Chapter 291: Unwrapping Comfort

Zahliver’s POV

The moment I stepped inside the bedroom and pulled the door shut behind me, I walked over to the edge of the bed and sank down, resting my elbows on my knees and burying my face in my hands.

My thoughts were a complete mess after the conversation with my brother. That alone would have been frustrating enough to handle, but what unsettled me even more was the eerie, unnatural silence coming from my inner beast. Normally, my wolf growled his thoughts whether I wanted to hear them or not. But right now, it was as if he had withdrawn entirely into the dark, brooding silently in some deep corner of my mind. I hated when he went quiet like this; it never meant anything good.

I knew the true source of his lingering unease. It was Joshua.

Since I had only received my beast after Joshua’s initial departure, the two of them had never actually formed a bond. My wolf simply did not recognize him as family, viewing him as just another male intruding on our established territory. I had tried reminding him again and again in my mind that Joshua was my brother, which made him family, but the stubborn wolf refused to accept it. Every time Joshua walked into the house, my beast bristled like he had just scented a rival.

I was so deeply lost in my own head that I had not even realized how quiet things had gotten downstairs. There was no sound of wrapping paper rustling, no light footsteps, and no sound of Vivian softly humming to herself like she usually did. So when our bedroom door slowly creaked open, I looked up sharply, already on edge.

Then her head poked through the small gap in the doorway.

I blinked hard, trying to process what I was looking at. And then I completely cracked.

"What in the name of the Moon are you... Oh, hell."

Laughter burst right out of my chest before I could stop it as she stepped fully into view, striding into the room like she had not just committed an absolute crime against fashion and common sense.

Vivian had apparently declared total war on her pile of birthday gifts and emerged victorious. She was wearing everything, and I genuinely mean everything, she loved from her presents all at once. At least four completely mismatched hats were stacked precariously on top of her head. Five distinct shoulder bags dangled heavily from her arms, and another three were slung across her chest like colorful bandoliers. A chaotic mixture of shiny bracelets clinked together down both of her arms, while a fuzzy garment that might have once been a jacket trailed behind her on the floor like a majestic cape. A pair of new shoes was even poking out of one of the open bags she was carrying.

She attempted, entirely unsuccessfully, to cross her loaded arms over her chest and glare sternly at me.

"What?" she said, her brown eyes narrowing at my reaction. "How do I know someone will not try to snatch my favorites if I leave them sitting alone downstairs for five seconds? So, I brought the ones I like best up here with me."

Her tone was completely defiant, but the sudden flicker of playful panic vibrating through our mate bond made my grin stretch even wider. She was entirely serious.

"Vivian," I chuckled, shaking my head as I looked at her, "where do you even come up with these ideas? No one in this house would ever dare touch your presents. You know that. And even if someone tried, I highly doubt you would let them get very far."

Her mind never failed to delight and surprise me. It was an unpredictable whirlwind of creativity, instinct, and unique logic that did not always make immediate sense to other people, but always made total sense to her.

She tilted her chin up proudly. "It is called thinking outside the box. And then thinking outside the outside of the box. Try to keep up with me."

She walked over to the bed with as much royal dignity as she could possibly muster under the weight of her treasures. She dumped a few of the heavier bags onto the mattress behind me and began the slow process of peeling herself free from all the excess layers. She left one small filled bag slung over her shoulder, probably the absolute favorite of the bunch. I could not stop myself from laughing softly under my breath.

"Oh yes, very logical," I murmured, reaching out with both hands to catch her waist and gently pull her directly down onto my lap.

She let out a small, surprised sound, but she did not resist my pull for a second. I wrapped my arms securely around her waist, burying my face into the warm crook of her neck as the heavy tension in my shoulders finally began to melt away. Her scent was completely grounding. Her presence always possessed a quiet power to silence the chaotic noise in my mind. She reached up and began stroking my dark hair slowly, and a deep, content rumble vibrated from my chest.

"You seemed off when you came up here, so I came to check on you," she said softly. All the teasing humor was gone from her voice now, replaced by a quiet, tender concern.

I nodded slightly against her warm skin. "I am all right, love. I just had a long talk with Joshua."

She did not flinch, nor did she jerk away from me. But I felt her body go noticeably rigid the very instant his name left my mouth. The physical shift was subtle, barely noticeable to the eye, but I felt it clearly. I always felt her. Even the smallest reaction from her meant something important, so I stored that subtle detail away in my mind to reflect on later.

"Oh," she said, trying to sound casual, though I could feel her pulse quicken slightly beneath my fingertips where I held her. "How did that conversation go?"

She reached up with one hand and absently twisted a strand of her dark hair between her fingers. At some point before coming upstairs, she had kicked off her shoes, leaving her legs bare. I let my hand drift gently along the smooth skin of her thigh, acting purely on instinct to comfort us both. Her skin felt incredibly soft and warm beneath my palm.

"We agreed to spend some time together tomorrow," I explained, keeping my voice steady. "We are going to try to reconnect and catch up on things. I had not fully realized just how difficult this entire transition has been for him emotionally. I should have thought about his side of things much sooner."

A sharp pang of guilt twisted in my gut as I said the words out loud. I had been so completely wrapped up in everything else lately, Vivian, my transition, and the immense weight of stepping into my role as the Lupus Deus, that I had failed to make real space for the pain my brother was carrying. That oversight was entirely on me.

Vivian did not offer any harsh words or judgments. Instead, she simply leaned her forehead gently against mine, wrapping her arms tightly around my neck to hold me close in the quiet bedroom.

And sitting there in her warmth, surrounded by her steady presence, that simple comfort was more than enough for now.