Chapter 156 Riley's POV

Chapter 156 Riley's POV
Harper's dorm room has become our unofficial gathering place.
It's small, cozy, and covered in fairy lights and photographs, with enough pillows to build a fort. Vivienne sprawls across the bed, her midnight-black hair spread out like a fan. 
Harper sits cross-legged on the floor, painting her nails a violent shade of purple, and I'm curled up in the window seat, watching Silverwood's grounds in the fading evening light.
"So," Vivienne says, breaking the comfortable silence. "Three days until you become official Luna. How are you feeling?"
"Terrified," I admit. "Excited. Nauseous. All of the above?"
"That's normal," Harper says, waving her nail polish brush. "I'd be worried if you weren't nervous. You're about to complete a mating bond in front of the entire pack. That's huge."
"It's more than that," I say quietly. "It's symbolic. The scholarship girl from the trailer park becoming Luna. Proving the Purists wrong. Showing everyone that bloodlines don't matter."
"No pressure," Vivienne says with a grin, but her pale blue eyes are sympathetic.
"Exactly," I laugh weakly.
Harper sets down her nail polish and looks at me seriously.
"Riley. Can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"Have you thought about inviting your father?"
The question lands like a stone in my chest.
My father. The drunk who raised me in a rusting trailer. Who spent more time with bottles than with me. Who never once told me I was worth something.
I haven't thought about him since arriving at Silverwood. Haven't wanted to.
"Why would I invite him?" I ask, more sharply than intended.
Harper doesn't flinch. "Because he's still your father, and this is a huge moment in your life. Becoming Luna. Completing a mating bond. Don't you want him to know? To see what you've become?"
"He doesn't care," I say flatly. "He never did. I was just a burden to him. A reminder of my mother, who died giving birth to me."
"Maybe," Harper says carefully. "Or maybe he was drowning in grief and didn't know how to be a father. Maybe seeing you succeed would mean something to him."
Through the bond, I feel Damien's awareness. He's listening but not interfering. Letting me process this on my own.
"I don't know if I can face him," I admit. "What if he's still drunk? Still resentful? Still... disappointed in what I am?"
"Then you'll know," Vivienne says gently. "And you can walk away with a clear conscience. But if you don't go, if you don't tell him about this ceremony, you might regret it later."
I look at Harper, my best friend who's known me through everything.
"Do you think I should go?"
"I think," Harper says slowly, "that you've spent your whole life proving yourself to people who doubted you. 
Maybe it's time to show your father what he missed out on. Not for his sake. For yours."
The words settle into my chest, heavy and uncomfortable.
My father. The man who barely acknowledged my existence, but also, the man who kept a roof over my head, however leaky. 
Who taught me to survive, however poorly. Who is the only family I have left besides the pack I've found here.
"I don't know what I'd even say to him," I confess.
"Start with hello," Harper suggests. "Then see where it goes. You don't have to invite him to the ceremony. 
Just... let him know you're okay. That you survived. That you became something he never thought you could be."
Through the bond, Damien sends warmth and support. Whatever I decide, he'll back me.
"I'll think about it," I say finally.
Vivienne sits up, clearly recognizing that the heavy topic needs to shift.
"Okay, enough about difficult fathers. Let's talk about the fun stuff. The ceremony! My mother has planned something absolutely over the top."
"Define over the top," I say warily.
"Think flowers everywhere. Multiple courses. Guest list in the hundreds, and a dress that probably costs more than your old trailer."
I wince. "That's exactly what I was afraid of."
"Don't worry," Harper says. "You'll look amazing, and Damien will probably forget how to speak when he sees you."
Through the bond, I feel Damien's amusement. She's not wrong.
You're eavesdropping, I send back.
Always. It's a mate bond perk.
"He's listening, isn't he?" Vivienne asks, seeing me smile.
"Constantly."
"That must be annoying," Harper says.
"Sometimes," I admit. "But mostly it's... comforting. Knowing he's always there. Always aware. Always connected."
"That's beautiful," Vivienne says. "And exactly what a mating bond should be. My parents have that. Even when they're fighting, and they do fight, you can tell they're completely connected."
She pauses, her expression turning thoughtful.
"I want that someday. That certainty. That partnership."
"You'll find it," I assure her. "When you're ready. When the right person comes along."
"Or persons," Harper adds. "Some packs have multiple mate bonds. It's rare but possible."
"Let's get through Riley's ceremony first," Vivienne laughs. "One mating at a time."
We fall into easier conversation after that. Harper describes the dress she's planning to wear (emerald green, apparently, to complement her coloring). 
Vivienne shares gossip about which students are returning to Silverwood and which families are transferring their kids to other academies after the battle.
"The Purist sympathizers are leaving," Vivienne says. "Good riddance. Anyone who agreed with Seraphine's ideology has no place here."
