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
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
Vivianโs POV โI canโt believe you turn 18 tomorrow. What if you mate with Chris, and I never see you again?โ I spun away from my vanity, seeing that Zeke had a severe look on his face, and he wasnโt joking. โThereโs no way the Moon Goddess would be that cruel as to mate me with that tool. And if she did, Iโd reject him.โ I walked over to him, kneeling before him, gripping his hands. I stared into the icy blue eyes Iโd come to call home the 14 years Iโve known them. โBest friends forever, Zeke. I wonโt mate with someone you hate so much and be swept away from you. Plus, youโll be alpha soon, and you can banish him.โ Zeke rolled his eyes. โItโs not that easy, and you know it. Chris and his family are too integral to the pack. Iโm stuck with him.โ I sighed, standing up. โI know. I wish he werenโt such a dick.โ โHeโs only a dick to you because he knows how much you mean to me. And if he claims you, heโll keep you away from me to hurt me more.โ I brushed a s
Vivianโs POV โZeke?โ โWhy would I ever mate with a mutt like you?โ I felt a sharp twist in my chest, like something trying to snap. Let him go! Ivy, my wolf, snapped at me. Reject him! He is not worthy! โBut Zekeโฆโ Zeke stepped forward, out of Samathaโs arms, โI said I reject you, Vivian.โ I fell to the ground, the twisting intensifying. Ivy howled in pain. Moments ago, she was howling in happiness but turned on him the second Zeke rejected me. She was always protective of me. โZeke, what happened to youโฆโ โI finally saw you for the filth that you are.โ I fell to the ground. The snapping became unbearable. With the last ounce of my strength, I raised my head. โI, Vivian Locke, of the Greywood Wolf Pack, accept your rejection.โ Our wolves howled in unison once more, and a blinding light flashed before my eyes. A pulsing pain shot through my head before everything went black. ***** Itโd been two days since my 18th birthday. And one day since I woke up in the hosp
Vivianโs 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. Iโm sure my parents werenโt home; if they were, they wouldnโt 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. โI have training. You should start trying to make yourself useful now and come to training when youโre feeling better.โ I glared. โI was thinking about working outside. Iโm not sure Iโm much of a fighter.โ โDo both. Youโre weak. Itโs probably why Zeke rejected you.โ I gasped, the sting of his words hitting me full force. I wanted to slap him, but heโd overpower me insta
Vivianโs POV โOuch!โ โI told you that you were weak.โ 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 hadnโt been kidding about 4:30am, and he hadnโt been kidding about me being weak. I was surprised when he reached a hand out to me to help me up. I wasnโt surprised when he quickly took that hand away, and I fell backward. โGotta keep you guessing, Vivid.โ โStop calling me that.โ โNope.โ 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. โWhere are we going now?โ He arched an eyebrow at me. โWe?โ โWell, what does the pack do after training?โ โBreakfast, then patrol. Youโre just training, though. So you can play in some dirt or something. You canโt go on patrol yet if itโs something you can earn the right to do.โ โOh.โ โWhat?โ โ
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
Vivianโs 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 didnโt 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 hadnโt shifted. Running wouldโve 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? Iโd never ventured this far into the forest. The pond had a small waterfall, and it looked mystical. This entire place looked otherworldly. Surely I wasnโt the only person whoโd 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
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 thisโon 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