Chapter 98: The Pain is Gone - Callista's POV

He stopped a few feet away, his eyes dragging over me while I clung to Riven. Though part of him hated Riven for the situation, he also couldn’t deny what the reality was. I needed him as much as I needed air to breathe.

Staying away from him had been the hardest thing I had ever done. And sure, I lasted several months, maybe close to a year, being fine, but the last few months were an entirely different story. My wolf mourned the loss and though she knew he was alive, it felt as if he were dead.

I couldn’t go on as I was. If I continued to deny myself what we both longed for, then…I didn’t want to think of what would happen to me. My parents had said it enough for all of us.

“Riven,” my father said sharply. “Are you prepared for—”

The Alpha King turned, the one look silenced my father. “He loves her and has mourned for her as much as she has mourned for him. Though I agreed to let her leave because of Riven’s request, I no longer think that is a viable option.”

“Viable option?” My father remarked. “And you think taking her under your wing to train under one of your elder seers is a good idea?”

“What else would you propose?” The Alpha King mused. “Being apart is killing her.”

I flinched at his words. It was true, but I didn’t want to hear it.

Riven’s grip tightened on me. “Father,” he said, his voice low and strained.

“Father?” My father said, his voice stunned. “So, it’s true? The Nightshades weren’t lying about that?”

“No,” the Alpha King growled. “There were some issues right before my second son’s birth and I had to do something to protect him. Now, are you going to cause problems or let your daughter be with her mate?”

My father glanced between the two of us, his gaze filled with so much conflict and uncertainty that I wasn’t sure what he would do. “I want her to be happy.”

Riven’s cheek rested on the top of my head, moving back and forth in a soothing motion. “And I want her to be happy as well. She’s my mate. I let her go once, but I won’t do that anymore. We’ll both be eighteen soon and it’s time.”

“But you still have one more year at the academy,” my father argued. “Can’t you wait until the end of the year?”

“Does she look like she’ll make it to the end of the year?” The Alpha King said, his voice deep and menacing. “Look at what staying away has done.”

“But they can be around each other,” my mother said hesitantly. “Shouldn’t that help and reverse what is happening?”

“It may not be enough,” Riven replied. “And if we need to be mated while we complete our last year at Silver Moon Academy, then so be it. It’s better for her to be mated to me, then die because we aren’t.”

I pulled back and glanced up at Riven at that. “But what about—”

I trailed off. Though I wanted to point out the part about the demon, I also didn’t want to die from mourning him while he’s alive.

“I won’t let you wither away,” he said softly. “You’re mine, Callista. You have always been. I’ve never stopped wanting you or thinking about you.”

Tears pricked my eyes as I realized our fates would be just that. If I were meant to die by the curse wracking through his body, then it was going to happen no matter what. At least this way, we could have a few moments of love and peace before losing it all.

I shut my eyes and nodded. It wasn’t a perfect plan, but there was no perfect option in our situation. “I want to be with Riven.”

My father exhaled slowly, as if the fight drained out of him all at once. His shoulders sagged, and for the first time since he walked to the training grounds, he didn’t look like an Alpha trying to make the right call. He just looked like my dad.

“…Then I won’t stand in your way,” he said quietly. “We should have known from the beginning that the separation was wrong and I should have sent you back that night.”

Relief hit me so hard my knees nearly gave out. Riven’s arms tightened around me instantly, holding me steady before I could even sway. The bond surged, not painfully this time, but full and overwhelming in a way I hadn’t felt in over a year. It rushed through me, warm and alive, filling in every hollow space that had been carved out over the months we’d been apart.

My mother stepped closer, her gaze soft but worried as she reached for my hand. “Are you sure about this?” She asked gently. “Because once you take that step…there’s no going back. It’ll be even harder to break.”

I swallowed, glancing up at Riven. His gaze was already on me, intense and unwavering, as if he were afraid I might disappear if he looked away for even a second.

“I know,” I whispered. “But there was never really a way back for me, anyway. We’re fated mates and Moon Marked.”

Something in his expression shifted at that, something deeper and heavier. His hand slid up my back, anchoring me to him as if he needed the reminder that I was real.

The Alpha King gave a short nod, as if a decision had been made long before we ever walked in. “Then it’s settled,” he said. “She will remain here. Training will begin immediately. The ceremony will be arranged as well.”

“Training?” My father repeated, his brow furrowing.

“She is a seer and the future Alpha Queen,” he replied simply. “And if she is going to be tied to my son, then she will be prepared for everything that comes with it.

A small chill ran down my spine at his words, but before I could question it, Riven shifted slightly beside me. “That’s fine,” he said, his tone clipped but controlled. “She won’t be alone in any of it. I won’t leave her side.”

The Alpha King’s gaze flickered to him, something unreadable passing between them before he gave a slight incline of his head. “No,” he agreed. “She won’t.”

Silence settled for a moment, but it wasn’t the suffocating kind from before. This felt different. Fragile, maybe, but not broken.

Riven’s hand found mine, his fingers threading through mine as if it were the most natural thing in the world. The contact sent a sharp pulse through the bond. I looked down at our joined hands for a second, my chest tightening all over again. It felt so familiar…like no time had passed at all.

But that wasn’t true. Everything had changed.

“So, you’re going to let me…have the ceremony now instead of at the end of the school year like you said—”

Father shook his head. “I know we said two years,” he mentioned, his voice low. “But it can’t wait.”

Slowly, I lifted my gaze back to him. “You really mean it?” I asked quietly.

The Alpha King nodded. “We’re doing this as quickly as possible. When do you turn eighteen?”

“Six weeks,” I said softly.

“Riven will be eighteen in four weeks.”

“So six weeks it is,” The Alpha King said. “I hope you don’t mind spending your birthday getting ready for your ceremony.”

“No, that’s fine,” I said with a laugh.

It didn’t seem real, but I also knew that I couldn’t go on as I was.

I leaned in, my head resting against Riven’s chest. “You’re not going to push me away again?”

His jaw tightened. For a moment, he didn’t answer, and then doubt tried to creep back in. I shut my eyes, expecting the final blow. I wasn’t sure what would happen to me afterward, but I wasn’t going to force him to be with me.

His grip on my hand tightened. “I’m done pretending that distance is what we need,” he continued, choosing his words carefully. “I tried to let you have a normal life, away from this, but it almost killed you.”

“And you?” I asked softly.

Something dark flickered in his eyes, gone almost as quickly as it appeared. “I’m still standing, but only because I knew I needed to be strong for you.”

The Alpha King clapped, startling us both. “So, it looks like we have preparations. If you all will come with me, I think they need a moment alone to reunite.”

He took my parents and led them away, though they didn’t stop looking back at me. Once they were far enough away, I allowed myself to relax into his embrace.

“You’re not doing this alone. You never had to.”

His breath hitched, just slightly, but I felt it through the bond as if it were my own. “You were never supposed to be part of this.”

“Too late,” I said, managing a small, shaky smile. “I already am. The moment we met, I was going to be dragged into it, but the Moon Goddess must have a plan for me to be by your side. Maybe we’re the ones who change everything.”

For a moment, he just stared at me as if he was trying to memorize every detail all over again. Then his hand lifted, hesitating only briefly before brushing a strand of hair back from my face.

The touch was softer than I expected and very careful.

“I missed you,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper.

That did it. Whatever control he had been holding onto slipped just enough for me to feel it. There was no chaos or darkness. Just him.

“I know,” he said quietly. “I felt every second of it and I missed you so much more than you know.”

The bond pulsed again, stronger this time, and for a second, everything else faded away.

And for the first time in over a year… the pain was gone.