Chapter 16

Riley's world shattered.

The moment her eyes locked onto Kieran's, everything else fell away: the trees, the cold air, even the shadowed figure standing just feet away. None of it mattered.

Because the truth had been staring her in the face all along.

"You already know."

She had known. Somewhere, deep down, she had always known.

Kieran had been there the night it all started. He had saved her.

But what if he had done more than that?

Her pulse roared in her ears, a deafening drumbeat against the silence stretching between them.

"Kieran," she whispered, her voice barely holding steady. "Tell me it's not true."

His jaw clenched, his golden eyes flickering with something she couldn't read.

Something close to guilt.

Callum, still standing beside her, let out a low chuckle. "Oh, this just got interesting."

Kieran moved.

Faster than she could process, he was in front of her, his hands reaching for her arms, his eyes burning with something desperate. "Riley, listen to me"

She flinched.

And something inside her snapped.

A snarl tore from her throat, raw and inhuman, as she jerked back from his touch. The force of it sent her stumbling, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

"You did this," she choked out. "You interfered."

Kieran's entire body tensed, his hands still hovering in the air like he wanted to reach for her again but knew he couldn't.

Callum let out a slow breath, amusement still lingering in his tone. "Well, Wolfe? Care to explain how you managed to break the rules of the universe?"

Kieran ignored him. His golden eyes stayed locked on Riley's, filled with something that made her stomach twist.

He wasn't denying it.

That hurt more than anything.

"Tell me," she whispered, her hands curling into fists. "Tell me what you did."

Kieran exhaled shakily, and when he finally spoke, his voice was raw. "I" He swallowed. "I couldn't let you die."

The words slammed into her chest like a physical blow.

She staggered.

Kieran took a step forward, his hands shaking slightly. "Riley, you don't understand"

"Don't," she snapped, her vision blurring. "Don't you dare try to justify this?"

"I wasn't thinking," he said, his voice breaking at the edges. "You were dying. I didn't know what would happen, I just" He ran a hand through his hair, his frustration bleeding into every movement. "I just couldn't lose you."

A sharp, bitter laugh broke from Riley's lips. "So what, you played God?"

"I saved you," Kieran said fiercely.

"No, Kieran," she shot back, her throat tight. "You changed me."

Silence.

And in that silence, everything between them fractured.

Because he wasn't arguing.

He wasn't denying it.

The truth settled in her chest, suffocating and unbearable.

She had never been meant to survive that night.

Kieran had made a choice she had never been given.

And now she was paying for it.

Riley shook her head, stepping back. "I trusted you," she whispered, her voice breaking.

Kieran's entire face twisted with pain. "Riley"

"I trusted you," she said again, louder this time, her vision burning. "And all this time, you were lying to me."

"I was trying to protect you."

"No," she snapped, her body trembling. "You were protecting yourself."

Kieran flinched.

But Riley wasn't done.

"You knew what you did was wrong," she accused. "That's why you didn't tell me. That's why you let me think I was just some accident. But I wasn't, was I?"

Kieran's throat bobbed. He opened his mouth and then closed it.

And that was the answer enough.

Riley inhaled sharply, every muscle in her body coiled so tightly she thought she might break.

The silence stretched between them like a canyon, too wide to ever cross.

And then

Callum let out a low whistle. "Damn. This is better than I expected."

Riley spun toward him, her blood still roaring with anger. "Shut up."

Callum raised his hands in mock surrender, his golden eyes gleaming with amusement. "I mean, I did tell you not to trust him."

Riley hated that he was right.

Hated it so much she wanted to tear something apart.

Kieran took another step forward. "Riley, please."

She backed away.

That single movement that rejection made something flicker in Kieran's golden eyes. Something close to panic.

But Riley didn't care.

She had trusted him with everything she had.

And he had broken her.

Her breath came fast, her chest aching, her claws pressing against her fingertips

No.

Not now.

Not like this.

She clenched her fists, forcing them back, shoving down the burning wildness clawing at her insides.

She would not lose control.

Not because of him.

Not because of anyone.

When she looked at Kieran again, the pain in his expression nearly wrecked her.

Good.

Now he knew how it felt.

Her voice was quiet but steady. "I'm done."

Kieran's entire body locked up.

