Chapter 116 The second release
Chapter 116
RAVENNA
I cancelled the scheduled post and closed my laptop. My mind was racing, but not about Caleb or Darius or any of the chaos I had created.
I needed to see Theodore. It had been far too long since I had spoken to him or my father.
I grabbed my phone and headed out, making my way towards the gym. Theodore usually worked out in the afternoons when most students were still in class.
The gym doors were open when I arrived. I spotted Theodore immediately, lifting weights near the far wall. He looked up and smiled the moment he saw me walking towards him.
But then his expression shifted. His smile faded, replaced by something that looked almost like panic.
His eyes darted past me to the other side of the gym.
I followed his gaze and my stomach dropped.
Darius was there, working out on a bench press on the opposite side of the room. His eyes were fixed on us.
I reached Theodore and leaned casually against the iron pole beside him, trying to look relaxed.
"You should have texted me before coming," Theodore whispered, not looking at me directly.
I frowned. "What happened? Why are you whispering?"
"Darius seems suspicious about our relationship." Theodore kept his voice so low I had to strain to hear him. "He asked me about you some time ago. I denied everything, but he is not stupid."
My heart started beating faster. I turned my head slightly and found Darius now sitting on the bench, no longer pretending to work out. He was just staring at us openly.
"Come on," I grabbed Theodore's hand and pulled him away from his spot towards the other side of the gym, putting more distance between us and Darius.
"Can he hear us from this far away?" I whispered urgently. "Even if we speak quietly?"
Theodore glanced over his shoulder. "If we speak in whispers, he should not be able to pick up our words. But I do not want to take chances. He is an Alpha heir. I do not know the full extent of his abilities or how powerful his hearing actually is."
I nodded. "Alright. I will text you then."
"That would be safer."
I turned to leave the gym, already planning what message to send Theodore, when the door opened and Caleb walked in.
My breath caught.
He was shirtless, wearing only a pair of black training shorts. His hair was wet, water droplets still clinging to the strands and running down his neck.
He must have just come from the showers, or maybe he had wet his hair on purpose. Either way, the effect was striking.
His body was lean but perfectly toned. His six-pack was clearly defined, the muscles of his stomach tight and sculpted.
His shoulders were broad, his arms strong without being bulky. Everything about his build was attractive in a way that made it hard to look away.
He spotted me immediately and walked over with that confident smile I was starting to recognise.
"Hey, beautiful," he murmured, leaning down to kiss my cheek softly.
I turned and wrapped my arms around him in a hug. His hands slid down to my waist, then lower, pressing against my ass and pulling me closer.
A growl ripped through the gym.
I looked up over my shoulder and saw Darius standing now, his entire body tense.
Dorian had appeared beside him and was gripping his arm tightly, clearly trying to hold him back.
I made eye contact with Darius and deliberately smiled.
Then I laughed, the sound carrying across the gym, before pulling away from Caleb and walking out.
The moment I was in the corridor, I pulled out my phone and texted Theodore.
Meet me at the eastern woods. I need to see father.
The response came within seconds.
Father is away on pack business. He won't be back until next month.
I hissed out loud in frustration and shoved my phone back in my pocket. All this way for nothing.
I walked back towards the main building, feeling deflated and annoyed. My mind was spinning with everything that had happened today. The video I had released. Caleb and Darius's face when I hugged Caleb in front of him.
I felt a presence behind me.
I spun around and came face to face with Darius.
He looked furious. His jaw was clenched tight, his eyes dark with barely contained anger.
I faked being scared, putting my hand to my chest dramatically. "Do not sneak up on me like that! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
"Why are you really doing this?" His voice was low and dangerous. "Messing around with Caleb just to annoy me?"
"Figure it out yourself," I shot back.
"Is it because of Selene?" He stepped closer. "Because if it is, you need to know that I do not love her. I do not want to be with her."
The words should have made me feel something. Relief. Hope. Something.
Instead, I just felt tired.
"But you will still be with her," I pointed out quietly. "Because your father wants it. Because it is what is expected of you."
Darius opened his mouth to respond, then closed it again. He had no argument because we both knew I was right.
I walked away without another word.
Back in my room, I sat down at my desk and opened my laptop again. The video of Caleb's was still there, waiting to be released.
I hovered the mouse over the schedule button, ready to set it for tomorrow morning like I had planned.
But then Asteria's words echoed in my head.
Do not stop now. Do not back down until you destroy every single one of them.
My finger moved away from the schedule button and clicked on "Post N9ow" instead.
A confirmation box popped up. "Are you sure you want to publish this post?"
I hesitated for just a second. Then I clicked yes.
The video uploaded. The progress bar moved slowly across the screen. Sixty percent. Seventy percent. Eighty percent.
One hundred percent.
Published.
I closed my laptop and sat back in my chair, my heart pounding.
It was done. There was no taking it back now.
I checked my phone. Already, notifications were starting to come through. The Revenge account was getting tagged as people were sharing the post.
Within ten minutes, the video had a thousand views.
Within twenty minutes, five thousand.
By the time an hour had passed, it had gone completely viral.
I could hear shouts echoing through the academy halls. Doors were slamming and people running. The chaos was spreading fast.
My phone buzzed with a message from Samantha.
Please tell me you did not just do what I think you did.
I did not respond.
Another message came through, this time from an unknown number.
You are going to regret this.
I deleted it.
More notifications flooded in. The video was being shared across every social media platform. Students were posting reactions, screenshots, comments arguing about whether it was real or fake.
Caleb's name started trending. Not just at the academy but everywhere.
I opened my laptop again and watched as the numbers climbed. Ten thousand views. Fifteen thousand. Twenty thousand.
The comments section was exploding.
This cannot be real.
Alpha Nightshade would never do something like this.
This is clearly edited.
No, look at the timestamp. This is legitimate.
The Silverthorn pack is finished.
I leaned back in my chair and stared at the screen.
Caleb had been nothing but kind to me. He had asked me to be his girlfriend. He had trusted me enough to let me into his room, to give me his laptop password.
And I had betrayed that trust completely.
My phone rang and I saw asteria's name flashed on the screen.
I answered.
"I saw it," she breathed, her voice filled with satisfaction. "You actually did it with both videos. Richard and now Caleb's father. You are destroying them all."
"Yes."
"How does it feel?"
I looked at the numbers still climbing on my screen. At Mr nightshade name trending. At the chaos I had unleashed with just two videos.
"It feels..." I paused, trying to find the right word.
Asteria waited.
"Necessary," I finished finally.
"Good. Because this is just the beginning. Do not stop now. Keep going until there is nothing left of them."
"I will."
"I am proud of you, sister."
She hung up.
I set my phone down and pulled up the trending page again. Nightshade name was at the very top now, above even Richard's.
The academy would be in complete chaos tomorrow. Both the Mooncrest pack and the Silverthorn pack would be scrambling to contain the damage.
Darius and Caleb would both be dealing with the fallout.
And I was the one who had caused all of it.
I whispered to the empty room, my voice barely audible even to myself.
"It is done."