Chapter 142 The boy she won't forgive

Chapter 142 The boy she won't forgive
chapter 142

RAVENNA

"Ravenna!"

The shout came from across the school compound. Sam and I were walking along the sidewalk, heading towards the stairs that would lead us to our dormitory building after morning practice.

I did not need to turn around to know who it was.

"Just ignore him," Sam muttered, picking up her pace. "Keep walking."

"I am trying to," I hissed back. "I do not understand why he keeps bothering me."

We took two more steps.

Then suddenly Caleb whirled around us in a flash of supernatural speed. Before I could react, he grabbed me from behind and flipped me into his arms like I weighed nothing.

My eyes widened in shock. I hit him across the chest as hard as I could. "What the hell is wrong with you? Put me down!"

"You are what is wrong," Caleb's voice was desperate. "You are making me misbehave."

"That is not my problem!" I struggled against his grip. "Let me go right now!"

His eyes looked wild. Desperate in a way I had never seen before. "Please, Raven. Please just listen to me. I am sorry for what I did. I am sorry for what I said. Selene manipulated me. She got in my head and made me—"

"Stop." I cut him off sharply. "Just stop."

"No, you need to hear this. I did not mean any of those things I said about you. About planning to use you. That was not real. That was Selene talking through me."

I pushed against his chest until he finally set me down on my feet. "I am sick and tired of hearing the same excuses over and over again. Do you understand that? I am done."

Caleb grabbed both my hands tightly, refusing to let me pull away. "I cannot do this without you, Raven. I need you. Please do not do this to me. Give me another chance. Just one more chance."

I looked him directly in the eyes. "Some things do not get fixed, Caleb."

"Raven—"

"Let her go." Samantha's voice was cold as ice. She stepped between us and physically pushed Caleb backwards. "She said she is done. That means you leave her alone."

Caleb turned his desperate gaze to Sam. "Please. You are her best friend. Make her understand that I am serious. That I truly care about her."

"You should have thought about that before you planned to use her," Sam shot back. "Before you admitted on camera that you were going to manipulate her and send videos to Darius."

"Selene made me say that!"

"I do not care who made you say it!" Sam's voice rose. "The fact is you said it. You thought it. And now Raven does not trust you anymore. That is not her fault. That is yours."

Caleb looked back at me one more time. "Raven, please—"

"She does not owe you forgiveness just because you feel guilty," Sam interrupted firmly. She grabbed my hand and pulled me away from Caleb. "Come on, Raven. Let us go."

We walked quickly towards the dormitory stairs. I could feel Caleb watching us the entire way, but he did not follow. When we were safely inside the building, Sam finally let go of my hand.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I am fine. Thank you for that."

"Any time. That boy needs to learn when to quit."

We climbed the stairs in silence for a moment. Then Sam spoke again. "The full moon is fast approaching."

I glanced at her. "What does that mean?"

"It is a werewolf thing. A cultural celebration." Sam's voice took on the tone she used when explaining pack customs to me. "The full moon acts as a trigger that forces werewolves to shift from their human form into their wolf form. Whether they want to or not."

"That sounds intense."

"It is. It is also a source of immense power. Enhanced strength, speed, healing. But it also brings heightened aggression and bloodlust. Some wolves lose their humanity temporarily during the full moon."

"That sounds dangerous."

"It can be," Sam admitted. "That is why there are rituals. The celebration is usually done in three ways."

"What ways?"

"First, the wolves hunt. They go after animals in the forest. Sometimes they hunt humans if they are allowed to." Sam's expression darkened slightly. "Second, they gather in a moon circle to meditate and honor the moon's power. And third, Alphas use this night to initiate new members into their packs."

"That actually sounds really cool," I found myself saying. "Like a proper ritual. Are humans allowed to participate?"

Sam shook her head. "We can go watch from a safe distance. But we have to stay away from the wolves themselves. It is too dangerous to get close when they are all shifted and powered up by the moon."

"We should go watch," I decided. "It sounds like something we should not miss."

"Agreed."

We reached our room and I unlocked the door. The familiar space felt like a relief after the confrontation with Caleb.

"How are you planning to do your assignment with Darius?" Sam asked as we settled in.

I groaned and collapsed onto my bed. "I have not figured that out yet. I will deal with it later."

"You cannot avoid him forever."

"I know. I just need time to think about how to handle working with him without... without everything becoming complicated again."

Sam nodded understanding. "Fair enough."

We had just finished eating when we heard a noise on the roof. Like heavy footsteps. Then it came harder. Like someone was hitting something.

"What is that?" Sam whispered.

I immediately opened the drawer beside my bed and pulled out the gun Darius had told me to keep. "Get on this side of the bed. Now."

Sam scrambled over to my side. We both stared up at the ceiling. There were sounds of struggling and muffled voices talking to each other.

Then suddenly, a section of the ceiling opened. I pointed the gun directly at the opening. Brown hair appeared first. Then a familiar face peered down into the room.

Darius.

"This is a bad idea," I heard Dorian's voice from above. "The girls could be naked."

"I am sure they have finished doing whatever they needed to do and are just resting now," Darius replied.

"Can you see them?"

"Not yet."

"Come down," I called up, still pointing the gun. "Both of you."

Darius looked down properly and saw the weapon aimed at him. His eyes widened. "Drop the gun, Ravenna."

"No."

"I am not coming down until you drop the gun."

"Then stay up there."

Darius sighed heavily and carefully lowered himself through the ceiling opening. He landed on the floor smoothly. Dorian followed right after him.

"What are you doing here?" I demanded, keeping the gun raised.

"Lower your voice," Darius whispered urgently. "The guards outside will hear you."

Dorian immediately went over to Samantha and pulled her into a tight hug. "I am here to work on our assignment together."

Sam pulled back, confused. "But I was paired with Marcus."

"I fixed that. Do not worry about it."

Whilst they were distracted with their reunion, Darius moved quickly and grabbed the gun out of my hands.

"Stop playing around with this," he scolded, checking the safety.

I hissed at him and flipped him the middle finger.

Somehow, we ended up sitting together to work on our assignments. Sam and Dorian were already deep in discussion about their project, papers spread out between them.

Darius and I just stared at each other.

"Would you two please just start working?" Sam looked up from her notes. "Stop having a staring competition and actually do something productive."

Darius leaned forward slightly. "What was Caleb telling you earlier today?"

"Are you stalking me now?"

He shrugged. "I am just looking out for you."

"I do not need you to look out for me."

"Clearly you do if Caleb is still bothering you."

I changed the subject deliberately. "How are you planning to celebrate the upcoming moon ceremony?"

Darius grabbed a piece of paper and started outlining something. "I do not know yet. My father and the other Alphas will give the preparation orders. But I know this year's ceremony will be strictly secured because of the war happening between the packs."

"Makes sense. They would not want any violence during a sacred ritual."

"Exactly." Darius looked up at me. "Why do you ask?"

I hesitated for just a moment. Then decided to be direct. "Would you give Sam and me special invitations to the moon ceremony?"