Chapter 288: Temper and Rings

Zahliver’s POV

My hands tightened subtly around the smooth leather steering wheel as I kept my eyes locked firmly on the open road ahead of us. I tried my absolute best to let the rolling green landscape passing by distract me from the sudden flush creeping up my neck. It was a warm heat I refused to acknowledge out loud, because I knew for a fact that if I looked over at her blushing face again, I might just have to pull the car over to the side of the road and forget all about driving back to the pack house.

Then a sudden thought struck me, something important I had meant to mention to her earlier during our morning out.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you," I said casually, breaking the quiet silence inside the vehicle. "I had Aurora put a protective spell on the ring. You won’t need to worry about it getting damaged or any of the rare stones falling out. It is fully enchanted to withstand just about anything you throw at it."

I silently thanked Albericus in my mind for his total inability to keep a secret, and his mate for bringing up how paranoid women could get about losing or scratching a precious gemstone.

"Oh, good," Vivian muttered softly. Her tone started off thoughtful before instantly dipping into her usual dry sarcasm. "Wouldn’t want to break it while super-punching someone into next week. That would be truly tragic."

Of course. My mate and her damn fiery temper.

I raised a dark brow, not even bothering to hide the broad grin tugging up the corners of my lips. "And who, exactly, would you be super-punching, if I am allowed to ask?"

She slumped lazily back against her leather seat, tossing a delicate hand across her forehead like a dramatic starlet in an old black-and-white movie, staring up at the car ceiling with mock theatrics.

"You. Algebra. Anyone who dares to stand between me and food or handmade lemonade. And especially people who judge original books based on their garbage movie adaptations. Like, seriously, shut your face or I will shut it for you."

Through our mate bond, her sudden spark of genuine annoyance flared up like a bright signal flare. I could tell through her thoughts that she was dangerously close to launching into a full-blown, passionate rant about that last point. The sheer intensity of her petty grievances made me both wildly amused and oddly impressed.

"I fully acknowledge that I, along with Albericus, am apparently at the very top of that hit list," I said solemnly, placing a hand over my heart in mock surrender. "May all the others meet your terrible wrath with quiet grace."

She just shook her head at my antics and let that beautiful smile slip right back across her face, the very one that always left me completely stunned no matter how many times I saw it. That single smile alone had enough warmth to disarm an entire active war zone.

On a much softer, quieter note, she added, "But really, Zahliver, I am truly glad the ring won’t break. It would really suck if something bad happened to it."

As I finally pulled the car into the long gravel driveway of the pack house, my lighthearted mood dimmed slightly. I had almost managed to forget that I still needed to have a very difficult conversation with my brother upstairs. That coming talk was definitely not going to be easy for either of us.

Before I could even bring the vehicle to a complete, full stop in front of the steps, Vivian had already unbuckled her seatbelt and bolted out the passenger door, darting straight toward the house with boundless, childlike energy. She hopped lightly up onto the wooden porch and turned back around to wave at me frantically, signaling me to hurry up like an excited young wolf pup.

I chuckled low under my breath, feeling her high spirits buzzing happily through our bond. She was practically glowing from the inside out, riding a massive wave of pure joy that I knew would eventually crash hard into complete physical exhaustion later on. And when it finally did, I would gladly be the one picking her up and carrying her wherever she ended up collapsing.

The thought of taking care of her did not annoy me in the slightest. In fact, it warmed something deep and ancient inside my chest. Looking after her never felt like a heavy burden. It felt like a rare privilege. I was utterly, completely, and shamelessly smitten with her, and I was entirely proud of it.

I followed her toward the entrance at a much more leisurely pace, stepping inside the front hall and letting her rush right past me into the main living quarters. She made a direct beeline for the center of the living room, and almost instantly, the chaotic sound of tearing wrapping paper and a very enthusiastic phone call echoed loudly throughout the entire house. I leaned my shoulder comfortably against the wooden doorway, crossing my broad arms over my chest, and simply stood there watching her.

She tore through the pile of colorful birthday gift boxes like a kid on Christmas morning, laughing out loud, gasping in surprise, and squealing with delight at every new item she unveiled. Through the mate bond, all I felt pouring out of her was pure delight. Joy. Unfiltered excitement. It was so real, so sweet, and so completely her.

Whoever she was talking to on the phone right now did not stand a single chance; Vivian was clearly torturing them by making them guess her big news, stringing them along step by step like a energetic game show host.

Just watching her exist like this did something profound to my soul. I had not even fully realized I was carrying such a dark, hollow emptiness inside me all these years until she started filling it up, piece by piece, with every single smile and every spontaneous burst of laughter. She was not just a guest living in my life; she was actively changing everything about it.

Eventually, with a quiet breath, I slipped away from the doorway and began climbing the grand staircase. There was a dark conversation waiting for me upstairs that I could no longer put off, no matter how much I wanted to stay down here in her light.

Stopping right outside my brother’s bedroom door, I paused and took a deep, steadying breath before giving a firm knock. Without waiting for a verbal reply, I pushed the heavy door open and stepped right inside.

What hit my senses first was not the heavy gloom coming from the tightly drawn curtains or the complete lack of natural sunlight. It was something much heavier, much thicker than simple darkness. The thick scent clung to the cold air like suffocating grief.

And then, looking into the shadows of the far corner, I saw them.

Two glowing yellow eyes, burning like hot coals in the dark room, locked directly onto me.