Chapter 276: The Pet Store

Vivian’s POV

We finally pulled apart, breathless and smiling like a couple of complete idiots. My cheeks ached from grinning so hard, but I honestly did not care. I clicked my seatbelt back into place, my heart still fluttering wildly from our stolen kiss, while Zahliver shifted the car back into gear and we smoothly merged back onto the open road.

"I did not even get a chance to see your new tattoos back there," I said, my voice still a bit husky and low from the kiss. I was trying my absolute best to sound casual, but inside, I was practically bouncing with impatience.

Without missing a single beat, he reached his hand over, took mine, and gently lifted my fingers to his lips. The soft press of his mouth against my knuckles made my breath catch in my throat all over again.

"You will get to see them tonight, love," he said, dropping one more lingering kiss right on the center of my fingers.

My heart skipped a violent beat at that promise. Tonight. There was a heavy, intoxicating weight hidden behind those simple words, and my inner wolf practically wagged her tail in excited anticipation.

"But wait... are you not supposed to keep new tattoos covered up or something for a while?" I asked, trying hard to focus my scattered brain. "Like, do you not have to wait a whole day before showing them off to anyone?"

He threw me a smug smirk, as if the very idea of waiting amused him deeply. "They are already completely healed."

Right. Of course they were. Stupid supernatural Lycan healing genes.

We drove along in a comfortable, quiet silence for a bit, winding our way through unfamiliar residential roads. I sat up a little straighter in my seat when we passed under a giant concrete overpass one I definitely did not recognize.

"Where on earth are we going now?" I asked, narrowing my eyes suspiciously out the passenger window. Then I glanced sideways at him and added, "And if you dare say the word surprise again, I swear I am going to punch you right in your handsome face."

He let out a low laugh, the jerk.

"Alright, alright, I get it," he said, still chuckling softly. "How about I give you a few clues instead of keeping you in the dark?"

I perked right up, my eyes narrowing with a mix of suspicion and genuine excitement. I always loved a good challenge. "Fine. But you better not make them super weird."

He glanced over at me briefly. "Okay, first question: Exactly how long have we been together?"

Ugh. Math. I blinked rapidly, my brain frantically scrambling for the right numbers. "Uh... three months?"

He stared at me silently for a beat too long.

"Three and a half months?" I added quickly, feeling a drop of sweat form on my neck.

Still that same heavy stare.

"Zahliver," I warned in a low voice.

He finally gave a slow, deliberate nod. "Correct."

I slumped backward in my seat with a loud, relieved exhale. "You are the absolute worst, you know that?"

He smirked, looking completely unapologetic. "Second question: What do we actually own together as a couple?"

That one was way easier. "A house," I said immediately. "Cars. That entire island. Possibly a private plane. And probably a secret yacht you have not told me about yet."

His facial expression did not change a bit.

I kept going, counting items off on my fingers. "Money. A shared Netflix streaming account. Hulu. Oh, and a frankly concerning amount of Gatorade and granola bars stashed in the pantry."

I looked at him pointedly. "Do you even know how many boxes of protein bars you have hidden away in the guest room closet? That level of hoarding is not normal."

He cleared his throat quietly, clearly trying hard not to laugh out loud. "What else do we own?"

I blinked in confusion. "What do you mean, what else? That is already a lot of stuff!"

"What do we own that is actually alive?" he clarified with a hint of a smile.

I gave him a flat, deadpan stare. "If you are about to say wolves, I am going to open this door and leap right out of this moving car."

He raised a dark brow. "Technically speaking "

"Zahliver."

He sighed dramatically and lifted one hand off the wheel. "Fine, fine. No living things. Point taken."

He did not say another single word after that. He just kept driving with that smug, mysterious look playing across his face the kind of look that made me want to both kiss him passionately and strangle him with my bare hands.

About ten minutes later, he smoothly pulled the car into a large asphalt parking lot. I looked up through the windshield and blinked in surprise.

A pet store?

I stared hard at the glowing storefront sign, and then turned to stare at him.

He parked the car, turned off the engine, and just looked at me like he was waiting for a big reaction.

A slow, disbelieving smile crept across my face.

Oh no.

He was not...

"You cannot be serious," I whispered.

He grinned like the literal devil himself.

Oh my goddess.

We were actually getting a pet.

I think I might have screamed just a little bit out loud though it was honestly hard to tell with all the hopping, skipping, and flat-out sprinting I did the exact second I flung my door open and jumped out of the car. My excitement was completely off the charts. Naturally, Zahliver took off running after me the moment he saw I was making a direct beeline for the store entrance without waiting for him to catch up and hold my hand like he had planned.

The sliding glass doors were automatic, and even though I darted right through the gap before they had fully opened, he still managed to catch up to me quickly. His warm hand clasped mine firmly, grounding me just as I excitedly tugged him inside the building with me. He leaned down close, his breath warm against my ear.

"Do not just run off like that," he murmured, his deep voice low and laced with genuine concern. "You could trip and get hurt."

I barely registered his warning. The second the inner doors parted wide enough for me to squeeze through, I slipped inside with a huge grin, dragging him along behind me like an overgrown, slightly annoyed shadow.

Inside, a large circular customer counter sat right in the center of the store, and pack staff members bustled about in all directions. I could immediately hear the soft shuffle of tiny paws against the floor, the faint chirps and squeaks of animals, and the distinct, earthy scent oh yeah, it was definitely a pet store.

A bubbly blonde teenager spotted us immediately. Her wide grin stretched from cheek to cheek as she stepped forward to greet us. Her employee vest read Amy in neat white print.

"Hi there! How can I help you both find today?" she greeted us, her tone cheerful, casual, and completely relaxed. No formal pack titles, no hesitation, and definitely zero clue who we actually were. I felt Zahliver pause slightly beside me. Yep, he had noticed the lack of recognition, too.

"I placed a deposit and payment over the phone earlier today," he said calmly, squeezing my hand a bit tighter when I tried to wander off toward a colorful wall section glowing with tropical fish tanks. "It should be listed under the name Azrala. We are here to pick up a pet."

Amy tapped away quickly at her computer keyboard, her eyes scanning the monitor. But the second the account details pulled up and she looked back up at us, her entire expression changed in a flash. Her casual smile instantly became stiff, and her posture snapped straight.

"Oh! Alpha... Luna. Right this way, please," she stammered out nervously, suddenly choosing her words with extreme care.