Vienna's POV: Asher’s grip on my wrist was still iron-tight, but I was numb to the pain by now. If I was bleeding, I didn’t care. He was dragging me behind him furiously, like I was some rebellious child caught misbehaving in public; and now it was his duty to enforce the consequences. He pulled me to the end of the hallway, swinging me around with a rough and sudden pull, slamming my back against the wall. The impact was sharp as he trapped me between himself and the wall, and finally, he let go of my wrist, leaving angry red marks and smears of blood on my skin. Without paying them any mind, he brought both his hands up to his face, rubbing it in frustration before letting out a sharp, angry bark. “Are you done, Vienna? Haven’t you thrown enough tantrums already? Now, what else do you want from me? Do you really expect me to try and please you with some stupid flowers or gifts? Is that it? I don’t know what you're expecting or what kind of crap you have filled your head with,
Vienna's POV: The voice didn’t belong to me. It didn’t belong to Asher, either. My head snapped toward its source, heart racing, as the words echoed in the hallway. My eyes darted to the left, then to the right as Asher loomed over me, his rage radiating out of him. He looked like he could snap someone in half at any moment, and I was the nearest one in sight… And just then, my gaze landed on Fynn. He was leaning against the wall, a glass of an amber colored drink in his hand, looking at me like we were the only two people in the room.His eyes were warm, and a small smile curved his lips, as if none of the chaos in front of him was phasing him at all. On the other hand, Asher snapped as soon as he turned around, barking at Fynn. “You! What the hell are you doing here? Who invited you? And what the fuck do you want?”Fynn tilted his head slightly and shrugged, as if he was amused by Asher’s sudden aggression. “Funny of you to ask! When you are the one keeping my girlfriend occu
Vienna's POV: Before our lips could touch, a voice made us both whip our heads in its direction.“Vienna! Are you okay? I was so worried about you, you know…" The sweet, familiar voice rang out, announcing the arrival of someone, moments before Lola turned the corner and appeared in the hallway. "Asher came out a few minutes ago, and I was waiting, but you didn’t show up. Did he do something to hurt you…?" Her sentence trailed off, her eyes widening as she took in the scene before her: me standing against the wall, inappropriately and impossibly close to Fynn. "Oh." The single syllable carried many implications that made my cheeks burn with embarrassment.Her eyes nearly fell out of their sockets, and her mouth opened and closed a few times, like she was trying to process what she was seeing.“I’m sorry.” She finally managed to push out a few words, although she started stammering seconds later. “I didn’t mean to interrupt, I… I…”"Lola!" I exclaimed, a little startled by
Vienna's POV: I felt like there was a gentle, yet powerful force holding my face upwards, towards the Moon Goddess herself. Like the firm hold of a mother's hand, compelling me to raise my chin as my eyes were sealed shut.There was darkness… only darkness around me, and all I could hear were faint whispers all around me. The spirits of the ancestors.The voices were in a language I couldn't understand but still felt familiar… like if I tried hard enough, I might understand what they were saying. But the tones were overlapping and blurring together, filling my mind with words I couldn’t decipher. My pulse pounded in my ears, and the whispers seemed to grow louder and more urgent, pushing into my mind until I thought my head might explode. And then, the force holding me went slack in an instant. My face lowered down and I could feel my body again, as if I was a puppet whose strings had just been cut. But the next moment, I felt a strange sensation, like I was being pulled forward.
