Chapter 280: The Birthday Lunch

Vivian’s POV

From where I stood on the platform, I could not quite tell if Zahliver looked amused, hungry, or like he wanted to rip the heads right off every single guy staring in my direction. Maybe all three at the exact same time.

By the time the song finally ended, I was not even sweating thank the moon goddess but I was definitely feeling warm from all the movement. With a quick, breathless laugh, I thanked the small crowd of teenagers that had gathered around and gracefully made my way out of the center of attention, completely ignoring the hopeful, lingering stares of the guys who were still watching me like they had not just been caught red-handed.

They must have sensed where I was heading, though, because their confident expressions quickly turned sheepish and downright terrified the second they saw me walking straight toward the dark-haired Alpha.

I found him standing near the outer edge of the store, tall and still as stone, his arms tightly crossed over his broad chest, and his piercing blue eyes locked fiercely onto me. A delicious mix of guilt and sheer amusement fluttered in my stomach as I finally approached him, slipping my heavy winter coat back on and giving him an innocent, sheepish smile.

Right through our shared bond, I could practically feel the chaotic swirl of thoughts running through his head.

"Did you have fun?" he asked coolly, though his intense eyes burned way hotter than his flat voice betrayed.

I nodded, trying my absolute best to play it casual. "Mhmm. It was fun."

His strong jaw flexed, and he cast one last warning glare over my shoulder before reaching out to take my hand. His grip was gentle, but the heavy tension rolling off his massive frame was hard to miss as he guided me away from the electronics and toward the exit.

"Well, I am glad you enjoyed yourself," he said, his voice tight with restrained emotion. "But can you do me a favor?"

I eyed him warily from beneath my lashes. "What kind of favor are we talking about here?"

For all I realistically knew, he was about to ask me to wait patiently in the car while he ran back inside to commit several quiet murders.

He stopped walking altogether, turned to face me squarely, and wore an expression of deadly seriousness.

"Please try your absolute best not to become the living fantasy of every hormone-ridden male pup out there," he said in a low, rumbling tone. "And if you ever feel the urge to dance like that again or anything more you do it for one person only. Understood?"

I raised a dark brow, feigning total innocence. "Oh really? And who on earth would that one single person be?"

"Me. Always," he answered instantly without a single second of hesitation.

That sly, victorious grin I had been holding back finally slipped right through. His ridiculous possessiveness was somehow both deeply infuriating and wildly flattering all at once.

"And just what would I get in return for this exclusive private performance arrangement, Mr. Alpha?" I asked, stepping closer to him and slipping my arms around his waist, sliding my hands beneath the open layers of his coat.

His gaze sharpened instantly as he considered my terms.

"What do you want?" he asked, sounding a little cautious now.

I pretended to ponder the question deeply, but I already knew exactly what I wanted it was the absolute perfect opportunity.

"One day soon, I am going to hand you something completely unexpected, and I want you to wear it without asking a single question and without a single argument."

His eyes narrowed suspiciously, flickering back and forth between curiosity and concern. But then they darkened, clearly recalling my little dance floor performance, and he relented.

"Fine," he said after a long beat.

"Deal."

As we walked out into the parking lot toward the car, I could not help but notice that he was not carrying a single shopping bag. That felt pretty strange, considering he had originally walked into the electronics store with the clear intention to shop for something.

"What did you even go in there to get?" I asked curiously, clicking my seatbelt into place.

"Just checking on something," he said casually, sliding the key into the ignition.

"Like what?"

He shrugged his broad shoulders. "Stuff."

"Stuff, huh," I echoed with a soft laugh. I could have pushed him for a real answer, but honestly, I was just grateful he was not currently dragging me back into the store by the elbow after what had just happened.

He was actually being... surprisingly well-composed about the whole thing.

Happy birthday to me, indeed.

For lunch, Zahliver took me to this charming little Italian restaurant it looked upscale, but thankfully not pretentious. He claimed proudly that they made the best healthy pizza he had ever tasted, which honestly sounded like a total oxymoron until the waiter brought out the menu and I saw the incredible ingredient list. I perked up immediately when he mentioned they also served handmade Italian lemonade. That sealed the deal for me right away.

And true to his bold word, the food was absolutely incredible. The pizza crust hit that perfect middle ground between wonderfully crisp and chewy, and the toppings were fresh, light, and packed with flavor. Just when I thought the fantastic meal could not possibly get any better, the restaurant lights dimmed unexpectedly, and of course out came a massive, decadent red velvet cake wheeled over by a very cheerful server.

I blinked in surprise.

Moments later, everyone in the restaurant started singing Happy Birthday to me in suspiciously perfect harmony. I turned my head to glare affectionately at Zahliver, who wore a proud, entirely satisfied grin on his face like he was the chief conductor of the whole musical production. Of course he was.

The cake itself was divine. It was not overly sweet and not too dense just melt-in-your-mouth perfection. I was genuinely disappointed when I finally reached my stomach’s absolute limit and literally could not fit another single bite. Not that it really mattered, because apparently every single person dining in the restaurant got a slice of free cake, too. Courtesy of my wildly overachieving mate.

Zahliver earned a very grateful, lingering kiss after that stunt. One that had him practically strutting out of the restaurant doors with a lot more swagger in his step than usual.

The rest of the afternoon felt like our own private little road trip. We stopped off at a quiet park yes, specifically to feed the ducks, and as cheesy as it sounds, it was actually really sweet. At least it was sweet until Zahliver kept walking a little too close and accidentally scaring them all off every single time. Instead of feeding ducks, it honestly looked like he was trying to herd and chase them across the grass.

Look at him chasing all those D’s, my inner wolf remarked dryly in my mind.

I choked on my own laughter so hard that warm tears leaked right out of the corners of my eyes. She honestly had zero filter when it came to him.

After we left the park, he dragged me into this shady-looking, antique curiosity shop that made my supernatural senses buzz with a weird sense of unease. But once we stepped inside, it turned out to be an absolute treasure trove of hidden gems. I completely lost track of time obsessing over the most gorgeous, glittering hair clips I had ever laid eyes on. Apparently, Zahliver was the store’s biggest secret financial contributor of course he was. I decided not to let that slide without a joke.

I turned around to face the ancient, wizened old wolf running the antique shop and pointed dramatically straight at Zahliver.

"So, hypothetically speaking, how much store credit would I get if I put him up for sale on the black market?"

Zahliver clearly did not think my joke was funny at all. Judging by the immediate, firm way he grabbed my hand and ushered me right out the front door shortly after, he was deeply unamused.