Chapter 104

Chapter 104
Riley’s P.O.V
The sun was far too bright when I stumbled up the path to the North Tower.
My heels dangled from one hand, my dress was wrinkled, and my head was splitting open like someone had stuck a drum inside it and started a parade. My breath reeked of alcohol and guilt. My hair was wild, one earring was missing, and I didn’t even want to know what my makeup looked like. A raccoon, probably. A raccoon that had rolled in glitter and bad decisions.
I fumbled for the passcode at the door. My fingers were shaking, and I had to try twice before the rune-lit lock clicked open.
The moment I stepped inside, the silence hit me.
It was the worst kind of silence. The heavy, waiting kind. The kind that knew it was only seconds away from exploding.
Sure enough, the second the door closed behind me—
“Riley!”
My mother’s voice cut through the air like a sword, and I winced before I even turned. She stood at the top of the staircase, arms crossed, hair braided back, her eyes full of fire. Mom was terrifying when she was angry—but it was the figure behind her that made my stomach plummet all the way to my toes.
  Dad.
He didn’t yell. He didn’t have to. His silence said enough. He stood behind Mom, arms at his sides, expression unreadable except for the tight clench in his jaw and the shadows in his eyes.
“Where the hell have you been?”Mom demanded, storming down the stairs.
I opened my mouth, tried to think of a lie, but nothing came. My voice was raw. “I—I went out with a friend…”
“A friend?” she snapped. “You disappeared, Riley. No one could find you. Your guards said you vanished. We searched the entire campus. We thought you’d been taken!”
“I’m sorry,” I croaked, throat dry and heart hammering. “I just needed a break. I just wanted one night.”
“You reek of alcohol,” she said, her voice shaking now. “Gosh, are you even sober?”
“A little,”I whispered. Then, braver, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to go this far.”
But it wasn’t Mom who responded. It was Dad. His voice was low, but it cracked through the room like thunder. “Go to your room. Now.”
“Dad—”
 “Now.”
I swallowed hard and made my way up the stairs, heat burning under my skin. I wanted to cry. Or throw up. Or both.
I shut the door behind me and leaned against it, pressing my palms to the cool wood. For a long time, I just breathed. My dress still smelled like the club—like sweat, perfume, and too much freedom. And under all of it… his scent. The stranger. The one who kissed me like I was something to devour. The one who touched me like he’d done it a hundred times before. I could still feel his hands on my waist. His mouth. My skin prickled with the memory.
What was wrong with me?
I should’ve felt guilty. I did feel guilty. But also… I didn’t. Not completely. Because last night was the first time I’d ever felt alive. Truly alive. No guards. No rules. No one watching my every move like I was made of porcelain. Just me, the music, and the heat of someone’s lips on mine.
A knock interrupted my spiral.
I opened the door slowly, half-expecting a lecture—but it was Dad.
His expression had softened, but only a little.
“Sit,” he said.
I obeyed, folding onto my bed like a scolded child.
Kai stayed standing, his arms crossed now. “Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?”
“I didn’t mean—”
“You disappeared. In a town where people go missing every week. Where enemies are still watching our family. You didn’t just risk your safety, Riley—you risked our entire peace. Do you understand that?”
I nodded, ashamed.
“I know you want freedom,”he continued, voice rough. “And I know it’s hard, being the daughter of two Alphas. We’re strict. We’re protective. But we’re not doing this to ruin your life. We’re doing it because we love you.”
“I know,” I whispered.
“Then why?”
I looked up at him, heart splintering. “Because I’ve never felt free before. Not really. I just wanted one night where I wasn’t being watched. One night where I didn’t have to be perfect.”
Dad’s face shifted at that. Some of the anger in his shoulders dissolved, replaced by something softer. Sadder. “You’re not perfect, Riley. You don’t have to be.”
“But I always feel like I do,” I said, voice cracking. “I didn’t want to mess up your name, or Mom’s, or be weak, or reckless—but gosh, Dad, I’m seventeen. I needed something. I needed to breathe.”
He sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. “You scared us.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“You’re grounded,” he said, firm again. “No going out for two weeks. No training off-campus. And if you ever disappear like that again, I’ll have you escorted to class by a damn security wolf in full uniform. Am I clear?”
I swallowed. “Yes. Very clear.”
“But… just this once,” he added, eyes softening, “I’II let it slide with a warning. Because I know you. And I know you’ve never done anything like this before. And because you’ve always been my little girl. That hasn’t changed.”
I smiled faintly. “Thanks, Dad.”
He stepped forward and hugged me, and I melted into it, burying my face against his chest like I had when I was a kid.
No matter how mad he got, I’d always be a daddy’s girl. There was no way he could stay mad at me forever.
When he left the room, I sat there in the quiet, staring at the sunlight trickling through my window.
But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop thinking about the stranger.
His face was a blur, his name unknown—but his hands, his mouth, the way he kissed me like I was something wild and powerful… that lingered. It shouldn’t have meant anything. He was a nobody. A mistake.
But it didn’t feel like a mistake.
It felt right.
And that terrified me more than anything else.
As I pulled on my uniform and started brushing my tangled hair, I kept catching myself staring into the mirror, not recognizing the girl looking back at me.
She wasn’t porcelain anymore.
She was something else.
And whatever that meant—I wasn’t sure I could go back.