,” I challenged.

“How many times has he been in control and I didn’t know it?” She asked, her voice trembling. “How many times, Riven? Does he take over and you don’t notice?”

“Of course I notice,” I said, knowing that it was another lie.

“He influences you even when he hasn’t taken over, doesn’t he?”

My teeth gritted together. Behind my ribs, the bond flared. It was warm, strained, and tangled with that creeping coldness I couldn’t fully keep buried anymore.

Just how much did the demon influence even when he wasn’t in control? It was a valid question and one I never thought about.

“See, you don’t know,” she murmured. “I’m starting to wonder what is real and what isn’t. Are we even mates?”

My gaze flicked to hers. “What?”

Callista tried to pull her wrist free again. This time I let go, stepping back just enough to give her space. She immediately rubbed the spot where my fingers had been, her eyes never leaving my face.

“I’m not lying about you being my mate,” I said quietly. “Why would you think that?”

“Because the more I’m with you, the more I see. The more I see, the more I question everything that’s happened,” she whispered. “I barely know you and this is the craziest thing that’s ever happened. Why would the Moon Goddess Moon Mark us at sixteen? Was it really her?”

“Are you suggesting that you think I used dark magic?” My brow rose as I choked back all of my emotions. “I didn’t…This is real.”

“If this is real, then you need to stop acting like you own me,” she shot back.

Something inside me snapped at the word.

“Own you?” I repeated, my voice dropping.

The demon shifted in the back of my mind, suddenly very interested.

Careful, Riven.

“You think that’s what this is?” I asked, taking a slow step closer again despite myself. “You think I fought for that bond because I wanted to control you? If I wanted control, I wouldn’t have accepted those challenges and risked someone else beating me.”

Callista’s jaw clenched. “I think you’re deciding things for both of us,” she said, her voice barely audible. “And that’s not the same thing as being mates.”

For a moment, neither of us moved. The hallway felt colder now, the quiet pressing in around us. I ran a hand through my hair, forcing myself to breathe slowly.

“This isn’t the place for this fight,” I muttered.

Her expression didn’t soften. “No,” she breathed. “But you started it.”

The demon chuckled.

I told you… distance would have been easier.

I shoved the voice down again, hard enough that a dull ache throbbed behind my eyes.

“Fine,” I said after a moment, straightening. “We’ll finish this later.”

Callista crossed her arms. “We will,” she said flatly.

Neither of us apologized. Neither of us backed down.

And the bond between us pulsed again—warm, stubborn, and tangled with something darker that neither of us seemed able to ignore anymore.

At the end of the hallway, a pair of massive double doors came into view. Two guards stood outside them, their expressions unreadable. One of them looked up as we approached.

“The Alpha King is waiting.”

My stomach tightened. Of course he was.

Beside me, Callista straightened her shoulders, the fire in her eyes dimming just enough to hide the argument we’d just had. I reached for the door handle.

For a split second, the demon’s voice slid through my mind again.

Careful, Riven. You may end up pushing away your only chance of salvation and you’re about to walk straight into the lion’s den.

I pushed the doors open, anyway.

The doors swung inward with a deep groan, the sound echoing through his office. It was just as overwhelming as I remembered. Not that we weren’t here recently.

The Alpha King was sitting behind his desk, looking down at some papers.

Callista stood rigid right beside me. My demon stirred as my eyes darted to the side, trying to gauge how she would handle this.

When my gaze drifted back to the Alpha King, he was watching us a little too closely.

“Ah, a lover’s quarrel already,” he said teasingly. “I can see it a mile away. My mate and I used to be the same way.”

“Used to be?” Callista asked. “Did it get better?”

“She passed away,” he murmured, biting his lower lip. “That woman was stubborn until the day she left this world and left her child and I behind. We weren’t…fated.”

“You weren’t?” I thought it was a little odd, because a mate strengthened an alpha. A fated one was best.

“No,” he said, a pained grin stretching across his face. It was quickly replaced by something else, something darker. “But this between the two of you is interesting.”

“What is interesting about us?” Callista asked before I could stop her.

The Alpha King leaned slightly forward, resting his elbows on his desk. “The tension. You two seemed far more united when I saw you last, but now you’re miles apart.”

“We’re fine,” I bit out, knowing it wasn’t really true.

“I hope you both are, because I can’t have Riven losing himself,” he said, leaning back in his chair and his eyes locking on Callista. “So, whatever this little tiff is, I need the two of you to get over it.”

“Why did you call us? We have school today,” I said, trying to distract him.

His gaze shifted to me. “I would like you to reconsider my offer to stay at the mansion.”

“Our decision has been made and you agreed. We’ll come on Friday evening.”

“But you see, I must insist that you think about it again,” he implored. “It is important for your training.”

“Our answer hasn’t changed. It’s no.” I turned toward Callista and grabbed her hand. “If that is all, we’re heading to the academy. We have classes and a project due.”

We started out the door, but the guards moved in front of us, blocking the path.

“Your condition is getting worse, isn’t it?” The Alpha King asked.

“No,” I lied.

“He’ll keep taking over again and again. It’s just how it goes. My son did that months ago and his condition worsened rapidly after that.”

“And why are you telling me this? How do you know what stage I’m at?”

He grinned. “The walls have ears, Riven. But if you still want to do things your way, go ahead. You’ll be begging for my original offer soon enough as it is.”