Vienna's POV: The effect of the bond was instant, as I felt an electrifying pulse travel from the tips of my fingers to the pit of my stomach. My knees buckled, like I might collapse from the intensity of this moment. But before I could fall back, Fynn’s arm tightened around my waist, holding me steady. Kai finally broke the kiss, his dark eyes glowing. Still gasping for air, I turned to face Fynn. For a moment, he looked like he wasn't expecting me to turn around to face him, and he asked hesitantly, “Vienna, are you sure…? You can–” “Yes!”I cut him off, my heart thundering as I raised on my tiptoes to press my lips against his. His lips met mine, and the bond flared to life again, consuming me from head to toe.Behind me, I could feel Kai’s presence, his chest pressed against my back as if he couldn’t bear to be far from me.‘Oh Moon Goddess, please tell me I'm making the right decision…’Praying silently, I closed my eyes, leaning into the kiss with everything I had. Whe
Vienna's POV: “Or else it won't be my fault, whatever happens to you, in the rage I am already carrying because of this disgrace of my daughter–”“Dad, please…” My voice trembled as I tried to find my voice. No matter what he did or said to me, Lola was innocent and he couldn't vent his frustration there. “Don’t take your anger out on her. She’s just speaking as my friend—” “Shut up!” My father snapped, the words hitting me smack, like a whip. “You ill mannered girl. How dare you tell me what to do? Especially after what you have done, and the disgrace you have already called on the family… rubbing the colour of shame on my face. Don't you dare to utter a single word out of your mouth, let alone trying to teach me what is right and what is wrong!” My lips clamped shut, as he whispered with his teeth clenched tightly. “I am warning you, I don’t care whether you live or die. Do you hear me? I’ll disown you and throw you out of this pack right now if you don’t do as I say. So,
Vienna's POV:It was in a haze of pain, heartbreak, anger and tears that I managed to drag myself to my room, and plopped into my bed as my mind screamed for relief. And this morning, my eyes opened with the strange feeling of my body broken to bits, while my breaths were still resuming their regular schedule as if nothing had changed. Something was digging into my arm… a photo frame containing a picture of my mother– the only physical photo of her that I had left, which was still cradled in my arms. I guess I must have reached for it at some time during the night, but despite my wishes, another cursed morning had knocked at the door; and the day wasn't going to wait for me to be ready before barging in. With a resigned sigh, I shuffled to the bathroom, the water running too hot against my skin as it burned me a little, but also soothed the pain– or maybe numbed me completely. And probably this numbness was the exact thing that my soul was craving… as it finally gave me some of
Vienna's POV:I slowly opened my eyes, one at a time, my heart still beating loudly…but I thought I just heard Gemini's voice.Just the fact that she was trying to save me and making efforts to stop her mom from hitting me… it was completely unbelievable! But sure enough, she was here. Standing at the landing of the stairs, twirling her blonde ponytail around her fingers, looking down at me with a look of pity and smugness. Meanwhile, Tessa’s face was still inches away from mine, her nostrils flaring as she was trying to calm herself down. She dropped her hand, which had been raised to hit me, down to her side, but the fingers were still flexed with remaining anger. She took a few moments to cool off before she turned towards her daughter, placing a doting smile on her face and a glowing look in her eyes that was reserved only for Gemini, her pride and joy.Her real and biological daughter.“Are you ready to leave, darling? Come, let me serve you breakfast. I made it specially for
Vienna's POV:I could feel the tension in the air; and the awkwardness was thick enough to choke on, as Orion stammered, his voice barely above a whisper. "What... what are you saying... about Vienna?" Before I could respond, Tessa’s voice cut through the silence, dripping with frustration. “Gemini isn’t your daughter, you thick-headed fool!” “So stop thinking of ways to get her killed and beg Vienna to save her life. Or I won’t let you take a single breath in peace! I’ve done all this, planned all of this… just for my daughter’s sake! And I’m definitely not going to leave her fate in your hands, so that you can risk her life in a Blood Auction.” Tessa was definitely scared out of her wits, since she had gone from pleading with Orion to threatening him within minutes. And Orion didn’t seem to know what to make of it. He stared blankly at Tessa for a moment, still scrambling for some form of clarity, his voice shaky. “Vi… Vienna is my daughter… and not Gemini…” That was thw
Author's POV:Tessa had been lurking in the shadows, listening intently to every word.She knew better than to step forward too soon, knowing that if she revealed herself in the middle of the conversation, it would only increase the bitterness in Vienna’s, making any chance of negotiation impossible. So she has been hiding herself behind the pillars, making sure that she was hidden from every eye present in the room; while at the same time she was able to hear everything that was going on between the people standing in front of her eyes.Normally, she relished watching Vienna suffer, but this time, the stakes were too high. She couldn’t afford to let Gemini bear the consequences. But then Orion—foolish, impulsive Orion—had gone and destroyed everything. The moment he spat out that Vienna wasn’t his real daughter, he had severed the last thread of control they had. He had stripped himself of any authority over her, giving her the perfect excuse to bring their family’s dirty secrets
Vienna's POV:Once the words left my mouth, Orion’s entire demeanor shifted. I didn't even want to refer to him as my father from now on, and my words had already made it clear to him.His expression hardened, but his tone became suddenly gentle, almost fatherly and affectionate. If didn’t know better, I would’ve thought he was genuinely concerned, but I had been burned by this syrup too many times. “What are you saying, Vienna? How can you drag your sister to the Law Tribunal? The Council has been assembled to deal with matters of actual seriousness and significance between packs, not trivial family matters and… sisterly jealousy.”He scoffed, as if recalling some fond memories between us, which were never there to begin with. "I know you have always been jealous of your little sister, but think properly, look closely…all she has ever done was to think about your well being and has always supported you in your good or bad decisions, she was even ready let go of her first love, jus
