Vienna's POV: The second lead actress had decided that the audience hadn't yet received a complete value for money performance, and prodded the fire further, making the flames rise higher.Gemini wiped her already dry eyes, gasping to breathe before speaking;"Don’t forget, Mom! She even threatened me with disciplinary action. She accused me of bullying her and said that I'll be kicked out of the college! While her mate said that I was born dumb that I won't do anything with my life–" Tessa’s eyes widened in disbelief as she snapped, making even Gemini flinch. "Enough!" Her voice boomed, silencing the murmurs of her friends. She turned to me with a glare that could set fire to this entire room. "Vienna, I have allowed you to do whatever you wanted for too long, and now you have dared to go to this extreme? You are threatening my daughter with expulsion, while you are living in this house on my charity and goodwill—" Something snapped inside me then. My wolf snarled in diet, ri
Vienna's POV:I was sitting in class, absently doodling on the margins of my notebook, as a realization struck me: I had been so lost during the last few days that for some reason, I was assuming that today was Thursday, not Friday.Which meant the eleven a. m. lecture I was about to sit through wasn’t Accounting, it was English.English.Which meant, Kai Maddox. It wasn’t like I could just slip out unnoticed now, that ship had already sailed. I had already arrived late to college, skipping the first two lectures, and walking out moments before the lecture began would only spark more rumors within the overactive imaginations of my fellow students. Kai walked in, sealing the decision for me as I felt all the other thoughts rush out of my mind, just by looking at him. The usual shuffle of papers and chatter died down as he placed his notes on the desk, starting the lecture. My pencil rested on my lower lip as I was staring at the textbook in front of me, without really registering
Vienna's POV: “Who did this to you…?!” Kai’s eyes went from my face, back to my wrist, his jaw clenched so tightly that I could see the veins popping out in his neck, like he could feel every single sting and burn that I was going through. ‘Why was the damn burn taking so long to heal, anyway?!’ But no matter how badly I wanted to go back in time and make that wound disappear, so that I could avoid this situation, time was only rushing forward… sweeping me up in its current. His hazel eyes had nearly been overtaken by a black tint: a reminder of his Alpha status. In our world, only Alpha wolves had pitch black eyes, while the Betas– like my dad and stepmother’s wolves had amber, and the wolves of omegas, like me and my mom, had red eyes. And right now, I was staring into his eyes, where the blackness had taken over, like I was witnessing an eclipse… Kai’s wolf was dangerously close to taking over. “Vienna…” His voice was low and rough as he repeated my name, and I stupidl
Vienna's POV: The moment Fynn barged in and looked at us in this state, I knew this situation was going to spiral in front of our own eyes. I was sitting on the edge of Kai’s office desk, and Fynn’s eyes became wide with surprise and disbelief, like there was a mask of shock on his face. Pure, unfiltered shock. “I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…” Before Kai and I could even untangle our limbs from each other, Fynn had already turned on his heel and stormed out of the office without any other word, leaving us in that awkward, uncomfortable silence. "Shit!" Kai muttered under his breath, as soon as the door slammed behind Fynn. Our eyes met, both of us understanding what we needed to do without having to say it: we had to go after him. Without a second thought, we ran out of the office, but Fynn was nowhere around the office. And by the time we managed to catch up to him, he had already made his way halfway across the campus, heading towards the parking. "Fynn! Wait!" Kai c
Vienna's POV: It was supposed to be a quiet weekend. Or at least, that's what I had told myself when I locked my bedroom door earlier, deciding that this weekend, I didn't just need to catch up on my sleep and homework, I needed some clarity and peace.Although I had told Kai that I had made my decision and wanted them both as my mates, the actual weight of those words was setting in now.Staring at the small patch of garden visible from my window, the Forget-me-nots were waving in the breeze, giving me a sense of familiarity. This had always been my world… my cage. All my life, I had assumed myself to be a normal girl with a traditional mindset, and a straightforward life. Till the eve of my twenty-first birthday, I was Vienna Belmont: the daughter of Obsidian pack's Beta, who was second in command to Alpha Blackwood, Asher's dad. Sure, my home life hadn't been the best ever, but it was nothing too dramatic, just a little painful. I was just the one chosen as the scapegoat, and
Vienna's POV: I stared at Tessa with a look of pure absurdity, trying to hold back the hurt and anger building up inside me. But for some reason, my voice came out trembling. “What are you even saying, Aunt Tessa? I found out about Kai’s arrival after all of you! I- I was in my room, pretending to be invisible like you asked me to. I don't even have my phone, or laptop or anything by which I can contact him, you know that! And even after all of this, I came here after hearing all these noises and continuous screams… then… how can you—”I blinked, and her hand had lifted from her side in a flash. Her cold, tight palm cracked across my face before I could react. The force of the slap silenced me, my eyes watering. She had slapped me again, crushing my protest and confidence in seconds, making me feel more embarrassed than if I was standing here naked. The pain of humiliation is far greater than the pain of that slap– and right at that moment, I felt it from my heart.A growl emerge
Vienna's POV: I could hardly believe my eyes.Was this really my father, Orion Belmont, who was crying over how much he loved me? But no matter how many times I blinked to dispel the illusion or hallucination– whatever it was– he was still here, standing with his side profile towards me and tears glistening in his eyes and speaking further. “After Ellora died, I couldn’t bear to face my little girl. Every time I looked at you, Vienna, I was reminded of her. It hurt too much… and I felt guilty to some extent, like I had failed you both. When I married Tessa, I thought… I thought you would have a new mother to look after you, and I could finally grieve. But I wish! I wish I knew back then, that I would only end up isolating you further.”“Dad…”I could feel a startled gasp escape my throat, and my eyes followed the Adam's apple bobbing in his throat before he swallowed the emotions and spoke his next words. Words that I had imagined him saying at least a hundred times, when I was yo
Vienna's POV: I couldn’t believe the words coming out of my mouth. I was the one saying all these words, which were completely against my wish… the words which were against my might.Was I really asking him to leave like this, without even the dignity of a proper explanation? And the reason! The reason behind it was my father… the same father who had never given me the love I deserved, the affection which was my right, the safety that my soul had craved for. The protection that I had always dreamt of. And now that I am finally getting the hope of getting all of these from somewhere I am the one who is asking him to leave, with my own mouth… without any force… just because of the sudden rush of emotions I was currently feeling.The expression had scribbled the verdict of hurt all across his face, and it was unbearable to me… making me feel like my guilt was an alien soul. Alive and breathing inside me, clawing me from within. And so, I did the cowardly thing and trained my gaze a
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