Callum let out a slow exhale like he had expected this but still enjoyed seeing it unfold. "Oh, this is getting fun."

Riley ignored him.

She ignored everything.

She turned away from Kieran, her heart hammering so loudly it nearly drowned out her thoughts.

Then, without another word

She walked away.

This time, for good

Riley's breath came in short, sharp bursts as she walked.

She didn't know where she was going.

She didn't care.

All she knew was that she needed to get away.

Away from Kieran. Away from the truth. Away from the suffocating weight of everything he had done to her.

The forest blurred around her, dark shapes twisting in the dim light, but she barely registered them. Her thoughts were too loud, her heartbeat too wild.

"You weren't meant to survive."

The words echoed in her skull, rattling her bones, and making her feel like she was going to break apart at any second.

Kieran had saved her.

But in doing so, he had taken something from her.

Her choice.

Her humanity.

And now, she was something else entirely.

Something she didn't understand.

Something she was losing control of.

The worst part?

She had trusted him.

She had felt something for him.

And all this time, he had been keeping the biggest secret of all.

A sharp, bitter laugh escaped her lips before she could stop it.

She had been so stupid.

So blind.

"Running away, Riley?"

She stopped dead.

Callum's voice was smooth and easy, but she didn't miss the edge beneath it.

She turned, slowly, finding him watching her with something between amusement and calculation.

"I'm not running," she bit out.

Callum smirked. "Sure looks like it."

Riley clenched her jaw. "I don't need your commentary right now."

Callum sighed, tilting his head slightly. "Maybe not. But you do need something."

She narrowed her eyes. "And what's that?"

Callum's smirk faded.

"Control."

The word sent a shiver through her because he was right.

She didn't know how much longer she could fight the thing inside her, the hunger, the instincts that were starting to take over.

But trusting Callum?

That was a different kind of gamble.

Callum took a step forward, watching her carefully. "You want to learn? I can teach you."

Riley hesitated.

This was dangerous.

She knew that.

But right now, she wasn't sure she had another option.

So, slowly, she said, "Prove it."

Callum's golden eyes gleamed. "Gladly."

And just like that

The deal was struck.

And Riley had no idea if she had just saved herself

Or sealed her fate.

A sharp gust of wind cut through the trees, carrying the thick scent of pine and damp earth. Riley barely noticed. Her pulse roared in her ears, drowning out everything but the words that had just left her mouth.

Prove it.

Callum's smirk deepened, but there was something else in his eyes now something calculating, something hungry.

"You want proof?" he mused, tilting his head. "Fine."

Before Riley could react, he moved.

Too fast.

Faster than any werewolf she had seen before.

In a blink, he was behind her, his breath warm against her neck.

Her entire body reacted.

Riley spun, instincts kicking in before her mind could catch up, claws unsheathing in a flash of silver.

She swiped hard.

But Callum was already gone.

She stumbled forward, heart hammering, her chest rising and falling too fast.

The bastard was toying with her.

A low chuckle echoed from the shadows. "Not bad," Callum said smoothly. "But not good enough."

Riley's teeth clenched. "Try that again, and I'll"

"What?" Callum emerged from the trees, his golden eyes gleaming. "Land a hit?"

Riley's breathing was ragged, her muscles tensed to the point of breaking.

She had moved on instinct. Again.

And her claws

They had come too easily.

Like they were meant to be there.

Her stomach twisted.

Callum took another step toward her, slower this time. "You feel it, don't you?" he murmured.

Riley swallowed hard.

Because she did.

That rush of movement. The way the world had sharpened for just a second. The power behind her swing.

It felt natural.

And that terrified her more than anything.

Callum stopped just in front of her, watching her closely.

"You're already changing, Riley," he said, voice quieter now. "And Kieran? He doesn't have the stomach to help you through it."

Riley flinched.

Because maybe Callum was right.

Maybe Kieran had tried to stop this.

Maybe he had been afraid of what she was becoming.

But Callum wasn't afraid.

He saw it.

He wanted it.

Riley exhaled slowly, her thoughts tangled. "What do you want from me?" she whispered.

Callum studied her for a moment.

Then he leaned in, just enough that his voice was a breath against her skin.

"I want you to stop fighting who you are."

Riley's breath caught.

Because of the terrifying part?

She wasn't sure she wanted to fight it anymore.