Author's POV:Vienna's idea about her family was indeed right. This idea was not built on the mere foundation of her assumption, instead it was based on her experience. And the ideas built on experiences rarely tended to be wrong, just like this one… the reality was exactly matching every single detail according to her thoughts.Because right now, Orion was sitting in the comfort of his grand mansion, his fingers tapping impatiently against the armrest of his chair. And if he wasn't forced to pretend that he cared for Vienna, his older daughter who was supposed to return with Asher, the future Alpha of the Pack, he wouldn't even have been here. He would have utilised this free time to sleep in peace, after celebrating his unfilial daughter having vanished into thin air, to never show her face ever again.Beside him, Alpha Blackwood sipped his drink with ease, though his eyes flickered toward the door every few moments. He wasn't ready to miss even a single percent of possibility of
Vienna's POV:The doctor unfastened the blood pressure monitor strap from my arm. As I looked up at him, he assured me calmly. “Everything looks normal. Your heart rate was elevated, but that’s just from the shock. Just relax, there is nothing to be worried about, you should be fine now.” I exhaled slowly, trying to steady myself as I replied with a small smile of my own. I didn't want to leave the doctor’s effort unnoticed while my words had decided that they still needed some time to jump out of my throat, using my mouth. However, even though Kai and Fynn were right by my bedside, neither of them was really paying attention to the doctor. Instead, they were busy arguing amongst themselves, in a hushed tone to maintain the decorum of the hospital. “This is the result of our complacency,” Kai snapped. “That bastard had the guts to walk into a goddamn hospital and kidnap Vienna. If we let this slide, what’s next? They’ll march into our territory and claim it as theirs? We should
Author's POV:Tessa sat on the edge of the couch, her fingers fumbling with the hem of her dress. She had finally been convinced to drop her go bag from her; although she still wasn't sure how she had been roped into Gemini’s plan.This girl had a way to convince her to take part even in her unrealistic plans, and today was proof of it. Because even though she hadn't returned her jewels to their real compartments and boxes, she had at least placed the packed bag inside her wardrobe. And now, both mother and daughter were sitting together, working out a story which they needed to tell Orion as proof of Gemini's innocence– the story of the last conversation between Gemini and Vienna. "You'll say it like this," Gemini instructed. "Vienna was going to run away, and I tried to stop her. I was just looking out for her because I didn't want her to make a mistake that would ruin her life. So, I did whatever I needed to do, to keep her from running off."Tessa glanced at her daughter, fro
Author's POV:Asher's body stiffened in shock as he heard Fynn's voice ring through the alley. His heart skipped a beat, surprised that they had found them. After the fight he was sure that they would need months to recover from the physical injuries and for the mental one, they might take few more lifetimes to face Vienna again, and even after he was sure about them never appearing in front of him or Vienna ever again, he was still so cautious about keeping her away from them at any cost.And this is why he had made sure to bring Vienna just outside the pack borders, far enough from any tracking signals, believing he had covered all his bases. He thought he'd be able to isolate her, convince her that he was the only one who truly cared for her. But now, this—Fynn’s voice echoing through the damp night air.Ruining his plans! Making him extremely angry once again.Asher spun around, his eyes flashing with panic as he searched for the source of the voice. Because as Fynn's voice has
Vienna's POV:I couldn’t believe what was happening. One moment, I was walking calmly through the night, and the next, I found myself pressed against something cold and damp, a wetness seeping through my clothes. The burning, acrid smell of smoke invaded my senses, making my stomach churn. My head spun as nausea threatened to overwhelm me. I tried to take a breath, but it felt impossible, like the air had been sucked out of the space around me. My body tensed as I fought to keep my composure, but it wasn’t enough. I was on the verge of throwing up when I saw him—Asher. He stepped into view, his grin wide and unsettling, I felt the feeling of uneasiness growing stronger in my chest. As my heart pounded in my chest, and even though I wanted to , I couldn’t look away from him. With his left hand still buried in his pocket, he made a sweeping gesture with two fingers, and just like that, the thing that had been holding me released its grip. I gasped for air, sucking it in greedily, my
Vienna's POV:I watched them with growing concern, my hands gripping the sheets tightly. But I didn’t even know who I was worried about? Because the two people who matter the most for me were fighting with someone who has never been fair to anyone in any dynamic, but the reason for my fear was sounding logical and illogical at the same time.Was it the fear for Fynn and Kai, that my heart was unable to beat properly the moment they stepped in front of Asher or was I afraid for myself? My protection? That they might not be able to handle so many opponents at once? No, of course not. They were strong, stronger than anyone I had ever met. I had no doubt they could protect me against anything, against anyone.Or was it for Asher? That he was stupid enough to challenge two Alpha wolves who were older and more experienced than him, without knowing their true power? Maybe. Because I wanted nothing to do with him anymore, but that didn’t mean I wanted him dead. He was reckless, arrogant, an