Chapter 159 Not a match for her
Chapter 159
DARIUS
"How could you do that to her?" Sam's voice was ice cold. "She came to this academy for you. She gave up everything for you."
Ravenna had come to this academy because of Asteria? To do what exactly?
Asteria opened her mouth.
Sam slapped her again.
"I should have let her finish," Sam said quietly. "I should have stepped back and let her do it."
Asteria stared at her, speechless, tears and shock written all over her face.
"Stay away from Ravenna," Sam said, her voice dropping lower. "Do not show your face near her. Because the next time she comes for you, I will not stop her and neither will anyone else."
She turned and walked away.
I pushed myself upright and staggered toward Dorian, my mind still reeling on what Sam had just said.
He was already sitting up, one hand pressed to his ribs, his face tight with pain.
"Are you alright?" I asked.
He coughed, winced, and looked at me. "What the hell is she?"
"I do not know the full picture," I admitted, dropping down beside him. "Atlas told me her wolf had been dormant since she was a child. And she's on a spell. Her emotions breaking apart tonight shattered it and the wolf came free."
Dorian stared at the trees where she had disappeared. "She threw three fully grown male wolves across a hall on a partial shift."
I had no answer for that.
Sam helped Theodore to his feet, one arm around his waist as he staggered upright.
He wiped the blood from his lip with the back of his hand and looked at me with an expression that was somewhere between stunned and genuinely afraid.
I remembered my father.
I turned sharply and crossed the hall to where Richard was slumped on the floor.
Somehow, through everything, his wolf had managed to begin the healing process. The wounds were closing, his breathing steadier. But he was unconscious.
I crouched beside him, my chest tight.
I looked at his face for a long moment.
This was the man who had sent me to kill an innocent family at twelve years old. The man who had locked Daniel in a dungeon for six years. The man who had tried to kill Ravenna twice. The man who had sat on this floor tonight and told me to kill her, to kill her father, to prove my loyalty.
I straightened and turned to the guards still standing at the edges of the hall.
"Take him back to the pack," I said. "Inform my mother to see to him. Tell her I will come and explain everything when I can."
The guards moved without question, lifting Richard and carrying him out.
I turned back to the hall.
The wolves and humans who had witnessed everything were still there, standing back in a wide circle, completely silent.
Some of them were pale. Some were staring at the trees where Ravenna had disappeared. All of them looked shaken.
I could not blame them. I was shaken too by what happened.
Daniel appeared from across the hall, walking toward me with unsteady steps. His face was pale and lined with worry, his eyes fixed on the dark opening of the woods.
"Where is my daughter?" His voice was tight, barely controlled.
"She went into the woods," I said carefully, nodding in that direction.
He did not hesitate. He took a step immediately.
I grabbed his arm.
"That is not a good idea," I said.
He spun toward me, fury flashing in his eyes. "She is out there alone. She is my daughter and—"
"Did you see what just happened?" I cut in, keeping my voice steady. "Your daughter is a werewolf. She just had her first transformation, and it was born out of betrayal and heartbreak. She is in pain, she is confused, and she is running on pure instinct right now."
Daniel stared at me.
"You saw her strength on a partial shift," I continued. "She threw three of us across this hall without trying. You think you are a match for her right now? Going after her in that state is not protecting her. It will only make it worse."
The fight in his eyes dimmed slightly, replaced by something more complicated.
Theodore stepped forward quietly and put a hand on his arm. "He is right, Uncle. I watched four strong wolves get thrown around like nothing. It is not the right time."
Daniel looked between us, his jaw tight, his hands clenched at his sides.
Sam's voice came softly from nearby. "I cannot just leave her out there in the dark."
Dorian wrapped his arms around her gently. "She will be alright. We will go into the woods in the morning when the moon retreats. But right now the moon is feeding her power. Going after her tonight would make everything worse."
Sam pressed her face into his shoulder, her body shaking.
The silence stretched around us.
Daniel turned to me finally. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes carried the weight of everything that had happened tonight.
"Do not try anything stupid with Ravenna," he said, his voice quiet but firm. "I mean that."
I held his gaze and nodded.
"And Richard." His jaw tightened. "I have not forgiven him for what he did. Not even close. He should prepare himself for my visit. Because I am going to make him suffer every single thing he put me through."
He held my gaze for a long moment, making sure the message landed.
Then he turned away, Theodore limping after him.