Chapter 154 It's more than a moon ceremony
Chapter 153
DARIUS
While everyone was focused on the standoff between Theodore and Richard, something else was happening.
I noticed it immediately.
Ravenna and Samantha were being moved.
It was subtle, deliberate, and impossibly coordinated. Theodore's men shifted positions smoothly, surrounding the two girls in a protective formation near the center of the gathering. They did not rush. They did not draw attention. They simply closed ranks around them like they had rehearsed this a hundred times before.
This was planned.
Every movement, every step, every placement of their bodies was intentional. These were not random men. They were trained. Disciplined. And they were protecting Ravenna like she was the most important person in the world.
My chest tightened.
How long had this been planned? How long had Theodore been preparing for this exact moment?
Richard's voice cut through my thoughts, sharp and furious.
"Who do you think you are to challenge an Alpha?"
Theodore did not flinch. He stood perfectly still, his expression calm, almost bored, like Richard's rage was nothing more than background noise.
"I think," Theodore began slowly, "that you are threatening someone under my protection. And I will not allow that."
Richard took a step forward. "You will not allow it? You are a child. A student. You have no authority here."
Theodore smiled faintly. "I am Ravenna's younger brother. Isn’t that enough authority?"
The words hit me like a physical blow.
I stared at him, my mind racing, connecting pieces I should have seen from the beginning.
The red hair.
The replacement on the male team.
The strange, nagging feeling I had every time I looked at him, like something about him was familiar but I could not place it.
It was her.
He was her brother.
Theodore continued, his voice steady and unbothered. "Whether or not I knew the full truth when I joined this academy does not matter. What matters is that no harm will come to my sister tonight."
He paused, letting the weight of his words settle over the crowd.
Then he looked directly at Richard.
"Call your men back now. Or I will give the order for mine to fight."
The entire gathering reacted in shock.
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Wolves shifted uneasily. The humans in the stands looked at each other in confusion, trying to understand what was happening.
I glanced at Dorian. He was staring at Theodore with his mouth slightly open, clearly stunned. Caleb, standing near the other Alphas, had gone completely still, his eyes narrowed in calculation.
The members of the male team looked equally shocked. Some of them had been training with Theodore for months. They had no idea. We had no idea he was Ravenna younger brother. They’re literally family.
I turned back to Ravenna.
"Did you know about this?"
My voice came out sharper than I intended, but I could not help it. I needed to know.
She met my eyes, and for a moment she looked torn, like she was not sure how much to say.
Then she nodded slowly.
"I discovered my father and brother unexpectedly," she admitted, her voice quiet but steady. "I was just as surprised to learn that Theodore was the one who replaced me on the male team."
I stared at her, processing the words.
Her father. Her brother.
I had always sensed something familiar about Theodore, something I could not quite place. Now I knew what it was.
He carried the same fire she did. The same stubbornness. The same refusal to back down.
Richard's voice pulled me back to the present.
"Why should I fear a boy's threats?" He stepped closer to Theodore, his shoulders squared, his wolf pressing against the surface of his control. "I am an Alpha. I could easily crush you and your men without breaking a sweat."
Theodore tilted his head slightly, studying Richard like he was something mildly interesting but ultimately harmless.
"Do you think so?" His tone was light, almost playful. "Because from where I am standing, it seems like you are feeling threatened."
Richard's face went dark with rage. "How dare you."
"I dare," Theodore replied calmly, "because my father is present."
The words fell into the silence like stones into water.
Richard froze.
So, did I.
"Where is this father of yours?" Richard's voice was low now, dangerous. “If he’s a man enough, let him come out and face me, and not cower and sending a child to do hos wprl.”
One of the rogue-looking men stepped forward from the group surrounding Ravenna and Samantha. He was dressed like the others, his face partially concealed by a dark cloth wrapped around his neck and lower jaw.
He reached up and pulled the cloth down slowly, revealing his face.
The man smiled.
It was calm. Almost friendly. But there was something in his eyes that made my wolf stir uneasily.
"Richard," he greeted, his voice smooth and unbothered. "Darius."
He paused, his smile widening slightly.
"I have been looking forward to this meeting. This ceremony just made it easier for me."