Chapter 184 Special friends of the academy
Chapter 184
RAVENNA
Darius linked his fingers with mine, and we all marched to the hall together.
The weight of what had just happened—what we had just done—still lingered on my skin, warm and present. But there was no time to think about it now.
When we arrived, the hall was already packed.
The school directors were standing at the front alongside the headmistress and principal, flanked by all our lecturers. Their faces were grim, serious, the kind of expressions that made my stomach tighten.
As soon as the last student filed in, the principal stepped up onto the podium.
She cleared her throat, and the room fell silent immediately.
"Thank you all for coming," she began, her voice steady but carrying the weight of exhaustion. "I want to start by thanking each and every one of you—both the humans and the wolves—who participated in defending this academy during the attack."
She paused, her gaze sweeping across the crowd.
"As you all know, the academy has been facing rogue attacks for some time now. These attacks have weakened the school wards significantly. And even now, as our investigation continues, we have yet to determine how the rogues breached our security and got inside."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
I felt Darius's hand tighten around mine.
The principal continued, her voice firmer now. "We must grieve for the lives of the students we lost in the early attacks. And we must honor those who fought to protect this school last night."
A heavy silence settled over the hall.
I thought about the bodies I had seen on the battlefield. The blood. The screams.
My chest ached.
"With the recent development of these attacks," the principal continued, "the board has come together to introduce a new syllabus. It will be called Combat Training."
She gestured to one of the directors, who stepped forward with a tablet in hand.
"The humans will be trained separately on how to use equipment for self-defense and combat. The wolves will be trained on how to fight in both their wolf form and their human form."
More murmurs. Some students nodded in agreement while others looked uneasy.
The principal raised her hand for silence. "And with that said, I would like to call someone forward. Ravenna Casmir, please step up."
My heart stopped.
Everyone turned to look at me.
I didn't move.
The principal smiled gently. "Don't worry, Miss Casmir. I'm not going to hurt you."
Darius's hand squeezed mine, and he stepped forward with me, his arm wrapping protectively around my waist.
It’s a clear sign. Anyone who wants to try something will go through me first.
We walked to the front together, and I could feel every pair of eyes in the room burning into my back.
The principal turned to face me fully, her expression warm now. "I want to thank you, Ravenna, personally."
I blinked, caught off guard.
"Even though we don't fully understand how you did it," she continued, her voice carrying across the hall, "your transformation last night repaired the school wards. The magic and spells used to build them have started working again. And they are now more active than the previous enchantments."
Gasps erupted across the hall.
I stared at her, my mouth slightly open. "I… I didn't know."
She smiled. "There's more. Your transformation also killed two-thirds of the rogues who attacked the academy. Without you, we would have suffered far greater losses."
My heart raced.
She turned to address the entire hall now. "I want everyone here to be thankful to Ravenna Casmir for what she did last night."
Applause broke out, hesitant at first, then louder.
I felt my cheeks flush.
"But I didn't do it alone," I said quickly, my voice shaking slightly. "You should thank Darius, Theo, and Dorian too. They're the ones who helped me with it."
The principal nodded and gestured for Theo and Dorian to come forward.
They stepped up beside me, both looking just as uncomfortable as I felt.
The principal smiled at all of us. "For your bravery and your contribution to the safety of this academy, I am awarding you all the title of Special Friends of the Academy. This title comes with privileges and responsibilities, which will be explained to you later."
She handed each of us a small badge—silver with the academy crest engraved on it.
I stared down at it, my chest tight with emotion.
We returned to our places, and the principal addressed the hall one last time.
"The funeral for the departed will be held tonight at the river on the east side of the academy. Everyone, including the lecturers, is expected to attend."
She paused. "Until then, you are all released to rest and recover. The cafeteria staff have been ordered to prepare as much food as possible for your recovery. Please take care of yourselves."
Darius took my hand, and we filed out with the rest of the students.
I was almost at the door when a voice called out sharply.
"Darius."
We both stopped.
I turned to see Richard standing near the entrance, his arms crossed, his expression cold.
Darius turned slowly, his jaw tight.
Richard's eyes dropped to our joined hands. "I see you've made your choice with the human girl."
Darius stepped forward slightly, his voice steady. "Point of correction. She's a werewolf not a human. And she’s, my mate. So yes, I've made my decision to be with her."
Richard stepped closer, and I felt Darius move in front of me protectively.
Sam grabbed my hand from the other side. Theo stepped forward too, positioning himself beside Darius.
Richard's voice was low and venomous. "You've brought shame on this family by accepting the daughter of a rogue as your mate. Your mother wouldn't be proud of you."
Darius's jaw clenched. "You're the only one who has a problem with this. Mum clearly advised me to follow my heart."
My voice dropped lower. "If you don't have anything else to say, my mate and I need some rest before the ritual tonight."
Richard's face twisted with anger, but he kept his voice controlled. "We'll be having this discussion some other time. And I will not accept Ravenna into my house."
Darius met his gaze evenly. "Then prepare to lose your son and heir. Because I'm not going to give up Ravenna for you the way I gave up my first mate."
Richard's eyes flashed with something dangerous but he turned and walked away without another word.
Darius turned back to me and kissed my forehead gently. "Are you alright?"
I nodded, though my hands were shaking slightly. "I need to go see Torren. Will you come with me?"
"Of course."
Theo cleared his throat. "I'm going back to your father's house. I need to report some things to him. So you guys can come with me so we go together."
We nodded, and bade Dorian and Samantha goodbye left.
We left in Theo's car, and I snuggled closer to Darius the entire way, wrapping my arms around him.
His hand patted my hair gently, and he kissed me every now and then, his touch grounding me.
When we arrived, Torren was already there with my father.
Torren gestured for me to follow him into a separate room.
I sat down, and he pulled up a chair across from me, his expression serious.
"Tell me the details again," he instructed. "Everything that happened during your shift."
I told him everything—the bond, the pain, the surge of power, the wave that rippled out from me.
Torren listened carefully, his expression growing more and more concerned.
When I finished, he leaned back and exhaled slowly.
"We just started your training," he said quietly. "According to your body's condition, you weren't expected to shift until the second week. Or possibly the week of the full moon."
He paused, his eyes meeting mine.
"But since you shifted now, under a war, and by force… there's something wrong. Possibly with your wolf."