Chris's POV I watched as Vi stormed off, resisting the urge to chase after her. I knew when I didn't smell Caleb on her, I should have kept my mouth shut. But I had to make sure she knew I didn't trust her. I had to make that dig. She needed to feel as bad as she had made me feel. A slap on my back jolted me from my thoughts. "You okay, man?" I turned towards my friend, Kyle, who was looking at me with concern. "Yeah, I'm fine." "You sure? You look pretty engrossed in thoughts and staring down where Vivian walked off. You two alright?" "Just a lovers' spat. That's all." "Alright. Well, I'm here for you if you need me. Let's get to training. I'm going to kick your ass today." I shoved at him, grinning. I needed a distraction.***** I threw everything into training today. I was physically and mentally exhausted by the time Bailey called time. Bailey called me to his side when it was over and questioned me about it as well,
Vivian's POV What just happened? I needed to find Zeke and figure out what was going on. He was supposed to be with Samantha. He'd help me make sense of what was going on. Then, together, we could confront the two and set the record straight, and things could return to normal. Then I'd talk to Chris and settle what was happening between us. Without outside influences. Just us. Because if he meant what he said, then I needed to listen and stop being so back and forth with his emotions and my own. I was so deep in my thoughts that I overlooked the steady footsteps that started mimicking my own behind me or when a shoulder bumped mine. Only when Caleb said, "Earth to Vi. Earth to Vi." Oh, great. Just what I needed. Like today wasn't complicated enough. "Oh, hi, Caleb. What are you doing?" "I saw you walking like a woman on a mission and wanted to check if you were okay. You alright?" "Just trying to find Zeke. Have you seen him?" I
VIVIAN'S POV Zeke sat me down at the small table he had in his room. "So let's get started. We have a lot to discuss." "We do." "First, we need to figure out where Sam came from." I nodded. "Agreed. It's kind of weird how she just came out of nowhere. Where did you even meet her?" Zeke paused, trying to remember. "I don't know. I just know she was there. I remember seeing you before you got ready for your birthday. Then we were on the stage. I remember the mate calling. Then being so angry." Ivy stirred in my chest, recalling the rejection and the pain. "I remember that." "But I can't recall anything else. I don't know where she came from. I just know she was there." "You don't find that a little weird?" Zeke shrugged. "I didn't think about it before." "We need to go to the border patrol and find out how she gained access to the compound and what they know." "Let's get going. We shouldn't delay any
Vivian's POV It wasn't hard to find out where Chris was taking Samantha on a date. He was taking her to Rosy's. Go figure. Real original, Chris, I thought to myself. I was a little spiteful and jealous, and I knew that, but I couldn't help it. I'd made a mistake rejecting him in the first place, and now my duty was to fix this mess I was in. Right now, I need to play Happy Couple with Zeke. I looked over at Zeke, whose arm looped in mine, grinning like the cat who ate the canary. I shuddered, not enjoying this part of the plan. I told him we could have just come here as friends, but he insisted that it would have worked better if Samantha had thought we were together. I finally relented. She seemed to have some jealousy complex with me. As we neared Rosy's, I felt myself pulling away from Zeke, starting to doubt our plan. But his grip on my arm tightened. "It'll be okay," he whispered to me. I nodded. This was a good plan. Samantha would be jeal
Chris's POV I watched as Vivian walked away with Zeke. Something in me wanted to call out to her and stop her, but I didn't. I looked back at Sam, who was staring intently at me as if she were judging me. "Are you okay, Chris?" I nodded, grabbing my glass and taking a long drink. "I'm fine. That was a weird exchange. Should we continue our date?" She shrugged. "I'm actually not feeling too well. Can you walk me home?" I looked around and signaled for the water to bring us our check. I didn't feel up to continuing our date, either. I just wanted to go home and rest. I felt a migraine coming on. Leaving Sam's company didn't sound appealing, though. "Did you want to come home with me?" Sam smirked. "Not on the first date, silly. Maybe next time." I blushed. "Not for that. I don't want to be away from you." She patted my hand. "I know. I was playing with you. But no. I have some things to take care of at home." The waiter came and brought us our check. I qu
