Chapter 136: In My Room - Callista's POV
The kitchen and dining room emptied slowly after the conversation finished. My father was the first to stand, pushing back from the table with a heaviness in his gaze. I knew he had been handed more than he expected and needed time to let it settle in his mind. He put his hand on my shoulder as he passed. It was a brief pressure that said everything he wasn’t going to say out loud yet.
Then he disappeared down the hallway toward the back of the house.
My mother stayed a little longer, saying she would prepare something to eat and that my father was probably telling the pack who was going to retrieve our things from the mansion. I knew more than I wanted to admit what she was doing. She had to keep her hands busy. That was how she always was when things were stressful.
She paused beside Raze on her way to the sink and looked at him for a moment.
"The spare room is made up," she said softly. "It’s the second door on the left upstairs. There are extra blankets in the closet if you need them."
Raze glanced up at her with a solemn expression. He was surprised, but was trying not to show it. Kindness, I guessed, wasn’t something he was used to.
"Thank you," he said, his tone softer than usual.
She patted his hand once and went back to the sink.
Sabine had been quiet through most of the conversation, other than saying it was about time. That was its own kind of statement with her. She had listened with her arms folded and her eyes moving between all of us. I knew she was filing things away for later, because she would probably find me when she could get a moment alone just to discuss a few things.
When Raze finally excused himself and headed upstairs, she watched him go, then looked at me with an expression I couldn't entirely read.
"Two more," she hissed. "Somewhere out there."
"Yes."
She was quiet for a moment. "And you have no idea who."
"Not yet," I said firmly. “It’s just a theory since I was told they come in two.”
She nodded slowly, accepting my answer, though she didn’t like it. Then she looked at Riven, who had been sitting quietly at the end of the table, and held his gaze for a moment.
"You'll figure it out," she said simply to both of us. Then she stood, dropped a kiss on the top of my head that I hadn't been expecting, and disappeared upstairs without another word.
Riven watched her go.
"She just complimented us," he said, as if checking his interpretation.
"By Sabine standards, that was practically a standing ovation," I admitted.
The corner of his mouth moved into a half-smile.
My mother headed for the freezer, grabbing something out and turning toward us. She looked at Riven for a long moment in complete silence, assessing him. Then she looked at me with a straight expression.
"Your room is your room," she said softly. "I trust you both."
“What?”
“I would feel better at a time like this if he was closer to you,” she mumbled. “Even if he has…the demon. I think his instincts to protect you will override everything else. That is what a mate does.”
She laid the meat on the counter and huffed. “I’ll have something cooked soon, but if you’d like to take a nap or just talk, feel free to.”
When she turned away, I stood there for a moment in shock. I glanced back at Riven, and we both shrugged. We finally left the table and headed for my room.
As soon as the door was shut, I let out a breath. “She trusts you with me, even with all the danger we’re in.”
“No, she trusts you and I’m just along for the ride,” he muttered.
"That's how it starts.”
He stared at me, his expression softening.
"Are you tired?" I asked.
"No," he mumbled. "Well, yes, but not in a way that sleeping will fix."
I understood that all too well. “Come on,” I breathed. “Come, lie with me.”
He stood in the middle of the room and took it in. I watched him. He glanced at the shelf, where I had a few photographs. Some were taken during the time we were apart.
“You look…happy,” he whispered.
“I tried to be,” I said firmly. “There’s a big difference. It was a very complicated year.”
He looked at me. “You’re not the thing that made it complicated. I did that.”
“No,” I corrected him. “The curse made it complicated and while I understand you were just trying to protect me, it was a mistake to ever be apart. I know that now and I think you do as well.”
He was quiet for a moment, then glanced back to the bed. “I’m not leaving this room.”
“I know,” I replied softly. “I know you’ll stay with me.”
"Your parents—"
"My mother said she trusted us and she meant it." I crossed to the bed and turned the covers down on one side. "You've been sleeping in a chair for six days, so come on.”
"I wasn't sleeping," he laughed.
"I know," I muttered. "That's why you’re going to lay down with me and if we sleep through dinner, then we just do. They’ll understand.”
He looked at the bed again, then at me, with a straight expression. I sat on my side of the bed, looking at him until he stopped arguing with himself and came to sit on the other side.
“I’m not used to sharing a bed with you,” he whispered.
I slipped under the covers, but he remained on top, which I somewhat expected. While he lay on his back, staring at the ceiling, I watched him instead before turning off the lamp and setting back in.
There was only a little bit of light coming in from the window from the late afternoon sun.
"The demon," I said softly, as if trying to come up with a question.
"Still quiet," he said.
"Good."
There was a long pause of silence.
"Callista."
"What?
“I still love you, you know?” His voice cracked. “I really do and it’s not something that ever stopped, even while we were apart. What we have is something I want. I want to be with you forever.”
“I love you too, Riven,” I said, my eyes batting back tears. “It never stopped for either, even if it was quick. We’re fated mates and I want forever with you as well.”
“If fate wasn’t part of this, would you still want me?” His voice lowered, as if he was second-guessing himself.
“Yes. Would you want me?”
“Of course. You’re every wolf’s dream,” he laughed. “All the heirs would love to have you. I’m the one who’s defective.”
“You’re not defective,” I argued. “We all have problems and yours is just…bigger in some ways. Once you’re free of him, everything will be fine.”
“Right,” he said, almost in disbelief. “I’ll need to call my beta tomorrow.”
“We will.”
“We will,” he corrected quietly, and something about the certainty in his voice settled deep in my chest.
I shifted closer beneath the blankets until my shoulder brushed his arm. He went still at first, like he wasn’t sure he was allowed to relax into it. Then, slowly, the tension eased from him inch by inch.
The silence between us wasn’t uncomfortable anymore. It felt fragile and careful, like we were rebuilding something broken with our bare hands. After a while, he spoke again.
“I used to think about this room.”
I blinked in the dim light. “My room?”
He nodded against the pillow. “When I was gone.” His voice turned rough around the edges. “I’d wonder if you changed it. If you moved things around. I imagined you bringing someone else in here and I—” He stopped himself with a quiet exhale. “It made me crazy.”
“You were jealous of imaginary people?” I asked softly.
“Yes.”
A laugh escaped me before I could stop it. “You’re unbelievable. I didn’t even date while we were apart.”
“I know.”
I turned onto my side to face him fully. Even in the fading light, I could see how exhausted he looked.
“You don’t have to keep punishing yourself every second,” I whispered.
His jaw tightened slightly. “You almost died because of me.”
“And you almost destroyed yourself trying to stop it.”
That made him go quiet again.
Outside, I could hear faint movement downstairs. Cabinet doors were opening as my mother hummed while gathering things to cook. Somewhere farther away, wolves were moving. They were probably patrolling.
But here, in my room, with the fading sunlight stretching across the blankets and Riven beside me, the world finally felt still.
“I’m scared to be happy,” he admitted.
I squeezed his fingers gently. “Then we’ll learn how together.”