Vivian’s POV
The walk home was silent. I initially tried to ask Chris questions, but he grunted. He gave me nothing. I asked him why he was the one to bring me to the hospital, grunt. I asked him why he was there now, grunt. I asked him where my parents were, grunt. So, the rest of the walk was spent in silence. When we finally reached my home, I paused, wondering if I should invite him for a snack or beverage. I’m sure my parents weren’t home; if they were, they wouldn’t care. They never cared about anything I did, not even if it was healing in a hospital from a mate bond rejection. Chris decided for me. “I have training. You should start trying to make yourself useful now and come to training when you’re feeling better.” I glared. “I was thinking about working outside. I’m not sure I’m much of a fighter.” “Do both. You’re weak. It’s probably why Zeke rejected you.” I gasped, the sting of his words hitting me full force. I wanted to slap him, but he’d overpower me instantly, and I knew better. “Why are you so cruel to me?” “To get you to fight. You let everyone walk all over you. You always have. Especially Zeke. It’s time you started standing up for yourself, Vivid.” “Vivid?” “Your aura is so vivid but you let it become so dull around Zeke. I have to go. Training. Tomorrow. 5am. I’ll be here to get you at 4:30.” With that, he took off running. I stared at him. This was the most we had spoken without hurling insults at each other since…ever. And I’m not even sure if what he said was an insult or not. Vivid? Aura? Zeke walking all over me? I turned and walked towards my house, latching the gate behind me. When I entered, I could hear the tv in my parents’ room. “I’m home!” “Dinner is in the microwave, honey. Hope you’re feeling better.” My mom called out. So they did know I was in the hospital. Spot on for their level of care. I opened the microwave to seeing a slab of unidentifiable meat, probably meatloaf, gooey mashed potatoes, and some corn. Looks like it was a tv dinner kind of night tonight. I’d go grocery shopping tomorrow. I made my way back to my room where I placed my Zeke box on my desk and started rummaging through it, picking out each memory and trying to recall the words Chris had said to me. Especially Zeke. The first item that I removed was a stuffed goldfish I had won Zeke at a carnival that had come through town. I had spent near $50 to win it for Zeke. He had the memory of a goldfish so it had been important I had specifically won that goldfish. When I had finally won it and shown him my prize, he’d be disappointed I hadn’t gotten the spotted goldfish. When I went to exchange it, the carny was an ass and refused. Zeke acted like it didn’t bother him though. It was fine. He just liked the spotted one. The next item I pulled out was a friendship bracelet I had braided for Zeke. That he never wore. The next item was a shirt I bought Zeke. That he never wore. A hat, he never wore. A cologne, he never wore. As I withdrew each item, I started to note every unused item, every memory of Zeke being annoyed at me. Small memories of annoyance. Did I just not know Zeke? Did I annoy him? Did I never get him anything he liked? Chris was getting in my head. I was questioning 14 years of friendship now. The mate rejection was messing with my head already and now Chris. Something was going on and I was going to get to the bottom of it.Vivian’s POV “Ouch!” “I told you that you were weak.” I glared up at Chris from my position on the ground. He had just swept my feet out from under me, landing me flat on my back. He hadn’t been kidding about 4:30am, and he hadn’t been kidding about me being weak. I was surprised when he reached a hand out to me to help me up. I wasn’t surprised when he quickly took that hand away, and I fell backward. “Gotta keep you guessing, Vivid.” “Stop calling me that.” “Nope.” A howl signaled the end of training. Chris left me there, glaring at his retreating back. I still hated him, but at this point, he was all that I had. I scrambled to my feet and ran to catch up with him. “Where are we going now?” He arched an eyebrow at me. “We?” “Well, what does the pack do after training?” “Breakfast, then patrol. You’re just training, though. So you can play in some dirt or something. You can’t go on patrol yet if it’s something you can earn the right to do.” “Oh.” “What?” “
Vivian's POV The following day, Chris was there at 4:30am sharp. I almost wanted to grunt at him in greeting, to rekindle our inside joke, but I didn't want to run it into the ground and look desperate. I was already getting too attached, and it'd only been a couple of days. And this was Chris. I hated Chris, and Chris hated me. "What did you get for groceries?" "Chicken, rice, and broccoli." "Good for you!" "Just kidding. I thought that's what you wanted to hear. I got a lot of junk food." Chris glared at me. "Seriously?" "Kidding! I got the boring stuff! I'm taking this seriously." He rolled his eyes and started walking down the street. "Come on, you're gonna make us late. I don't have time for your games." His strides were long, but I was light on my feet, so it was easy to keep up with him. For the first time, Ivy finally spoke up. 'He's fun.' I almost stumbled at her comment. 'No, he's not. We don't like him. He's a jerk. Remember who
