Chapter 173 Confessions and Cigarettes'

Chapter 173 Confessions and Cigarettes'
Chapter 173

RAVENNA

Theo immediately pulled out his phone and called my father.

It rang and rang but no one picked up.

He tried again but still nothing.

He turned sharply to the guards standing near the entrance. "Where did my uncle go?"

One of them shook his head. "We have no idea, sir. He left hours ago and did not say where he was going."

Sam stepped forward, her voice tight with worry. "What are we going to do? We cannot leave her like this. She is bleeding badly and is going to pass out soon."

Theo tried calling Torren next, his fingers shaking slightly as he dialled.

The call did not go through.

I swallowed hard, my voice weak. "Torren told me he had an elder meeting he was attending."

Theo hissed out in annoyance, running a hand through his hair. "That's where uncle would've gone to. And he warned me that no healer must attend to Raven except Torren. So the only other option we have is to beg Darius for help."

I blinked, confused. "How would Darius help?"

"Through the bond," Theo explained quickly. "He could ground you into allowing a partial shift. Your wolf could heal your wounds that way."

I shook my head weakly. "Darius would never help me."

"Then we need to find a way to get him down here," Theo replied firmly.

Sam looked between us. "Or we could just be honest with him."

Theo nodded slowly. "I will have the conversation with Darius. 

I nodded, too exhausted to argue. "But please, do not be rude to him on the call and when he gets here. We need his help."

Sam helped me onto the sofa, propping me up carefully. She brought a glass of water and held it to my lips.

I tried to drink, but the moment the water hit my stomach, I vomited it back up, coughing violently. Blood splattered onto my hands.

Sam's eyes widened in panic. "Raven—"

Theo returned a few minutes later, his expression unreadable. "Darius is on his way."

We waited.

Minutes stretched on.

I was beginning to agree that he was not going to show up when the door suddenly burst open.

Darius raced in, Dorian right behind him.

He was breathing hard, his chest heaving, his eyes scanning the room until they landed on me.

He cursed out loud. "How can I help?"

Theo stepped forward. "I have no idea either. But you need to try."

Darius did not hesitate. He crossed the room quickly and took my hands in his, his grip firm but gentle.

"Close your eyes," he instructed, his voice steady. "Concentrate. My wolf will push the bond and do the rest."

I closed my eyes.

I thought I was going to pass out.

But then I heard Moonlight's voice greeting me softly. "Hello, little one." 

I chuckled weakly. "Do not harm him." 

She agreed immediately. "I will not." 

I felt the change come on.

It was not a full shift. Just enough for my wolf to surface, for her healing abilities to kick in.

Everyone in the room sighed in relief.

My wounds began closing. The pain dulled and my breathing steadied.

To my surprise, my healing was quick. Within minutes, I felt better..

I stood up slowly and tested my hand, flexing my fingers. Everything worked properly.

I turned to Darius.

He stepped back slightly, his eyes wary. "Are you going to attack me?"

I laughed. "No."

I turned and walked to my room without another word.

I shifted back to my human form, my body aching but functional. I had a bath, washing away the blood and dirt, and changed into clean clothes before returning to the sitting room.

Darius was still standing near the door, his arms crossed.

"Thank you for coming," I said quietly.

He grumbled under his breath. "Do not thank me. Thank Dorian. He is the one who dragged me down here."

I turned to Dorian and smiled. "Thank you."

Dorian laughed, waving me off. "It is no big deal."

Darius walked outside without another word.

The rest of us stayed inside. Theo, Sam, and Dorian soon challenged each other to a game on the television, their voices rising in playful argument.

I stood up quietly and walked out, searching for Darius.

I found him outside the house, leaning against his bike, a cigarette between his fingers.

"I thought you stopped smoking," I remarked, crossing my arms.

He side-eyed me but did not say anything.

I moved closer and leaned against the bike beside him. "Thank you for helping me. I had already given up on living. I thought you were not going to arrive."

He continued smoking, ignoring me completely.

I swallowed hard, my chest tight. "Is this how things are going to be between us? You will not hear my side of the story? You will not forgive me? Did we not mean anything to each other? The ride on the horse? The swimming in the fountain? Was all of that nothing?"

He looked up, and something crossed his features. Pain, maybe or anger, I could not tell.

"Why were you at the academy?" he asked quietly, his voice rough.

I took a breath and explained everything.

"Asteria came to me with a complaint that you broke her heart. After doing some digging, I found out you had broken my friend's heart too. So she convinced me to come to the academy for revenge."

I paused, my voice shaking slightly. "At some point, I started disbelieving what my sister said about you. But my hatred for you sparked again after the humiliation at the moon festival. You got betrothed to Selene in front of everyone. And after I nearly died in that accident, you refused to come visit me at the hospital."

Darius flinched but did not interrupt.

"I was sure you had played with my feelings all along," I continued. "And whilst I wanted to punish you for it, Asteria manipulated me. She prompted me to dig deeper, to find something I could use to pay you back."

I looked down at my hands. "And then Caleb came into the picture. I realised you were jealous seeing us together."

Darius's jaw tightened, but he stayed silent.

"I had not loved Caleb," I admitted. "But I decided to use him against you. I found your father's assault file on Caleb's computer. I saw the sex video too. And even though it did not cross my mind to question why Caleb had his father's sex video, I used it anyway."

I swallowed hard. "Selene, on the other hand, had given herself away to Samantha. She made it known she had a boyfriend. I only planned to record the video. But I mistakenly clicked on a live video instead."

I paused, my voice breaking slightly. "When the war started, I felt bad for all of it. But my sister glorified herself in it. That was when I knew she was really crazy. I quit looking for dirt on you. But the deed had already been done."

I looked at him directly now. "You are free to hate me. But all of this was eighty percent you and your father's fault. I only took your spot on the ice. And both of you started attacking me immediately."

Darius stared at me for a long moment.

Then he threw the cigarette onto the floor and stepped on it, crushing it beneath his boot.

"I appreciate the live video of Selene," he said quietly. "It was through that we learned her real intentions. And even though Caleb revealed what he intended to do with you later on, I am still grateful we found out early."

He paused, his voice hardening. "But that does not justify the fact that you started a war which killed many people. What I did was only against you. You could have come after me. Not involved innocent lives."

I felt tears prickling at the corners of my eyes. "I feel sad. I still feel guilty about it. But I am deeply sorry. I just want everything to end. I am tired."