Samantha's POV I watched as Vivian and Chris entered Chris's apartment. Something was bothering Chris, so I decided to follow him to see if he would get into trouble once he left me. I was right. The second I turned my back, he was letting that bitch into his apartment. And who knows what she was telling him once they were alone? Probably undoing all the work I'd done after my little fixer-upper this morning. I needed to take out the big guns now. First, I needed to stop what was happening in that apartment before they were in a compromising position that I couldn't explain. I closed my eyes, whispering the words I knew would darken the streets and the building before me. When I opened them, glancing around, I saw all the lights were out. Silence engulfed me. I made my way to Chris's apartment, formulating my plan as I went. When I reached the door, I started banging on it and crying out, "Chris! Chris! Chris!" I heard shuffling feet, and then the door cracked
VIVIAN'S POV "Zeke! Zeke! Zeke!" I called, banging on his door. Swinging the door open, a groggy Zeke stood there. "V, what are you doing? It's after midnight." "Are you going to invite me in?" He stepped aside, gesturing inside. "If you so rudely insist, I guess come in." I brushed past him, entering his room. I heard the click of his door. I walked over to his small couch, which I spent many nights crashing on. I slung myself down, patting the seat next to me. "We need to talk." He rubbed his face, trying to wipe away the sleep. "This better be good. I was in a dead-ass sleep." "It is. Somehow, Samantha is abusing Chris. I don't know how, but it's some mental abuse. Or maybe it's physical. But she's creating some mental warfare on him. I was with him tonight, and he left with her. But when he came back, he completely forgot why I was there." Zeke sat down next to me, confusion lacing his face. "That is strange. But maybe Chris is into drugs." "You
VIVIAN'S POV "What do you mean?" I asked. "Honey, sit down," my mother said, sitting on the bed and patting the space beside her. I stared at her, not able to move. I shook my head, stumbling backward. "Just tell me. I don't need to sit." She sighed. "It would be much easier if you weren't looking at me like I slapped you. Come on now. Your father will be home soon and freak out if he knows I'm telling you any of this. It's best to discuss this now when he's not around." I eyed the space next to her and moved to sit on the edge of the bed, a distance away from her. I felt she was about to tell me I wouldn't like it. Like she'd been hiding something from me. "I'm listening." She looked down at her hands, hesitating. "I'm not sure where to start. But as you know, I used to be a rogue but before that, I was part of another pack. Did I ever tell you which pack?" I shook my head. She'd never told me anything about her time before she'
VIVIAN'S POV "Hello, beautiful," Chris whispered in my ear. "Hello, handsome," I whispered, trying not to wake our twin boys in the bassinet before me. I turned around, wrapping my arms around his neck, pressing my lips to his, and continued in a hushed voice, "Are our guests here?" He nodded. "They just made it. I think she and Killian are fighting, though. But she's as big as a house." I grinned. "He probably said something as stupid as you just said." Chris opened his mouth to argue, but I held my finger up. "Don't. Just accept that you shouldn't say a pregnant woman is huge and go on about your day." He shrugged. "You're right." I glanced at our boys before slipping past Chris and heading towards the living room, where our guests were waiting. Divinity and Killian tried to visit at least once a month when time allowed. Despite the demands of being Alpha and Luna of our packs
KILLIAN'S POV "Zeke is dead," Vivian stated. Chris stood there, covered in blood, Vivian, too. I listened as they both explained what had happened. Marcus was already on the way to the cabin to verify their story, but I was sure what they had said was true. I could already tell by Chris's new aura that what had happened was undoubtedly true. Chris had killed an Alpha and was now an Alpha. I narrowed my eyes at him, suspicious. An Alpha should never trust an Alpha who murdered another Alpha. But he had done it to save Vivian. So, I should give him a little leeway. Turning back to Vivian now, I brushed her shoulder, ignoring the blood that covered her. "Are you okay?" She nodded. "I'm okay now. Chris saved me. I was initially upset, but...it had to be done." Damn. Chris is saving the day, of course. I should have been the one to kill Zeke. Now Chris looked like a damn hero. Vivian stepped closer to Chris. Oh, no. Th
CHRIS'S POV "Have you seen Vivian?" Killian asked, running up to me. I held up my hands. "I've been waiting for her just like you have. I thought we were supposed to meet her in that backroom before the ceremony so she could tell us her choice. So obviously, no, I have not seen her." Killian looked around. "Marcus went to her room to escort her without an answer. Her bed was stripped. There could have been laundry done. But no one can locate her. I'm worried." My ears perked up. "You don't think it's highly suspicious her bed is stripped? And she's missing? Where's Zeke?" He scanned the crowd. "He's not here either." Fucking hell. Zeke had taken Vivian; I had zero doubt in my mind. It is evident that the choice was down to me, and Killian and Zeke had no chance in hell, and he must have realized that. Killian was running to Marcus, commanding him to get their soldiers in line to start hunting for Vivian.