Vivian’s POV I kept running when I was out of the pack house. I kept running down the street. I kept running out of town and into the woods. I just kept running. I didn’t have a place in mind. I just kept running. I burst into a clearing, finding a little pond, and finally stopped. I looked around. No one was chasing me. I hadn’t shifted. Running would’ve been easier if I had, but I needed the long-winded running to exhaust me. To exhaust my brain. I stood there panting. Everything was quiet. Where was I? I’d never ventured this far into the forest. The pond had a small waterfall, and it looked mystical. This entire place looked otherworldly. Surely I wasn’t the only person who’d found this place. I narrowed my eyes when I heard a twig snap behind me. When no more sounds followed, I continued my examination of the pond. I could go for a quick swim. But there might be something gross in the water. Better to examine it and test that theory for a later date. I needed to
Chris’s POV I helped Vivid pack her belongings the same day we struck our deal. Her goodbye to her parents was lackluster at best. They patted her on the back and wished her well. They didn’t even question our sudden relationship. Her father didn’t even give a fake “if you hurt my daughter” speech. Did anyone care about this girl? ‘We do.’ Rock reminded me. I smiled to myself. We always have. Since we saw her gorgeous blue eyes on the playground, we’ve always cared. To cherish and protect. She might not have seen it the same way, but I was always there. Too bad she let that snake into her garden. The first time I realized what a pile of shit he was, it was in the locker room after gym class. He was bragging that he had seen her shirtless after they’d gone swimming and going into detail about what he’d seen. I’d found an excuse to start a fight and he’d ended up with a black eye. Of course he’d told Vivid I’d attack him for no reason and she’d chastised me the next time she saw
Vivian’s POV Zeke wasn’t kidding about making my life a living hell. And be really put that to the test the second breakfast was over with Chris. He had me cleaning every bathroom in the pack house. With a toothbrush. Then after that, I had to clean the kitchen and every single dish. Even the clean dishes. The kitchen is built to feed a pack. And the dishes are enough to feed…a pack. By the end of the day, I just wanted to crawl into bed and cry myself to sleep. I didn’t think I’d get it all finished by 7pm but Ivy came forth and helped me speed things up. She was a champ. As I wiped sweat off my brow and let the cool night air hit my face, I saw Chris leaning against a pillar, like he was waiting for me. “Hey, Vivid.” “What are you doing here?” “Came to walk my mate home, of course.” “That’s so sweet.” “Are you okay?” I smiled at him weakly. “Just another long day.” “Zeke give it to you that badly?” I dragged my feet slowly. “You have no idea. I’m starting to wo
Chris’s POV “Good morning, sunshine!” Opening one eye, I saw Vivian sitting cross legged on the bed, looking way too chipper for 4am. In her hand, she held two cups of coffee though, which perked me up slightly. I leaned up on my arms but froze. My boxers were stiff. Did I cum in my boxers while I slept? Vivian sat there grinning. “Everything okay?” Shifting and keeping the covers covering my lower half, I sat up. “Yeah. Why wouldn’t they be?” “No reason. You just seemed a little weird for a second. Time to get dressed now, sleepy head.” I sipped my coffee. “You gonna sit there and watch me? Pervert.” “I already slept next to you like that. Doesn’t bother me.” “I’ll need fresh boxers, so unless you wanna see me in all my glory, I’d suggest turning away, Vivid.” Her eyes widened. “You just showered last night. You’re just saying that.” I reached down, pulling down my boxers and bunching them up and then throwing them across the room. Now
Vivian's POV31,768 pieces of rice. That's how many pieces of rice that jackass had me count. I was fuming by the end of the day, and I just wanted a hot bath.Throughout the day, I couldn't shake off what he told me about my parents. I resolved to put off seeking answers until the weekend, provided I had days off. Despite my eagerness for immediate answers, I understood the matter of creating every possible question to ensure precise answers. I had a hunch that my father wouldn't willingly divulge everything. Our relationship was never one where we openly shared our thoughts and feelings.A hand on my shoulder had me snapping, my fangs slightly extending and spinning around.Chris stepped back. "Didn't you hear me calling you?""I'm sorry. No. I was too much in my own head.""What happened?""Don't worry about it. Just another rough day with Zeke.""Want to talk about it?"I rolled my eyes and turned away, determined to continue the silent trek home. "I just said don't worry about it
Vivian’s POV “Let me run you a hot bath.” I looked over at Chris, a look of appreciation crossing my face. “That would be amazing. Thank you.” He rubbed my arm as he walked by. I headed toward the kitchen to start the oven and casserole I had waiting in the fridge for dinner. It’d be ready by the time I was out of the bath. Maybe after dinner, Chris would want to watch a movie. I plopped down on the couch to start browsing Netflix while I waited for the oven. After finding a movie about a shark that looked interesting, the oven was ready and I slid the casserole inside. Chris came out of the bathroom at the same time. “Your bath is ready. I’ll keep an eye on dinner.” I grinned at him. “Thanks. Timer is set.” When I entered the bathroom, I was taken aback. The bathroom was dark and set with candles. And the bath had bubbles and I could smell scented oils. It was honestly kind of romantic. Did he honestly do this for me? I didn’t give myself a chance to think too much in