Chapter 126 Making Amends

Chapter 126 Making Amends
Chapter 126

RAVENNA

I was halfway back to the dormitory when I spotted Caleb walking towards me. His face brightened the moment he saw me, a huge smile spreading across his features.

I hissed under my breath and folded my arms, my expression hardening into a frown. I kept walking without slowing down.

"Raven!" Caleb called out, quickening his pace. "I have been looking for you all over the academy."

He reached out to hug me, but I stepped backwards sharply and glared at him.

His smile faltered. "What—"

I pushed past him and continued walking.

"Raven, wait!" He followed after me. "What is wrong? Why are you behaving this way towards me?"

I ignored him completely, keeping my eyes fixed straight ahead.

"Raven, please. Talk to me."

Still nothing.

He grabbed my arm and pulled me sideways into a nearby room. I stumbled inside and realized it was a storage room filled with old textbooks and teaching supplies.

Caleb closed the door behind us and stood in front of it, blocking my exit.

"Talk to me," he demanded, his voice rising slightly. "Stop ignoring me because it is really pissing me off."

"Oh, you are pissed off?" My voice came out cold and sharp. "Well, guess what? I am angry too."

"Angry about what? What did I do?"

"Where were you last night?" I crossed my arms tighter.

Caleb looked confused. "At the club. I was at the party with you."

"You were not at my side when Samantha and I decided to go home."

Understanding dawned on his face. "Oh. Right. I remember now. My beta called me about a pack issue. I had to leave to sort it out."

"A pack issue," I repeated flatly.

"Yes. It was urgent. I thought I was going to be back in time to be with you, but it took longer than expected. When I finally returned, you were both gone."

I mimicked his words in a mocking tone. "Oh, it took longer than expected. How unfortunate for you."

"Raven—"

"Why could you not tell me you were leaving?" My voice rose. "Why could you not send a single text message saying you had to step out? Do you have any idea what happened after you left?"

Caleb's expression shifted to concern. "What happened?"

"Samantha nearly got molested by some brutes," I spat out. "I had to fight them off alone whilst drunk and injured. And whilst I was hoping my boyfriend would come save us, do you know who actually showed up? Darius and Dorian. They were our knights in shining armor."

The color drained from Caleb's face. "What? Are you serious?"

"Deadly serious." I moved towards the door. "Now leave me alone. I am angry and I do not want to talk to you."

He stepped in front of me, blocking my path. "Raven, wait—"

"Your excuses are not valid, Caleb." I pushed against his chest but he did not budge. "You are a werewolf. We are human. We got drunk but you did not. You should not have left us alone knowing how vulnerable we were."

Caleb's shoulders slumped. All the confidence and charm drained out of him, replaced by genuine regret. "You are right. I really messed up. I should have left one of my pack members to stay with you both until I returned. I should have at least texted you to let you know I was leaving."

"Yes, you should have."

"I am so sorry, Raven." He reached for my hand but I pulled away. "Please. Let me make it up to you and Samantha."

"How?"

"Dinner at Angela's tonight. All bills on me. You can order whatever you want. Anything at all."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Anything we want?"

He smiled, sensing an opening. "Anything that makes you happy. And won’t make you mad at me anymore."

I tapped my foot and pretended to think about it, humming thoughtfully.

Caleb laughed despite the tension. "Just say yes. I know you want to. Stop playing games with me."

A small smile tugged at my lips. "Fine. Dinner at seven."

He leaned down to kiss me, but I turned my head at the last second so his lips landed on my cheek instead of my mouth.

He pulled back, looking surprised.

"You are going to have to earn my lips," I informed him sweetly.

A competitive grin spread across his face. "Challenge accepted."

When I got back to our room, I was surprised to find Dorian sitting beside Samantha's bed. He looked up when I entered, relief washing over his face.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, closing the door behind me.

"Samantha called me about half an hour ago," Dorian explained. "She was saying all sorts of weird things. Then she just stopped talking completely."

I moved closer to the bed. Samantha was unconscious again, her breathing shallow.

"I tried calling her back but she was not picking up," Dorian continued. "I tried yours too and you’re not picking. So I rushed down here. When I arrived, she was like this. Unconscious."

Panic seized my chest. "What happened? She was fine when I left."

"I do not know. Darius went to the healer's quarters to get medicine. He should be back any minute."

I sat down on the edge of Samantha's bed and took her hand. It felt cold.

"Where were you?" Dorian asked quietly. "Were you with Caleb?"