VIVIAN'S POV Today is the day. The final day that everyone will be holding their breath around me, walking on eggshells. Afraid that I'll break. Tonight was the Blood Moon and when I'd finally decide on my mate and our future. I stared at the ceiling, holding my stomach, the butterflies refusing to settle. I just wanted to skip to tomorrow, when this was over and done with, and my future could finally start. Tomorrow would be a better day than today. I threw back the covers, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed. First things first, I needed to eat. Make an appearance, act normal, be normal. The party wasn't until tonight, and I couldn't just hole myself in my room all day beforehand. I'd been doing that for days already while I healed. I wobbled over to my dresser, finding a pair of leggings and a tank top to slip into, then a pair of boots I could also slip on easily. I wasn't going for fancy right now. I'd dress fancy and nice ton
KILLIAN'S POV I stared at the bottle in my hand. I could do this. I could do it. One day, we would laugh at this. She wouldn't even be mad, right? Not after a few years of happiness and bliss together. I stared harder at the bottle, willing to answer my questions. To tell me what to do. A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. I hid the bottle under my pillow quickly before striding to the door and flinging it open. Divinity stood there, looking nervously at the ground. "Hello, Alpha; I came to check on you." I looked around to see if anyone was in the hall to see her at my door. "Come in, D. You don't have to call me that, ya know." She smiled at me, slipping inside. "Thanks, Killian. So, how are things going for Vivian? You think she's going to choose you?" "I don't know," I groaned, heading over to the couch and flinging myself down. She settled down at the table, where I had left uneaten food, picking at m
KILLIAN'S POV "He's back." "Who's back?" I asked Marcus. Marcus looked around, making sure no one heard him as he leaned in and whispered, "Caleb." I set down my fork. "Let's go. You didn't bring him inside, did you?" "Of course not. He's outside the walls with my men." "Good." Standing, I let him lead me, not paying attention to those we passed. Caleb had a lot of nerve showing up here. Vivian had told me about what had happened with Caleb after they'd left, and I had assumed he had either died or maybe run off with his tail between his legs. But he was showing up here for some reason. To beg for mercy? To try some underhand scheme again? Arriving at the gate, we nodded to the guards as they opened up. Marcus led me to the side, where a group of men was waiting. Right in the center, they held Caleb down on his knees. He looked like he hadn't eaten in a while, and he was filthy. He probably
VIVIAN'S POV Outside with Zeke had left me exhausted. And now I was ready for a nap. Zeke asked if he could nap with me like in old times, but I was a woman now. It felt wrong. So I declined. His annoyed expression didn't escape me. Crawling into bed, I curled up with my pillow and immediately drifted into dreamland.***** Burning. It was so warm. I looked around, and I was back. I was back to the day of the fight with Sarah. I looked down at my arms, and they were charred. Had I killed her already? This didn't seem right. Why was I standing? I saw her laughing at me; her skin was burnt, hair frayed, and barely sticking to her scalp. "Little baby Vivian is scared," she mocked. I was on the ground. Vines wrapped around my legs now. I couldn't move. When did I sit down? "I'm not scared," I argued. Sarah walked towards me. "You're scared to choose him. You're scared of what Killian might do to him." I cri
KILLIAN'S POV "Can I talk to you?" Vivian looked around me before nodding. "Sure, come on in." I stepped inside, resisting the urge to wrap my arms arounds her, holding her against me and never letting her go. But instead, I waited for her to motion for me to sit down and do the same. "So what's up, Kill?" I reached over, grabbed her hands, then stared at her and caught her eyes. "The Blood Moon is coming up. Are you any closer to a decision?" She pulled her hands from mine. "That's what this was about?' "The war is over. It's time to get things in order, and it's time to choose a mate, Vivian." Her eyes narrowed. "And getting me in line and mating with me is just on the agenda?" I reached for her again, but she just moved her hands. "No, it's not like that. I was also reminding you that the reasons you delayed before are no longer relevant. And you can focus on this—on us." "Yo
CHRIS'S POV "I think you should spend less time with Vivian and more time on getting better, Zeke," I said, narrowing my eyes at the food tray in his hands. He was, once again, bringing her breakfast in bed. Like he'd done several days in a row now. They were attached at the hip again. Just like they'd been in high school. It was getting under my skin. Zeke looked down at the food he was carrying. "Well, V doesn't quite feel up to taking her food in the mess hall, and someone has to bring her something to eat. And since you're busy doing whatever you're doing, I thought I was the best candidate." "I'm helping Killian and his pack reorganize after yours attacked them. It's a lot of work after your pack decimated their gate and set fire to a lot of their homes." Zeke flinched. "Look, that's not my fault. That's Sarah's fault. I was under a spell." "Which is why you should focus on getting better and not flaunting how well you are. You should at le