"How many families?" I ask.
"Maybe a dozen. Not many, but enough that people are noticing. The pack is shifting. Changing. Becoming something new."
"Something better," Harper says firmly. "A place where humans like me feel welcome. Where outsiders can become leaders. Where what you do matters more than who you're born to."
"You really believe that?" I ask.
"I see it every day," Harper says. "Students who used to whisper about you now defend you. 
Professors who questioned your worth now use you as an example. You've changed Silverwood, Riley. Whether you realize it or not."
"Speaking of change," Vivienne says, "I'm going to start training. Real combat training. With Jaxon."
"Really?" I ask, surprised.
"After being kidnapped, after being helpless, I never want to feel that way again. I want to be able to fight. To protect myself and others."
"That's brave," Harper says.
"It's necessary," Vivienne corrects. "The world is dangerous. I should know how to navigate it."
We talk late into the night. About training. About the ceremony. About the future of Silverwood. About everything and nothing.
And eventually, inevitably, the conversation circles back.
"So," Harper says carefully. "Are you going to visit your father?"
I look out the window at the darkening grounds. Somewhere out there, in a small town I haven't thought about in months, my father is probably drowning in another bottle.
Does he wonder where I am? Does he care that I disappeared? Or has he already replaced me with another round of drinks?
"I don't know," I admit. "Part of me wants to show him what I've become. To prove that I'm worth something. But another part..." I trail off.
"Doesn't want to risk being hurt again," Harper finishes gently.
"Yeah."
"Then go for yourself," Vivienne suggests. "Not to prove anything to him. Not to seek his approval. 
But to close that chapter of your life on your terms. So you can walk into your mating ceremony with no regrets."
The wisdom surprises me, but Vivienne has seen darkness recently. Has faced her own demons. Maybe she understands better than I thought.
"I'll think about it," I say again.
Damien sends support. Whatever you decide, I'm with you. Want me to come along if you go?
Maybe, I send back. Let me figure out if I'm going first.
Later, when Harper and Vivienne have fallen asleep. Harper in her bed, Vivienne on the floor in a nest of blankets, I slip out quietly.
The academy is peaceful at night. Guards patrol, but they recognize me now. Nod respectfully. The scholarship girl has become the Luna-designate.
I find myself at the edge of campus, looking out toward the forest. Beyond those trees, beyond miles of territory, is Willow Creek. The town I grew up in. The trailer I escaped from.
The father who never saw me as anything more than a burden.
Should I go back? Face him one last time?
"Can't sleep?"
I turn to find Professor Cross approaching, his wire-frame glasses catching the moonlight.
"Too much on my mind," I admit.
"The ceremony?"
"Among other things."
He settles beside me, looking out at the same forest.
"I heard you're considering visiting your father," he says quietly.
"Word travels fast," I mutter.
"For what it's worth, I think you should go."
"Why?" I ask. "He doesn't deserve to know about my life. About what I've accomplished."
"No," Professor Cross agrees. "But you deserve closure. You deserve to look him in the eye and know that you made it despite him. That you're successful not because of his support, but in spite of his neglect."
He pauses.
"I had a father like that. Distant. Dismissive. Never approved of my choice to study wolves instead of following the family business. 
I spent years angry at him. Years proving myself to a man who'd never care."
"What changed?" I ask.
"He died," Professor Cross says simply. "Heart attack. Suddenly, I realized I'd wasted all that time being angry at someone who didn't matter. I should have found closure earlier. On my terms."
He looks at me.
"You have a chance I didn't. To face him while he's alive. To say what you need to say, and then to walk away and build your life without his shadow hanging over you."
The words resonate in my chest.
"What if he's still drunk? Still mean?"
"Then you'll know that leaving was the right choice, and you can close that door forever with a clear conscience." Professor Cross stands. "But you'll never know unless you go."
He leaves me there, alone with my thoughts and the decision weighing on my heart.
I feel Damien's steady presence. Not pushing. Not deciding for me. Just... there.
I think I need to go, I send finally. To Willow Creek. To see him one last time before the ceremony.
Then we'll go, Damien responds immediately. Together.
You don't have to…
I know, but I want to. You faced the Chasm with me. I'll face this with you.
Through the bond, I feel his absolute certainty. His love. His support, and I realize that no matter what my father says, no matter how he reacts…
I have a family now.
A pack that chose me. A mate who stands beside me. Friends who love me.
My father's approval or disapproval doesn't change that, but facing him might finally free me from the weight of his neglect.
"Okay," I whisper to the night. "Tomorrow. We go tomorrow."
Ready to close one chapter so another can begin.
Ready to prove, to my father, to myself, and to the world, that Riley is worth something.
Not because of where she came from, but because of who she chose to become.