Chapter 80: Might Lose Him - Callista's POV

“Callista?”

I blinked and turned as another two strays slid onto the table. Lila and Damon, two of Sabine’s friends, joined us. They both glanced between Sabine and me.

“What’s going on?” Damon asked, lowering himself into the seat next to Sabine. “You two look like someone died or something. Is the food that bad today?”

Sabine gave me a pointed look but didn’t say anything.

“Nothing’s wrong,” I said quickly. “Sometimes we just get into deep topics.”

I put on my best smile, knowing that I wasn’t fooling anyone. Their narrowed gazes told me all I needed to know. They knew something was wrong and was dancing around it as much as I was.

Lila raised an eyebrow. “You do realize we all saw Riven ditch you in class, right?”

My stomach twisted. I had forgotten that Lila was in that class too.

“That doesn’t mean anything,” I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. “We’re not glued at the hip or anything.”

“It kind of does,” Damon muttered. “You two have been attached at the hip since the Moon Mark happened. Now he won’t even sit near you. Something is going on, because Riven wouldn’t be sitting with one of the guys who challenged him if it wasn’t.”

Sabine tapped her fork against the plate again. “Exactly what I was saying.”

It wasn’t the full truth, but at least it was enough to hide what else we were talking about.

Lila leaned forward slightly, her voice softer. “Did something happen between you two? Did you have your first fight? Can we help?”

I hesitated. The truth sat heavy in my chest, begging to spill out, but I couldn’t say it. Not here. Not to them.

“You could say that,” I admitted quietly. “It has been a rough morning.”

Damon frowned. “Is it about the bond? I mean, having a mate bond at sixteen would be stressful. It makes me glad to know that it is really rare and not something that happens to everyone. I can’t imagine being in high school and…dealing with that.”

My fingers curled against the edge of the table. “It’s definitely hard, because he has all the possessiveness and feelings that you’d have. But with teenage hormones…”

The word felt heavier than it should have.

Lila’s eyes softened. “Callista… you know you can talk to us, right? We’re here for you and will help you any way we can.”

I nodded, but my gaze drifted back toward Riven again. He was still laughing with the guys, leaning back in his chair as if he didn’t have a single worry in the world. The bond pulsed faintly in my chest again.

It was cold again. Not warmth. I flinched, knowing it was the demon.

When my gaze found Riven again, his eyes darted in my direction. It was the first time he had looked at me since we came to the academy. In his gaze, I saw what I dreaded.

The demon was there, looking through his eyes. My throat tightened.

I was beginning to believe the Alpha King was right. Riven’s condition was getting worse and there might not be anyone else who could stop him from losing to the demon.

The thought made my stomach churn.

“Hey.” Lila’s voice pulled me back.

“You’re spiraling,” she said gently. “Take a breath. It’s not the end of the world. You two are pretty much mated. It’s not like you two will break up.”

“Well, they can,” Sabine mentioned. “There are ways in case of an emergency.”

I almost rolled my eyes as I took a breath. It wasn’t helping or making me feel better.

“Maybe he just needs space,” Damon offered. “He’ll realize what he’s missing and come crawling back. Right now, he’s acting like a jerk.”

“Or maybe something is really wrong,” Sabine muttered. “Maybe he won’t come crawling back and my poor sister will have to find a way to end it with him.”

Neither option made me feel better.

“I think we should talk about happier things,” I whispered, choking back a sob. “Right now, it’s hard for me to talk about.”

They moved on, trying to keep me in their conversations, but I couldn’t even participate. Lunch eventually ended, and we all stood to leave. I gathered my bag slowly, my eyes scanning the cafeteria once more.

Riven had already gotten up. He was standing by the doors now, leaning casually against the wall. Two girls stood nearby, giggling at something he said.

When he smirked, I recognized it. Something was off about it. The demon. He thought he was slick hiding like he was, keeping Riven’s facade, but he was there, cocky as ever.

Hatred filled me. I wanted nothing more than to smack that smirk off his face and yell at him. But it wouldn’t do any good. Apparently, the demon could slip in whenever he wanted without Riven being able to control it.

My chest tightened. Riven’s gaze lifted, meeting mine. For that second, we just stared at each other. The bond flickered faintly, then he pushed off the wall and walked down the hallway without another glance.

I stood there for a moment, watching him disappear around the corner.

And for the first time since the Moon Mark appeared on my shoulder, a terrifying thought settled deep in my chest.

I might lose him.

But an even worse thought followed right behind it. What if I had already started to?

I wrapped my arms around myself as a chill crawled up my spine. The bond pulsed again, weak and distant, like something fraying thread by thread. For a moment I tried to reach through it, just to see if Riven was still there.

Nothing answered. Only that faint, icy presence brushed against my mind before disappearing again.

If the demon kept growing stronger… if Riven kept pulling away…

Then one day I might not be looking at the boy who stayed beside my bed to keep me safe.

I might be looking at the monster from my vision.

And if that day came, I didn’t know if I would be strong enough to stop him.