Chapter Sixteen
1158 Words
When I opened my eyes, I realized I was lying on a couch. I was still wearing the black bikini, and a fluffy white towel had been tucked beneath me.
What the hell had just happened?
I sat up, scanning the room. Theo was kneeling on the marble floor beside me. Colton sat in an armchair. Aiden and Rhys stood nearby, arms crossed, watching me with those unreadable expressions of theirs.
“Oh, thank God you’re alright,” Iris said, glancing between me and Vince.
“We were so worried,” Vince added.
“W-what happened?” I managed to ask, my voice shaky. The last thing I remembered was kissing Aiden, getting caught by Theo, climbing out of the pool… and then everything going dark as I tried to chase after him.
“We think it was probably the heat in the pool,” Theo explained gently. “You might have been dehydrated. Here, drink this.”
He handed me a glass of water.
“Thank you.” I took it, my fingers brushing his. I brought it to my lips, but all I could think about was why he was being so… nice after having caught me kissing Aiden. Not that I owed him anything. After all, he’d gone over a month without speaking to me.
And yet, I felt a twinge of guilt. While he’d been out picking up my birthday cake, I’d been kissing his… well, basically his brother.
“How are you feeling now, Raven?” Rhys asked.
I paused. “Actually… I feel fine.”
“You’re not dizzy or anything?” Theo asked, his eyes searching mine.
“No. I’m okay.”
“Then the party must go on,” Colton said. “Birthday cake?”
“Sure,” I replied.
I rose to my feet and glanced down at the bikini. It made me feel oddly exposed. I considered changing back into my clothes, but honestly… they’d all already seen me in it.
As we followed the Darken pack into the kitchen, Iris grabbed my arm.
“You really feel okay?” she asked, eyes wide.
I nodded.
She glanced around, making sure no one was listening. “You should’ve seen Theo when you passed out. He came running outside like Prince Charming or something and scooped you up onto the sofa. He was… so worried about you.”
Wow.
I couldn’t help thinking back to the first time I’d fainted, Branden Mitchell’s party in the human world. Why had I started fainting lately? Never before had I passed out like this. And now, here it was again, around the Darken.
A thought struck me.
The first faint had come right after kissing Theo. This time… it had been after kissing Aiden.
Could it be that kissing them sent my heart into overdrive? Or was it just a coincidence?
I shoved the thought aside and followed Iris into the kitchen. The Darken had already lit the candles on a huge turquoise cake dotted with yellow sprinkles. How had they known it was my favorite color combination?
“Happy birthday to you,” they all sang in perfect sync. “Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Raven. Happy birthday to you.”
“Make a wish,” Vince prompted.
I hesitated. What did I wish for?
My mind raced, then settled.
I wish to avenge my parents’ murders.
I blew out all the candles in a single breath.
“Yay! Your wish is going to come true,” Iris cheered.
I’d never been superstitious before, but now? I was a werewolf. Clearly… anything was possible.
As we watched a movie in the Darken’s theater room, Iris yawned loudly.
“I am so ready for bed. I don’t know why I’m exhausted. What was in that cake?”
“I’m pretty tired, too,” Vince said, glancing at me. “How about you, Raven? Ready to call it a night?”
“Um… I actually feel fine,” I admitted. If anything, I felt more energized since passing out, if that was even possible. “But if you guys are tired, you should probably head back to your dorms.”
“Okay.” Iris rose, stretching.
“Do you want one of us to drive you?” Colton asked.
“No, we can walk, but thank you,” she said. She hesitated, then added, “You’ll make sure Raven gets back to her dorm safely, though?”
“Of course,” Rhys promised.
Iris gave me a loose hug. “Talk to you tomorrow.”
“Goodnight,” Vince said, hugging me briefly before following her out.
Once they were gone, I turned to the Darken.
“So… now what?”
“Now,” Theo said, his tone low and serious, “we tell you the truth.”
The truth. The way he said it made my heart race.
“The truth about what?” I asked.
“The truth about why we’ve pretty much been M.I.A. until now,” he explained.
Finally. The answer I’d been waiting for over a month.
“The reason we haven’t spoken much is because we’ve been figuring things out ourselves,” Theo began. His light blue eyes locked on mine. “We’ve been trying to make sense of… everything. I’m not sure how to explain it.”
“Just tell me,” I pressed.
“You’re not just an average werewolf,” he said, his voice quiet but firm. “You’re extraordinary. Powerful… far beyond what we expected.”
“You’re not telling me anything new, Theo. You already said my parents were powerful,” I pointed out.
“You are far more powerful than even them,” he continued. He paused, letting his words sink in. “We’ve all been watching you, Raven. Your abilities… they’re exceptional.”
I frowned. “And this has to do with why you’ve been avoiding me… how?” I was getting frustrated. Just get to the point.
Colton leaned forward. “Did you see the way you shot that bow in Weaponry class yesterday? You’re excelling with every weapon you’ve tried. None of my other students even come close.”
“Most of your students probably don’t have the anger and rage I do,” I said, my voice tight. “They don’t have the drive to avenge their parents’ deaths.”
“It’s not just that,” Theo said. “Professor Lee said you’re excelling in Lunar Magic 101… so much that it’s freaking her out.”
I stared at him. “Freaking her out? Why?”
“Your magic… it seems to have no limits. Far stronger than modern werewolves’, even the most talented ones.”
I frowned, my heart hammering. “What exactly are you saying?”
Theo’s eyes met mine, serious and unwavering. “We don’t think you’re a modern wolf, Raven. We believe… you’re one of the Ancients. Just like us.”
- Writer
