Chapter 107 The primal edge

Chapter 107 The primal edge
Chapter 107

DARIUS

It took every single ounce of control I possessed to keep my fury in check.

Every muscle in my body screamed at me to march across that street, storm into the restaurant, and physically drag Ravenna away from Caleb.

But the way she had looked at me through the window, that deliberate eye contact whilst Caleb kissed her cheek, told me everything I needed to know.

She had done it intentionally. She wanted to spite me. Wanted to make me suffer and see exactly what I had lost.

I turned sharply on my heel and got on my motorcycle, not trusting myself to stay in that spot for another second.

The engine roared to life beneath me, and I tore away from the area without any clear destination in mind.

Instead of heading back to campus like I should have, I found myself turning towards the woods.

The trees rose up dark and forbidding on either side of the narrow road, but I did not care.

I needed somewhere isolated. Somewhere I could lose control without witnesses.

I parked the bike roughly and walked deeper into the forest until I found a suitable tree.

Then I started punching it with my bare hands, not caring about the pain or the damage I was causing to my own knuckles.

The kiss played over and over in my mind like torture. The way Caleb had leaned across the table.

The way Ravenna had not pulled away. The way she had looked at me whilst it happened, making absolutely certain I saw.

But worse than the kiss was the memory of what she had asked me earlier. Her voice echoed in my head with painful clarity.

"Is there actually another reason you are doing this? Or is it genuinely just the fact that Caleb has a reputation as a playboy?"

She had stood there waiting for an answer. Giving me a perfect opportunity to tell her the truth.

And I had been so fucking stupid that I told her not to worry about it instead.

That was the moment. That was when I should have confessed everything. I should have told her she was my mate. Told her I could not stand the thought of her with anyone else. Told her the engagement to Selene meant nothing compared to what I felt for her.

But I had chickened out like the arrogant asshole I was.

My knuckles were bleeding now, the bark of the tree stained red, but I could not stop hitting it.

The physical pain was nothing compared to the agony tearing through my chest.

Even if I had told her the truth, there was probably a hundred percent probability she would still see me as an asshole anyway.

Still hate me for everything I had done and failed to do. Still choose Caleb over me just to prove a point.

I was about to throw another punch when Dorian's voice cut through the darkness. "You know, there are healthier ways to process your emotions."

I spun around to find him standing a few metres away, hands in his pockets, watching me with a mixture of concern and resignation.

"How did you know I was here?" I demanded.

"I saw the picture," he replied simply.

My blood ran cold. "What picture?"

"The one someone posted on social media," Dorian explained. "Caleb and Ravenna kissing. It is already circulating around the entire academy. I figured you would have seen it too and would be somewhere like this, destroying yourself over it."

"Are you here to stop me?" I challenged, turning back to the tree.

"No," Dorian answered, moving closer. "But I am here to tell you that you should not be harming yourself just because Caleb took Ravenna out on a date. All of this is designed to spite you and make you lose control. And you are falling for it perfectly."

I ignored him and threw another punch at the tree, feeling something crack in my hand. The pain was sharp and bright and still not enough.

"Darius, stop," Dorian tried again. "It is almost time for practice. Coach Bonn will be looking for you soon. You need to clean yourself up and get your head together."

I sighed heavily and finally looked down at my hands. They were a mess of blood and torn skin, knuckles already starting to swell.

But at least the physical damage was visible, unlike the wound in my chest that nobody could see.

"Fine," I muttered, walking back towards my bike.

Dorian hopped on behind me without asking, and we rode back to campus in silence.


Hockey practice that evening turned absolutely brutal. The moment I stepped onto the ice, all the rage I had been trying to contain came flooding back with violent intensity.

I played like I wanted blood. Specifically, I wanted Caleb's blood.

Every drill became an opportunity to check him harder than necessary.

Every scrimmage turned into a personal battle between us whilst the rest of the team tried to stay out of the crossfire.

During one particularly aggressive play, Caleb skated up beside me whilst we fought for the puck. "Were you standing across the street watching us earlier? Did you see me kiss Ravenna?"

I checked him in response without saying a word, stealing the puck and dribbling it down the ice before scoring a goal against our own goalkeeper in the practice scrimmage.

Caleb recovered quickly and came after me again. "I know you have feelings for her. Everyone can see it except apparently you and Ravenna. But you are too much of an asshole to actually confess it to her. You would rather stick with Selene and that pathetic engagement than be honest about what you really want."

I gritted my teeth and focused on the puck, trying to ignore him.

"I know exactly what I need to do to push you into admitting it," Caleb continued, skating circles around me whilst the practice continued. "I am going to keep asking Ravenna out on dates. I am going to keep kissing her. And eventually, I am going to make out with her properly. Let us see how long you can maintain this stupid act before you snap."

Something inside me broke completely. I checked Caleb so hard that he went flying into the boards and crashed to the ice.

Before he could recover, I had stolen the puck again and scored another goal.

"If you are not ready to actually play the game properly, then back off and let someone else take your place," I snarled at him.

Caleb pulled himself up slowly, skating over until we were face to face. "Make me."

Before either of us could throw an actual punch, Ravenna's voice cut through the tension. "Would you two quit fighting like children? This is supposed to be team practice, not a personal grudge match."

Caleb immediately shifted his attention to her, his entire demeanour changing. "You should probably keep away from Darius right now.

He is seriously angry about nothing and I do not want you getting caught in the crossfire."

Ravenna laughed. Actually laughed at his concern like it was the funniest thing she had ever heard.

Atlas nearly forced a partial shift right there on the ice. Seeing Ravenna laugh with Caleb, smile at him, treat him like he mattered whilst treating me like I was invisible, made my wolf go absolutely feral inside my head.

"Control yourself," I hissed internally. "Not here. Not now."

But Atlas was done being controlled. Done being patient and watching our mate choose someone else.

I looked directly at Caleb, my voice coming out cold and deadly serious. "You want to settle this? Fine. I challenge you to a private spar. Just you and me. No witnesses. No rules. We fight until one of us cannot continue."