"I had something important to deal with."

"More important than staying with Samantha after what happened last night?" His tone was accusatory.

I whipped around to face him. "You do not have any right to talk to me that way. I saw Samantha being dragged away by men twice her size. I went after them and saved my friend. Just like I have been doing since the day she became my friend. So, you can sit there all you want, but do not try to gaslight me into thinking Samantha is not important to me."

Dorian blinked, taken aback by my outburst. "I am sorry. I did not mean it like that."

I turned back to Samantha, squeezing her hand gently.

"Can I ask you something?" Dorian's voice was softer now.

"What?"

"Why are you doing all of this? Going after Darius so aggressively. He did not know his father was going to announce the engagement to Selene. He was blindsided too."

Heat flooded through me. "But Darius knew he was going to be engaged eventually, did he not? He knew there was someone his family had chosen for him. And he still went ahead and messed around with me."

"He cares about you—"

"I do not want to hear it."

"Raven—"

"What is your name?" I cut him off.

Dorian looked confused. "What? You know my name. It is Dorian."

"Good. Because I was beginning to think you were Darius, the way you keep defending him and apologizing on his behalf."

Dorian opened his mouth to respond but closed it again when the door opened.

Darius walked in carrying a small medical bag. He moved straight to Samantha's bedside and pulled out a syringe filled with clear liquid.

"What is that?" I asked.

"Medicine from the healer," Darius replied, carefully injecting it into Samantha's arm. "It should help stabilize her. The trauma from last night is affecting her more than we thought."

We watched in silence as the medicine worked its way through Samantha's system. Gradually, colour returned to her cheeks. Her breathing evened out.

After a few minutes, her eyes fluttered open.

"Sam!" I squeezed her hand. "How do you feel?"

"Tired," she mumbled. "But better."

Darius packed up the medical supplies. "Do not leave her alone for the rest of the day. If anything changes, if she gets worse, call us immediately."

"Thank you," I replied quietly.

Both guys left, and I stayed with Samantha until she fell into a proper, restful sleep.

When she woke up later that afternoon, I told her about Caleb's dinner invitation.

Her eyes lit up. "He is paying for everything?"

"Everything."

"Then I am going to make that boy go home broke," Samantha declared with a wicked grin.

We got ready and headed to Angela's at seven o'clock sharp. Caleb was already there, sitting at a table near the window. He stood up when he saw us approaching.

"Samantha," he started immediately. "I want to apologize properly for leaving you both alone last night. I should have been there. I should have protected you."

Samantha waved her hand dismissively. "Cut the apology short. After all, you are going to pay for it with whatever we order tonight."

Caleb laughed nervously. "Fair enough."

We sat down and Samantha immediately grabbed the menu. "Right. Let us see what they have."

She ordered dessert first. Two slices of chocolate cake. Three scoops of ice cream each. A plate of biscuits. Cookies. Brownies.

The waiter looked overwhelmed trying to write everything down.

"Are you sure about all of this?" Caleb asked weakly, watching the list grow longer and longer.

"Absolutely positive," Samantha replied cheerfully.

When the food arrived, we played rock, paper, scissors to determine who got to eat what first.

"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!" Samantha threw paper. I threw rock. "I win! I get the first bite of the chocolate cake."

"Best two out of three," I protested.

"No way. Those are not the rules."

We played again. This time I won.

"Ha! I get the ice cream."

Caleb just sat there watching us, occasionally joining in the game. He lost nearly every single round.

"How are you this bad at this?" Samantha asked after he lost for the tenth time in a row.

"I do not know!" Caleb threw his hands up. "You two must be cheating somehow."

"We are not cheating. You are just terrible at reading people."

We ate and laughed and played until the table was covered in empty plates and bowls.

When we finally finished, Caleb paid the bill without complaint, though his face went a bit pale when he saw the total.

"Worth it?" I asked as we left the restaurant.

"If it means you are not angry with me anymore, then yes. Completely worth it."

He carried the leftover packages—because of course we had leftovers—and walked us back to our dormitory.

At the door to our room, he set down the bags and looked at me hopefully.

"So," he started. "Have I earned your lips yet?"

I pretended to consider this very seriously. "Maybe halfway there."

"Halfway?" He looked crushed.

I laughed and kissed his cheek. "Goodnight, Caleb."

"Goodnight, Raven."

Samantha and I went inside, and I checked my phone one last time before bed.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow was when Selene would meet her boyfriend.

And I would have everything on camera.