Chapter 292: Banter and Deliveries

Zahliver’s POV

I was without a single doubt the absolute worst brother to ever exist in this world. First, I killed him with my own hands during our darkest hour. Then, when fate finally decided to pull a cruel, twisted trick and bring him back to life, I completely ignored his presence. I just walked around pretending like none of it really mattered, leaving him alone in the cold. No wonder he was carrying such deep, bitter poison inside his heart toward me.

The heavy weight of shame settled deep in my chest like thick, wet cement. Heavy. Cold. Unrelenting in its pressure.

Sensing the sudden, dark shift in my energy through our bond, as she always managed to do, Vivian rose from her spot beside me on the mattress and stepped directly in front of me. She gripped both of my hands tightly in hers and gave a firm tug, actively trying to pull me up onto my feet. I did not resist her efforts at all. I could not resist her, even if I had actually wanted to.

"No," she said firmly, stomping her bare foot on the hard floor with all the absolute authority her small frame could possibly muster. Her brown eyes locked squarely on mine, glowing brightly with fierce, undeniable determination. "There will be absolutely no sulking allowed, no emotional breakdowns, and definitely no crying on the very day after you propose to me. I won’t allow it for a second."

I felt the corner of my lips twitch upward despite the heavy mood. Moon help me, she was so ridiculously adorable whenever she got like this.

All I wanted to do in that moment was wrap her tightly up in my broad arms and kiss every single inch of her face, but I settled for cradling her soft face between my warm palms. Her big, dark brown eyes blinked up into mine, full of fierce fire and deep softness all at once. I leaned down and pressed a long, gentle kiss right to her forehead, letting the physical contact anchor my scattered thoughts to the present. It was honestly hard not to laugh out loud. She always acted like she stood several inches taller than her actual height, especially whenever she was actively trying to intimidate an Alpha like me.

The distinct, unmistakable sound of two cars pulling slowly into the gravel driveway downstairs caught both of our attention. Vivian and I stepped out of the bedroom and made our way down the wooden staircase together, her still stubbornly clutching that ridiculous, overflowing gift bag she had been carrying around like a prized possession. When we reached the main living room below, I noticed that all the scattered wrapping paper from her birthday gifts had already been cleared off the rug. The remaining presents were now stacked in neat, weirdly specific arrangements on the side tables. Not that I was particularly surprised; Vivian always maintained her own unique, chaotic logic when it came to the concept of "organization."

The very second I heard the heavy clunk of one of the car doors opening outside, I headed straight toward the front door, already sensing through my Alpha instincts who one of our unannounced visitors was. The familiar mental pulse brushing against the outer edge of my mind was unmistakable.

Albericus.

Opening the heavy front door, I caught sight of a large commercial van parked beside his car, boasting a bright company logo I knew I had seen somewhere before.

Before I could even step outside onto the porch properly, Vivian let out a loud, high-pitched squeal from right behind my shoulder. A literal squeal. And then, Moon help me, she actually shoved me out of the doorway. She physically shoved her Alpha out of her path with both hands and bolted outside barefoot onto the cold porch like some overly excited wolf pup.

"Vivi "

"Frank!!"

I closed my open mouth with an audible snap, blinking in utter shock at the sheer, unbridled joy booming in her voice. I stepped out onto the wooden porch after her, completely dumbfounded by what was unfolding in front of my eyes.

Albericus stepped smoothly out of his car and took a quiet moment to glance back and forth between my confused face and the side of the commercial van, where Vivian was already chatting animatedly with someone inside. A young she-wolf stepped out from the driver side of the vehicle, clearly thrilled to see my mate. She immediately moved to open the heavy back doors of the van while Vivian practically bounced up and down on her bare toes with anticipation.

Shaking his head with a quiet sigh, Albericus joined me by the front doorway, watching the chaotic scene unfold with mild, amused curiosity. Taking a breath, I noticed he smelled strongly like Aurora again. Not the dark, twisted version of her scent I had grown uncomfortably used to lately, but the pure scent I remembered from years past: gentle, calm, and deeply grounded. The lingering corruption was still present, lurking silently beneath the surface, but it no longer completely overpowered everything else about her. She was actively healing, bit by bit.

"Hey, man," he greeted casually, leaning against the wooden frame. "Who the hell is Frank?"

"Her new pet," I grumbled low under my breath, crossing my broad arms over my chest.

He slowly turned his head to give me a dubious look, then peered back over at the van like the vehicle itself might magically offer an explanation for the name.

"So..." he drawled out slowly, a knowing smirk playing on his lips, "since you are not currently curled up in the fetal position on the floor, and she is not actively rubbing your back to comfort you, I am going to take a wild guess and assume she actually said yes?"

I turned a sharp, unamused glare directly onto him.

"Of course she said yes. And for the record, I would never have cried either way."

Albericus made a big, theatrical show of nodding his head along, pretending he completely agreed with my statement. I turned my gaze back toward my barefooted, radiant mate, watching her speak with animated gestures to the female wolf standing by the open van.

"No, you are right," he mused, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You wouldn’t have cried like a normal guy. You would have gone full berserker mode instead, slaughtered a few thousand innocent souls across the territory, and then stood dramatically over the total carnage while silently crying in a very masculine, heroic way. Yeah. That definitely sounds a lot more like you."

My eyes narrowed into dangerous slits as I looked sideways at my Beta.

"I would really hate to force you to go out and search for your own replacement Beta," I said smoothly.

"You wouldn’t be so remarkably cruel to your own best friend "

I did not say another word. I simply let the cold silence stretch out between us long enough for him to start genuinely doubting his odds.

Yeah, I probably would be that cruel.

And we both knew it to be true.

"Yes, I definitely would," she cut in sharply from down by the van before I could even finish my thought.

Albericus let out a dramatic, high-pitched gasp, slapping one hand over his chest as if he had just been personally wounded by a blade. I felt the sharp corners of my lips twitch with hidden amusement, but I swallowed the rising smile down whole before it could escape onto my face. Complete idiot.

"After absolutely everything I have done for you," he said with theatrical heartbreak in his voice, dramatically shaking his head at us. "I have been completely loyal, completely faithful, I gave you my whole heart, and this is how I am repaid? You men are truly all the exact same. You find someone with a good, gentle soul and you just... use us for your own sick amusement, only to toss us aside the second you get bored." He fanned his face repeatedly like a delicate, fainting maiden and slumped his shoulders, letting out a heavy sigh like the entire world had betrayed him.

I stood on the porch and just stared blankly at him.