Chapter 279: Dance Break and Pasta Cravings

Vivian’s POV

It was just past one in the afternoon, and the weather had turned out remarkably beautiful with clear skies and a warm breeze. When we got back into the car, Zahliver took the wheel again, and I finally accepted the fact that he did, in whole truth, have a full day planned out just for me.

"So... what is next on the agenda?" I asked, clicking my seatbelt securely into place and turning sideways toward him.

He gave me a quick, sideways glance and a teasing smile. "Just one quick stop, and then we are off to lunch. What is the birthday girl in the mood to eat?"

"Pasta!" I answered instantly, without a single second of hesitation.

He chuckled low in his throat. "I should have guessed that."

We chatted idly as he drove along the road, talking about little things nothing heavy or stressful just enjoying the ride and each other’s quiet company until he finally pulled the car into the parking lot of a large electronics and music store. I blinked up at the massive sign. Combining both audio and tech must be a brilliant strategy for business, I thought with an amused laugh.

Inside, the entire place buzzed with sound blasting tracks echoing from every corner, overlapping beats mixing together into a sort of chaotic, high-energy rhythm. While Zahliver walked off to speak with a store employee near the front counter, a separate song tugged strongly at my attention. Paired with the quick, rhythmic sound of footsteps, it had me wandering toward the back of the store, my heeled boots tapping lightly across the floor as I followed the irresistible beat.

A small crowd of teens had gathered around a large flat-screen display TV. I stepped closer and realized they were not just watching mindlessly they were cheering loudly on two teenagers who were dancing on a small illuminated platform, each with a white motion-tracking band strapped around their wrist. The game synced their physical movements directly to the screen animation, and honestly, they were both pretty good.

The boy had a lot more casual swagger, but the girl made up for it completely with clean, snappy moves. They were clearly having a blast, smiling and laughing even as they playfully tried to outdo one another. When the game finally ended and the boy claimed a narrow victory, the surrounding crowd broke into applause. I clapped along with them, ready to quietly slip away before I drew any unwanted attention to myself.

Too late.

"Damn, looking good," one of the guys in the back whistled loudly, eyeing me up and down.

I could instantly tell that some of the kids in the group had not come into their wolf shifts yet. My own inner wolf huffed with quiet amusement, mingling mentally in the back of my mind with the few wolves present who had already recognized what I was, but stayed totally quiet, letting their less-aware human friends keep running their mouths. For all those kids knew, their pack Luna was just some random middle-aged lady with questionable fashion sense and a mole the size of a berry.

"Thanks," I said smoothly, offering the dancers a friendly grin. "You guys had really nice moves out there."

"Wanna try a round?" the girl asked, her eyes bright with challenge.

I shook my head politely, but then another enthusiastic voice chimed in from the crowd. "Oh, come on, you definitely have moves I can tell just by looking at you!"

Okay, so they probably just wanted to see me shake something and put on a show. But... I was genuinely curious. It had been quite a while since I had danced just for the pure fun of it like this. And hey it was my birthday. Why not live a little?

"Alright, fine!" I said, acting like I was reluctantly giving in to the peer pressure.

I shrugged off my heavy winter coat and ignored the loud chorus of whistles and cheers that erupted. Stepping up onto the platform beside the boy, I took the offered white motion band and slipped it securely over my wrist, letting it sit right above my usual black one. He extended his hand toward me with a confident, cocky smile.

"James," he introduced himself.

"Vivian," I replied, shaking his hand firmly.

The screen popped up asking if we wanted to follow the standard dance guide or go completely freestyle. My fingers moved across the selection buttons before I even gave it a second thought I tapped "Solo." The screen split cleanly in half James’s side displayed the usual choreographed step prompts, while mine simply tallied up raw points based entirely on how my body moved to the music.

A loud whistle rang out from the back of the crowd. "Oh snap, she picked solo mode! We officially got ourselves a pro here!"

I grinned broadly. James raised his brows at me in surprise, then, with a smirk of his own, chose solo mode too. Game on.

The song title popped up on the display: Move Your Body by Sia. My grin widened even further. I loved this song.

As the energetic beat trickled into the room, I started off with a gentle sway, rolling my shoulders in perfect time to the rhythm. The lingering tension in my limbs loosened up instantly. My hips followed the natural flow, moving side to side in a smooth and steady motion.

I did not even care anymore who was watching from the crowd. I just let the music completely take over my senses.

The track was infectious, and my body moved before my mind even had time to catch up. I added a quick shuffle to my steps, then played around with moving forward and back, tossing my hands high in the air while my hips swayed effortlessly to the heavy rhythm. Letting myself sink deeply into the beat, I glided to the side and stepped forward, a wide grin tugging at the corners of my lips. I could feel pure joy bubbling up in my chest the kind of carefree happiness that makes you completely forget your surroundings for a moment.

Beside me, James must have caught onto what I was doing because he started copying my general vibe, putting his own fun twist on the movements. If anyone were watching us from afar, we might have even easily passed for actual dance partners. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon, I thought with a flicker of amusement.

As the song picked up its tempo toward the chorus, something suddenly shifted in the air. My heart sped up rapidly not from the physical exertion of the dancing, but from a brand-new, unmistakable presence. I felt it crawl slowly up my spine like a slow burn, lifting every tiny hair on my arms. A heavy gaze. Sharp, possessive, and intensely familiar.

Only one person in the entire world could make me feel that exact way with just a single look.

Mid-spin, I stole a quick glance back over my shoulder. Just a subtle flick of my eyes through the crowd. But that was all it took. One single glance, and sudden heat bloomed low in my stomach. My skin prickled as if it had been struck by lightning, and a hot flush climbed swiftly up my neck. Zahliver was watching me.