CHAPTER 46KILLIAN'S POV "Tell me what you found out," I demanded. We'd all been waiting for the scouts to get back with information from Greywood since we'd breached their territory and laid in hiding, wondering if we should arrive diplomatically or covertly. But based on the grim expressions of my scouts, I was expecting it would be the latter now. Vin nudged Glenn forward, who glared at him. He stuttered, looking at my feet. "It's not good news, Alpha. They have our Luna imprisoned. Rumor is...she killed their Alpha." I sucked in my breath. She wouldn't. "How and why would she do that?" "They think she did it on our orders with witchcraft." Sarah. And now Zeke was their Alpha, and he certainly was going to put Vivian to death. "Where do they have her? And what did you do with the informants?" Vin and Glenn looked at each other. "They won't talk." I didn't need to hear any more about thei
ZEKE'S POV "She did this," Samantha said softly, rubbing my shoulders. I nodded, staring at the empty cell. Of course, she did. She and Blackmoon. Our compound lay in shambles, the fires now out. Luckily, none of our pack members were hurt except for a few burns that would be healed by now. But this was a declaration of war. First, she had killed my father, the Alpha of our pack, and then her lover had burned down our compound to break her out. I'd undoubtedly have support in declaring war now against Blackmoon. Turning around, leaving Samantha to follow me, I left the jail and headed to where I knew the pack would be outside waiting for me to speak. I was waiting to hear what I would do as my first official act as Alpha. Stepping outside, I saw a mixture of fear and anger across my pack's faces, but anger outweighed the fear. I grabbed a nearby chair and climbed up, steadying myself. Silence fell over everyone, waiting for m
CHRIS'S POV "Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty." Cold water splashed over me, and Marcus's voice registered as the one mocking me. I sprung to, ready to tear him a new one, but remembered I was in a cell. I glared at his grinning face through the bars, him holding a bucket, a shit-eating grin on his face. Behind him, leaning against the wall, was Killian, looking disinterested in Marcus's mockery. When I turned to him, his eyes bore into mine. " Are you just going to let your lap dog have all the fun?" He shrugged. "He's just making sure you're awake." "Right. What do you want anyway? Ready to let me go back home?" Footsteps, and then a tiny figure in a cloak joined us. Pulling back the hood, I saw a female beneath the cloak, long brown hair pulled back in a loose bun. She kept her eyes on the ground. Killian kept his on me. "This is Divinity. She came to help you." "Help me? I don't need help."
VIVIAN'S POV I was warm. But not too warm. My head felt dizzy, but other than that, I felt okay. Opening my eyes slowly, the sun hurt but was a welcome sight. Looking around, I saw Killian slumped in a chair beside my bed, fast asleep. Slowly sitting up, I pressed my hand to my head, willing the groggy feeling to disappear. How long was I out? Killian stirred. I wasn't sure what time it was, but it couldn't be too early based on the sun. But sleeping in a chair, he was probably tired, and I should have let him sleep a little bit longer. Pulling back the covers, I looked down and saw I wore nothing but panties and a shirt. So much for getting out of bed. I muttered to myself, "Wonder who took the liberty to undress me." "It was definitely me." I jumped at the sound of Killian's voice. "You're awake." "So are you. How are you feeling?" "Fine," I said, watching as he stretched, his shirt pulling up and sh
CALEB'S POV "You'll find her?" Mrs. Locke said, staring out the door as if waiting for someone to come barging in. "Of course. I'll ensure she's safe and then return before you know it. I really think you should come with me though. It's only a matter of time before Zeke turns on you two for being her parents," I said, gripping the glass of water Mrs. Locke had offered me when I'd come to visit. She kept her eyes on the door, waving a hand. "Nonsense. I've known Zeke since he was a boy. He'd never hurt Phil or me." "Did you ever think he'd hurt Vivian?" Her eyes shot to mine. "Well, no. But...no. We're fine." "I really think that I need to get you two to safety. If I find Vivian safe, she will ask about you two and be angry I didn't bring you with me." Mrs. Locke's eyes searched mine. "Where would we go?" "She's with Blackmoon. We know that much. Blackmoon would take you in, too.
VIVIAN'S POV "I need to talk to you, Vivian." I stared at Killian, the grim look on his face telling me that whatever he was about to say to me wouldn't be something I wanted to hear. "If this is about Clarence, I don't want to hear it." "It's not. It's about your parents.” My breath caught in my throat. "What happened to them? Where are they?" Killian looked away, not wanting to meet my gaze. "My scout returned, and he told me he couldn't find a word on them. They're not with Greywood anymore. We're unsure if they're imprisoned, hurt, or...worse..." I crumpled to my knees. "No...Zeke wouldn't do that. He wouldn't." He kneeled next to me. "I'm sure it's not that. Maybe they left. Came to find you." Tears blurred my vision. "I'm sure that's it." But in my heart, I knew that wasn't the case. My parents were rule-followers. They were pack-minded. They weren't the ones to rebel and
KILLIAN'S POV "And you put her parents in a cell?" I asked, gripping my glass in my hand. Marcus rubbed his jaw. "Yeah. I wasn't quite sure where else to put them, to be honest." "Not in a damn cell!" I yelled, almost shattering the glass in my hand. "Well, aren't you concerned about Vivian's mom...she's not really supposed to be here." I paused. "I hadn't considered that. But she was banned before our time. My father has nothing to do with the pack now. He putters around his garden. I can undo her banishment. I'm sure Vivian would expect that regardless." "It's not that easy. I didn't think you'd be aware, but back when they used to do banishments, they cursed those they banished." "Cursed?" Marcus waved his hands. "To sum it up in the nicest way possible, a shifter who returned on banished grounds would eventually lose their wolf. And become...wolfless." I ran a hand over my f
VIVIAN'S POV "So first, you tell me my parents are possibly dead, and now you're telling me my parents are here?" I stared at Killian with a blank face. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Surprise?" I crossed my arms. "Are you sure it's actually my parents? You've never met or seen them. Maybe this is one of Sarah's tricks." "I...no. I didn't..." I waved my hands. "Come on. Hopefully, you were smart enough to keep them locked up until I could see who these people were." I started towards the jail, but Killian grabbed my arm. "I didn't lock up your parents, Vivian. They're in rooms down the hall." I rolled my eyes. "If they're my parents." He flinched. "Come on." I let him lead, following closely behind. I hoped it was my parents, but I didn't want to get my hopes up that they were actually safe and sound in Blackmoon territory, away from Sarah and Zeke. When we reached their presu
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