Chapter 9: Our Secret is Out - Callista's POV

“Oh, what?” Kalley asked, looking between us.

Sabine’s gaze locked on mine, and I saw the exact moment it clicked into place for her. “Tell me I’m wrong. This can’t be happening.”

“You’re wrong,” I said automatically, but my voice came out cracked.

“You smell like him.” Sabine’s voice was barely above a whisper. “And he smells like you. It’s not just because of proximity. He’s your—”

“We’re friends,” he said as his hand found mine under the table. His fingers laced through mine in a way that was possessive and comforting all at once. I hated that it felt so good. The bond was humming already.

“Friends don’t smell like that,” Sabine breathed. Her gaze dropped to where his hand had disappeared under the table. “Oh, my fates. Are you two—”

“Mates?” Riven asked calmly. “Yes, we are.”

Kalley’s spoon clattered to the table. “What?”

“Riven,” I said, my voice clipped. I tried to pull my hand away, but he held firm.

“She figured it out,” he said, his tone reasonable. “And lying to your family about it won’t help matters. They’ll understand and be supportive.”

“But you’re too young,” Sabine said, her eyes still wide with shock. “You’re just sixteen and mate bonds don’t manifest until eighteen. Everyone…knows that.”

“Usually, but not always. Sometimes things happen early,” Riven said, looking toward the window. “We’re just early.”

“This is crazy.” Sabine looked at me, betrayal flickering across her face. “When were you going to tell me or our parents? Were you just going to wait until the ceremony and let us all find out together?”

“I was going to tell you,” I whispered as guilt twisted in my chest. “I just needed time to process it.”

“How long?”

My eyes were watering. Oh, fates. I couldn’t cry here. “Since this morning.”

“This morning?” Kalley leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. “It just happened today at school?”

“At dawn,” Riven corrected. I cut my eyes in his direction, silently asking him what he thought he was doing. “We met at the border this morning.”

Sabine’s expression shifted from betrayal to concern. “He’s the reason you snuck out this morning.” There was no question in her voice. “What else happened, Callista? Did he threaten you? Force you to do anything? Talk to me.”

“No,” I said quickly, even though it was partially a lie. He had threatened my family in an indirect way. “It’s complicated.”

She huffed. “Complicated how? I need answers, Callista.”

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. How could I explain any of this? How would I tell her about the marks on my shoulder, the vision, and the certainty that everyone I loved would die unless I figured out how to stop it? There was no escaping fate.

“There are some things we can’t discuss here,” Riven said, his voice low but firm. “But I can promise you that I would never hurt Callista. She’s my mate and protecting her is literally written into my genetic code.”

“Protecting her from what?” Kalley asked, her voice filled with concern.

Before Riven could answer, a shadow fell over our table.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” A male voice drawled. “Riven Nightshade. I didn’t expect to see you here at Silver Moon Academy.”

I looked up to find a guy I vaguely recognized standing beside our table. He was tall, dark-haired, and had the same Alpha presence that radiated off Riven. His eyes were cold as they swept across our joined hands.

Riven’s grip on my hand tightened slightly. “Marcus.”

“You know him?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

“Unfortunately, I do,” Riven said, his tone going flat. “Marcus Stonecrest from the Shadowcrest Pack.”

Marcus’s smile was all teeth, and it wasn’t pretty to look at. “Your pack and mine have been allies for years, Nightshade. I’m hurt that you’re not happier to see me right now.” His gaze shifted to me, lingering in a way that made me uncomfortable and made my skin crawl. “And you are Callista Monroe, the famous seer everyone talks about. How did he get you?”

“Do I know you?” I asked, pulling my hand from Riven’s and crossing my arms.

The moment our connection broke, I felt it like a loss. I wanted it back.

“Not really,” Marcus said, his smile widening. “You never looked my way once, but you sure look his way. I’ll change all that at the ceremony. Our packs will be spending a lot of time together over the next few days.”

