Chapter 77: I'm Scared - Callista's POV

The room felt smaller the moment he said it. Your condition is getting worse, isn’t it?

Riven’s fingers tightened around mine, the pressure almost painful. I wanted to wrench my hand away, but I held on, not wanting to be away from him. Then, something stirred in the bond. I could feel the lie through the bond before he even said it.

“No.”

Warmth flickered between us as if he was sending reassurance. My eyelids fluttered as I tried to make sense of it. Was I imagining things? Was earlier affecting me so badly that I would now think that everything he said was a lie? The Alpha King watched us like a predator watching his prey, pretending it wasn’t wounded when it was.

A chill slid down my spine. For a moment, no one moved. Then Riven tugged my hand again, trying to pull me toward the door, but I didn’t follow.

The bond between us strained immediately. He expected me to obey him and do as he directed.

“Callista,” he muttered quietly. “We need to go.”

I didn’t look at him. Instead, my eyes stayed fixed on the Alpha King. “Your son…went through this exact stage? How far gone is he?”

“To the point that if he were let loose, he would murder everything in sight,” he said calmly. “But it started with lies, then came the mask where you could see the demon taking over. Eventually, that faded and I would have thought he was getting better if I didn’t know differently. The demon could slide in and take over without my notice.”

I almost gasped, but shoved it down. That was where Riven was now.

“It wasn’t long after that the demon wore my son’s face and started becoming violent. I locked him away before he could do any real damage,” he said, rolling up one sleeve of his jacket. On his arm was a long scar from his wrist to his elbow. “Most have no idea that this was inflicted upon me by my own son.”

“He attacked you.”

“They become mindless after a while and once they reach that spot, there is nothing you can do. Well, unless you keep them locked away…or kill them.”

“And you’re hoping for a cure, so…you don’t have to end him,” I whispered, everything clicking. “But what makes you think Riven is the one that will cure your son of his condition? What if—”

—but what if he can’t?

The thought cut through me as if someone had dumped ice on my head. My chest tightened, and I could feel the bond humming and reacting to my panic. Riven’s presence was warm and grounding, but there was also that coldness that I couldn’t ignore. It had been there the entire time, lurking behind his reassurances. It all made sense now.

If the Alpha King’s story was true, and I was starting to believe he wasn’t lying like we originally believed, then I might be the only one who could stop Riven should the inevitable happen.

Riven’s fingers tightened around mine again, but this time it felt different. It wasn’t protective. It was a warning.

“Callista,” he said, his voice low, almost a growl, “don’t think like that. You won’t—”

But I couldn’t stop my thoughts. Not after they had gotten this far. Images flashed in my mind unbidden. His face twisted under some shadow that wasn’t his own. His hands moved violently, coated in blood. The bond pulsed frantically, and I realized it wasn’t just his panic. This was his demon’s influence brushing against mine, whispering at the edges of my thoughts.

What if I can’t stop him? What if the bond doesn’t save him?

I swallowed hard. My lips trembled, but I forced the words out.

“You’re not going to make it back one day,” I whispered, almost to myself. “What if… what if the boy I know disappears and I have to…”

Riven froze. His chest rose and fell sharply, and for a moment, I thought he might lash out. His eyes were wide, searching mine, pleading without words.

“Callista,” he said again, more firmly this time. “No. You won’t ever have to do that. I won’t…don’t you dare—”

But my mind didn’t listen. I couldn’t unsee the Alpha King’s words, couldn’t unhear the cold finality in his voice. Kill them. It echoed in my head, louder than the Alpha King’s chuckle, louder than Riven’s protest.

That was what had happened to all of the ones before Riven and the Alpha King’s son. They were all killed, because there was no other choice. Hoping for a cure or a different outcome may be futile.

I pulled my hand back slowly.

“I…” I stopped. My throat burned. “I don’t know if I could… if I’d even survive it. I might have to… and what if I fail?”

Riven’s jaw clenched, and I could see his pulse pounding at his neck. He didn’t speak at first. His silence was heavier than any words could be. The warmth of the bond tried to pull me back, tried to steady me, but that dark thread was still there, whispering that maybe, just maybe, the Alpha King’s words weren’t empty threats.

“You won’t have to,” Riven finally said, his voice low and dangerous. “I’m not going to let it get that far. I swear to you, Callista, I’ll fight it. I’ll fight him. I’ll fight everything before you ever have to touch me like that.”

The Alpha King cleared his throat. “By not doing as I’ve asked, you are risking that outcome. Since you aren’t fully bonded until the ceremony, she has a chance at surviving should you have to be killed, Riven. If you want any life with her, I’d suggest taking my training seriously.”

I wanted to believe that Riven wouldn’t give up and that he would do anything to stay with me. But the image of a Riven I didn’t know—the one that could kill without thought, that could be completely gone—kept intruding.

“Riven, I’m scared,” I said, my voice cracking. “What if—”

“Stop,” Riven’s voice cut through sharply, but the bond hummed violently in response to my fear. He was trying to contain it, contain himself, contain the demon, but I could feel the strain.

“I can feel it,” I said, my voice trembling. “The demon is growing stronger and threading itself into our bond. It wasn’t there when you first marked me days ago. What if you have to be—”

His eyes went dark. The warmth in the bond surged in a tidal wave, then recoiled as if it had been burned.

“No,” he whispered, almost desperately. “Callista, you will never… I can’t…don’t even think that. I won’t let it get that far. I swear it.”

But deep down, under the heat of his words, I knew the truth. I didn’t want to believe it, didn’t want to face it, but the pieces were all there. If the demon won… if Riven lost… then everything he was, everything I loved… might have to end at my hands.

And the thought made my stomach turn.

I clenched my fists, trying to shove down the panic, trying to ground myself in the boy I knew, not the monster I feared. The Alpha King’s words echoed behind my eyes, cold and inevitable.

Someone will have to stop him.

I could feel the weight of it settle on my shoulders.

I swallowed hard. “Riven… if it ever gets that far…” My voice faltered, but I forced it out. “If you’re gone… I’ll do what I have to do.”

The bond flared violently in response. His eyes searched mine, trying to burn away my words and to promise me that it would never come to that, but we both knew the possibility was there.

And that terrified me more than anything else.