Chapter 189 Moon calls
Chapter 189
RAVENNA
I stared at him, my chest so tight I could barely breathe.
The weight of what he was asking pressed down on me like a physical thing.
He wasn't just inviting me to a festival. He was asking me to walk into hostile territory. To face his father, the elders, an entire pack that didn't want me there. To stand beside him as his mate in front of everyone who would rather see me gone.
And he was asking me to do it knowing full well it could make everything worse.
And I know he’s worried about me considering Selina just appeared out of nowhere and tried to kill him and openly threated both of us.
It was the worst-case scenario. And I can refuse as the reason wasn’t valid to make me walk into his father’s pack but when I looked into his eyes and saw the desperate, vulnerable, pleading look he’s giving me, I knew there was only one answer I could give.
"Yes."
The word came out quiet.
Darius's eyes widened, hope flooding his expression. "Yes?"
I nodded, my hand cupping his face gently. "Yes. I'll come with you."
He let out a breath he'd been holding and pulled me into his arms so tightly I thought my ribs might crack.
"Thank you," he whispered into my hair, his voice rough with emotion. "Thank you."
I held him just as tightly, my heart pounding. "We're in this together. Remember?"
He pulled back just enough to kiss me deeply.
When we finally broke apart, he rested his forehead against mine. "The festival is in a week time. We'll leave the day before."
I nodded. "I'll be ready."
The next two days passed in a blur.
Combat training continued every morning, brutal and exhausting. My body ached constantly, but I was getting stronger and faster.
Darius stayed close, always watching, always protective but something else was happening too.
Whispers followed us everywhere. Some students congratulated us, smiling and genuinely happy. But others stared with barely concealed hostility. I heard the word rogue muttered more than once. Heard daughter of a traitor whispered behind hands.
The academy was divided. And I hope nothing bad comes from it.
On the second night, I took the potion Torren had given me like I had every morning since my shift. I drank it down quickly, grimacing at the bitter taste, and waited for the familiar warmth to settle in my chest.
But this time, something was different. Instead of warmth, I felt cold. A sharp, icy sensation spread through my veins, making my skin prickle.
I gasped, my hand pressing against my chest.
Moonlight stirred immediately, her presence surging forward, restless and agitated.
“Something's wrong,” she growled in my mind.
"What?" I whispered aloud, panic rising. "What's wrong?"
“The potion. It's trying to suppress me. But I'm not meant to be suppressed anymore.
My heart pounded. "What does that mean?"
“It means you need to see Torren. Now.”
I found Darius in his room, talking quietly with Dorian. He looked up immediately when I walked in, his expression shifting to concern the moment he saw my face.
"What's wrong?"
"I need to see Torren," I said quickly. "Something's wrong with the potion."
Darius was on his feet in seconds. "I'm coming with you."
We drove to my father's house in tense silence, my hands trembling the entire way. When we arrived, Torren was already there, sitting with my father in the study. They both looked up when I walked in.
"What happened?" my father asked immediately, standing.
"The potion," I said, my voice shaking. "Something's wrong with it. Moonlight said it's trying to suppress her, but she's not meant to be suppressed anymore."
Torren's expression darkened immediately.
He stood and gestured for me to follow him into the examination room.
Darius tried to follow, but Torren held up a hand. "Wait outside. I need to examine her properly."
Darius's jaw clenched, but he nodded and stayed back.
Torren closed the door behind us and gestured for me to sit.
"Tell me exactly what you felt."
I explained everything—the cold sensation, Moonlight's reaction, the way the potion felt wrong this time.
Torren listened carefully, his expression growing more and more concerned with every word.
When I finished, he was quiet for a long moment.
Then he exhaled slowly and sat down across from me.
"Ravenna," he said quietly. "I need to ask you something, and I need you to be completely honest with me."
My stomach dropped. "What?"
"Have you noticed anything else strange? Anything unusual about your wolf? Your connection to the moon?"
I hesitated, my mind racing.
There had been moments. Small things I had dismissed.
The way the moonlight seemed to pull at me when I looked at it. The way Moonlight reacted to the full moon differently than other wolves seemed to. The surge of power I had felt during the rogue attack—the wave that had rippled out from me and killed two-thirds of the attackers.
"Yes," I admitted quietly. "But I didn't think it meant anything."
Torren leaned forward, his expression grave. "Ravenna, I need to run some tests. And I need you to stop taking the potion immediately."
"Why?" My voice came out sharper than I intended. "What's happening to me?"
He met my eyes, and I saw something in his expression that made my blood run cold.
"I think," he said slowly, carefully, "that your wolf is not what we thought it was."
My heart stopped. "What do you mean?"
Torren stood and walked over to a shelf, pulling down an old, leather-bound book.
He flipped through the pages until he found what he was looking for, then turned the book toward me. There was an illustration of a wolf—golden fur, white streaks running through it, eyes glowing with an otherworldly light.
Beneath it, written in faded ink, were two words: MoonWolf.
I stared at the page, my mouth dry. "What is that?"
Torren's voice was quiet. "It’s a rare bloodline. One that hasn't been seen in over a century."
He paused, his eyes meeting mine.
"MoonWolves can control and harness the power of the moon itself. And you happen to be a carrier"