Riven stood slowly, putting himself between Marcus and me. “She’s not interested.”

“I wasn’t asking you, mutt,” Marcus said, his eyes flashing. “You can’t claim her anyway, not for another two years. And there sure haven’t been any announcements about her having an arranged mate.”

The air between them crackled with tension. Several tables nearby had gone quiet as students watched the confrontation.

“Marcus,” I said, standing as well. My hand found Riven’s. “It was interesting meeting you, but we’re in the middle of a private conversation with my sister.”

His gaze dropped to our joined hands. “You can’t claim her. No one is off the table until mate bonds start clicking, so don’t get used to this. I’ll see you around, Monroe. And Riven? We should catch up sometime, when you’re not fooling around.”

He walked away, and I felt Riven’s entire body vibrate with barely contained aggression.

“What was that between the two of you?” I asked, peering up at him.

“Politics,” Riven said, his voice tense. “Shadowcrest Pack likes to make their presence known.”

“He seemed interested in Callista,” Kalley stated.

“He wants power,” Riven corrected, his jaw ticking. “The Seer would be a valuable alliance, especially an Alpha’s daughter.”

My stomach twisted. “I’m not interested in him.”

Riven rolled his eyes. “As much as that pleases me to hear you say it, I know that. Everyone else is about to learn it too.”

Before I could ask what he meant, his hand cupped the back of my neck and he pulled me against him.

“Riven, what are you doing to—”

His mouth crashed down on mine, cutting my words off. The cafeteria disappeared. There were whispers and gasps in the background. Sabine yelled something. But it all faded into white noise as the mate bond exploded between us. Heat flooded through my entire body, every nerve ending coming alive.

His lips moved against mine with a possessiveness that should have made me angry. I should have pushed him away. But my traitorous hands fisted in his shirt, pulling him closer as my wolf howled in satisfaction..

He tasted like smoke and danger, something uniquely him that made my head spin. The bond sang, humming through every inch of me and demanding more.

When he pulled back, I was breathless, and my lips tingled.

The cafeteria was eerily silent.

Riven’s thumb brushed across my bottom lip, his red-gold eyes burning into mine. “There,” he murmured loud enough for nearby tables to hear him. “Now everyone knows that you are mine.”

The bell rang, shattering the moment. Reality crashed back into me. I became aware of every single pair of eyes watching us. Some even had their phones out, recording us.

Sabine’s opened mouth shock and Kalley’s delighted grin were the next things I noticed. Marcus Stonecrest was standing frozen near the door. His expression was dark with fury.

“You—” I started, my voice shaking with a mixture of anger and something I refused to name. “You can’t just—”

“I can and I did,” Riven said calmly, though his hand was still on my neck. His thumb traced a small circle that sent a shiver down my spine. “Problem?”

Students were starting to move around us, heading to their next classes. Whispers followed them.

“Did you see that?”

“Riven Nightshade and Callista Monroe?”

“They’re only sixteen. How is this possible?”

I jerked away from him, my face burning. “We’re going to talk about this.”

“I look forward to it,” he said, his smirk becoming infuriating. “What’s next? English?”

“I hate you.”

He laughed. “You just think you do, but you don’t.” Riven leaned in close, his breath warm against my ear. “Your wolf is extremely happy right now. I can feel it through the bond.”

He was right. I hated him even more for it.

Sabine appeared at my side, looping her arm through mine. “Forget talking later. We’re talking all the way to class. I don’t care if you’re late.”

“Sabine, stop it.”

“He just kissed you in front of the entire school, Callista.” Her voice was rising with each word. “And you kissed him back. So, you’re going to explain what is going on and you’re going to do it now.”

“There’s nothing else to tell you,” I snapped.

“And I think you’re lying,” she said smoothly.

I looked over my shoulder at Riven, who was grinning ear to ear. But I hated to tell him that I was certain that kiss painted a target on both of our backs.